On May 24, 2024, the controversial third season of Fortnite Chapter 5 launched, thrusting players into a frenzied and chaotic map. A portion of it has been overtaken by a desolate post-apocalyptic wasteland occupied by sparse thrown-together structures. Players don't want to be caught traversing it on foot, either, seeing as massive weapon-equipped vehicles of all varieties roam the landscape. It's all very much Mad Max-inspired, and yet, there's no Mad Max tie-in to be seen.

The very same day Fortnite Chapter 5: Season 3 kicked off, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga released in theaters. After ages of development, the story of Mad Max: Fury Road's favorite Imperator Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) was told on the big screen. Thus, it seemed like an opportune time to add some Mad Max franchise skins to the item shop, or even as part of the Battle Pass. Instead, for whatever reason, Fallout skins were added to the game. While these aren't totally inappropriate for the dystopian setting, they don't quite mesh wit??h the nitro-fueled mayhem the season has to offer.

Though no concrete reason for the lack of Mad Max skins has come to light, it stands to reason there was some kind of licensing issue that prevented their inclusion. In the event such troubles are remedied before the season ends, however, Fortnite Chapter 5: Season 3 could use, at the very least, these five of the many weird and wild Mad Max universe characters.

5. Nux (Mad Max: Fury Road)

Along with a host of other villains, Mad Max: Fury Road introduces the War Boys to the Mad Max mythology. They're a fanatica??l lot who serve the Citadel with pride, fiercely protecting its leadership without question. Among them is Nux (Nicholas Hoult), who goes from a deeply committed War Boy to a hero of the Wasteland, ultimately giving his life to help the likes of Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy) and Furiosa (Charlize Theron) defeat Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne/Lachy Hulme) and his forces.

Nux would be an excellent addition to the latest Fortnite season. He has a unique look and is one of the most energetic characters in Fury Road, hence why he's so fondly remembered almost a decade after?? the film's release. Not to mention, his car, the Che?vrolet 5 Window Coupe 1934, would be a blast to drive around in. An exclusive emote featuring him spraying his teeth with chrome spray paint, a War Boys tradition in battle, would be the cherry on top.

4. Dementus (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga)

Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) makes his Mad Max franchise debut in Furiosa, and he's quite a unique entity in a world full of them. The leader of the Biker Horde, he takes Furiosa in at the start of the film, only for them to drift apart in short order. As they clash and he g??ives up on her ever seeing him as her adoptive father, Dementus becomes increasingly manipulated by the Wasteland. By the film's end, he's nothing short of a charismatic? yet violent warlord, ultimately killed by Furiosa after being defeated in battle.

Though he's a new addition to the Mad Max film canon, Dementus is more than worthy of a Fortnite skin. He has several costume changes throughout Furiosa that could justify alternate looks, his motorcycle chariot would be awesome to drive around the map, and, overall, his inclusion would be some nice (albeit a bit late) promotion for Furiosa. Besides, the character is just Chris Hemsworth running around in crazy costumes acting like a wild man. ?Who wouldn't want to drop a few V-bucks on that?

3. Immortan Joe (Mad Max: Fury Road/Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga)

Dementus may be a threatening enemy, but he pales in comparison to Immortan Joe. The leader of the Citadel and the Cult of the V8, he uses the water supply of his fortress to control those below him. Despite the fact that he's falling apart at the seams due to age and poor health, his followers are entirely devoted to him and see him as a god, and he's more than willing to exploit them for his own gain. To put it simply, he's a tyrant, hence why it's so cathartic when Furiosa brutally takes his life at the end of Mad Max: Fury Road.

With his pale white skin and hair, piercing eyes, intricate armor, and grimacing breathing mask, Joe is tailor-made for a Fortnite skin and would be so cool to see in the Wasteland. His signature vehicle, The Gigahorse, which is comprised of two 19??59 Cadillac Coupe de Villes along with a host of custom-made attachments, would be a force to be reckoned with on the road, too. The Megalo Don skin evokes some of the main design elements seen on Joe, but having the real deal would be so much better.

2. Imperator Furiosa (Mad Max: Fury Road/Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga)

Since her franchise introduction in Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa has risen to become one of the most popular characters in the Mad Max franchise. As if that film doesn't drive home just how tough-as-nails, cool, and capable she is, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga makes that point abundantly clear. She goes from an abdu??cted child to a full-on warrior, exacting ?revenge on Dementus for killing her mother and attempting to forcer her into a life of servitude to Immortan Joe.

Not only does Furiosa's overall badassery make her a perfect fit for Fortnite Chapter 5: Season 3, but so do her many looks throughout her two movie appearances. She could come with a range of different alternate attire??s. Long hair, short hair, face paint, no face paint, arm, no arm, the list goe??s on. The Tatra T815, better known as the War Rig, would be an awesome addition as well and make for solid opposition against the season's hulking War Bus.

1. Max Rockatansky

If there could only be one Mad Max skin added to Fortnite, then there's no denying that it should be Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson, Tom Hardy) himself. The character has anchored the franchise since its beginning in 1979, braving all the perils that the Wasteland has to offer, defeating evil in various forms, helping those in need, and coming out the other side just fine. He's a big screen legend and has jumped to other forms of media like comics and video games, which is to say that his appearance in Fortnite would be entirely on brand.

Of course, the big question is, should the Gibson or Hardy version of the character be the one to soar from the Battle Bus? All things considered, both are viable picks. With three movies behind him, Gibson's Max comes with a few costumes to choose from. On the other hand, what Hardy's Max lacks in outfits he makes up for in relevance, as his interpretation is far newer and likely more recognizable to most Fortnite players. Between the two, there are several unique vehicle options,? too, completing the Max ensem?ble.

