There’s the nagging feeling that Rage 2 as a tightly-paced 8 hour experience would be talked about in the same reverent tones as 2016’s DOOM or Wolfenstein: The New Order. It may seem unfair to say that building the game into an open-world shooter is the reason for all of its failings, but you can directly trace the roots for many of its problems back to the structure. So how does a game with a stunning aesthetic and razor-sharp shooting come undone? Two words, separated by a hyphen. And also the pistol, which should be the gun you ditch as soon as something better comes along, but mixes a devastating three-round burst every time you pull the trigger with a satisfying single shot mode that I felt every time I put a round into someone. I can’t think of any game this year that has the same flair for combat as Rage 2, and I could write a paragraph here about every single weapon in the game, but will instead settle for the shotgun, which turns enemies into grim gibs up close, but has a longer range slug that knocks people flying when you aim down the sights. The latter were around to oversee the shooting and make sure it’s as tight as it can be, and it shows in every skirmish. The tectonic shift in visual style could be a result of Avalanche Studios taking the lead on the sequel, bringing its open-world chops to id Software’s vision. It doesn’t matter if the graphics aren’t super high fidelity when it all looks so good both to explore and slaughter your way through at high-speed.
RAGE 2 REVIEW EMBARGO PS4
While the quality of the visuals on the PS4 copy that we tested were underwhelming, if accolades could be won by a game’s aesthetic, Rage 2 would be eagerly awaiting awards season. It is the apocalypse after all, but even the mud comes in a variety of colours. The muddy palette of the original is gone, replaced instead with neon splashes of pink and blue, with explosions picked out in vivid hues and coloured smoke exploding outward as gunfire hits.
RAGE 2 REVIEW EMBARGO FULL
Whatever else you want to say about Rage 2 - and I am full of opinions - you can’t say that it’s dull. Or at least it would have if anyone could remember the dull as dishwater open-world shooter. After all, Rage won 2010’s award for most forgettable game. Rage 2 was the sequel no one was expecting. On the other, there’s a sprawling open-world game that has no respect for your time or effort.
On one hand, there’s a lightning fast shooter that’s up there with the best of them. Rage 2 feels like two different games, grafted together and fighting for dominance.
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