Wolfenstein, Doom and Quake, those are the heavy FPS hitters of the nineties. Dallas based developer id Software have teamed up with Bethesda to finally create a new IP called Rage. When id revealed that it was working on a brand new FPS, the genre they created, which was also based on a newly developed engine, all of our hearts jumped a little bit with excitement. There is no doubt that Rage would be a pretty and well crafted, technically sound experience but is it able to live up to the incredible hype, that was build up since its announcement?
When I first held the final retail copy of id Software’s newest and ‘off the beaten path’ shooter in hand, I could barely wait for the 360 copy to install on my hard drive. Ever since its reveal I was incredibly eager to jump into the deserted, yet gorgeous wasteland id created, which reminds so much of Mad Max – Road Warrior. Rage is an absolutely beautiful game with so much detail that caused me to spend a little too much time just looking at my surroundings. Walking or driving through the wasteland is an almost calming experience that switches on a dime, when raiders attack out of nowhere, but I am getting ahead of myself.
Id Software and John Carmack are known for technologically sounds titles and Rage is no different, apart from looking incredible, the game runs in a solid 60 frames per second. This is a big factor in an id game since its signature feature, the gunplay, can be executed at its best when running smoothly. Rage’s shooting mechanics aren’t just well executed but also really, really fun. There are lots of different and smart enemies in this semi-open hub-world shooter. As I noted before, the raiders will waste no time attacking, when you step foot in their territory or otherwise. Using the variety of long and short range weapons, which all feel very satisfying, is an absolute blast, no pun intended. I would be selling the team at id Software short, if I didn’t point out that the gunplay and feedback of Rage’s shooting mechanics weren’t some of the best on modern day consoles.
Raiders aren’t the only problem in this ‘new world’. Players will take charge of a silent protagonist who is an ‘arc survivor’ over 100 years after the meteor impact of 2029, which turned earth into a dusty, mutated hell with almost nothing good left in it. When you aren’t driving from hub-city to mission marker, there is plenty of corridor style shooting available in Rage. There are various ‘dungeons’ players will enter to complete one of the many fetch-quests, they will be send on. While the story isn’t the most impressive part of Rage, and driven mostly by ‘grabbing that thing for that guy’, it gets the job done but I can’t help of thinking that it had more potential. When entering these separate and rather linear areas, players will be faced with the most vicious and fun enemies in Rage – the mutants.
Where Rage lacks in storytelling, it more than makes up for it in its enemy AI and animation system. I don’t think, I would be able to get tired to severing a rushing mutant’s head of with the toss of the ‘wingstick’. This throwable, bladed, boomerang-esque weapon will help you take down mutants or at least slow them down before the blast of a shotgun will send them flying as they approach, that is of course, if they manage to keep their head. Yes, combat in Rage is epic. Using the entire weapons arsenal of Rage alone is worth the experience. Weather I was taking out a mutant with the sniper rifle, shotgun or even turrets and remote controlled cars, I was thoroughly engaged whenever it was time to spill some blood. Enemies are beautifully animated and will take contextual hits and adjust their movements based on certain impacts, which made it even more fun to slow down an enemy before delivering the final blow.
Rage has a few RPG elements but remains a shooter at heart. Players are able to loot enemies’ bodies, pick up items across the world and sell or use them to craft items like bandages, lock grinders and more. Another big addition to id’s arsenal is the car combat, which is also part of the multiplayer experience as well as the coop missions. During the storyline and its side missions, players will be asked to compete in races, deliver items or simply make it through the wasteland without being killed. Rage offers upgradable buggies which can be outfitted with different guns and abilities to blow away any raiders who mean business. Even though the car combat is fun, it seems just a little tacked on for my taste.
Rage is a really well build single player experience that offers some fun multiplayer but didn’t really need it to be successful. There are some car-combat based game types as well as the previously mentioned coop mission but the one mode we all wanted to play was excluded, sadly. Rage does not have any competitive multiplayer which is a shame since the shooting mechanics make this a top notch title.
This year was already filled with some very good shooters and Rage fits very well in this company. Id Software has labored away for over 6 years to create a complete experience, which will make fans of the genre and studio alike very happy. Rage is a breathtakingly beautiful game that is filled with incredibly fun first person shooter mechanics and a lively, colorful world which is only held back by a story that isn’t quite up to par. Playing Rage feels nostalgic and modern alike, we haven’t really played a game like this since, well, the last id Software game.
Score: 9 / 10
Rage was developed by id Software and published by Bethesda for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on October 4th. A retail copy of the Xbox 360 version was provided to us by Bethesda for reviewing purposes.