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Since 1979, George Miller's Mad Max series has transformed from a schlocky B-rate post-apocalypse story to one of the most beloved action ?franc??hises of all time. 

Mad Max is set in Australia sometime after the world has been desolated by plagues, economic collapse, and ecological die out. The dregs of humanity hang onto life and go to war over the remaining food, fuel, and shelter. The humans in Mad Max also spend a good chunk of their time creating spike-covered vehicles that can patrol the wastes and duke it out in high speed battles. It’s a goofy premise that takes itself entirely too seriously, but that’s part of the appeal??. 

The Mad Max movies are beloved for good reason, but even super fans like myself have to admit that some of them are quite a bit better than others. They might not all be worth a rewatc??h, but they’re definit??ely worth ranking. 

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

Beyond Thunderdome is arguably the most iconic Mad Max movie thanks to the titular combat arena and a truly memorable performance from Tina Turner. At the same time, this movie is a lot worse than your memory might lead you to believe. There’s less time spent watching post-apocalyptic gladiators duke it out than there is watching Max interact with a group of semi-feral children. Digging into various factions and the plight of kids in the wasteland definitely gives Beyond Thunderdome a different feel than?? the other movies, but that’s?? not really to its benefit. 

Mad Max

The original Mad Max still holds up, but I’d be lying if I said that nostalgia had nothing to do with this ranking. Truly an example of low-budget filmmaking at its finest, Mad Max is about as stripped down as you can get. We learn about Max’s origins as a sort of police officer in an apocalypse-lite society (the world doesn’t become completely desolate until the sequel). The gang leader Toecutter is still the most memorable villain of the series, and the stunt performers who absolutely risked their lives while filming deserve much of the credit for making Mad Max so good.  

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

In some ways, Furiosa is more like Beyond Thunderdome than any other Mad Max movie. Furiosa tells a grandiose story set over more than a decade, and it spends lots of time building up various factions and locations in the wasteland, which is why you should probably catch up on the series before watching it.

That said, the stories it weaves together are much more interesting than the ones presented in Beyond Thunderdome, and the action scenes that link all the brooding and worldbuilding moments together are top-notch. Furiosa doesn’t provide quite the same thrill ride as other movies in the series, but it definitely tells the most cohesive st?ory and gives us a clear vision of the wasteland that the other movies don’t really explore. 

Mad Max: The Road Warrior

It almost doesn’t get better than The Road Warrior. The sequel to the original Mad Max opens up the world and brings the apocalypse to the forefront of the story. There aren’t cops any more, just roving bands of car-obsessed raiders and the people who desperately try to avoid them. The Road Warrior ups the ante on all the action shown off in the first film and truly sets the tone for the rest of the series. Some of the storytelling is a bit clumsy, and there’s the Mel Gibson of it all to get past, but The Road Warrior still stands out as the best of the original Mad Max trilogy.

Mad Max: Fury Road

It feels a little weird to put a legacy sequel at the top of this list, but it’s also hard to deny that Fury Road is a masterpiece. The movie basically functions as one giant chase scene, and it manages to capture everything that makes the Mad Max franchise great. From beginning to end, it’s packed with clever world building details, breathtaking shots, and some of the most well-choreographed action scenes ever put to film. Everything the earlier movies did well, Fury Road does better, so if someone was only ever going to watch a single ent??ry in the series, this is the one I’d recomme??nd.

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With the long-awaited release of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the overall Mad Max franchise has once again been thrust into the mainstream spotlight. The series started its engine way back in 1979 with director George Miller's Mad Max. Since then, it has become a multimedia juggernaut recognized the world over and beloved for its unique look and many weird and wild characters.

At the same time, just because it has a colorful cast and a sprawling world doesn't mean the Mad Max franchise is perfect. The lore and overall t??imeline is a bit confusing, and there's a lot of ground to cover with ancillary media like novels, video games, and comi?cs. Therefore, it can appear daunting for those new to Miller's post-apocalyptic creation.

If you're one of those newcomers who was beckoned by the chaotic, action-packed Furiosa but doesn't want to watch every single Mad Max movie in order to prepare, here's ?what you should watch at the very lea??st before checking out Miller's latest creation.

Mad Max: Fury Road makes for a good starting point

Released in 2015, Mad Max: Fury Road is a hard-hitting, visually-stunning watch. It centers on Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy), who gets swept up in a feud between the vile ruler of the Citadel, Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne), and Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron). This marks her first appearance in the Mad Max series, and between the action, drama, and worldbuilding the film brings, it's quite an impressive one. After all, it got Hideo Kojima to go see it four times.

In terms of the Mad Max timeline, Fury Road takes place years after Furiosa, so there's an argument to be made that it should be saved for after a Furiosa screening. However, giving it a watch first can make Furiosa a more interesting viewing. Knowing the title character and who she ultimately becomes ahead of time adds a layer of intrigue to her origin story. It can be rewarding to know her final form and watch what she goes through to reach it. Think witnessing Anakin Skywalker's journey to become Darth Vader in the Star Wars prequels decades after the completion of the origina??l trilogy.

Not to mention, if you're a bit unsure if what you're getting into stylistically with Furiosa is for you, Fury Road is similar in aesthetic and tone. It can act as a good primer in that regard as well. If you like what Fury Road has to offer and want more, then you can go scratch that itch with Furiosa afterward.

The original Mad Max trilogy is optional

There's no denying the pop culture influence and overall science fiction awesomeness of the original Mad Max trilogy. Mad Max, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome are all worth a watch decades after their premieres, and Mel Gibson's rendition of Max Rockatansky remains iconic. With that said, these movies aren't all that essential to one's viewing of Furiosa.

