Rage – Preview

From the studio which gave the world Quake, Doom and Wolfenstein comes an entirely new venture packed to the brim with new technology and gameplay. Its name is RAGE. The new game engine it uses is dubbed ‘id Tech 5′, and it immediately makes an impression with a game world which is colorful and textures which seem to pop out from the screen. The rich level of detail can be easily noticed by paying close attention to the screenshots on these pages, but when you actually see RAGE is in motion it looks particularly jaw-dropping.

RAGE is essentially a shooter set in an apocalyptic wasteland where the remnants of humanity have either mutated or remained reasonably healthy thanks to safe havens known as ‘Arcs’. The protagonist comes from the latter group, fresh from the safety of his sheltered community and unleashed unto a much-changed world. Unlike id’s previous efforts, RAGE appears much more open, with masses of optional content to supplement the main campaign.

The much-lauded car combat reminded us immediately of Interstate ’76, where it’s about getting enemy cars in your sights and then letting rip with rocket launchers or machine guns. It looks fun and also manages to break up travelling from point A to point B rather nicely indeed.

Once you arrive at a destination you can walk about at your leisure, and it was here where we entered one of RAGE’s towns. Entirely cut-off from the open wasteland seen before, there were vendors, bars, garages and NPCs to talk with. There was an unmistakable post-modern Wild West feel to the scenery – much like how Fallout 3 emulates a Fifties’-style – meaning that RAGE appears to borrow much from America’s Old West.

The shooting is fast paced with enemies responding to combat as they should, and each area having entirely different groups of bandits to eliminate.

The first bunch we encountered were dubbed ‘Ghosts’ armed only with melee weaponry and moved in an unpredictable manner, vaulting over scenery and moving quickly from one platform to the next, whereas another faction had a much more traditional approach, strafing when firing and retreating behind cover whenever shot at.

The action has a strategic element too, with the ability to deploy equipment such as spider-like AI turrets and remote-controlled car bombs. The AI-controlled bot chirped and bounced with delight when engaging enemies, with a personality which even hardcore gamers are sure to find absolutely adorable. Like a small dog, it seemed to come to life when it heard its master’s call.

When deployed, equipment can only be picked up again in a dismantled state forcing you to destroy your creations whenever they’ve ceased to be useful, in order to get your components back. There is plenty more equipment to experiment with as long as you accumulate enough loot and find the appropriate schematics throughout the campaign. It’s here where the RPG feel comes in, as the compulsion to pick up items and explore the game world is hugely appealing.

Due to the lack of an encumbrance limit, RAGE seems to be a wonderland for completionists, as you’re actively encouraged to pick up everything possible. There aren’t experience points or the need to level up, instead it’s what you do with the various trinkets that you collect which increases your combat efficiency.

From what we’ve seen so far, RAGE is already shaping up to be one of the key titles of 2011. We’ll be bringing you more on the game soon, as we’re expecting RAGE to be one of the key 360 titles at the forthcoming E3 show.

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