Ever since I can remember game companies are always quick to move in on a movie franchise to try to continue the story in some way or another. Some just copy the movie’s story entirely. Now these particular cash-in games are usually basic additions to the franchise, not really offering much in terms of playability or even fun. Not this time.

Mad Max was released not too long ago in a bid to “cash-in” on the latest edition of the Mad Max movie series, Fury Road. And to tell you the truth, it’s a good game. Avalanche Studios and Warner Brothers have actually made an extremely entertaining game, and one that offers so much.

It reminds me of Shadow of Mordor, the game that came from The Hobbit movies. That was good. Mad Max seems to have taken influence from the swords and shields to create an open world adventure filled with cars made from junk, custom-built shotguns and a whole lot of sand.

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Customisation is huge in this game. Your car, the Magnum Opus can be customised right down to the engine. Choose which tyres you have, install your own exhaust system or even upgrade the harpoon on the rear, there are a serious amount of customisation options available. Even the car bodies can change, and each is unlocked through completing either the story or side missions. There are some pre-built models that you unlock by completing races.

Max himself can be changed. Give him a beard, or some better knuckle dusters or even a leather jacket which serves as armour. He can be changed so much that by the end of the game he could simply be a different protagonist from the one you started the game with.

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Missions are your run of the mill go collect this, kill this person or get to that location as fast as possible which is okay. Most missions requires some kind of violence to complete it. It mostly comes in the form of fist fighting which feels solid. The blocking system is reactive and the punches feel like you really are doing some damage to the enemies. You have a shotgun too as mentioned above but ammo is scarce in the wasteland so be mindful when you use it. Is the target worth that bullet or not?

I keep coming back to that one word, fun, and Mad Max certainly achieves that. It’s open, full of violence, there are some great voice acting moments. For a “cash-in” on a movie franchise game, this is definitely one to get your hands on. Oh, and graphically, it looks superb.