The main reason why you can watch Furiosa without having seen the Mad Max trilogy is time. Furiosa and Fury Road are set in the mid-21st century, with the original trilogy spanning the mid-1980s to somewhere between the late 1990s to the early 2000s. These sets of films are so far apart chronologically and their casts are so radically different that, in terms of the core narrative, passing on the trilogy won't impact your understanding of Furiosa much at all.

The original trilogy may not be related to Furiosa at all

Then again, what if you simply want to learn as much about the lore of this universe as possible? Well, you might still be better off skipping the trilogy, or looking at it as its own entity. Whether the first three Mad Max movies truly are in the same continuity as Furiosa and Fury Road remains a hot topic. Miller hasn't shared a concrete verdict, and fans continue to debate if Gibson ?and Hardy are the same Max, if they're related, or if the name is more of a mantle passed from person to person.

All of that is to say that ahead of Furiosa, you could watch all of the existing Mad Max movies to prepare if you so desire. If you're seeking narrative cohesion and nothing more, though, your best bet is to stick with Fury Road alone. It ties in the closest to Furiosa, forming a highly entertaining duology with it.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is now playing exclusively in theaters.

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Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga from director George Miller has finally premiered on the big screen, with emphasis on finally. The latest entry in the weird and wild Mad Max universe, starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth, has been in development for some tim??e, but the project wasn't ??initially planned as a movie. Rather, Miller envisioned it as an anime series almost a decade ago, only for this idea to crumble.

The story of Furiosa dates back to the creation of Mad Max: Fury Road, which itself was worked on for decades. Per Miller during a chat with Time Out, Mel Gibson, the star of the original Mad Max trilogy, was even considered to return as Max Rockatansky at ?one point.

Come the mid-2010s, however, Miller's first Mad Max title since 1985's Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome became a reality with Tom Hardy as the lead. The film also received a tie-in comic, a Mad Max video game, and a tale star??ring one of the feature's new characters, Charlize Theron's Imperator ?Furiosa, was being laid out.

Miller revealed to Polygon that Furiosa's story was actually completed before Fury Road even started shooting, recalling, “So we wrote a story about Furiosa from the time she was taken as a child, as she refers to in Fury Road, until she became?? the Im?perator Furiosa. That ended up as a full screenplay, with concept art and so on."

With that, he decided the anime route was the best option to bring Furiosa's origin to life. Fury Road concept artist Maeda was then enlisted to create the show's aesthetic. Unfortunately, with the delay of Fury Road, th?e Furiosa anime was put on the back burner and eventually scrapped e??ntirely.

Miller told Polygon he felt "there was no point in making an anime" due to Fury Road's halt. In time, some of Maeda's artwork made it online, giving fans an idea ?of what could've been. Meanwhile, Miller maintained that a Furiosa-centric story should come to fruition, and come to fruition it di??d.

After a dispute regarding unpaid salaries on Fury Road was resolved, Miller began developing the ill-fated Furiosa anime as a movie. He ove??rhauled the plot entirely, recast Taylor-Joy for the lead instead of de-aging Theron, and assembled a supporting cast of franchise veterans and newcomers alike. It was a long, winding road to get here, but at last, Furiosa has a gritty, post-apocalyptic spotlight all her own.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is now playing exclusively in theaters.

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The backdrop of the Mad Max se?ries is probably more beautiful than a noxious wasteland has any right to be, but it's still less interesting than the characters populating it. Even though they don't tend to speak much, the ensemble driving both the vehicles and the plot of the series is responsible for some of the best worldbuilding in the history of cinema. Let's honor the maddest of th?e bunch, shall we?

Nu-Max (Fury Road)

Even though the series' very title alludes to his supposed madness, the original Max Rockatansky was never really that mad �especially for a guy who witnessed his family getting run over right before the Apocalypse took place. The new Max, the one that we see in Fury Road, however, seems to have finally completed his transformation into someone who deserves that title. Max states in the trailer that has been ?reduced to his survival instinct, and it shows. Max barely even talks, and is constantly haunted by people he's supposedly failed, but the people we see haunting him are not his family. Is this guy even the Max from the original films? There's no way of knowing, an??d that's awesome.

The Feral Kid (The Road Warrior)

Though he looks harmless, the Feral Kid is as lethal as a post-apocalyptic reimagining of Kevi??n McCallister. If nothing else, the kid taught many adults not to knock on Australia's most famous weapon as he can maim or even kill you with a throw of his boomerang.

The Feral Kid is such an enigma that many fans believed that the Max that we see in Fury Road is actually a grown-up version of this boomerang master. Fun theory, though it's one that director George Miller immediately shot down.

Toecutter (Mad Max)

The leader of the biking gang in the original Mad Max isn't even its nastiest me??mber �you don't see him cutting off one single toe throughout the entire film, but he has one of the most iconic death scenes in the history of cinema. You can assume this guy is going to get what's coming to him in a horrifying car crash, but you never expect him to look straight into the camera and have his eyes nearly pop out of their sockets for a final shocked look before his demise.

Lord Humungus (The Road Warrior)

Toecutter is imposing beca??use he leads a group of mad men, but Lord Humungus would be imposing on his own �though he too leads an army of even-madder men.

This is a massive jacked-up beast with a flair for the theatrical who can �and will �crush his enemies with ease. He seems to be impervious to cold, or simply does not believe in the effect clothing has against it as he's nev???er seen wearing more than his muscles and a mask.

