Rage begins with the apocalyptic collision of an asteroid with Earth. A glimpse of the plan enacted to save humanity by burying them in subterranean “Arks” is given in the opening cinematic of the game. After this brief introduction to the plight of the world, the player wakes up from the underground slumber and steps foot into the new land. The horrors are immediately apparent as monster mutants attack the ark dweller thus setting the tone of Rage. The post-apocalyptic Earth is unfriendly and its inhabitants only find happiness in racing. The saga of Rage continues in a similar fashion from there: shooting, racing, shooting, racing. This is punctuated by minigames, side missions, and more racing. Fortunately for Rage, the driving in enjoyable and the controls are tight in an arcade sense. The story of the man from the ark goes on for longer than expected (but not in a bad way) leading him to two and a half Mad Max inspired cities, many races, and a conspiracy as shocking as spots on a Dalmatian.
By Griff Hoffmann Rage is a technical powerhouse that is besmirched by its slight lack of diversity and seemingly rushed conclusion. The four years it took to bring Rage into existence were well spent by simply looking at the game. Jaw dropping detail and a frame rate that never lets up make for a visually stunning experience. The blemishes are an ever-present texture pop-in problem, though this becomes quickly forgettable since standing around doesn’t happen too much in Rage. The other problems are the half-baked multiplayer and sudden drop off of the main campaign. Rage is a surprisingly enjoyable game but just a few flaws keep it shy of perfection. Just your average post-apocalyptic town Rage begins with the apocalyptic collision of an asteroid with Earth. A glimpse of the plan enacted to save humanity by burying them in subterranean “Arks” is given in the opening cinematic of the game. After this brief introduction to the plight of the world, the player wakes up from the underground slumber and steps foot into the new land. The horrors are immediately apparent as monster mutants attack the ark dweller thus setting the tone of Rage. The post-apocalyptic Earth is unfriendly and its inhabitants only find happiness in racing. The saga of Rage continues in a similar fashion from there: shooting, racing, shooting, racing. This is punctuated by minigames, side missions, and more racing. Fortunately for Rage, the driving in enjoyable and the controls are tight in an arcade sense. The story of the man from the ark goes on for longer than expected (but not in a bad way) leading him to two and a half Mad Max inspired cities, many races, and a conspiracy as shocking as spots on a Dalmatian. No Dukes and no Hazzard but jumps aplenty Rage is not an open world game. The best way to think of the open world is as an active map. Traversing the Rageland is quick and exciting due to the vehicles built for speed and loaded with pounding weapons. The car combat side is very satisfying. Having the option to participate in races, rallies, and death defying rocket matches keeps the racing fresh. The rally matches are the most frustrating, as skill seems to be removed and supplanted by luck. With competitors not having a set path and almost no penalty to respawn after a death, the rally races become an infuriating battle against the AI. The few speed bumps don’t hold back the driving of Rage, in fact it gives a unique flavor to the post apocalyptic playground and provides a nice distraction from the shooting. Mutant Bash TV glamorous host Distractions are abundant in Rage and a few of them have a surprising amount of depth. The most prevalent side mission would be the racing. Winning races award special currency used specifically to upgrade vehicles. Of course this helps to win more races but also reduces the chance of death by wasteland crazy person when driving to the next mission. Other side missions come from a job board in the major towns or talking to the good townspeople. Pretty standard. There is a Simon Says mini game, Five Finger Fillet, and a shockingly deep card game. Cards can be found scattered around the wasteland and battled against two card masters in the towns. The final mini game is repeating the “Mutant Bash TV” wave combat course that makes its first appearance in the campaign. There is always something to do in Rage besides just killing. Don't bring a chain club to a gun fight Another activity for the modern wastelander is engineering new gadgets. The crafting system in Rage is very simple. Recipes can be purchased at shops, found in the wasteland, or awarded by side missions. The ingredients can all be found in the world or bought at the shops then quickly crafted in the pause menu visually represented by the filling of