Carmageddon: Max Damage

Originally published on my HLTB profile.

Originally written and published on July 1st, 2025.

 

Firstly, I want to disclose that I played this with the Overhaul mod 1.4 and the 80s' Car Megapack, adding many QOL improvements and vehicles, which definitely added to the experience. Therefore, a lot of what I say might not apply to the vanilla experience.

Now, this game can be fun, but at the same time it is very rough around the edges, a bit janky in places and trashy and dated in its presentation. I feel like you really have to be a Carmageddon or at least a vehicular combat fan to enjoy what it has to offer. The graphics are not great even for the time, some features can feel a bit convoluted, but the core gameplay of smashing into the other drivers, mangling their vehicles into pieces, running over the pedestrians and just exploring the maps can be really fun (especially with the overhaul). Yes, the original Carmageddon has more content, more variety and was much more revolutionary, but if you want a modernized rendition of a game like Carmageddon, with all of its components there, this really is your only option.

Design-wise, I'm glad they returned to the sci-fi dystopian theming from the first game, since I think it helps to give the game more character and makes the visual design of the levels more interesting. Similarly, the design of the vehicles is pretty nice too, with all the blades, spikes and fans chopping, impaling or disintegrating the pedestrians accordingly this time. Then there is the wide variety of the power ups, from useless to overpowered, from classic expected ones to unique and funny ones, which can influence the game in multiple ways. These power-ups are, together with the pedestrian violence, what makes Carmaggedon unique, so I am quite glad that many of these power-ups are here, and they make the game that much more fun. Pinball mode, Solid granite car, Instant handbrake, Dancing pedestrians, Wall climber, Body slammer, Spinnertron... It's all quite stupid, but fun, and in some game modes it can also add a layer of strategy.

Now for the negatives. You have the technical side of the game, which is not perfect, with the lackluster graphics and occasional crashes. Then there is the lack of more content (especially maps) and the repetitive career structure. The maps can feel a bit barren, unpolished or unfinished in some places, while nicely designed with interesting hidden spots and shortcuts in others. However, the core gameplay loop in the career can get repetitive, especially if you don't care for the actual race routes and prefer the wrecking (as do most players). In that case, the different events just end up differing only in their weather, time of day and pedestrian placement. I wish I could recommend this game more, but as it stands, it is rather suited for the current fans, who wanted to see a modern version of Carmageddon.

For what it is, Carmageddon Max Damage is fun when all you want from it is just some dumb, satisfying fun with unique vehicles and blood-shedding slaughter, but you shouldn't expect much more from it. In many ways, it feels like a game stuck in the past, not made with the modern video game landscape in mind. 

Overall rating: 65%

Playtime: 32h 51m

Played on PC.