Carmageddon: Max Damage - A Solid Addition to the Series?

Kind: captionsLanguage: enBack in May 2015, I had the opportunity to review Carmageddon: Reincarnation, the fourth main game in the Carmageddon series. At the time, 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 has 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, which has led to 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. Seeing as Reincarnation reviewed so poorly, I can see why they'd want to put that out to pasture and then put the last year of optimization to good use and start over somewhat with a bit of strategic rebranding. 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, especially 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's perfectly fine by me. 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 makes 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 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 more gameplay modes and what you actually do here, since they're more or less the same game, just a little less going on there. If you enjoyed this video, why not check out my review on Carmageddon: Reincarnation which has more information on the gamemodes and what you actually do here?

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!

The Gameplay Experience

Simplistic but engaging gameplay remains positively awesome, which is great news for fans of the series. 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.

The Future of Carmageddon: Max Damage

As always, I'll be keeping an eye on how things develop with Carmageddon: Max Damage, so stay tuned for future updates and reviews. In the meantime, if you're interested in learning more about the game or have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments section below.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Carmageddon: Max Damage is a solid addition to the series that offers a fresh take on the classic gameplay experience. While performance issues may detract from the overall experience, they're not enough to hold back the game's charm and enjoyment factor. With its engaging gameplay and generous amount of new content, it's no wonder this update is well worth a look for fans of the series or newcomers alike.

Final Thoughts

If you enjoyed watching this video, be sure to check out my other reviews and let me know what you think in the comments section below. And if you're interested in learning more about Carmageddon: Reincarnation, I've got that covered too. Thanks again for watching LGR, and until next time, stay gaming!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enBack in May of 2015,I reviewed Carmageddon: Reincarnation,the fourth main game in the Carmageddon series.I thought the gameplay was a commendablethrowback to the original games from the '90s,but I had serious problems running iton any kind of playable speed on any PC I tried.Stainless Games have sincepatched the game considerably,resulting in a much moreenjoyable experience all around.However, they also promised consoleports to the PS4 and Xbox One.And, well, here we are in July of 2016with the release of Carmageddon: Max Damage.Make no mistake, this is thesame 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 tojust put that out to pastureand then put the last yearof optimization to good useand just start over somewhatwith a bit of strategic rebranding.And although it's not availableat the time of this recording,they've promised a PC version of Max Damage is on the way...which will be free to existingowners of Reincarnationwhenever that comes into existence.But for this video, I'll be taking a lookat the PS4 version I bought the other daybecause 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 thanReincarnation was on launch, to be sure,but still just acceptable.It runs at a capped 30 FPSat 1080p on this PS4 version,and thankfully it doesn't dip too much below that.It also isn't quite as technicallyadvanced or visually complexas Reincarnation on PC,which makes sense,and even more so when you consider that theyoverhauled the graphics engine on PC last fall.Still, it runs reliably decentand remains quite playableeven when the carnage is at its most intense,so that's a plus.Of course, 60 frames persecond 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 racinggame that can stand to run a little slower.Since the cars feel so heavy andthe action is more demolition derbythan it is Formula 1.That said, Reincarnation currentlyruns even better than this on PC,if you've got the hardware for it,and presumably the PC versionof Max Damage will be even better.So if you're not necessarilygetting this for the performance,what are you getting it for?Well, what make it worth a look right now is theinclusion of a bloody mountain of new content.New cars, new environments in races,more power-ups, optimized multiplayer,new pedestrians to run over and atweaked 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 amountof fresh stuff to play withto the point where I wasn'tbored playing through it again,seeing as they've shuffled around thecareer ladder to include this new stuff.And yes, some of these things have alreadybeen added to Reincarnation through free patches,and the rest will presumably be coming tothe PC version of Max Damage in the future.But for the moment,the consoles have the more complete experience,albeit at a lower frame rateand 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 worldis filled with mindless humanoids,wildlife and AI drivers,that can all be killed in exceedingly stupid ways.Pickups either grant you temporaryabilities or give you a humorous handicap,and each car you unlock canbe upgraded to do all this stuffharder, better, faster, stronger.Splattering pedestrians,shooting anvils at your opponentsand rolling your eyes at the toilethumor is just par for the course,and it all works together smoother than ever.And maybe it's just me, buteven the leveling system seemsa bit more fair this time around.And I didn't find myself having to replay racesover and over to grind for enough points.About the only thing I'd wish for at this point is asplitscreen or LAN party mode,because man, it's an absolute ghost town online.I was able to get one lone racerto join me for a death race,but that's just not very fun.So I wish there was some localmultiplayer 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 graphicaland 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'tplan 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 engaginggameplay 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 that30 FPS limit matters to you.Otherwise, beyond a price pointthat's a tad too much to me personally,it's a solid little combatracing game for consoles.And if you're like me and missedthe kind of chaotic immaturitythat the classic Carmageddon games–and this–offer up for you,then this update is well worth a look.And if you enjoyed this video,why not check out my reviewon Carmageddon: Reincarnationwhich has more information on the gamemodes 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 Fridayif you're all adamant about lookingat things in your recommended listand you want to leave it up tochance. You know, whatever!It's all up to you.And as always, thank you very much for watching LGR!\n"