The Return of a Mechanical Monster
For the past few days, social media has been buzzing. It sounds like a low engine rumble, ready to hit mach 3 at any second to plow into a chaos of twisted metal. Did you hear it ? At LBC, it woke something up inside us. Distant memories from when we were kids, discovering many new video game genres. That roar is back. Carmageddon Rogue Shift has been officially announced, and it’s not just a simple remaster. Before diving into the new post-apocalyptic world of 2050 and its hordes of Decimated, we need to take a moment to remember—or to tell the younger generation who hasn't tasted these games yet. Buckle up ; the rearview mirror is dirty, but the road is legendary.
A Saga Born in Controversy, Grown into Legend
Carmageddon (1997) : The Shock
The original Carmageddon, released in 1997, was a UFO. Developed by Stainless Games and inspired by the cult film Death Race 2000 (1975, starring Sylvester Stallone and David Carradine), the concept was brutally simple : winning a race is fine ; annihilating all your opponents is better ; and crushing every pedestrian on the map is the Holy Grail.
At the time, the violence and freedom granted to the player were unprecedented. The game actively encouraged chaos, destruction, and very red drifts. If you played it, names like Max Damage and Razor, Gotcha, or Psycho are still burned into your mind. And that construction truck you'd end up nose-to-nose with on a map. Many pick-ups along the road gave us "powers" : granite car, springs to eject enemies or pedestrians into the distance, "Frozen Time"… all these bonuses made the races even more fun and unpredictable.
And what was bound to happen… happened : controversy was immediate. The game was banned or censored in several countries ; in others, green-blooded zombies replaced humans, and some media outlets tried to tear the game down. But for us kids back then, it was just the ultimate racing game. And above all, it was fun—truly fun.
The Trivia that started it all : the game was originally intended to be a futuristic racing game in the Mad Max universe, but the publisher (SCi) failed to secure the rights. The team then created their own, slightly wackier universe, directly inspired by the cult film Death Race 2000 (1975).
Carmageddon II : Carpocalypse Now (1998)
Carpocalypse Now in 1998 was the logical next step : bigger, smoother, gorier. Always gorier. For many, this is THE Carmageddon. Destructible environments, pedestrians as fragile as glass, insane power-ups ("bouncy bouncy", "pinball mode"), total freedom… With new vehicles, new maps, and new graphics, it was adored by a new wave of players. Multiplayer also offered incredible moments, where you could literally split your car in half during head-on collisions or by slamming into a wall corner at 200 mph. Pure bliss.
Who remembers those wild multiplayer sessions, spending hours destroying your friends' cars in "pinball" mode ? Those moments of laughing like crazy in front of our CRT monitors remain etched in our gamer memories.
Carmageddon TDR 2000 (2000) and the Lean Years
Two years later, the franchise returned with TDR 2000, but the reception was more mixed—cleaner, less wild. It remained a good "Carma" for some, but the anarchic magic was starting to erode. Then, silence. A few adaptations here and there, but nothing major. Until 2015, when Carmageddon Reincarnation was launched (a remake of the originals), later replaced the following year by "Max Damage", which was much more polished. This gave a new generation the chance to get behind the wheel of these insane machines. They were faithful to the originals, though not technically perfect. Reviews were mixed, but the community was still happy to see the return.
And now… 2024-2025, Carmageddon roars once more. But this time… the rules have changed.
Carmageddon Rogue Shift - New World, New Rules
A Ravaged Post-Apo World and a New Roguelite Loop
After exploring the past, back to the present : a new Carmageddon announcement has just taken place. Rogue Shift wants to dust off the formula by adding a major ingredient : "Roguelite". Steam explains it very well on the game's page :
The Endless Night : The year is 2050. The world is a post-apocalyptic wasteland. World War III and the omnipresence of the food supplement MiVis have transformed people into hordes of nightmarish creatures : the Decimated.
The Stakes : Carmageddon is no longer a sport, but the only path to salvation. The champion wins the right to attempt the ultimate escape to the spaceport.
The Threat : When night falls, the Decimated swarm the streets, forcing a survival loop.
Let's remember we are in 2025 : don't expect to run over human pedestrians at every turn, even if that still exists in a few games. This decision, inevitable to avoid PEGI/ESRB rating issues in 2025, defuses the game's original transgressive nature.
Roguelite at the Heart of Gameplay
The principle won't be quite the same, and it’s a major shift : each playthrough is a randomly generated campaign, where the goal is to progress by upgrading your car, accumulating permanent bonuses, and surviving one more loop. The depth of vehicular combat is reinforced :
- 15 upgradeable vehicles (front, rear, or all-wheel drive)
- 13 weapon classes (from shotguns to lightning cannons)
- Over 80 perks to customize your playstyle
- Synergies : The true genius of Roguelite is combining perks. Finding the synergy between a suspension upgrade, an electric weapon, and a weather perk will be the key to dominating the chaos
Synergies, improbable builds, permanent customization… Carmageddon is becoming a game where you build your war machine as much as you drive it. Instead of spending your time going bumper-to-bumper against oncoming traffic, we will be customizing our vehicles much like in Mad Max or R.A.G.E.
Conclusion : Is it Still Carmageddon ?
Let's be honest right now : I'm not quite sure what to think yet. Not enough elements to sink our teeth into.
The only real debate would be : is it still Carmageddon ?
The boomer in me would say "no human pedestrians," "no Max Damage," "too Roguelike," "where Gotcha ?"
The curious in me says "the Carma DNA is there," "it's 2025, the principle must evolve," "Roguelike ? I actually enjoyed that in Mad Max and R.A.G.E."
In conclusion, Carmageddon Rogue Shift risks not being a "pure" Carmageddon, but an evolution of what we knew. So we're going to keep an eye on it, and obviously, try it out to form an opinion. And as my grandmother used to say : "Always look before you cross if you don't want to end up like Georgette."
If you have memories of Carmageddon or car destruction games that left a mark on you, feel free to talk about them in the comments right below !
