As such, events simply take far too long, ranging from 10 to 30 (!) minutes each. You’ll spend many wasted minutes chasing a target, only to have an AI rival beat you to it and then have the next objective spawn way back where you had just come from. And because the objective you’re driving toward is often randomly spawned around these huge maps, they’re frequently lost before you even have a chance to compete for them because someone else happened to be closer. Driving across the giant areas is either boring or frustrating, especially on some of the poorly-designed maps that require difficult indoor navigation. Every free-roam map is enormous – a revelation in 1997, but a dull chore now.
In short, Carmageddon’s late-’90s sensibilities fail it in 2016. Unfortunately, like the recent lukewarm Beavis & Butt-Head return on MTV, time has moved on, and Carmageddon hasn’t aged well.
And to its credit, the new Carmageddon: Max Damage recreates the feel, structure, and sense of humor of the original two games in the series quite well.
By mixing and matching the various mode and map combinations, its longevity doesn’t feel completely organic, though the prospect of finding new cars and upgrade tokens help to incentivise play.Back in the late ‘90s, Carmageddon’s open-world, pedestrian-squashing racing mechanics were fresh, exciting, and hilarious. Without them, you’re forced to awkwardly joust with other drivers, ramming them before reversing and doing the same over and over.Īs we’ve come to expect from games sporting premium price tags, Max Damage has plenty of content to wade through. From anvil launchers to Carmageddon’s “mine shitting” power, they’re the easiest way to secure a quick win. However, when looking to pick off your opponents, it’s the red barrels that become particularly important. While some will improve or hamper mobility, others can change the behaviour of nearby peds, causing them to burst into dance or even run at speeding vehicles. Driving into coloured barrels scattered across each map will help top up your arsenal with these bizarre treats. It can get pretty tiresome, especially when you find yourself pinned against a wall and unable to move for the umpteenth time.įeatures such as the recovery and repair buttons help in these situations, as do the game’s broad array of power ups. Although fairly brainless when it comes to more complex tasks, the AI will take every opportunity to inconvenience you in any way they can. Every corner quickly becomes a gamble as you spin out of control, leaving you wide open to attack. Things improve as your start to upgrade your ride though targeting specific objects and NPCs can feel like trying to tap a nail with a sledgehammer, one handed. Vehicle handling is remarkably poor during the early stages of the game, no matter what terrain your driving on. Sadly, those aforementioned issues all stem from how the game plays. Even when struggling with some of Carmageddon’s most pressing issues, I couldn’t help but giggle when I first saw “Get yer’ flaps out” flash on-screen. While some may baulk at the use of words such as “spastic”, most phrases are fairly harmless and actually quite funny, depending on your comedic tastes. The game’s overall tone echoes the dumb, overly edgy youth culture of the nineties with a side helping of crass British colloquialism. The points gained from mutilating these bystanders can be used by players for a number of actions in game, such as buying specific power ups and repairing car damage, while progressively unlocking new career missions to play. Regardless of their practical uses in-game, there’s a perverse sense of joy to be had in hunting the peds down, watching their lifeless bodies ragdoll across the screen.ĭespite all the blood and body parts, Max Damage never takes itself seriously. Whether electrocuted, napalmed, catapulted, or eviscerated, each bystander is their own mobile resource node. They’ve always been a highlight for the Carmageddon series and it’s easy to see why. Wedged between these flimsy rule sets and open environments are hundreds of innocent pedestrians, or ‘peds’, going about their business. The rest of them will either have you bashing bumpers or stampeding from one checkpoint to the next. For example, being first past the finish line counts for nothing in all but one of Max Damage’s game modes. Although it’s easy to get your head around some of the basics, Carmageddon takes racing game tropes and turns them on their head.