Building Your Nightmarish Dream Car In Mad Max

One of Mad Max's defining characteristics is that he's a man
who was tragically separated from his family.

One of Mad Max's defining characteristics is that he's a man
who was tragically separated from his family. Without a wife and child in this
post-apocalyptic nightmare, the only other constant in Max's lonely life is his
black-on-black Interceptor. This enduring, powerful car is tragically stolen
from Max early on in Avalanche's game, and he's left with no other option than
to build something better. Thankfully, he's got the help of a master mechanic,
and ultimately the tinkering player, to guide him.

We had extensive hands-on time with Mad Max during our cover
storytrip to Avalanche Studios' office in Stockholm, Sweden.  We customized the Magnum Opus and tore around
the Wasteland plenty, but also spoke with the team about the daunting task of
taking away Max's signature Interceptor and asking players to build something
new.

Avalanche compares the concept to creating a Star Wars game
about Han Solo, then taking away the Millennium Falcon at the outset. "That's
exactly what it is," says Frank Rooke, game director.  "It's a wonderful thing to do, I think.

"For us, it's just having fun with that kind of concept,
saying, 'You had something incredible, but now go out and make something even
more incredible.' It's up to you to make that thing. What you define as
incredible is your own vision."

Speaking of vision, the creation of the Magnum Opus is the
religious crusade for Max's oddball mechanic partner, Chumbucket. This
deformed, Igor lookalike approaches auto customization with potent zeal, to the
point where he refers to Max as "Saint."

Two chassis options for the Magnum Opus

"Chum definitely has this religious respect for vehicles, so
he treats [the Magnum Opus] that way," Rooke says. "He worships vehicles. He
worships anything mechanical, actually. For him to create something like the
Magnum Opus, that is the ultimate thing to do for some sort of vehicular god
out there."

Max's connection with vehicles isn't as fanatical as his greasy
ally's, but they've always played a pivotal role in his journeys throughout the
Wasteland.

"For Max, I think he has a special bond, not with vehicles,
but with his car," Rooke says.
"That's why you don't see him eyeballing some other car. He doesn't see those
cars as his home, as his connection to who he is, what he's invested in, or
where he wants to go."

Where Max wants to go is an enigmatic place beyond this
chaotic section of the Wasteland that he calls The Plains of Silence. Before he can get there, he's going to have to build the best vehicle possible
to endure the other lunatics tearing across the sands in their own souped-up
rides.

Up next: Get to know
the intricacies of the Magnum Opus, bumper to bumper...