Immortan Joe (Fury Road)

George Miller knew he'd found the perfect actor to play a villain in the Mad Max world in Hugh Keays-Byrne, the man who played Toecutter in the original film, so he just brought him back to play a new villain in Fury Road. Immortan Joe is older, but makes ?great use of his gho??stly transparent armor and teeth-filled mask to look as imposing as you can.

His greatest moment is when he tells his people not to get addicted to water, the perfect quote to leave the audience wondering?? if they're witnessing a cruel mind at work, or a yet another completely delusional man.

The Bullet Farmer (Fury Road)

This is probably the maddest character of the bunch, an absolute bloodthirsty fool who happily dual wields SMGs into battle even though he'd just sustained an injury that rendered him completely blind. The logic behind? his action seems to be that if you have enough bullets, you're eventually going to end up hitting your target.

He doesn't, b?ut his attempt makes for a beautifully operatic scene that no one expected to come out of such film.

Aunty Entity (Beyond Thunderdome)

Tina Turner's character in Beyond Thunderdome is a surprising villain for the post-apocalyptic genre. Instead of having always been evil, or having gone mad with the end of the world like so many in this universe, she's just the result of corruption. She was a good perso??n not too long before the events of the movie, and built her new civilization out of good will, but ended up becoming a bloodthirsty tyrant like so many others would become in her position.

The War Boys (Fury Road)

I'm not mentioning any specific war boy because I see them as a hivemind, a legion of absolute maniacs who answer only to Immortan Joe. The War Boys quickly became one of the most iconic parts of Fury Road, as they immediately turned simple expressions such as "Mediocre!" and "Witness me!" into instant classics. They're absolute mad men who strive to spend the entirety of their lives high on adrenaline, chrome spray ??and even on blood transfusions. They also worship a god who happens to be a huge engine, but of course.

The Crow Fishers (Fury Road)

The Crow Fishers display George Miller's nearly Souls-y worldbuilding at its best. Though they look a tad scary, they're not goons put there for a filler action sequence. They completely ignore the main chara?cters because they're doing their own thing. We don't learn exactly what it is that they do or why they only show up at night balancing themselves on ??long stilts, but their tortured existence somehow never feels off in this world.

The Doof Warrior (Fury Road)

The Doof Warrior, also known as Coma-Doof Warrior, is easily the most visually and audibly striking character of Fury Road. The Doof Warrior is a blind and faceless man who owns a huge car that serves only as an amp for him to use his guitar skills to hype up Immortan Joe's army. We don't learn anything about him from the movie, but George Miller has since revealed that the mask he wears throughout most of the film is actually the face of his mother. Some th?ings are best left enshrouded in mystery!

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Furiosa, the next chapter in the Mad Max saga, is nearly ?out, and that's a great excuse to watch or re-watch the whole thing.? It's completely fine not to know the right order to watch the series, as the whole series is nearly 50 years old and most people old enough to remember it are also already old enough to have some memory problems.

There are two possible orders in which to watch the Mad Max Saga, an??d there are very small differences between both. Let's check them out??.

How to Watch the Mad Max Saga in Release Order

1- Mad Max (1979)

The original Mad Max takes place in an undisclosed near feature (for the people of 1979) where the world was on the brink of complete collapse. The film follows Max Rockatansky, a cop who is broken after he witnesses his family killed at the hands of a biker gang and goes on a reve??nge spree.

2- Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)

Even though Max ended up effectively "retiring" the evil biker gang at the end of the original movie, he didn't really do much for the state of the world, which is now long past the brink of collapse. Even though it takes place just around three years after the original movie, the whole known world of Road Warrior is but an Australia-sized aren??a where those who have the guns and th??e fuel get to make up the rules.

3- Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1985)

Thunderdome takes place nearly a decade after Road Warrior, at a time when people are once again trying to create something we'd charitably call society. Max finds himself in a gladiatorial arena and ends up leading a bunch of kids to a better life. It's the least-liked movie in the franchise, but it's still deserving of your atte?ntion.

4- Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Fury Road came out 30 years after the release of the previous entry in the franchise, so director George Miller wisely left the chronology unclear. We naturally assume that the story takes place after the events of Thunderdome, but the movie doesn't feature any direct reference to that movie. That's by design, for the record; Miller confirmed that the films do not have a strict continuity, with the idea being that Max's story is akin to a campfire tale told by survivors. So while Max's ag??e and design may be in flux, he's intended to be the same character in each film.

There's also a second release of Fury Road, Black and Chrome, which is how the director intended the film to be viewed.

5- Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)

Furiosa shows us various stages of the life of the titular character, and we know that it takes place before she's the badass adult general we see in Fury Road. If you believe that Fury Road takes place in the same universe as the original trilogy, then Furiosa takes place an unknown amount of time after Thunderdome and around a decade before Fury Road.

How to Watch the Mad Max Saga in Chronological Order

1. Mad Max (1979)
2. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)
3. Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
4. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)
5. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
6. Mad Max: Fury Road - Black and Chrome (2017)

The Mad Max saga to date has been an entirely chronological affair. The sole exception is that Furiosa is a prequel to Fury Road. If you want to watch the Mad Max Saga in chronological order, the only change you need to make is seeing Furiosa before you see Fury Road.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga opens on May 24.

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Few things strike me as more post-doomsday-ish than humankind reaching a time when video game to film or TV series adaptations get good, but that's where you and I are right now. The Fallout TV show rocks so much that it immediately prompted its watchers to scour the media wasteland to satiate their hunger for some sweet tales of the p?ost-apocalyptic.

If you're looking for games, that's easy �just play any Fallout game. If you're looking for movies, however, that might be more of a challenge, so I've come up with a list of the best post-apocalyptic movies Fallout fans can enjoy today.

Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller, 2015)

Even though we can attribute the boom of the Post-Apocalyptic genre and landscape to the original Mad Max, its sequel, Mad Mad: Fury Road, is a much better?? fi??lm by every conceivable metric.

The funny thing about Fury Road is that it's not as influential as the original film, but that's not because it's worse �it's because its action is so groundbreaking that no one dared rip it off. Watch this one if you'd like to know what a fast-paced Fallout story would look like. I promise you that the only possible downside here is the inevitable disappointment at learning that no Fallout game features cars �yet.

Hardware (Richard Stanley, 1990)

Hardware is the least-known title on this list, which is a shame as it's one of the most Fallout-like films out there. It tells the ??story of nuclear damnation, mad automatons, and Wasteland scavengers who come across cursed "trea?sure".

Despite a hilariously small budget by today's standards, Hardware manages to beautifully �if that's the word to use here �recreate the "colors" of the wasteland and the decadence of a? metropolis tainted by the consequences of flirting with nuclear powers. Do not sleep on this one if you want to see something bold, unique, and massively underrated.

Stalker (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1984)

While it's up for debate whether Stalker takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, there's no debate on whether it plays like a post-apocalyptic movie. Stalker shows the journey of a few men searching for a literal miracle that will change their lives, but their adventure is anything but magical. Instead of beautiful landscapes, they must traverse what is only known as "the zone", a mysterious and haunting place where they must face outer and inner adversities to get to their desired goal. It has little to do with the Fallout series, but you'll be hard-pressed to find a movie that plays out more like your favorite Fallout campaign.

The Road (John Hilcoat, 2009)

This easily makes the top 3 for bleakest entries on this list of already-bleak movies. The Road pulls no punches, as it depicts a father and son attempting to survive through a nuclear winter, mostly just out of their basic instinct to survive. This is the equivalent of going on a custom Fallout campaign with only two bullets, in a world where you can only count on one or?? two NPCs in the entire Wasteland.

Children Of Men (Alfonso Cuarón, 2006)

Most post-apocalyptic movies tell the tales of characters living in the aftermath of a clear near-extinction event. Children Of Men shows a post-apocalyptic world where an apocalyptic event clearly took place, but it went over the heads of many. Few people notice just how doomed they are. In Children Of Men, the entire human population has become incapable of conceiving more babies. Nobody really knows why, or what to do about it. Children Of Men actually shares more elements with Half-Life 2 than with the Fallout series, but the main character's journey is? sure to entice f??ans of either series.

A Boy And His Dog (L.Q. Jones,1975)

If you're into the Fallout series, the first five minutes of A Boy and his dog will immediately give away that this is where Black Isle Studios got the idea for Dog Meat, your dog companion in many of the game??s. It's far from the best film on this list, but it's an interesting adaptation of a comedically dark story by Harlan Ellison that predates even Mad Max in the "adventures in the post-apocalyptic wasteland??" genre.

Wall-E (Andrew Stanton, 2008)

Why would kids not have the right to enjoy the post-apocalypse as well? Wall-E isn't just one of the greatest movies about the post-apocalypse. It's one, if not the best of Pixar's movies. It gets that distinction because it tells an incredib??ly heartwarming tale in the bleakest of scenarios that kids and older folk can enjoy together.

Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (Yoshiaki Kawajiri 2000)

The only problem with putting Bloodlust in a list of best post-apocalyptic films is that it might strike many as too gorgeous to be post-apocalyptic. Luckily, Fury Road has already broken that barrier, so we can now talk about one of the coolest-looking anime of a??ll time and address its w??acky post-apocalyptic roots.

Bloodlust is actually the sequel to another movie, the original Vampire Hunter D, which also has a video game adaptation, but those weren't very good. Bloodlust, however, is everything the original should have been and more, so if you're l??ooking for a beautiful tale of vampires in the post-apocalypse, you can do no better than this one.

Battle Royale (Kinji Fukasaku, 2000)

Okay, Battle Royale doesn't take place in a post-apocalyptic Wasteland, so it isn't exactly like Fallout. Still, it does take place in a dystopian time, as that's the only kind of time when you can have a yearly TV show where an entire classroom has to go on a death match until only one student remains alive. Also, that's kind of like Fallout 76's Battle Royale mode, whose n??ame came from, well, I'll let you guess.

In all seriousness, though, this is a fantastically bleak film that any fan of the broad post-apocalyptic genre, of the Fallout series, or Battle Royale games ?in general should abso??????????????????????????lutely watch.

Threads (Mick Jackson, 1984)

Threads is the final boss of the post-apocalypse.

I left Threads for last not because it is the best, nor the one I'd like to recommend the most, but because it's the one I'd recommend you look for if you've seen everything else in the genre and still want more. Threads tells not just the story of the post-apocalyptic nuclear holocaust, but the story of what takes place during it, and it's likely?? even more dour than you can imagine.

The post 10 best Post-Apocalyptic movies like Fallout appeared first on Destructoid.

Who run Bartertown?!

I grew up with Mad Max. It was one of the first R-rated film series I viewed as a child, and naturally, I saw Fury Road, and enjoyed it like everyone else on the planet. My infatuation wit??h the films is mostly due to George Miller's vision, who has directed all four titles in the series over a 35-year period.

I went into the g??ame a bit reserved then, since it was being handled by an outside studio. While it's not nearly as iconic as Miller's works, it gets the job done if you're looking for a new open world experience.

