> GAME RAMBLE, 02/11/11 (IN-DEPTH)
Rage is a game that was hyped from the beginning, and is one of the few games I've been lured into following during development. Though many fanboys will deny it, the game does immediately bear its resemblances to titles such as Borderlands or the Fallout series, which is originally what piqued my interest. Though beyond that of very vague secondary gameplay, storyline and setting similarities there isn't much else in common - Rage is a shooter at its core, and a damn good one at that.
Avoiding too many spoilers, the game takes place after a monstrous natural disaster on a ravaged, post-apocalyptic Earth. You, the protagonist, emerge from a sort of cryo sleep in a government bunker called an "Ark", and are immediately swallowed up by the conflicts and issues of the settlers and other wasteland folk around you. Though the maps seem vast and the landscape expansive, it's all a guise; the game itself is surprisingly quite linear, almost like many other generic FPS campaigns... there are a few elements that take it a step further than that, however.
First off is the very slightest hint of an RPG-ish approach, in that the main story is progressed through by accepting quests, or "missions", as well as being offered a fair helping of side-quests along the way, and enough freedom to pursue them in your own time and desired order. There is also slight looting, though it's only really used to get you enough cash for ammo, weapon upgrades & armor, or for the engineering system the game has - where deployable or useable items can be crafted and greatly alter your gameplay. Utilizing the crafting becomes essential in harder areas, to give you access to incredibly beneficial gadgets and the like.
Then there's the driving element. Driving is the main way you'll be commuting about the wasteland (since all there is to 99% of the wasteland is miles of dust, sand, concrete and rocks), to get from your bases of operation to the various other settlements and hideouts. There are also competitive races to participate in at a couple points in the game, which offer rewards that allow you to further upgrade your vehicles - both for these races, as well as for combat with bandits in the wasteland between destinations. Though the driving certainly takes the background, it's incredibly well executed; the cars handle beautifully, and are a total blast to hoon around the wastes in.
There are also some gambling-esque minigames to partake in, including an almost strategic card game played using the collected cards found around the wasteland... though these can get boring, or even agitating, and are only usually played for the achievements or trophies.
What the game focuses primarily on and exceeds at though, is the shooting. The guns all handle nicely and perform relatively well - though some enemies will take a severe beating to put down in order to give the game an element of difficulty. Your arsenal is expanded as you progress through the missions, not only in the variety of weapons themselves, but also in the ammunition types available for each (that too become unlocked through progress, or schematics) - all tend to behave differently or have a different effect... for example, you can equip your "Striker" crossbow with electrified, explosive or mind-control bolts rather than standard ones, or the AR/MG can equip rarer & more expensive but powerful & armor-piercing ammo. Combine that with the offense-oriented array of engineering craftables and you become a personalised force to be reckoned with.
The other element of shooting comes in the form of the enemies you take on, and they come in all shapes, sizes and mannerisms. Rage throws everything at you; from the melee-wielder who zips and dives and advances cautiously yet strongly, to the cover-seeking ranged attacker who'll pop out to fire a few shots your direction, to the crazed & rabid rushers that swarm you, and to the hulking behemoths who stand their ground and rain destruction down upon your head. Though no enemies are particularly "intelligent" per-se, the AI is executed incredibly for an FPS campaign - enemies will react to where you aim, where you shoot, where you move. They attack in groups, retreat, lay suppressing fire and flush you out with grenades. The animations are also very lively and fluid, and sometimes a joy to watch.
The game itself is a marvel to behold. Immediately there's the obvious post-apocalyptic aesthetic that lured me in the first place, being a fan of Borderlands and Fallout (and I even got the slightest Jak 2/3 vibe here and there). The way it's executed in Rage, whilst nothing all that new, is still impressively done thanks to the jaw-dropping graphics, that have even been called "next-gen". Cavernous canyons expand for hundreds of miles, with the faint remains of decrepit cities on the verge of teetering over barely visible on the horizon. Which, in the case of the PS3 and its out-dated hardware, also becomes a downfall. Even the 8GB game data install for textures wasn't enough, and the first step out of the Ark in the beginning is both awe-inducing and cringe-worthy, as the textures blur, shift, pop and seem to come to life. Though the engine works to improve the texture problems through extended playtime and loading, and it eventually becomes negligible, it's still a blight on an otherwise beautifully crafted world.
Another problem in the game commonly brought up is that of the length of the game, and the simple labelling of the entire campaign as "fetch quests" (though really, how else were ID to execute it?). I managed to nearly finish a Normal difficulty run, and then complete a Nightmare difficulty speed run and an Easy run for the leftovers, and platinum'd the game in about 30 hours. It is rather short for a shooter campaign, considering the game doesn't have all that much of an expansive multiplayer element to fall back on (more on that soon), and the ending left a LOT to be desired (some claim it as the "worst video game ending ever"). The game is a blast, but it's a blast short-lived, and just begs for DLC to add more, to add ANYTHING to the experience.
The games multiplayer element is there alright, and it's incredible fun, it just doesn't really provide the potential for hundreds of hours in PVP/co-op that other FPS games offer. The co-op mode (which can be played split-screen, a nice change) consists of nine 15-30 minute long missions called "Legends of the Wasteland", that detail elements of the campaign's history and provide more of the same shooting goodness. The PVP vehicle element is an all out onslaught of speed and chaos, with a plethora of unlocks to customise your ride and play style... but though it's enjoyable, it's easilly the laggiest online I have EVER played, especially considering there's only 3 other players.
Rage isn't complex. Unlike the more RPG-oriented counterparts it's consistently compared to, it doesn't try to be. It does what a shooter should do: provide heart-pumping, adrenaline-fueled gunplay, and it does so with a few extra bells and whistles on the side. What it lacks in length it makes up for in immersion and intensity; and though you may breeze through it in a couple weeks, a week, or even just days, they'll be some of the best damned quality FPS-playing days you'll ever have.
Rage (PS3)
Released: 2011
Developer: id Software
Publisher: Bethesda
Genre: First-Person Shooter
"Untethered" trailer
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