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The Hype Train – Mad Max

Kieran slams a litre of scotch and Red Bull and psyches himself up for the release of Mad Max in the first edition of The Hype Train

In this segment we’ll be stoking the environmentally-unfriendly coal fire that powers the hype train. The hype train is a beast made of equal parts marketing spin and vertical slice gameplay and painted crudely with the hopes and dreams of starry-eyed gamers. The hype train takes no prisoners; you are either standing on the side of the tracks staring at your shoes with a sad look on your face or you are leaning out the train’s windows yelling passionately yet incoherently at passerbys. We have all fallen victim to the hype train’s seductions at one time or another. Indeed, Bungivision managed to make hundreds of millions of dollars by simply channelling the power of the train with their title Destiny, so much so they forgot to write an actual story. But it’s not all bad and in the long run hype is a necessary element to make a game profitable. The Witcher 3 is a good example of how it can be done well, with a lot of hype surrounding the title prior to release mixed with a generous helping good faith in the seasoned developers CD Projekt Red. In the end, the product that the Polish developers delivered was simply incredible, and the ravenous masses gobbled it up gleefully.

So in this section we’ll talk about those games that we’ve pinned high hopes and expectations on, the big titles that have wooed us with a heady combination of tantalising promises and gorgeous trailers. So get on board the Hype Train, just keep your hands inside at all times and don’t talk to the weird guy up the back…

Mad-Max-PS4-Game-Logo-Wallpaper Cropped

Developed by Avalanche games and published by Warner Bros, Mad Max was originally announced at 2013’s E3 expo with a resounding… meh. It had that unknown feeling about it that one simply can’t trust until they’ve seen more than a CGI trailer. It was also revealed that the voice actor for Mad Max was American, which understandably had Alf Stewart yelling “stone the flaming galahs, this is a bloody outrage!” Thankfully the developers caved and promised an Australian would instead voice the protagonist (a real one, not like Mick Jagger playing Ned Kelly) as God intended. It was at that point I started to take notice, as for me this was a firm step in the right direction.

Smeel my knee

Smell my knee

Originally slated for a 2014 release on last-gen consoles, the game was delayed and much of it scrapped and subsequently reimagined and reengineered to take advantage of current-gen technology. This was another smart move on Warner Bros/Avalanche’s behalf. Perhaps it was hard to envision back when that decision was made, but the current-gen console space today is a little bit of a barren wasteland when it comes to originality and innovation. Although we’ve seen some quality titles with that all-important spark (the likes of Sunset Overdrive, Shadow of Mordor and Bloodborne), the flood of uninspired sequels and remasters is becoming hard to ignore. This is the perfect context for a game like Mad Max to flourish. Although it isn’t reinventing the wheel in terms of gameplay and setting, being a mix of vehicular combat and Batman-esque brawling in a post-apocalyptic setting, all Mad Max really has to do is to appease the hungry gamer hordes is be fun, and emulate that bizarre Mad Max tone. George Miller’s original 1979 classic is excellent source material and lends itself well to a game, being unflinchingly and frequently violent. But it is essential that the game nails the heart and feel of Mad Max, that sense of complete loss and isolation that turns bad men into raving lunatics and previously good men into heartless survivalists.

A few trailers have come out this year that have really started getting people talking, both in the months leading up to E3 as well as at the conference itself in June. I’ve had people who don’t even normally follow gaming news ask me if I’ve seen the trailer and I can’t help but grin like a giddy schoolboy and nod my appreciation. The trailers have that undeniable quality to them, dripping with a gritty style and accompanied by heavy lashings of brutality that manages to avoid descending into Hollywood-style senselessness. If you don’t believe me check them out for yourself below.

The game looks like it will play like a grittier version of Avalanche’s  well-known Just Cause series, in the sense you’re given an open world to explore with a variety of tools at your disposal for both traversal and death-dealing. The overarching premise appears to be the quest to rebuild Mad Max after a group of bandits called the War Boys strip him of his worldly possessions, including his beloved V8: the iconic Interceptor. Like having your baby stolen by a dingo this understandably makes Max a little upset, and the game will have you collecting parts and scrap to build a newer and gnarlier ride capable of bringing the hurt to those that have wronged you. Ultimately this will involve taking out your vengeance on Scrotus (unfortunate name), who fans of the series will recognise as the son of Immortan Joe. Avalanche have promised that both the landscape and the car you build are like characters unto themselves, and it looks like there’ll be quite a deep element of crafting and customisation involved. These RPG elements ought to give the game system some depth, and I’m sure the story will throw some twists and turns in there too that elevate it above a simple revenge tale.

Everything the light touches

Everything the light touches…

Mad Max’s hype train is certainly gathering steam, buoyed no doubt by the recent release of the excellent blockbuster film Mad Max: Fury Road. I for one am quite keen for this title and look forward to venturing out into Avalanche’s vision of the savage post-apocalyptic wilds. Check out the official Mad Max site for more info and stay tuned for my review when the game releases in September (1st September for North America, 2nd September in Oz, 4th September for the rest of the world).

Choo, choo motherfucker.

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Kieran is a consummate troll and outspoken detractor of the Uncharted series. He once fought a bear in the Alaskan wilderness while on a spirit quest and has a PhD in organic synthetic chemistry XBL: Shadow0fTheDog PSN: H8_Kill_Destroy

Written By Kieran Stockton

Kieran is a consummate troll and outspoken detractor of the Uncharted series. He once fought a bear in the Alaskan wilderness while on a spirit quest and has a PhD in organic synthetic chemistry XBL: Shadow0fTheDog PSN: H8_Kill_Destroy

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