a bar. The new items are useful, but in no means necessary. The crafting doesn’t require much thought or deviation from the main path to have it be practical. Some examples of these crafted items are head seeking Krull Blade boomerangs, robotic turrets, quick healing bandages, bigger bullets, and crossbow bolts covered in an explosive mind control toxin. Pretty freaking awesome. Although cool and useful, the crafted items may be, they can’t take the place of the standard arsenal. Sticking it to The Man, together Id has a history with memorable firearms and Rage keeps that trend going. From a pistol packed with power, silent crossbows, and even the BFG, the weapons of the wasteland are cool as they are potent. Though the guns themselves are rad, the additional ammunition is what really amps them up. Most of the weapons have a different kind of slug or bolt that can be jammed in it for different effects. Take the pistol for example, “Fat Boy” rounds may be swapped in place of basic bullets to do double damage but decrease clip capacity by half. The pros and cons of using the two different types of ammo is obvious. Some secondary ammo is more novel. Basic crossbow bolts can be swapped for electrically charged bolts, exploding bolts, or bolts that allow mind control for a spell by just a flick of thumb stick. Having the diversity of weapons and ammo combined with the ability to rapidly change on the fly is necessary when tackling the enemies of the wasteland. A grow your own mutant left in the water too long The enemies of the wasteland are savage, smart, and tough as nails (you’d have to be pretty damn tough to survive an asteroid colliding with Earth I guess). First of all, a shot to the face with the pistol is enough to stagger a baddie but not enough to snuff them out. Heavier ammo and bigger guns will one-shot a dude but I am able to suspend my disbelief (as it is a video game) when I justify their bulletproof visages as a result of living in post apocalyptic Earth. The AI is good. Really good. Enemies move smartly to and away from cover, changing their tactics based on combat situations. Even the different enemy classes behave uniquely. Simple-minded foes charge in deftly, dodging and jumping off walls. Highly trained soldiers work as teams, providing cover, and advancing on the player. The ragdoll physics are great as well since they aren’t the typical jelly joined belly flop endemic in most games. The kills seem unique and memorable and cool each time an enemy stumbles and falls clutching their side or face or leg one last time. Red and black in not the bomb here There are three glaring problems with Rage. The textures, oh the texture pop in. It’s so painful on my perfection demanding eyes. Graphics or bust. The texture pop in is a technical problem but honestly, it becomes pretty easy to not notice it while trucking through the wasteland and even with imperfections, the game still looks damn good. The second problem is the campaign. Only two major hub towns breaks the ever important Rule of Three in video games. Sure the second town is a surprise since the designers could have gotten away with a shorter game. The problem comes with the buildup to the final mission (keep in mind this is final mission so it might have a nuance of a spoiler). After so much time is spent building up the nefarious nature of evil General Cross and The Authority there is no resolution. In fact, you will never meet General Cross. Also, the fellow Resistance members build up the last task as a suicide mission at best. The prospect of monstrosities and abominations along side the highly trained Authority soldiers sounds like a final test of Rage combat skill but instead comes across as exciting as a firework snake on the 4th of July. That’s right, the end of Rage is short, messy, and boring. Not the last memory to walk away with. It feels incomplete. The grand epic battle wasn’t there and General Cross is still kicking out there so there is no real conclusion to the game. Finally that brings us to the multiplayer. Rage has a neat little co-op mode called Legends of the Wasteland where two players get to fight through a series of levels based on minutiae in the Rage world. This is fun and extends the experience. Road Rage is a versus driving mode where drivers collect points, akin to the rally race in the campaign, and kill each other destruction derby style. This is not fun. The only competitive play option is the worst race mode. It is a shame since the driving is good and it feels like a missed opportunity. Even with these three weighty problems Rage is really good. Definitely not perfect but it should be played and enjoyed for the uniqueness all the non FPS accoutrements give it.
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