Do You Know Max Rockatansky?
by FEMAELSTROM, HSM team writer
I do, and I have since 1979. And if you buy a PS4, you will get the chance to know him as well.
Max Rockatansky is the protagonist in the classic George Miller movie, Mad Max. Max later appeared in the sequels, Road Warrior and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, each time portrayed by veteran American-Australian actor Mel Gibson. And, with the advent of the PS4, we can all partake in the rough and crazy action that made the movie series famous and fun to watch. But will it pay off as a game?
This is a movie that, for a long time, I thought was just perfect for a video game. After the Grand Theft Auto games and the Driver series, we saw that renegade driving could be fun, and this game looks like it will have that, as seen in a recent video of an updated preview. The game appears to have the game play of a Motorstorm and Borderlands combined with action and driving tasks to perform.
The game is published by Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment and Avalanche Studios, makers of Just Cause, Just Cause 2 and Renegade Ops. Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment is responsible for the Lego Games, Injustice: Gods Among Us, and the Batman series.
I think even Toecutter and Humongous are excited!
As I write this, there is not much press about the game play, though early indicators are that it will be an action adventure game. But, to this writer, there is so much potential in a property like Mad Max.
The game comes from a time in American movie making that embraced dystopia, and director George Miller used his background as a doctor who tended to people injured in Australian outback related auto racing accidents to write the now iconic movie Mad Max. As the video gaming industry grew and created new genres, the rogue driving genre acquired a distinctive style. And it seemed inevitable that a game maker would acquire the license that would carry with it the weight of one of the greatest driving movies of all times — the Max trilogy.
There have been a ton of movie tie-in games that have massively disappointed fans, who clamor with dollars in hand to buy a piece of the experience that they loved on screen. This has been the bane of gamers everywhere. I myself have bought enough games to stop a river. There was the Blade II game and the Star Wars Epsiode I game. My list of bad movie tie-in games could go on for miles, but that’s the point. We all have those games that remind us not to buy movie games.
Yes I bought this game, don’t laugh, well too hard, we have all bought something like it!
Every company out there that makes games is also trying to successfully make a game that will break the mold of bad movie adaptations with a hit. Warner Brothers and Avalanche are trying their hand at it with Mad Max, despite a grassroots boycott of the game in Australia. Fans in Australia are upset that the developers have chosen to portray Max with a distinctly American voice and not Australian. The group boycotting the game have said that they are not calling for the inclusion of star Mel Gibson, but at least an Australian voice actor.
If I may put in my two cents on this issue, I think that to keep the authenticity of the Mad Max name, an Australian should be used, because in the final few moments of the final film, it is revealed that the events took place in Australia, showing the Sydney Opera house as well as the Sydney Harbor Bridge — both iconic Australian landmarks. Here’s where we have to give Avalanche and Warner Brothers a thumbs up, as they did what any good developer should and listened to the fans. They have decided to use an Australian accent for the character of Max.
Returning to the issue of the many disappointing games based on movies, I think there is a reason for hope this this game will be different. The game is not being released as a tie-in to a new movie, a circumstance that sometimes rushes production and results in a game that is slap-dash and sloppy in its creation. This game is made independently of a movie release, so there is plenty of time to make it right. It had been earmarked to release with the upcoming motion picture Mad Max: Fury Road, which will serve as the fourth installment of the franchise, but was eventually separated and produced apart from a movie tie in.
Seeing the abilities we have on the PS3 and knowing that so much more will be possible on the PS4, it seems like a well crafted game can, should and has to be made. And if the developers take their time, this could be something great, that can really help revitalize the Mad Max property and be a fun experience to play and replay, not a game we regret in the long run. There are many of us out there that are big fans of this movie, and we can hope that it will be a good to great game.
Many of us also have a lot of other movies in mind that we think we would like to see made (or re-made) as games. Now that the gaming industry is grown so huge and technologically strong, we should be able to avoid clichés and goofs that bog games down in the mud and mire of mediocrity and relegate them to the bargain bins at GameStop. Yes, gaming is a moving target and it’s hard for developers to bulls-eye what makes a great game. But some games do achieve greatness, and one can hope that these developers will hit that bull’s eye with Mad Max.
Great, now I have to go and cut the fingers off of all my gloves like Mel wore in Road Warrior.
July 27th, 2013 by FEMAELSTROM | 3 comments
FEMAELSTROM came to Home in June 2011 and never wanted to leave, even at weekly maintenance when he usually gets booted. The sand box environment appeals to the explorer in him and often is out and about as he ‘geeks’ out dressed like some sort of sci-fi character, while he people watches in popular public spaces. An artist and writer, FEMAELSTROM loves making friends and meeting people. He loves sci-fi and decorating Home estates and loves to respond “here” when people ask “where are you from?” in public places.
Share
| Tweet |
This made a big bleep on my radar at E3, somehow though, most seemed to not notice it. Mad Max has a certain silliness attached to it (being a product of the camp 70’s it’s expected) that I hope comes through in this game. However, I know how these things get “adjusted” and “fixed” as they’re run through the brain-storm idea sessions of the meeting rooms of some office; with people who just don’t understand the product.
They were going to make an Uncharted film, but the director who had been given the rights started talking about Drake being part of a “treasure-hunting family” whereby he and his dad (I know) go around the world doing some “extreme antique hunting”. Thankfully, it was taken off the director and word has fallen silent.
What I’m saying here is; it’s RARE to get a good game out of a well established movie franchise, and visa-versa.
I would love this to be what I imagine it could be, but I already know it’s unlikely.
Great write Strom!
Loved the series!
How cool will this game be if you can handcuff the bad-guys to a car wand give them a hacksaw?
This game will have big shoes to fill, but in a way it’s lucky because the movies are older. When they make games from new movies it doesn’t seem to go well. So, I’m hoping enough time has gone by, that all the things that made Mad max so great will shine through.