Mad Max (PC, PS4 [review], Xbox One)
Developer: Avalanche Studios
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Released: September 1, 2015
MSRP: $59.99

Mad Max is, at its heart, a revenge tale. You aren't going to get much high commentary here (like Beyond Thunderdome's exemplary exploration of the power of language and speech), just a good old fashioned showdown between series protagonist Max Rockatansky, and Scabrous Scrotus (which, as silly as it is, is par for the Mad Max course), who happens to be a son of Fury Road's Im?mortan Joe. That's about where the link with the film series ends, though, as the game is not a direct tie-in, and mostly benefits from that fact.

Max is scorned by Scrotus, who takes everything he owns and destroys his prized car. Teaming up with the psychotic, yet harmless Chumbucket, it's up to the player to hunt down Scrotus, and rebuild your ride in the form of the greatest car known to man, the Magnum Opus. Wha??t I like about this setup is that it allows Avalanche to tell a new tale of the wasteland without having to retread on certain areas. I mean yes, there are a few re-used locations like Gas Town, as well as some famil?iar thematic elements, but for the most part, this is an encapsulated tale.

The enhanced Avalanche Engine is quite the achievement, and I can see why the developer opted to shuck the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game. Screens simply don't do this game justice, especially when you're scouting out far away locations high up in a hot air balloon while ??the scorching sun beams down on you, or when viciou??s sandstorms pop up. A built-in camera capture mechanic (on top of the PS4's standard capabilities) is the cherry on top.

Taking a different approach to the typical open world formula, Mad Max's core?? gameplay is built around driving. Any racing game fan will instantly find themselves familiar with the control scheme, and the vast majority of the vehicles operate similarly to some of the best racing titles out right now. Car combat is handled well, since your companion Chumbucket rides along with you, repairing the car and using weapons in real time -- so it's both cinematic and functional. While the "slo-mo" feature is pretty much dead at this point, it allows players to actually get some hits in while aiming vehicle-centric weaponry, and blowing out enemy tires or harpooning them right out of the driver's seat is satisfying in all the right ways.

The customization aspect also feels justified here, since changing up your car will significantly alter how it functions. There's hundreds of options here, from ramming grills, to spikes that pr??otect your car from boarders, to new paint jobs and bodies, to explosive harpoons. The way the concept of the Magnum Opus is presented actually fits inline with this bit of the game, and I never felt pressured or compelled to go out and seek other cars to use. You can basically just drive and switch up your own custom car from start to finish, and it's easy to get attached to certain elements of your ride.

Where Mad Max starts to falter is the on-foot sections, or more specifically, how these areas were designed. Combat is basically a carbon copy of the Batman: Arkham games, albeit with more brutal finishers, so that works well enough, but it's the actual zones -- where you can't bring the car mind you -- that often feel uninspired and bland. Since Max can only climb on certain surfaces, and only exhibits a pathetic GTA-style "hop" when pressing the jump button, on-foot sections feel out of place and gamey. It reminds me of the Prince of Persia reboot, which gave you this awesome-looking, sprawlin??g world, and forced yo?u to only explore it within a rigid set of rules.

There are also a few other issues I had with these se?ctions, like collision detection prob?lems while climbing, and annoying mechanics like the fact that Max limps for a few seconds after falling the smallest distances. Exploring these zones simply isn't as satisfying without say, the aerial prowess of Talion, or the wonderful toys of Batman, to use direct comparisons to similar open-world WB titles in recent memory.

While the story is engaging enough to string you along, a lot of the other activities aren't all that intriguing. It's like the team took the typical Ubisoft blueprint and stuck with it -- radio towers (balloons), fortresses, collectibles, sidequest race??s, smaller towers to knock down to lower "influence" -- it's all there. That's not to say that the game is mostly boring, far from it actually, as driving around is always a joy given how great the vehicular mechanics are, and there are a lot of naturally occurring events out in the wild to keep things interesting.

I went back and forth in terms of my assessment multiple times throughout my time with Mad Max. I'd be having? a blast in the car, and then I'd get to a particularly samey part on foot, and so on. But ultimately, I did enjoy my time in the wasteland, even if it doesn't offer up a whole lot that we haven't seen before.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Mad Max appeared first on Destructoid.

Fury Road releasing September 21

The Mad Max game comes out today. I’ve been incredibly sceptical of it, seeing as it’s been on frequent big discounts on various websites, so I’m happy to wait for our review before buying it.

However, the game hasn’t come alone. Out of nowhere, the first three of the Mad Max films have hit Steam at the same time. Mad Max, Mad Max 2: Road Warrior, and Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome are al?l up for sale on Steam alongside the ??new game.

On top of that, Mad Max: Fury Road is also available to pre-purchase on Steam, and is due to be released on September 21. Fury Road is by far the biggest film release on Steam so far, so it’s a ?good sign the platform actually is w?orking well for films.

Our pals over at Flixist gave it a glowing review, and ever since it released it’??s the only film I’ve heard anyone ever talk about, so I guess people?? like it?

The game and the first three films are available for purchase now (with the original film only being available as part of a complete bundle that includes all four films and the game), while a pre-order for Fury Road is available that will unlock on September 21.

The post All four Mad Max films are on Steam to celebrate the game’s release appeared first on Destructoid.

Soon (tm)

It's midnight, and Mad Max has arrived on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One platforms. As you may have noticed, our review isn't up yet. So what gives? Well, we obtaine??d a PS4 copy today. So, as is the case with all of our late arrivals, I'll be playing through it to provide an assessment as soon as I can (it's going to be a long night folks!). Here, have these updated screenshots.

In the meantime, the full embargo is about to lift for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, so expect more coverage of that in the form of a video review (since new footage will be allowed) in the near future, a tips guide, and?? more.

