[Yes, we know RAGE 2 is rated “M” — and for good reason. Please, game responsibility.]
The moment I heard that Bethesda had brought together Avalanche Studios and id Software to create RAGE 2 — I was excited.
Avalanche Studios is known for the action-packed Just Cause series along with one of my favorites — Mad Max. While Mad Max lacked critical acclaim on release, it is often found among the “underrated” “must play” title of its generation.
As for id Software, what else can you say? They not only founded the First Person Shooter genre with Wolfenstein and DOOM, but their latest reboot of DOOM in 2016, “is one of the best FPS games I have ever played — maybe even the best I’ve played.”
I am a huge fan of the post-apocalyptic genre. Mad Max: Fury Road is one of my favorite films, and if I look at some of my favorites games, the trend continues.
So what did I think of RAGE 2, a game that it’s developers coined a “post post-apocalyptic” FPS just released on May 14th of this year?
RAGE 2
[RAGE 2 – Official Launch Trailer]
“Dive headfirst into a dystopian world devoid of society, law, and order. RAGE 2 brings together a true open world FPS experience where you can go anywhere, shoot anything, and explode everything.”
I love it.
If you’ve experienced Mad Max and DOOM (2016), imagine combining these games together.
That’s a little bit of an oversimplification of what RAGE 2, of course, but that’s clearly what Bethesda was thinking when they brought these two developers together.
While the driving mechanics in this open world is a more simplified version of Mad Max’s offering, the first-person combat certainly builds and expands the revolutionary combat introduced in DOOM (2016).
What Is RAGE 2?
[What is RAGE 2? Official Trailer]
The story found within RAGE 2 requires more digging than most. There’s a lot of good world building and the story is more robust than it’s predecessor, but you’re not going to find anything within the main plotline that’s very memorable.
- You = good guy.
- Bad guy = bad guy.
- Kill’em.
But this doesn’t matter. While the world building in RAGE 2 is excellent, this game isn’t about the story. The primary focus is to have fun — and it has it in spades.
(Imagine that, a game that’s all about fun?)
Every since RAGE 2 was announced last year, I’ve been following it. The marketing has been certainly entertaining, but there was one thing I noticed: They were showing a lot of gameplay.
I didn’t think much of it at first, but after seeing various Twitch streamers and YouTubers review the game — I know why many reviews have not been favorable and why they were showing so much gameplay before release.
You’re Doing It Wrong
Like DOOM (2016), RAGE 2 is not your typical FPS.
At its core, it’s an arcade game.
RAGE 2 is about moving forward, being aggressive, and creatively chaining together your superpowers and superguns through a playground of enemies.
In most modern-day shooters, it’s all about your approach, moving into cover, etc. This is where RAGE 2 is an evolution of DOOM’s fast moving and aggressive gameplay. It has id Software’s fingerprints all over it.
As I’ve watched some of those who have reviewed RAGE 2 and given it low scores play the game, they simply ignore its unique gameplay and go about it as it were any other shooter. To be honest, if that’s how I played RAGE 2, I would also rate it low.
I can’t help but wonder if this is why they showed so much gameplay before the game was released. Because of RAGE 2’s unique combat style, it’s as if they needed to “teach” us how to play the game. For us to see and understand its play potential.
If I am completely honest, if it were not for some of the pre-release footage I had seen, I would have misunderstood the combat as well.
That being said, there are reviews of RAGE 2 that were done by those that understood how to play the game. These offer valid criticisms along with highlighting what RAGE gets so right:
[Rage 2 Review “Buy, Wait for Sale, Rent, Never Touch?”]
Conclusion
Fun.
That’s what RAGE 2 is all about.
Some have criticized the length of the game, but it’s all about the choices you make in the game. Do you want to skip acquiring all of those cool weapons and abilities? Go ahead — but you’re going to really miss out on both what the game has to offer. I’ve seen playthrough times ranging from 5 to 50 hours and this is exactly why.
But I welcome this.
Not everyone has time to pour 100 hours into an open world game. The idea of a game that can be played as long as you like and then finished when you’ve had enough is something I would like to see more of in the future.
RAGE 2 presents you with an ice cream bar of fun and lets you add as many toppings as you want.
This was certainly not a full review. If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments below and I’ll be sure to answer.
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