If Bruce Willis hadn’t blown up that asteroid, we might have all been living in the world of Rage, though perhaps “living” is too strong a word.
Rage doesn’t look as unique as it once did when development began in an age before Fallout 3 and Borderlands – the two games it is most often compared to. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t still look good, though: I saw the game at PAX and thoroughly enjoyed it.
The long-in-the-making game, which is id Software’s first new IP in a decade, is scheduled to finally hit shelves this September. Bethesda and id have released a new trailer to celebrate finally having a release date, and it does a pretty good job at hyping viewers up.
In all fairness, it’s nothing we haven’t seen before (other than the release date). Earth gets hit by an asteroid, civilization is wiped out other than arks that are buried underground, but humanity manages to rebuild hundreds of years later in the post-apocalyptic wasteland. Your character wakes up from one of the arks in an unfamiliar world and must get by by shooting a lot of people. In the face.
There’s a nice mix of gameplay footage here that covers both vehicular combat and on-foot gunplay. While the shots go by pretty quickly, I can’t help but marvel at the outdoor environments – the idTech 5 engine is looking seriously nice, and it’s a shame that id has no plans to license it out. Perhaps publisher Bethesda could put it to good use with the next Fallout or whatever Elder Scrolls they make beyond Skyrim?
Rage is out September 13th. Don’t miss it!
