Written by: PlayDevil.com Staff

 

 

 

All I knew going in to my hands-on demo with Id Software’s Rage was that it was the new game from the creators of Doom and Quake, two franchises that literally defined the FPS genre. But a lot has changed since then and Rage will have a lot to prove if it wants to topple the likes of CoD and Halo.

 

Time can be a real enemy at press events, and Gamescom was no exception as I moved into the Bethesda area. A large room lined with monitors greeted me, to my left the PC version, the right was 360 and in front of me PS3. The problem was all the PC stations had already been filled by more punctual individuals, and it was easy to see why. Id’s Rage engine looked stunning on the computers, with its console brethren looking dated by comparison. There was nothing I could do about my late arrival however, so looking enviously at those wielding mouse I sat down with the PS3.

 

Sci-fi pulp fiction would be the best way to describe the opening of Rage’s story. While it may not be filled with the most original ideas, it does (initially at least) treat the player with some respect introducing the story with a good deal of subtlety. Awaking from cryo-stasis the first job was to orientate myself. Stepping out of my pod and looking around I saw more of the glass tubes lining the wall of a circular room of a spacecraft (called an Arc) that I found myself in. It was not too heavy handed in this, an allowed me to put together events through hints in the world. Cracked and broken, aged corpses protruded at awkward angles from pods, it was clear that something had gone wrong a long time ago and that I was the only lucky survivor.

 

Despite the devastation around me it the room still looked technologically advanced. Clean lines and smooth white surfaces spoke of an idyllic future ruled by Apple. Exiting the small craft just moments later however it was clear that much had changed since the Arc’s construction. Everything outside bore no similarity to utopian future hinted at previously, instead this was a bunt shell of a world. Dirty, rusted and dusty the world outside was derelict, broken scaffolding and scorched earth surrounded me, and a yellow inhospitable sun beat down.

 

I was in a canyon and it looked good, but not as spectacular as I had been hearing in the press. Distant areas were obviously blurred displaying a low texture resolution, a problem that carried through to close up textures as the loaded into the world. Glancing over at the PCs I saw what I was meant to be seeing, everything crisp and detailed even at a distance. Cursing the timing of my arrival once again I continued on, knowing I was playing Rage’s illegitimate console love child.

 

Unarmed I was quickly attacked by bandits, helpless there was nothing I could have done to avoid this and it was down to a passing hermit to rescue me. Apparently as a member of the Arc I was ‘special’ and a valuable commodity on this future Earth. But my while my saviour had helped me it was not to be without cost. Loading me in to his buggy he drove me to his camp, a ramshackle village seemingly based around a ravaged old petrol station. On route he explained the new world, it societal structure, and laid out the favours he was to ask of me in return for his kindness.

 

It quickly became clear that Rage was to be a game of small missions given from a few small hub areas, similar to Borderlands. My first mission was at least not to simply go and kill rat though, but instead to destroy the local bandit camp to quell any possible retaliation. Taking the gun and quad bike offered by my saviour I headed off towards the camp.

 

Entering through a heavy metal door (and waiting patiently through a long load) I was met by a dingy underground world. Muck and dirt lined the roof and walls, but despite its rock like qualities it was clearly not natural, instead with its regular corners and shapes it was building reclaimed by nature. I snuck through the corridors, encountering all manner of long abandoned paraphernalia along the way. Old furniture sat in contradiction to campfires, but all spoke of the world that had once been and the contrast to what there now was.

 

Enemies began to attack. Feral berserkers would run at me, each taking number of hits to take down as they limberly leapt and span their way through the landscape. These were accompanied by armed more tactical members who took cover and planned their attacks. All of these aggressors animated realistically and reacted to damage with unnerving accuracy. Clipping a berserker’s shoulder as he flew through the air would see him spiral to the ground, where he would land painfully, while others would stumble and recoil with every hit.

 

As the story played out (and the sadistic nature of my enemies was revealed) I learned of some of the abilities I had been given as a member of the Arc. My suit not only regenerated my health but also allowed me to escape death (by means of an interesting minigame) with a built in defibrillator. It was an unexpected mechanic that proved an interesting way to extend play, limit restarts and (I am sure) will play into a number of story elements.

 

As I continued became clear that Rage was to feature a great number of fetch quests. Returning to the base camp of my rescuer I was rewarded for my troubles before being set another set of quests, which quickly branched in to another and another selection of quests. It is not an unreasonable structure and resource gathering does make sense in such a devastated world, but if it isn’t done carefully it could prove a monotonous grind. Some of these flaws could be forgiven because it truly looks beautiful (even on console), and the sense of place it creates through artefacts and level architecture tell a history of the world that makes it fascinating to explore.

 

But there in lies the problem, because Rage is a game whose appeal really does lies in its world and visuals, because while the gunplay was satisfying what was on display of the mission structure I saw did little to excite. For me, as it stands, I am not sure I will be convinced to buy Rage without upgrading my PC because it is game designed to be enjoyed at the height of its technical abilities and no matter how much Id optimise it, consoles just can’t compare.