Rage Review

If there was a video game iteration of the cult classic Mad Max then Rage would be it. The cult classic Mel Gibson film is the perfect example of an apocalyptic dystopian society. Bethesda knows a thing or two about creating post-apocalyptic worlds. Rage fits the bill quite nicely, creating a world where humanity is struggling to survive with law and order broken down.

The game starts off with the main character waking up from a one-hundred year sleep. The world was hit with an asteroid and the response prior to the collision was to preserve the human race by placing select humans into stasis in underground facilities known as the Ark. Once you wake up you find that the people in the Ark had died due to some kind of malfunction. However, small patches of humanity managed to survive on the outside. These enclaves are independent city-states that are self-sustaining.

While the story starts off decent enough, the main character lacks any real background and does not even talk throughout the entire game. The emphasis was definitely more put on the action than on building up the storyline. I found myself ignoring entire conversations that he had with residents of the different locations as they really do not add much to the game. They do however have some top-notch voice talent, including the actor John Goodman of Roseanne fame.

The way that you get around in Rage from place to place is by a jeep-like vehicle that actually feels a lot like the warthog from the Halo franchise. You can buy mini-gun ammo, homing missiles, shields and other enhancements from shops throughout the game. Several different mini-games are found in the game, including a number of races. You have your basic race, time trials, mini-gun combat, and rocket racing. The actual world for you to drive around in is quite small and only populated with a few enemy vehicles.

The main gameplay is of course the first-person shooting. You have a list of different missions to complete, mostly collecting different items for people. You can choose which ones you want to complete first, along with side-missions, so there is a little bit of freedom. The biggest flaw with the game is that you return to the same places more than you should. I don’t like going through a level and then having to come back a few missions later, except this time you get to do it in reverse. Sorry guys, that might work for racing games, but not shooters.

Thankfully the shooting is very solid. That’s exactly what you should expect from the makers of Doom, though. Each gun is a blast to use. You get a pistol to start off with, eventually acquiring a shotgun, assault rifle, sniper rifle, arrow shooter and rocket launcher. The weapons have different kinds of ammo that you can either buy or collect. These range from electric arrows to mind-control bullets. Obviously when you have lots of guns there is going to be a lot of violence. This game is definitely not for kids. There’s a lot of blood and dismemberment in Rage.

Rage has everything that you need to be a successful game these days: cutting-edge graphics, a moody atmosphere and solid gameplay mechanics. Somehow though, something feels missing. The pacing is a little off, the storyline is generic and the game overall just feels kind of aimless. The main character wanders around doing missions for people that he doesn’t even know. He’s silent the entire game, not questioning anyone’s motivation.

Shooter fans are sure to be pleased by Rage. It most reminds me of BioShock in its style and execution. The single-player is well over ten hours long and co-op adds several more hours of gameplay to the package. Aside from some pacing issues and an uninspiring story, the game is a solid package that could have been more. Rage is not going to win any awards, except maybe for its stellar graphics, but it is a damn fun shooter.