Before certain other threads continue to drop our collective IQ, I wanted to post something neat and positive. I ain't just doing free work for Sony and MS when I plug their deals, I actually do get a number of those games; and my favorite (and most time-consuming) has been Mad Max, hands down (still on sale today for $8).

Developed by Avalanche Studios (known for making the "Just Cause" games), it's a bit of a weird game, and difficult to compare to other games in the open-world genre (besides the obvious connection to Just Cause). The Before You Buy guy compares it to Red Faction: Guerilla, with Arkham-style combat. The biggest thing that sets this game apart, though, is the heavy focus on car combat, and that has a pleasing amount of depth.

In fact, while there is a somewhat deeper story the further in you go into the game (and for those wondering, the game is set before the events of Fury Road, focusing on Gas Town, so if you lamented the limited view of the world that the film gave us, this game will make you happy), the overall plot of the game is "Max needs to build a car, and it needs to have a V8 engine", so obviously vehicles are going to be a huge focus in the game.

Anyway, I've put 37 hours into it, and I seem to be less than halfway through the story, halfway through the different upgrades and unlocks for Max, and less than halfway through the car upgrades (yeah, the car has more upgrades and unlockables than Max does), and I can't put it down (though it did start slow, as these types of games always do).

I like how the story is simple and straightforward, and it doesn't hurt that Max is nailed as a character who tries to detach himself from the horrors around him, but can never quite stop helping others anyway. Check this clip: the game gives you a simple setup with clear motivation, then lets you loose to succeed with the tools (and limited ammo) at your disposal:

Once in control, I ram into one car with my own, while simultaneously using a harpoon to rip the tire off another car (before running over the driver), then I switch to a makeshift rocket launcher to take out the third car. And so it all goes until I'm taking people out with my fists. It's a pretty wild game.

And a pretty game in general. The whole game takes place on and around a dried up seabed, and yet the developers have filled it with great vistas and sights. I generally don't like desert environments (Mars is my least favorite planet in Destiny, and The Dust missions are my second-least favorite part of Borderlands 2), but I love it in this game, and I can't quite pin why, but the fact that it's not boring certainly helps. And how best to appreciate this wonderful world? With the fantastic (definitely in my top 3) Capture Mode, of course!
Two reasons that it's in my top 3? The first is how crazy robust it is. From the 16 different filters and 26 different frames, to the little things such as being able to flip the entire camera upside down, the simple switch to auto-focus on Max, and the fact that it's a proper freecam, rather than being anchored to the player like 95% of other Photo Modes.
Check a few of my screenshots:

And the second reason is where the not-100%-OT-to-Destiny part comes in,
the game also has a Video Mode, where you can plug in a second controller, and the second player controls the camera in real-time, with a number of unique tools at their disposal. Here is the control scheme for the cameraman:

And it's been used to make videos like this one:

Assigning a second controller as the spectator in Destiny 2 could help keep the fireteam at three people, while freeing up the ability to take screenshots and/or video without needing to pause the game or tricking it into giving us a blank screen. Machinima could totally be a thing again (especially in Private Matches, when those launch).

Neat stuff! Anyway, the game is great, and I recommend you watch the "Before You Buy" video above to get a more thorough opinion from someone who has a few more nitpicks than I do (much like the Just Cause games, there are lots of small unpolished bits that we take for granted in games like Horizon Zero Dawn, like preemptively holding a button down before you reach the prompt, as that usually doesn't fly in Mad Max). But for $8, it's a great deal for a hidden gem.

PS: Here's a short clip of the neat unscripted moments that happen all the time: