For two decades and change, movie license games were sort of a bad, recurring joke that never delivered on either promise: as tie-ins to existing narratives, they offered nothing new, merely re-hashing existing high-points; and as games they were universally and utterly disappointing (though at least partly due to the fact existing programming offered latitude limited to side-scrolling platformers or shooters). But, eventually, technology caught up to aspirations and devs learned an important lesson: rather than re-tell an existing story, they could weave a whole new experience wrapped in the lore of the big screen inspiration. Since then, the odd stinker aside (cough Colonial Marines cough), they have been turning the downward trend around.

Nowadays, most movie license games are actually pretty decent. Just look at the two fantastic Riddick games (Escape from Butcher Bay and Assault on Dark Athena); Alien vs. Predator; Terminator: Resistance or, indeed, Avalanche Studios' Mad Max.

Though made by a dev best known for the over-the-top wackiness that is the Just Cause series, Mad Max has everything you want out of a movie adaptation with zero excess fat. A lean, direct story that focuses on Max's whereabouts between Mad Max 2 and Fury Road, Mad Max shows how our gruff drifter lost his Interceptor and where Magnum Opus (the car he briefly drove at the beginning of Fury Road) came from.

The finish of the game is excellent, faithfully recreating the bleak, future Outback which – despite being full of very unfriendly "people" – can be hauntingly beautiful. Giving a nod to the fantastic job Avalanche did with the graphics, Mad Max comes with an integrated photo mode, so you can capture the more picturesque lulls between prolonged bouts of vehicular mayhem.

In terms of graphics, sound, music and voice acting, I have no qualms about giving the game the highest marks possible: four oinks, a snort and a snuffle.

In terms of gameplay, the experience breaks down roughly into 1) exploration 2) fisticuffs and 3) "driving" (in quotes, because it often has more to do with combat than cornering).

The exploration is mesmerizing, with many unique locations and very little recycled content.

Some spots are merely aesthetic (like a rusted-out submarine buried in sand that used to be an ocean bed, a subdivision all but engulfed by dunes, or an airport reclaimed by the desert and turned into an underground warren of creepy, claustrophobic hallways punctured by the odd spear of sunlight).

Others, are inhabited and may contain scrap (the game's currency), historical relics (old polaroids which give glimpses of the world that was), water (stored in Max's canteen and used to replenish health), (dog) food or shotgun ammo.

Lastly, camps are strongholds that – once dismantled – lessen enemy presence in a given area and can give Max much needed boosts at friendly locations.

The dismantling of camps is done, initially, by car (to knock out gates, pull down watchtowers, take out snipers and generally tenderize the bejeezus out of the place); and then on foot (which is where the fisticuffs come into play).

The melee combat is intuitive, fervent and seldom boring. Though not at all realistic (being outnumbered six to one and winning once would be a lifetime achievement, but Max does it All. Day. Long.); it is wildly entertaining and offers many ways of dispatching enemies such as parries, shotgun blasts, shivs or going full-tilt once the "fury meter" fills up and makes Max extra-extra punchy.

The only downside is that, despite the unique surroundings, fighting on foot does – evenutally – grow increasingly formulaic and while some tricks and new mechanics are introduced as the game barrels along, once they are all in, nothing new ever happens to break up the tedium.

Once you are done snooping or liberally dispensing beatings, Max is free to roam the Outback in the Magnum Opus (or one of the other, myriad cars you can discover along the way). Driving is, again, very well done. Cars have heft and properly obey the laws of physics, leaving the player room to design an ideal vehicle to suit their play style.

Between body styles, engine output, surface grip, handling, armor, defenses and weaponry, the Mad Max vehicle editor offers enough leeway for a thorough and fun design experience – and that's before you go into "Archangels" (preset blueprints for specific Magnum Opus setups you can discover along the way) and other, non-customizable vehicles you can "liberate" from your opponents, discover in the Outback or win in races.

Surprisingly, for such a thoroughly well-conceived game, it is the plot that is its largest shortcoming. Not because it is bad (the story is perfectly serviceable, has few holes or leaps-of-faith); but simply because it is quite linear, predictable and drab. While you will have a great time roaming the wasteland and getting up to all sorts of Mad Max-ian shenanigans, the story will seldom surprise you and, in the end, will take every expected turn (though the way the game's ending meshes with the beginning of Fury Road is nothing if not inspired).

That aside, my only other regret is that the game firmly buys into Max as portrayed by Tom Hardy. Nothing against Mr. Hardy, but I wish Avalanche would have given us the option to use the original, Mel Gibson portrayal as well (I always liked the mix of wariness, dementia and loss that good old Mel brought to the table; to me, his Rockatansky felt more, I dunno – human, I guess – whereas the Hardy portrayal is more along the lines of larger-than-life, superhero-esque).

If you like good melee combat against groups of opponents, yearn for yet another outing into a dystopian, post-nuclear future, love vehicular combat, sifting through the ashes of present-day civilization or stopped reading this right after finding out a decent Mad Max game was available, I highly recommend giving Mad Max a try.

While the experience is linear and does not offer any incentive for a replay, the game is a master class in how to adapt a movie world to a genuinely enjoyable game.

Pig Recommends:

• -if you have (gasp!) never watched the Mad Max movies (or it has been more than a bit since you saw them last), go on and treat yourself; the original is the weakest (more of a low-budget stunt-work expo than an all-around performance); Mad Max 2 and Fury Road are eminently watchable; and Beyond the Thunderdome is — weird, though not in a bad way;