Thursday, October 13, 2011
Michael Allen
Publishers: Bethesda.
Here at 28DLA we generally stay away from video game reviews because our vocabulary is limited to words like software, graphics and floppy discs. However, sometimes a game comes a long that is so excellent in gameplay that the title has to be mentioned. Rage, from Bethesda and id Software, is such a game. In this futuristic title players emerge from the earth's crust and from a cryogenic pod to a world that is barren and remote. In this landscape you must test your wits against bandits, mutants and other ilk, while you try not to be totally ensnared by the game's visuals.
Rage released October 4th on XBox, PS3 and the PC. If you pre-ordered this title, then you would likely be receiving the "Anarchy Edition," which adds a few more weapons to your arsenal e.g. double barrel shotgun, fists of Rage. The story remains the same in both versions as you wander around desert landscapes trying to stay alive. You will meet characters along your way with recognizable voices like John Goodman as Dan Hagar, the survivalist. In the backdrop your nemesis looms, The Authority. This government agency is not interested in building roads or hospitals, but in controlling the wasteland and in destroying the resistance. Guess which side you are on!
The first gaming elements players will likely notice in this title is the attention to details in the visuals. The landscapes are uniquely rendered, with lots of nooks and crannies to explore. The visuals never look drab. As well, the 60fps frame rate from the id Tech 5 means that the environments are loaded quickly, leaving no drag in the screen. This enhances the gameplay, while another feature tries to defeat your enjoyment.
The main and really only complaint this Rage fan has is regarding the save feature built-in to the game. There is an auto-save feature, but that is in name only. The auto-save only clicked in a couple times during the first eight hours of gameplay. If you forget to save often, then you can be replaying up to two hours of the story. This was an experience repeated often in the early chapters of the story by this player as the learning curve took its time to take hold. Unfortunately saving often takes away from the flow of the story. This dampens the gameplay only slightly while other more positive features triumph.
There are some surprises in the wasteland as you travel from point A to point B to help someone by helping someone else who sends you over to another person who needs help before you finally attain the artifact, sponsor support or other achievement that you need (maybe there are a few other tweeks needed in the game). However, gorillas pop out of walls on Mutant Bash TV or a Terminator 3-like soldier pops out of a reinforced tunnel. More grenades please. These unexpected thrills enhance the experience. The feeling that this player finally walked away with was enjoyment. As well, the satisfying challenges in the game which include missions that encompass twenty minutes or more are what really immerses the player into the gameplay. And these challenges are often exciting and not always straight forward.
There is a reason that Rage has won over twenty awards at this year's E3 gaming exposition. The excellent gameplay, brilliant visuals and unique characters and story set this game apart from any others released this year. 28DLA gives Rage the big thumb up. Just do not expect us to go to deeply into the core dynamics of the game e.g. programming which is beyond the button mashing expertise utilized here at 28DLA.
Gameplay/visuals: 8.5 (the game looks brilliant, there are lots of side quests).
Save feature/uniqueness of missions: 6 (some lowlights here, missions get repetitive after awhile).
Overall: 7.25 out of 10 (there is also some great multiplayer action built into the game from buggy races to separate co-op missions).
The game's homepage is here:
Rage's Official Website
Another review of this title at the New York Times:
Rage Reviewed at the New York Times
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Posted in: 2011,2011 release,apocalypse,cover art,the wasteland horror,video game,video game review,wasteland
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