Rage may already be the best Id game ever. After spending three hours exploring, I found that the things that separated this game from previous Id titles (aside from sunlight and a diversity of colors) were the little touches that add personality and a sense of artistry to the game. I've listed my five favorites below.
1) Jackass Vehicle Physics
Driving plays a big role in Rage. You'll be driving around from town from one enemy hideout to another -- just watch out for sudden stops. During my time with the game, I looked away for a brief second to compare my PC build with the Xbox 360 build beside it (they look damn near identical), and turned back just in time to see my ATV hit a rock. My character went flying off the vehicle and met an untimely demise on a canyon wall. It was a nice little touch that had me chuckling. I respawned seconds later right next to the ATV.
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2) Fieldgoals
The Rage world is peppered with little touches. I tried to keep an eye out for anything that looked like a goal post; there are three scattered throughout the world. If you can manage to fling your avatar through them -- using the vehicle physics mentioned above -- you'll find the game has rewards in store for you.
3) The Best Shotgun since Doom
Doom's shotgun was sublime, only rivaled by its double barreled cousin from Doom II. Nothing was more satisfying then lining a shot up just right, and dropping a zombie soldier or an imp in one hit. The secret was some combination of the quick kills it allowed and the satisfying sound it made with each blast. The shotgun in Rage feels like a worthy follow-up. The highlight of my three hours spent with the game was running through an enemy hideout and taking out each enemy one shot at a time. From the damage to the sound, Rage's shotgun is near perfect.
4) Enemies Will Get Scared and Run Away
How many times have you taken out a wave of enemies in a game, only to have a lone and apparently suicidal straggler continue to attack you after you've dispatched his buddies easily? I know that if I was an evil henchman, I'd think twice about continuing to fight the badass who just killed six of my friends without breaking a sweat. The crazed enemies in Rage apparently concur with my tactical assessment. If you're truly kicking ass (perhaps with that amazing shotgun), the enemies will turn tail and run. Most of them regain their composure after they calm down behind some distant cover, so you'll have to tangle with fleeing enemies eventually.
5) Amazing Animations
During my room-to-room shotgun massacre that I enjoyed so much, an enemy surprised me by popping out of cover three feet in front of me. My initial shot missed because the goon didn't just rotate out of cover like so many Call of Duty wack-a-moles -- he lost his balance, recovered using his free hand, and stumbled backwards.
The enemies in Rage move in ways that you've never seen before. Wounded enemies will react to their wounds, stumble to the ground, and even play dead in the hopes that you don't further injure them. The game feels so much more tense, because you never quite know whether an enemy is really dead. Best to shoot them just in case.
1) Jackass Vehicle Physics
Driving plays a big role in Rage. You'll be driving around from town from one enemy hideout to another -- just watch out for sudden stops. During my time with the game, I looked away for a brief second to compare my PC build with the Xbox 360 build beside it (they look damn near identical), and turned back just in time to see my ATV hit a rock. My character went flying off the vehicle and met an untimely demise on a canyon wall. It was a nice little touch that had me chuckling. I respawned seconds later right next to the ATV.
2) Fieldgoals
The Rage world is peppered with little touches. I tried to keep an eye out for anything that looked like a goal post; there are three scattered throughout the world. If you can manage to fling your avatar through them -- using the vehicle physics mentioned above -- you'll find the game has rewards in store for you.
3) The Best Shotgun since Doom
Doom's shotgun was sublime, only rivaled by its double barreled cousin from Doom II. Nothing was more satisfying then lining a shot up just right, and dropping a zombie soldier or an imp in one hit. The secret was some combination of the quick kills it allowed and the satisfying sound it made with each blast. The shotgun in Rage feels like a worthy follow-up. The highlight of my three hours spent with the game was running through an enemy hideout and taking out each enemy one shot at a time. From the damage to the sound, Rage's shotgun is near perfect.
4) Enemies Will Get Scared and Run Away
How many times have you taken out a wave of enemies in a game, only to have a lone and apparently suicidal straggler continue to attack you after you've dispatched his buddies easily? I know that if I was an evil henchman, I'd think twice about continuing to fight the badass who just killed six of my friends without breaking a sweat. The crazed enemies in Rage apparently concur with my tactical assessment. If you're truly kicking ass (perhaps with that amazing shotgun), the enemies will turn tail and run. Most of them regain their composure after they calm down behind some distant cover, so you'll have to tangle with fleeing enemies eventually.
5) Amazing Animations
During my room-to-room shotgun massacre that I enjoyed so much, an enemy surprised me by popping out of cover three feet in front of me. My initial shot missed because the goon didn't just rotate out of cover like so many Call of Duty wack-a-moles -- he lost his balance, recovered using his free hand, and stumbled backwards.
The enemies in Rage move in ways that you've never seen before. Wounded enemies will react to their wounds, stumble to the ground, and even play dead in the hopes that you don't further injure them. The game feels so much more tense, because you never quite know whether an enemy is really dead. Best to shoot them just in case.
