[typing] ["Messenger of Sh*t" metal track plays]
[LGR VO] Back in May of 2015,
I reviewed Carmageddon: Reincarnation,
the fourth main game in the Carmageddon series.
I thought the gameplay was a commendable throwback to the original games from the '90s,
but I had serious problems running it
on any kind of playable speed on any PC I tried.
Stainless Games have since patched the game considerably,
resulting in a much more enjoyable experience all around.
However, they also promised console ports to the PS4 and Xbox One.
And, well, here we are in July of 2016
with the release of Carmageddon: Max Damage.
Make no mistake, this is the same basic game as Reincarnation,
not an entirely new entry into the series.
But seeing as Reincarnation reviewed so poorly,
I can see why they'd want to just put that out to pasture
and then put the last year of optimization to good use
and just start over somewhat with a bit of strategic rebranding.
And although it's not available at the time of this recording,
they've promised a PC version of Max Damage is on the way...
which will be free to existing owners of Reincarnation
whenever that comes into existence.
But for this video, I'll be taking a look at the PS4 version I bought the other day
because I couldn't wait to see how it performed.
Let's just get this out of the way first:
performance... is acceptable.
A hundred times better than Reincarnation was on launch, to be sure,
but still just acceptable.
It runs at a capped 30 FPS at 1080p on this PS4 version,
and thankfully it doesn't dip too much below that.
It also isn't quite as technically advanced or visually complex
as Reincarnation on PC,
which makes sense,
and even more so when you consider that they overhauled the graphics engine on PC last fall.
Still, it runs reliably decent and remains quite playable
even when the carnage is at its most intense,
so that's a plus.
Of course, 60 frames per second would be preferable,
seeing as this is a game with a ton of movement,
spinning around and dodging enemy drivers.
But thankfully this is the kind of racing game that can stand to run a little slower.
Since the cars feel so heavy and the action is more demolition derby
than it is Formula 1.
That said, Reincarnation currently runs even better than this on PC,
if you've got the hardware for it,
and presumably the PC version of Max Damage will be even better.
So if you're not necessarily getting this for the performance,
what are you getting it for?
Well, what make it worth a look right now is the inclusion of a bloody mountain of new content.
New cars, new environments in races,
more power-ups, optimized multiplayer,
new pedestrians to run over and a tweaked driving and damage model.
with some returning features, like the ability to split your car in half.
You can also drive in a dashboard view now.
Although it's a bit too blurry for my taste,
so I don't really use it.
Overall, this is a solid amount of fresh stuff to play with
to the point where I wasn't bored playing through it again,
seeing as they've shuffled around the career ladder to include this new stuff.
And yes, some of these things have already been added to Reincarnation through free patches,
and the rest will presumably be coming to the PC version of Max Damage in the future.
But for the moment,
the consoles have the more complete experience,
albeit at a lower frame rate and lesser graphical fidelity.
Still, as I mentioned in my previous review,
the gameplay is just loads of simple fun.
The basic idea is that the world is filled with mindless humanoids,
wildlife and AI drivers,
that can all be killed in exceedingly stupid ways.
Pickups either grant you temporary abilities or give you a humorous handicap,
and each car you unlock can be upgraded to do all this stuff
harder, better, faster, stronger.
Splattering pedestrians, shooting anvils at your opponents
and rolling your eyes at the toilet humor is just par for the course,
and it all works together smoother than ever.
And maybe it's just me, but
even the leveling system seems a bit more fair this time around.
And I didn't find myself having to replay races over and over to grind for enough points.
About the only thing I'd wish for at this point is a
splitscreen or LAN party mode,
because man, it's an absolute ghost town online.
I was able to get one lone racer to join me for a death race,
but that's just not very fun.
So I wish there was some local multiplayer options to fill in the gaps.
That said, is Max Damage worth the $40 asking price?
Yes! No!
That depends on your take on the graphical and performance issues department.
It was never a particularly pretty game to begin with,
and 30 FPS just is really unfortunate.
But if it doesn't bother you, or you don't plan on getting this on PC in the future,
then there's a lot to enjoy here, if you're into this type of game.
The simplistic but engaging gameplay remains positively awesome.
But this stuff only gets better the faster it runs.
So maybe wait for a sale,
or wait for the PC version if that 30 FPS limit matters to you.
Otherwise, beyond a price point that's a tad too much to me personally,
it's a solid little combat racing game for consoles.
And if you're like me and missed the kind of chaotic immaturity
that the classic Carmageddon games– and this–offer up for you,
then this update is well worth a look.
[car crash]
[electronic music plays]
And if you enjoyed this video, why not check out my review
on Carmageddon: Reincarnation
which has more information on the game modes and what you actually do here,
since they're more or less the same game,
just a little less going on there.
And if you really liked what you saw,
and I'm sure that you know you can subscribe,
or you can just check back every Monday and Friday
if you're all adamant about looking at things in your recommended list
and you want to leave it up to chance. You know, whatever!
It's all up to you.
And as always, thank you very much for watching LGR!