Rage: Beautiful Decay

Rage is fucking gorgeous. I haven't seen many games look this good on console (I played on 360). Though the first half of the game takes place in a literal wasteland, the world is deliciously depicted through the id Tech 5 engine. Towns - even the drab desert city of Wellspring - are teeming with personality, in everything from their denizens to the bills posted on the job board. Once you move on to the city of Subway Town later in the game, prepare for an amicable assault in the most visual sense. Fucking gorgeous. The main drawback here is the frustration inducing texture pop-in that afflicts most every area of the game. Look, I don't know much about the development process, hardware limitations, or 3D modeling. But a game as pretty as Rage shouldn't be affected by such a dumb design drawback as pop-in. It's annoying to be completely entranced by this artificial world only to be taken back to reality when you notice the textures around you take a split second or slightly longer to load in. Sure, it may not sound like much, but it's noticeable, and it sucks. Though pop-in aside, Rage is best looking game I've played all year.

Click to read more ...

Blake is in Rage!

One of the strangest promotional ads I've seen for any video game was the one where rising NBA star Blake Griffin attempts to woo the folks at id Software to put him into Rage. It was a strange coupling that made me scratch my head as I attempted to discern why Blake cares for this title so. It was an entertaining ad though, probably because I love basketball so much. 

Anyway, after getting a chuckle from the promo the first time I saw it, I completely forgot about the Former Rookie of the Year's campaign, until I bumped into him in-game.. In bobblehead form. Hey, it's a start. Keep hope alive, Blake. Rage may warrant a sequel, and if that occurs, maybe you'll be an actual NPC. And hopefully id will mo-cap you on a Knicks game night so you don't set all your career highs against my team. Ahem, sorry.

Look for my Rage review in the next couple of days. Until then, bobble Blake will keep you company.

RAGE Takes You to Dead City, Death Ensues

More RAGE is always a good thing, at least in regards to id Software's upcoming video game. Rage at the workplace or at school could lead to expulsion and anger management classes, so please try to avoid that if you can.

Here's your good RAGE news of the day: preorder pretty much anywhere that matters (Amazon, Steam, Direct-to-Drive, *mutters* Gamestop) and you'll have your order automatically upgraded to the 'Anarchy' Edition, free of charge. Not only does this special set have a kick-ass name, but it comes with a ménage à quatre of useful in-game items; a double barrel shotty, slick Crimson Elite armor, bladed knuckle dusters, and a 'Rat Rod' buggy. That's gear that could fetch $5 on the DLC tip, yours for donuts.

Speaking of gear, RAGE seems to be all about the weapon selection. In the latest trailer, a full 5 minutes of impressive gameplay across a rather lively place called Dead City, we see weapons aplenty. Shotguns, sniper rifles, some sort of useless crossbow, rocket launchers, pistols that fire a whole damn clip at once, and even a shuriken-chakram deal that takes off heads. That's my type of mutant-maiming device.

Aside from playing host to a cavalcade of uniquely designed mutant mashers, RAGE is easy on the eyes. Check out the facial expressions and body movements of the old Russian dude sending you on your quest. That's some top flight animation right there, L.A. Noire be damned.

RAGE is still a few months away, releasing September 13. That's plenty of time to stew in your own desires for this one, especially since there will be a few more trailers like this to amp you up. Don't let a few measly months turn you away, preorder NAO!

RAGE Anarchy Edition Preorder Bonus Gallery

The Latest RAGE Trailer Gets Me Angry!

The latest trailer for id Software's racing-FPS with a splash of RPG elements is still looking good. Seems we've been hearing about RAGE for years now.. What's that? Oh, I guess we have been. Well, the light at the end of the blood-stained tunnel is not just the flaming wreckage of an scrapped battle-buggy, but also the North American release date of September 11. 

Urge to slaughter hostile deformed mutants rising!