The post Where is our review for Mad Max? appeared first on Destructoid.

Finger cross on PC port not sucking

(Update: New deals now available for MGSV, added in below).

Of the two AAA titles releasing on September 1st the big one is Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. PC gamers are getting discounts up to 23% off at GMG dropping the price to $44.99. A good alternative is DLGamer where 20% off coupon DLG-QOPANFAE cuts the price to $47.99. There's no p??re-load available for Phantom Pain so where ever you buy, you'll be at the mercy for your internet connection come Tuesday.

Joining MGSV is Mad Max, a?? title that's somehow gaining over 50% off in pre-order discount... making this a essentially a? $30 title on launch day. You can read into that however you like.

The Humble Store is running an "End of Summer" Sale with loads of discount. Today is also the last day to grab their free copy of Stealth Inc 2: A Game of Clones - a surprisi??ng freebie that you probably don't already own 6 copie??s of.

In another freebie "deal" of sort, ArenaNet's popular Guild Wars 2 base game is now free to play with very generous restrictions in place for free players. More details can be found here.

Finally if you're looking for ultraportable laptops, there are some solid deals this week on Lenovo's popular Yoga series along with a MacBook Air and X1 Carbon (bottom of list). You're not going to be able to run MGSV on any of these (probably) but with the latest I??ntel integrated GPU,? casual gaming is not too far of a stretch.

Sep 1st Releasing Deals

• MGSV Phantom Pain (Steam) —$46.20 at GMG
  Use code: SAVE23-WITHGM-GSEP15
• MGSV Phantom Pain (Steam) — $47.99 at DLGamer 
  Use code: DLG-QOPANFAE

• Mad Max (Steam) — $30  (list price $60)
• MGS V Phantom Pain Day One + $10 Rewards (PS4, Xbox One) — $59.99
• MGS V Phantom Pain Day One + $10 Rewards (PS3, Xbox 360) — $49.99

Recent Releases

• 08/27: Dead in Bermuda (Steam) — $9.95  (list price $15)
• 08/25: Age of Survival (Steam) — $12.59  (list price $19)
• 08/25: Madden NFL 16 (PS4, Xbox One) — $49.99  (list price $60)
• 08/25: Pillars of Eternity Expansion Pass (Steam) — $19.50  (list price $25)
• 08/25: Crookz – The Big Heist (Steam) — $21.06  (list price $30)
• 08/25: Mega Man Legacy Collection (Steam) — $11.70  (list price $15)
• 08/24: Valhalla Hills (Steam) — $12.48  (list price $20)
• 08/18: Zombi (Uplay) — $15.60  (list price $20)
• 08/04: Fairy Fencer F (Steam) — $23.40  (list price $30)

Upcoming Releases

• 09/03: Company of Heroes 2 - British Forces (Steam) — $10.65  (list $13)
• 09/08: Armikrog (Steam) — $17.55  (list price $25)
• 09/25: FIFA 16 (Origin) — $46.20  (list price $60)
• 09/29: NBA 2K16 (Steam) — $46.20  (list price $60)
• 10/09: Civilization: Beyond Earth - Rising Tide (Steam) — $21.06   (list $30)
• 11/06: Call of Duty: Black Ops III (Steam) — $46.20  (list price $60)
• 11/10: Fallout 4 (Steam) — $46.20  (list price $60)
• 11/17: Star Wars: Battlefront (Origin) — $46.20  (list price $60)

PC Game Deals

Humble Store: End of Summer Sale

• Valkyria Chronicles (Steam) — $4.99  (list price $20)
• Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (Steam) — $2.99  (list price $15)
• Rogue Legacy (Steam) — $2.24  (list price $15)
• Terraria (Steam) — $2.49  (list price $10)
• Super Meat Boy (Steam) — $1.49  (list price $15)
• Skullgirls (Steam) — $2.24  (list price $15)

More PC Deals

• Galactic Civilizations III (Steam) — $29.25  (list price $50)
• The Witcher III: Wild Hunt — $27.99  (list price $60)
• Sorcerer King (Steam) — $23.40  (list price $40)
• Elder Scrolls Bundle at GOG — $21.37  (list $32)
• Mount and Blade Full Collection (Steam) — $17.55  (list price $45)
• Guild Wars 2: Heroic Edition — $15.99  (list price $40)
• Magicka Collection (Steam) — $10.92  (list price $40)
• Fallout Bundle at GOG — $9.99  (list price $30)
• Alien Rage Unlimited (Steam) — $3.90  (list price $20)
• A Game of Dwarves (Steam) — $2.73  (list price $10)

Console Game Deals

• Mortal Kombat X (PS4, Xbox One) — $49.99  (list price $60)
• Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited (PS4, XOne) — $39.99  (list $60)
• Final Fantasy Type-0 HD (PS4, Xbox One) — $34.99  (list $50)
• Dragon Ball Xenoverse (PS4, X360, XOne, PS3) — $29.99  (list $40)
• NBA 2K15 (PS4, Xbox One) — $29.99  (list price $60)
• Assassin's Creed Rogue (Xbox 360, PS3) — $19.99  (list price $40)
• Evolve (PS4, Xbox One) — $19.99  (list price $40)
• Far Cry 4 (PS4, Xbox 360, PS3, PC DVD) — $19.99  (list price $40)
• Assassin's Creed Unity (PS4, Xbox One) — $19.99  (list price $40)

