If you like RPG/driving games, or want to play as Mad Max for a while, you MUST pick up this game. Only $20!!
Having played this game long enough, I'd say I can give a fairly accurate review.
Sound:
Plainly stated, the sound is quite good. Every bullet has an appropriate effect, whether it clatters against your armor or fires into the ground. I enjoy driving around if only to hear bullets whizzing and whirring past and to glance around to see enemies firing at me beyond my radar range. One thing that did bother me, however, is the volume range seemed off between weapons; like the Rainmetal for instance sounded too loud when heard alongside the standard weapons, almost disrupting gameplay. As you drive around, you will hear taunts from enemies and friendly hellos from traders. The music is fair quality, though I turned it off after playing so long, as there didn't seem to be enough songs to last the length of gameplay. After listening to the music a bit more it seems too mixed and not focused enough. The music can range from cajun, country, indian, jazz which does'nt seem very suiting for a post apoctaliptic game like this. You can control the music/sound effects/speech/taunt occasions separately in the options menu. As I mention later in my review, the voice acting is only of fair quality, but you don't hear it often enough for it to bother you too much.
Game Engine/Graphics:
The game engine/physics are perfect for this game. When you blow up a car, pieces of it fly up from the explosion and only the charred chassis remains--I have a habit of playing "kick the flaming tire" after exploding an enemy. At one point early on, the game takes control of my car for a cut-scene in which it runs over a dweller (people, as they are called in-game) and drags him under my car for the remainder of the scene--that gave me a pretty good laugh. Overall, the physics are realistic but are also more action-oriented allowing better playability and control. The in-game models/icons/art have amazing detail put into each one. Many of these details you will not notice unless you closely examine everything for yourself. When your truck sustains damage sparks will fly, it will smoke, and wheels will rotate awkwardly. When you fire weapons they will smoke from their barrels, explosions spew fire into the air and you are definitely not left wanting more but completely satisfied. The lighting in this game is excellent, the models are smooth, and this game is a joy to stare at for many hours at a time.
Plot:
Okay, this is the part of the game lacking, in my opinion. Your father was murdered and you have to find out by whom so you can avenge his death. So throughout the game, you basically just go from place-to-place picking up clues on where to find this person. The voice acting is fair, but not excellent by any means. They also did a nice budget cut by having everyone wear masks (no lip sync). The masks are a nice touch in a way, but I wished they looked more like gas masks instead of masque masks. Aside from the main plot quests, you can always go to a town and talk to a barkeep or dweller to pick up a basic mission (think Vice City). These missions don't offer a lot of variety: escort trader to this town, deliver this package to this place, give me a ride to here, kill some bandits for money... It looks like the expansion will make this part of the game better.
RPG Elements:
The upgrade/RPG elements are amazing. I honestly didn't expect this much from a budget title. You have a full encyclopedia of every item in-game that you come across, which you can access at any time. It will even show the model and a brief summary of the item. During the game you start with basic trucks, and you unlock more as you progress. Each truck has a cab and a storage area, booth of which have multiple counterparts you can choose to your liking. Every item in the game has a base and a quality level. For instance, I have a Deadly Cyclops with enlarged barrel, which means it does more damage and has increased range (you can tell the damage/range/etc. simply by hovering your cursor over an item). There are many different weapon types and sizes. Small, medium,large, wide, and a few extras. One extra slot you can place mines/oil slicks/nitro etc. There are also slots for upgrading your truck as a whole, or specifically armor, torque, etc. The amount and type of slot depends entirely on which Truck Cabs/Storage you pick.
Minor Gripes (it looks like at least some of these will be fixed in the expansion):
The game definitely needs more mission variety, as aforementioned. The night atmosphere is not dark enough, so your headlights are never really needed (fixed in expansion). It would be nice to play with a friend (fixed in expansion). There are also many minor translation issues, but I'm sure these will be patched the more we report them in the forums. I'd like to be able to buy a gas station to store my stuff on each map, it would add more to the role playing elements.
Conclusion:
If you like RPG/driving games, or want to play as Mad Max for a while, you MUST pick up this game. The game may seem small without much content at first, but keep playing and you will be rewarded. I eagerly await the expansion to enjoy this game even further.
(Thanks to my wife for editing all my grammar errors.)