Rage Review - Xbox Gaming in South Africa

id Software's latest game, Rage, reminds me of the time I built a home-made glider out of cardboard boxes and attempted my first test-flight off the roof of my grandmother's house. On paper, my idea sounded foolproof - a teenager's attempt to pay homage to the Wright brothers - but in reality it resulted in a fractured collarbone and the end to my grandmother's aspirations to grow an olive tree. You're probably wondering what I'm rambling on about, or perhaps you're suspecting that there's something else in my tea, but the truth is that although Rage overflows with good intentions, it all comes crashing down.

Perhaps, I should start at the beginning.

Rage is a peculiar game, especially for a gamer who loves to immerse himself in rich and sometimes cinematic story lines. While it's explained at the beginning that civilization (as we know it) ended after the Apophis meteorite slammed into the Earth, the game really doesn't care too much about the setting, because ultimately Rage is really about shooting and killing things. However, some semblance of a story does exist as our hero, the silent protagonist enters into a suspended animation chamber (like many of the other Ark survivors) before the meteorite hits, and finds himself awakened a century later. Instead of coming to terms with this new reality and the realisation that family and friends are now long dead, our hero is handed a pistol (literally seconds after emerging from his Ark capsule) and within minutes he is given the not so desirable task of killing an entire gang of bandits in their hideout. It's a very bizarre opening, and while it would have been silly to have our hero, curling up into a little ball, and crying himself to sleep (because he's struggling to cope with life in a post-apocalyptic wasteland), it does set a flaky stage for Rage. There are no flashbacks of life prior to Apophis, nor is there any attempt to gain a deeper understanding of the main protagonist. Rage basically descends into "do this task, shoot these people, we trust you now so take this vehicle and deliver some strawberries to my friend at the trade centre down the road." It's all very disappointing because even Mad Max showed a glimpse of Max before he became a ruthless vigilante, who drove across a post-apocalyptic Australia killing villains and Tina Turner.

While it may seem that I'm being unnecessarily harsh, I am aware of the game's roots and id Software's reputation, however, if we slip the Sunglasses of Nostalgia + 1 into our pockets for a moment, even Doom and Quake barely had fleshed out stories either. Both games (and their sequels) relied heavily on gameplay and gratuitous violence to grab your interest, and they succeeded, because after all what defined the genre was shooting things. Back then, if you wanted character development, you were better off playing a roleplaying game. It should therefore come as no surprise that Rage follows this well-beaten path, and in fact it resembles the old guard of first person shooters very closely. The only problem is that in doing so it also highlights its inherent limitations. This is especially apparent in an era where gamer tastes have evolved with the times. As strange as it may sound, we actually want some sort of story development, with fleshed out characters set within a rich environment. What's even more shocking, is that we're expecting it from our first person shooters. Of course, not everyone will agree with me, and if gratuitous violence is all you care about, Rage might just be for you.

Just to confuse the matter, Rage is an unbelievably beautiful game. The visuals are breathtaking, particularly the sandstone cliffs, quarries, caves and road cuttings. You can't help but stare in wonder (and that's just the parts you drive by). The interiors of buildings, sewers, subway tunnels and even the environs of the two towns are equally impressive. You can't help but gawk at the non-player controlled (NPC) characters, with their freckles, wrinkles, life-like mannerisms and extremely cool steam-punk clothing and gear. This penchant for detail extends to the weaponry as well. Each weapon looks and handles superbly. They all have their own perks and quirks, from the assault rifle's eye-watering recoil to the purchasable monocle that transforms your tiny pistol into a sniper's rifle (and yes, Doom fans, Rage has a minigun). On the other side of the fence (or should I say gun sights), the cannon fodder behave intelligently, as they dive, duck, roll or even desperately scramble for cover. There is some texture lagging, and some low resolution textures, but for the most part, Rage looks impressive and the frame rates remain consistently high. It would be safe to say that Rage is a technical marvel, and a showcase for id Software's new engine, but that's also the problem, because you can't shake the feeling that Rage is just a glorified tech demo, or maybe they're planning something really marvelous for Rage 2.

The gameplay is what you'd expect, but id Software has upped the ante by adding the ability to engineer (craft) specific items from collectible junk. The most notable items are a deployable explosive RC car, a sentry turret, an agile sentry bot and even pistol & shotgun shells that pack a mean punch. The bots and RC car can be upgraded, and at later stages in the game, if you have enough parts, you can unleash an army of robots and watch them tear your enemies to pieces. Of course, throwing in a few hand grenades (for good measure), will also add to the festivities. Don't worry, bot parts can be salvaged. There's also some limited customisation of your cars, and obviously a rocket launcher attached to the roof of your car is practically a necessity. This is after all a game set within a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

Although Rage hints at being an open world game, it's fairly limited in scope (the towering cityscape you eventually spot while driving in your car remains inaccessible to you). There is no point in exploring the wasteland beyond following the main quests, because apart from a few racing events and a side quest that requires you to demolish enemy vehicles, there are no areas to explore or additional town hubs to visit. In fact, there are only two major settlements (Wellspring and Subway City), and to access either requires you to change your game disks. Chances are once you've reached Subway City, you won't have any reason to revisit Wellspring. The driving bits are fun, but if you really think about it, they serve no purpose except for draining your character's wallet (through all the repairs and car upgrades) and to keep you from building a gazillion sentry bots and unleashing them on the mutants and bandits of post-Apophis Earth.

Rage has left me scratching my head. It's a game that sports pleasing visuals and although the gun play is exceptional, the truth remains that it is marred by an absence of purpose. However, even I have to admit that there is some satisfaction in decapitating mutants and bandits with a wingstick (a bladed boomerang). Now if only there was a reason why I'm murdering these poor mutants (or joining the resistance), beyond lazy exposition...

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