Laptop Deals

• 13.3" Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro, M-5Y71, 1800p, 256GB SSD — $1,099  (list $1,500)
• 14" Lenovo Yoga 3, i5-5200U, 128GB SSD — $829  (list $1,100)
• 13.3" MacBook Air, i5-5250U, 128GB SSD — $799.99  (list $1,100)
• 14" Lenovo X1 Carbon, i5-4300U, 128GB SSD, 1440p — $799.99  (list $1,200)
• 13.3" Lenovo U31-70, i5-5200U, 8GB — $569  (list $900)

HDTV Deals

• 79" Sony 4K 3D LED TV — $3,499.99  (list price $5,000)
• 48" Samsung Curved 1080p 240Hz 3D Smart HDTV — $899.99  (list price $1,798)
• 49" Vizio 4K Smart TV — $599.99  (list price $770)
• 60" Samsung 1080p 120hz Smart HDTV (Refurb) — $599.99  (list price $680)

Console Deals

• Xbox One 1TB Madden NFL 16 + 50" Samsung TV — $849.98  (list price $1,150)
• Xbox One 1TB Madden NFL 16 + Extra Controller — $399.99  (list price $465)
• PlayStation 4 Console + Last of Us Remastered — $349.99  (list price $449)

The post Weekend deals: Ti?p your hat to 25% off Ph?antom Pain appeared first on Destructoid.

I choose Metal Gear

"See that mountain? You can walk to it."

The audience, hushed, is stunned. The presentation script writer leans back, whiskey in hand and a hunk draped around her like a fur. The audience, catching up to the transcendent realization from up on high begins to babble. I...can walk...there. Several m?embers in the front tear up. "Killed it," the ??writer snarls.

It is interesting that in a period where, by various means and disadvantages, individuals lack choice, it has become so feti?shized as to be the basis of a couple reworked genres. And all sold under the lie that we haven't been "making choices" in playing games for the last 30 years, that this is some newfound power. What does that say about us, about the moneyed interest backing our largest entertainments.

Anyways Mad Max might be alright it launches September 1 with Metal Gear lol.

The post Mad Max gets a choose-your-own-trailer appeared first on Destructoid.

Oh my stars look at the leather

Here’s something to make you feel old and angry: I’ve never seen the Mad Max movies. The first one came out 15 years before I was born, so the hype surrounding them was never around in my lifetime. I know a little bit about it though: it’s about muscular Australians being very sweaty and wearing a lot of leather, and that that’s more than enough for me to pay attention. I know Mad Max: Fury Road is coming out next month, so I guess ??now is the perfect time for me to explore hot austral-I mean a cult classic film series.

As reported by Eurogamer, Just Cause developer Avalanche has released a batch of new screenshots for the Mad Max game coming September 4 for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. We haven’t heard too much about the game, seeing as it’s only a few months away now, but at least we know it’s still alive doing uh… whatever it is Mad Max does. The shots show a lot of desert, a lot of industria?l scenery, the Batmobile for some reason, and hot and sweaty leather-clad aussies punching other hot and sweaty leather-clad aussies. Yep, I’m sold.

The post These Mad Max screenshots are ??????????????????????????looking a bit ?hot and sweaty appeared first on Destructoid.

And crash

The new Magnum Opus trailer for Mad Max shows off vehicle customization. Well, it shows off a whole bu?nch of things sticking out of a car. Spikes, bumpers,? pipes, and more. Let's hope they also included the best seat belts and airbags ever.

But do you think this is gameplay? Or cinematics? No matter, I guess. We'll s??ee the r??eal deal soon enough. E3, I bet. ;

There's a tie betwen this game and television show West Coast Customs -- the team there d??esigned the real automobile. This commercial will air on April 27 during their show, but you're getting to check it out now.

Mad Max i??s crashing into things ??this 2014 to Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3 and PS4.

The post Mad Max: The Wasteland invites you to drive appeared first on Destructoid.

I'm listening, Avalanche

“You know what the world needs? A videogame adaption of Mad Max, a franchise that’s sat in stagnation for almost three decades.” That’s apparently what someone at Avalanche Studios said, because here we are in 2013 as the Just Cause developers are working on their interpretation of the continuation of the saga (and yes, I know there’s a movie reboot on its way). To be fair, it might not be as outrageous ??as it see??ms, because the game looks really damn cool.

Mad Max’s theatric ties are obviously apparent because Avalanche looks as if it’s taken special effort to ensure that the game bleeds cinematic flair at every turn. In a style that’s somewhat reminiscent of Max Payne 3’s execution? system, particular action shorts are graced with slow-motion camera attention, making the whole affair feel like two-thirds videogame, one-third movie. 

Layered underneath the visual direction is the tool set for a fairly compelling game. It doesn’t appear like it’ll be the most robust of titles, ??but there are enough pieces for an action experience. In the 15-minute live hands-off demo that I saw, the developers displayed the car&rsquo??;s upgrade system. All sorts of different tires, front-end ramming grills, and other vehicular components can be equipped. Of course, heavier cars move more slowly and control worse than cars with lighter frames.

That’s really about all that was shown, as it’s pretty evident that Mad Max is in the early stages of development. Just enough was presented to make me intrigued for?? the future of this? title. Avalanche has a track record of creating some legitimately fun games, and I only hope that this isn’t taken too conservatively and seriously in an effort to protect the subject material. As is, it looks like it’s on the right path.

The post Mad Max has a flair for the dramatic appeared first on Destructoid.

Can I be Mel Gibson?

Mad Max from Avalanche Studios, creators of the Just Cause series, was announced during the PlayStation E3 press conference. While no actual gameplay was shown, PlayStation gamers will get exclu?sive DLC when it launches on PS4 and Xbox One.

The post Mad Max from Just Cause dev A??valanche Studios announced appeared first on Destructoid.