There might be a party…
Sometimes I just need a big dumb game that I can shut my brain off and commit ridiculous acts of violence. Rage 2 is exactly that game. The first Rage ushered in new engine technology for id Software. It introduced mega-textures and ended up being a solid shooter with a bad back half. Rage 2 opts for a different path and acts as the edgy cousin to the original game, trading a grim post-apocalyptic wasteland for a loud neon one. The end result is a game that is big, loud, and exactly what I needed.
Rage 2 kicks off years after the events of the first game. Players are given the choice to play as a male or female Walker. Things heat up quick as their home is being invaded by the Authority and General Cross has returned…with some enhancements. He destroys the base and kills all of the Rangers as Walker takes over one of the remaining suits and becomes the last Ranger. The plot is goofy and the characters try too hard to be edgy clichés, but it never feels intrusive. Rage 2 is about ridiculous combat, and the story just serves as a set piece to kick copious amounts of butt.
MSRP: $59.99
Platforms: XB1 (reviewed), PS4, PC
Price I’d Pay: $59.99
Being developed by Avalance in conjunction with id Software influences can be felt from both sides. The world feels like Mad Max in a sense that it is an open world and traversal is mostly handled through a vehicle. This isn’t the type of open world game where a straight line is the best method of travel since there are massive mountains and craters standing in the way. Fast travel opens up, but is only available to trader locations. Thankfully, it never took long to get where I needed to go and there was always plenty to do along the way.
The world is full of things to see and do, but they are a lot of the same things. There are only a handful of each type of encounter. Bandit camps required me to clear them out while mutant caves usually had me hunting down larger beasts or destroying nests. There are sentry towers that are just not fun to take down and horde/protection missions. A lot of genre staples are here. While they are not necessarily all that original or abundant, it is the silky smooth gun mechanics and powers that keep them from getting stale.
Rage 2 is built to be an id shooter. Guns feel absolutely incredible in this game. The response time and feel of each one is stellar. There are a specific set of guns, each with their own unique feel and traits. For example the shotgun is a close range beast that knocks enemies back and into pieces. The secondary fire though serves as a more long range weapon with a heck of a kickback. It can send enemies flying across the level. Each weapon also has its own upgrade path and skill tree that allows players to upgrade various abilities along the way.
This is a recurring theme in Rage 2, there are a lot of upgrades and skill trees. In addition to the guns every single ability also has its own skill tree. Then the vehicles can also be upgraded with a separate set of points. Then there are three main faction leaders, each with their own unique set of perks focusing on different areas. There is plenty to unlock and upgrade, and each one gives yet even more ways to create fun in the world.
The Ranger powers are by far my favorites. Gaining a double jump or a ground pound can really change how I approach situations. Every weapon and ability can be discovered at any point in the game. They are all located in what are called Arks. These are usually guarded by enemies and once unlocked the game delivers a quick tutorial on how to use the ability. It is a neat system that allows players to unlock things at their own pace. The game can be completed without ever obtaining any of them, but grabbing them just continues to make me feel more and more overpowered, which is exactly what I want.
The visual style of Rage 2 is something I appreciate. It is weird that they open the game in bland corridors as once I got out into the open world, the engine really shines. Think Mad Max if it was splashed with a palette of pink, purple, and green filters. There are so many biomes to traverse and the world just feels gorgeous. Sadly, it is sparsely populated and feels dead at times, which I guess makes sense, but there are stretches of that game world that are simply barren. It was hours before some random person attacked me with their car on the road, and that just felt off.
Rage 2 is above all else just a big dumb fun time. Sure it has a lot of shortcomings, but the minute-to-minute game play is so well-polished I couldn’t help but have a great time. So much so that I found myself going back and completing areas in full even after credits rolled. It is the kind of game I shut my brain off and just go into a zone and lay waste to all enemies in front of me. The combat feels great, the powers are incredibly fun, and so much of the game just made me feel like a total badass. I can finally forgive the end of the first game, Rage 2 is simply put, a blast.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
