Meaty with a crisp feel: Rage (PC)

Light defines the experience of Rage. Well earned and unflattering comparisons to Fallout 3 and Borderlands aside, light and how we perceive it drives every frame of Rage. The air appears so clear and crisp that one can taste it, like morning in the mountains.

I woke to the desiccated corpses of my compatriots, rendered in gruesome detail under the sterile bright artificial lighting that bounced and reflected off all that metal. I stumbled outside, away from the sparks and smoke of shorting circuits.

Stumbling and squinting I fell into the world, and drew in that clear fresh air. The skies were bluest of blues, the sun hammering the landscape with rays so sharp they almost cut their will into the rock. It was as if the world had never seen clouds or pollution.

KNEEL BEFORE ZOD

Of course, this was all after a day of downloading the 23 GB package that contained this 20 hour game. And the 2 hours of installing, discovering it flat out won’t start on AMD video cards and researching the various tweaks necessary to start the game. Then enjoying 6 FPS until researched further that I had to improve on the install package and explicitly tell the software, made by PC gaming pioneer ID, to cache the textures in a folder and use the entire available RAM. And disable various features while enabling others to ensure a smooth framerate.

Then and only then, did I play.

Then and forever after then, did the textures pop with noticeable but not alarming regularity.

Textures up close

The same ladder textures

 IT'S BROKE WHY FIX IT

RAGE is the most dichotomous game I have ever experienced. It is replete with moments of stunning beauty to be immediately followed by Quake II era visuals.



Light and it's use is a fundamental part of the Rage experience as in tight ID style corridors it is rendered with startling realism. Outdoor environments are beautiful as well, until the camera moves, and the textures smear and pop.

Light is flares,blooms and reflects realistically

The above shot through a dirty pane of glass

CHEWY WITH A PLEASANT FINISH

The unsung hero of Rage is the weapons. Meaty, with weight and power, they look and sound perfect. Shooting is deeply satisfying in a way most shooters fail to achieve. Weapons never feel overpowered, and the progression in pickups is paced well. Unfortunately, Rage also suffers from a half-baked story about and overarching Authority that tries to control the surviving populace through intimidation and abuse. As an Arc survivor, you represent the last best hope to unite against oppression and rise up in rebellion.

Trite and cliche, the game is also completely missing a third act, the only glimpse of which is a cutscene 15-20 hours in. Game time could be expanded enormously if the unnecessary Mario-kart-esque racing sequences are played, but the controls are sloppy and competition is plagued by rubber-banding.

When you can get it working, Rage is a visual feast and a thrilling shooter mechanically, but in comparison to true open world games like Fallout 3 and Borderlands, is a thin meal.