Major Mayhem 2 Review, They Broke What was Working

Major Mayhem was a great third person throwback to old arcade games like Operation Wolf and Dynamite Duke. The sequel is very similar but so much key stuff was broken in the name of In App Purchases that it ruins the fun. Graphically, Major Mayhem 2 is much better looking but it comes at a price.

Rocket Jump have pretty much ruined a formula that could have propelled them to the forefront of mobile gaming for all the right reasons.

While graphically, Major Mayhem 2 is a major upgrade, no pun intended, it is also much more difficult to enjoy due to those improved graphics.

The first Major Mayhem features slightly smaller characters while the sequel has everything supersized. Think of it like the home console versions of Neo Geo fighting games like Art of Fighting and Samurai Shodown. The Sega Genesis featured huge, larger than life sprites (that would be Major Mayhem 2).

The Super Nintendo versions featured smaller, zoomed out, characters (that would be the original Major Mayhem).

I prefer the look and feel of the first Major Mayhem myself. The second, while absolutely an improvement graphically, just doesn’t feel as fun as the first game.

Maybe it is the In-App Purchases that has me down.

You have a life budget to work with in Major Mayhem 2. Each level requires so many action points (you are capped at 10 and they refill over time unless you buy them). Each level costs a certain amount of action points to attempt.

Reviving after death takes a certain amount as well.

The problem with this model is, it limits replay of earlier levels that you may not have gotten three stars in. It is also a crappy way of forcing players to buy digital content with real world money – digital content that is a consumable is the worst as you have nothing left to show for it. No cool costume, no soundtrack, not even a cool background for your phone. Nothing.

While this business model has been around for years with match 3 games like Candy Crush Saga, it is something I have just started seeing begin to invade action games.

I don’t like it. Not one bit. Paying for digital consumables sucks.

Major Mayhem 2 has gone away with level replay value via the goals that the first game featured. Goals such as shooting X number of chickens, using only this weapon, etc. Gone.

Your only goal now for replay of earlier levels is to achieve a three-star rating and to build up your mayhem meter in hopes to get another chest. Chests are new as well, these are loot crates. You have to wait a certain amount of time to open them or pay with the rarer commodity in the game to open immediately. You can watch a video ad to speed things up as well.

At least they give you options.

Major Mayhem 2 is fun to play once you get a few weapons built up. When you get a weapon that can sling some major lead down range then it is of course more fun.

The problem is getting those weapons.

As you play and win levels, you can collect blue prints for more weapons. Doesn’t sound so bad, right?

Well, some weapons require more blue prints than others, and those are not as common. That means ending up with 10+ sets of blueprints for the shotgun but still needing one more blue print for the rocket launcher. All after a good week of playing.

Once you do have enough blue prints to create the weapon you have been salivating over, you are not done. You must have enough coins to pay for that weapon as well (don’t worry, often you will not).

If you do not have enough money, you must hit those levels again and grind. Replaying levels takes away action points. Then you get that cool weapon and are out of action points and now must either wait for them to refill or pay for them to refill.

Keep in mind, as you advance in levels, so will the cost of action points to attempt those levels. Levels 1 through 10 are one action point. 11+ are two action points, and presumably this would continue with higher levels. I have yet to find a way to increase my total number of action points so 10 won’t last long with later levels.

See the problem here?

Major Mayhem was all about replaying levels to complete goals and complete challenges. Major Mayhem 2 seems to be all about getting you to separate from cold hard cash to keep playing.

Almost everything has an In-App Purchase tied to it to improve it or speed it up. From action points regenerating to getting that latest weapon – at every turn there is a handy button to give it to you in exchange for a few bucks.

Such a shame that the formula Rocket Jump landed on with the first Major Mayhem game was obviously scrapped or the sequel.

At its heart, what was once a gentle request for money here and there has become a shouting match for you to open your wallet. Unfortunately, the shouting for money often drowns out the fun you could have had with Major Mayhem 2 otherwise.

You can have fun with Major Mayhem 2 but it is going to be quite limited and in spurts unless you drop cash to speed things up.

Major Mayhem 2 by Rocket Jump
Platform: Android and iPhone
Genre: Third person action, arcade
Rated: T for Teen on Google Play and 9+ on iTunes
In-App Purchases: Yes
Available now on Google Play and the iTunes App Store