I got this game on sale a little while ago. Despite the mixed reviews, I knew I wanted this game since it's release. There was a PSN sale not too long ago and I got it for about $10 and I have to say it was worth the cash. I finished this game pretty thoroughly and I'm currently trying to finish all the camps and find all the collectibles.
The graphics are pretty good in this game as the environment is gorgeous and presents a strong base for the game. The character animations look a little dated, but I kind of expected as much from a game that was initially planned to be released on last generation systems. The cars, the environment, and the camps are all pretty great looking though.
One thing that stuck out to me as impressive is the frame rate. Open world games can have a tendency to struggle with frame rates a bit, but this one does a pretty excellent job. Say what you will about the game, but in this day and age a game with a good frame rate is a prize in my opinion. The only time there was issues is when you go into one of the middle of the game territories, specifically Pink Eye's territory. Only in this area was it a little unstable, but everywhere else it was solid, even during the games crazy storms.
The hand to hand combat in the game is pretty bland at first, but you are able to upgrade Max and improve his combos. They get increasingly violent and are a ton of fun to execute. Melee weapon reversals and combos that include your shotgun are satisfyingly violent. The car combat is fun, but a little finicky at times. The best way to have the car combat is to do so on the move, but the minute you slow down you get into a kind of low speed, low damage ramming contest. Once you fully upgrade the "thunderpoon" (which is essentially a rocket launcher) car combat becomes a little one sided. I liked the car combat, but I think the hand to hand combat was a little more fun, especially after fully upgrading Max. That being said, attacking the convoys was extreme good fun.
The story in the game was pretty low key, at least until the end. The game starts out with Max losing his car, then you spend time building a new one. It is a great premise and the enemies are true to Mad Max lore and fun to hunt down. Chumbucket is fun in all the ways that are weird as well. The story really picks up toward the end of the game and the game ends in all the best ways only a Mad Max story could; I was taken back by how great the end of the game was.
For a game that is currently $20 (or less if you find a sale) you will not be disappointed if you pick this one up. It's a fun game and fans of Mad Max (like myself) will truly enjoy this game.