ID happily hand you over a gun and shout "let lose!" in this brand new free-roaming adventure.
Storyline
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You play a man recently reanimated from cryogenic hibernation, and awaken to find yourself in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The setting is very familular to those who have played Fallout, borderlands e.t.c. Shortly after you are taken in by a nearby camp and are soon set off on a quest to discover your true purpose and place in this deserted planet. Unfortunatly the main storyline falls a little short of under 5 hours, which would have not been soo bad if the story were'nt soo forgettable
Gameplay
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Rage is a sandbox title, if that is the correct word to use. There are two "Hub" towns where you can collect quests and buy/sell loot. This is where you will do most of your main storyline, and that is all you will want to do. Lack of a leveling system leaves little to be gained from smaller missions other than more money, which may or may not be a priority.
Getting from point A to point B outside of the Hubs is a thrill, at first - Burnout style driving mechanics can make you feel like a speed-demon, until the same roads are repeated numerous times while traveling to/from familular locations. Thankfully this is the core of the Multiplayer component of the game, bringing excitement and tension into the lobbies.
For all its short comings as a sandbox action game, Rage is at its heart a shooter - and a soild one at that. Every gun right down to Pistols makes you feel like an Action movie star - bullets feel powerful and the damage relevant, yes, if you shoot him in the leg he will fall, if you shoot him in the head he will die! Facing multiple opponents can be tense yet fun, especially when facing a large group of enemies. ID's roots fo Wolfenstein and Doom are clear in these sections, and altho your playing a extremely well polished game, you cant help but feel a bit nostalgic.
Graphics
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Rage is without a doubt one of the most beautiful games on the current generation of consoles. It almost seems every single rock in the wasteland was handcrafted by the designers. As draining as it is repeating the same journey from one area of the landscape to the other, it was almost made worth while just to take in the landscape.
Closing Comments
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ID software has always been at the forefront of defining first person shooters, and Rage only serves as proof of this. Strong shooter mechanics with leave you bloodthirst and eager for more right until the games close. Unfortunatly the free-roaming aspects of the game felt more like a time-extender to your game time rather than a core mechanic.