Following the theft of his iconic Interceptor, Max must align himself with a gifted, but peculiar, mechanic named Chumbucket to build the ultimate survival vehicle, something Chumbucket calls the “Magnum Opus.” Players design, customise and upgrade their essential vehicle by choosing from different car chassis and a myriad of upgrades including mounted weapons, armour and engines in the hopes of escaping to the Plains of Silence. Gamers must endure the open-world, post-apocalyptic environment that features a huge variety of encounters in a host of different locations throughout The Wasteland, many of them remnants of the world before the apocalypse...

Mad Max is an open-world, third-person action game developed by Avalanche Studios and set in a post-apocalyptic setting. It's based on the recently rebooted movie.

The most enjoyable aspect of the game play is exploring the massive open map. Your main form of travel is your trusty car which comes with tons of upgrades ranging from speed increases, extra armor and various other detailed attachments including a grappling hook. Unfortunately there's a bit of a steep learning curve at the beginning of the game, as the car is really tricky to handle. But, as you upgrade the car, it becomes much easier to drive.

As you progress through the game you can also upgrade your character by ranking up his skills. These skills include health, stronger punches, gun accuracy and rage. Your rage meter builds up whilst engaging in a fight and when activated you gain an increase in damage against your opponents as well as receiving reduced incoming damage.

I found the game play to be a bit basic for my liking, ranging from simple melee hits to awkward shooting. This is especially noticeable when compared to some of the other Xbox One games in a similar vein. In fact, I couldn't help feeling that this was a little underdeveloped for the Xbox One - it almost felt as though it was rushed to market, before it was fully polished, in order to tie-in with the movie's release.

If you can get to grips with the controls and don't mind the slightly rough edges, then this game has a lot to offer. There's an engaging story, with lots of action. And for those that enjoy scouring the environment, there's loads of collectibles scattered throughout the game.

Despite it's rushed feel, overall this is still a good game and has a very long life if you're striving to get every upgrade and collectible. However, there are other games out there that are better value for money at the moment. If this game appears in one of the Xbox sales I would certainly recommend buying it.

7

Carl Simpson