Rage

Rage is a first-person shooter developed by id Software. With over 4 years in the making id is back with a stunning shooter that makes for a very strong first impression.

You play as a sole survivor of the 2029 Apophis asteroid impact who has just awoken from an Ark (a world-wide movement which took scientists and other significant people, and froze them underground in cryo-pods so they could rebuild Earth).

You are among a small number of survivors who are forced to begin a new civilization. Sounds familiar right?

Although you will interact with some amazingly animated characters throughout the campaign, most of them don’t have anything really interesting to say. They need your help from bandits and mutants and you are more than willing to help.

RAGE is not an open world game as many, including myself thought it would be. Instead it can be described as a hub world game with branching missions. These core missions are the reason you will be playing RAGE this holiday season. The act of shooting in RAGE is pure perfection. Every weapon you acquire is flawless in its execution and a lot of fun to shoot with.

The level design and AI are also strong points to the game. Smaller enemies will attempt to dodge your bullets by acrobatically flinging themselves while still trying to get close to take you out. This is where RAGE is at its best with interesting level design that are a joy to play through.

Although the game on occasion makes you play through the same location twice they make it interesting by reversing the level design or adding in some additional plot points.

When you are not shooting things in the face there are plenty of things to do to keep yourself entertained. There are a number of mini games that can be accessed from the hub worlds. From the very addictive VR dice game to the fully fledged out collectible card game “Rage Frenzy” you will have fun even during the down time.

RAGE also has a vehicle racing and combat component to the game although I did not explore this part of the game to its fullest. The campaign will make you race for certain vehicles required to progress the story but leaves it up to you to explore the many races. These can be fun and a great way to earn extra cash.

Engineering is also an important part of the game where you collect materials on your journey and build components such as century robots, first aid kits and other forms of weapons and upgrades.

Spanning over 3 DVDs on the Xbox 360, multiplayer, both co-op and competitive is also included. I have not played any multiplayer at all as the premise of car combat doesn’t interest me that much. The “Legends of the Wasteland” online co-op missions however sounds very interesting with a horde mode type scenario where you and some buddies take on waves of enemies.

Get ready for a very disappointing ending as the game rushes to towards the final mission.

RENT IT - All that said, RAGE is visually stunning and fun shooter that proves id Software still have what it takes to make a great shooter, they just need someone who is better at storytelling.