Airsoft Action 04 - Xmas 2011 | Page 91

the last, Rage is likely to leave modern gamers wanting. But, perseverance cap firmly on head, I headed off on my first mission: to clear out some mutants as a favour to the chap who rescued me. With borrowed gun and quad bike I drove over to the mutant hideout and some good old-fashioned shooty fun ensued. The level is linear but plays well; mutants jumping from random places keep me on my toes. They move naturally yet unpredictably, so head shots on moving targets aren’t the easiest thing to pull off. Weapons look great and are satisfying to use, ranging from a simple pistol to a pulse cannon. You can also get different ammo types for each weapon – for example the shotgun uses buckshot, but load it with ‘pop rockets’ and it becomes a grenade launcher. After dispatching the mutants I head back to town, receive my thanks and get sent to someone else who promptly tells me the mutants have something he needs and I must go and fetch it. Wait, what? Really? I have to go back to the same linear level, fight the same enemies and fetch something? It’s not even like I could have done the quests at the same time as they lead into one another. Sure, a couple of new doors opened so the level played out ever so slightly differently, but it’s an overwhelming realisation that this is still the same level – and that brings me to Rage’s second fatal flaw. Don’t get me wrong, some of the locations are stunning. The first time you see them, at least. But when you’re playing the same damn level for the third time it’s tedious, and smacks of lazy design. Plenty of good games require you to return to places, but usually it’s much later on. And this isn’t the only time this happens; some of the levels change around a bit but it’s not enough to mask this poor development choice. Between locations you get to drive around, fight vehicular-based bandits and admire the scenery, which is striking. The designers have really gone to town on the inhabited locations (hehe, see what I did there?) – with a mix of run-down shanty style and futuristic technology the locales looks fantastic, as do the people that live in them. Unfortunately they still suffer from a ‘ghost town’ feel – people do the odd thing, but don’t move from the locations they have been placed in. I’ve played deader-feeling games but couldn’t shake the impression this game could’ve been an awful lot better. Soon the Authority begin to appear; with strong armour and heavy weaponry they are fun to fight, but unlike in other games you fight with the resistance simply because you are told the Authority is evil. Not even when I found out what they’re up to did I feel they were the villains. The only times they wanted to kill me was when I was attacking them, and I can’t really blame them for that! GAME REVIEW So I’m working for the resistance, yet not entirely sure why, when I’m told to go to The Authority’s home base. After being given a new weapon from a man who looks like a 1920’s circus strongman I head off to what turns out to be the final fight. This was easier than half the rest of the game, finishing with a small arena match where I pushed a couple of buttons and won. The end came with absolutely no sense of accomplishment, although the credits did have a pretty cool rock/country song in the background. Good save. Overall I feel Rage is mediocre. It has its moments, and looks amazing, but the world lacks life. Any time a character talks you don’t listen – you just wait for them to shut up and get on with the shooting. The vehicle combat is good fun if nothing new – it just breaks up the scenery between mission locations. Conclusion: Rage is worth a bash, but do yourself a favour and wait until it’s in the bargain bin. ■ “Rage is the newest FPS from id Software, ‘the father of FPS’ and the company behind Wolfenstein 3D, long considered the game that popularised the FPS genre of PC gaming” RAGE Developed by: id Software Published by: Bethesda Softworks Out now on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 Price: From around £30 (depending on platform) www.airsoftactionmagazine.com 091