Anyway.. would you recommend Mad Max or should I just keep it moving?
It really depends what you're looking for. There's not a whole lot to the story, although the dialogue is well-written (for the ridiculous Mad Max universe, at least). Basically, Max's car gets stolen and scrapped and he meets an engineer who wants to help him build a masterpiece car, which requires Max to do various tasks to either acquire the parts or get people in the wasteland to give them to him. That's basically it. Oh, and Max pissed off a crazed warlord who he will inevitably have to take down at the end of the game.
The gameplay is generally pretty solid. It's not terribly deep, though. If you've played Shadow of Mordor, the hand-to-hand combat is basically the same, albeit a bit less responsive. The camera during fist fights isn't great, but the combat itself is functional and easy to get the hang of once you get the timing down. The car drives pretty well, and will likely drive better as I upgrade it (you can upgrade the tires to get better traction as you advance). I really like how time slows to a crawl when you aim while in the car since otherwise it would be damn near useless. Like fist fights, the car combat isn't really all that deep, but it is generally fun, sometimes difficult, and the awesome explosions make it satisfying. I haven't unlocked the exploding harpoons or the flamethrowers yet, which should add another layer of strategy to car fights. Ammo is really scarce for everything, though, so you can't really abuse any one strategy.
The game looks great. Beautiful vistas, awesome storm effects, and the aforementioned great explosions that Avalanch is known for. As I've mentioned before, it runs really well. The only time I get a brief stutter is when I cross over into a new area while driving fast and the game autosaves. Other than that, I've had zero performance issues aside from the one time it crashed. There are occasional glitches during fist fights (I assume those will be patched out during the next week or so), but it's a well-designed game overall.
As I've said, it seems to me like a solid eight out of ten. It's fun and pretty, but mostly mindless. There is a shitload of stuff to do, too. If you're a completionist, you'll be at it for a while. The game is basically a fun diversion. I wouldn't recommend it over Witcher 3 (current front-runner for GotY) or Phantom Pain, but if you're just looking to play a fun game where you kill people and blow up cars in a gorgeous desert wasteland, it'll do.
I have trouble focusing when it comes to games. I'll often buy them and then lose interest after a couple of hours. I want to keep playing Mad Max. That, to me, is a seal of approval.
