'Rage' changes perceptions of 'post-apocalyptic' gameplay

It seems today that you can never talk about the inevitable apocalypse without having a sense of gloom attached to the topic. Ever since the 90s, perception of the end of the world has been more in line with "Terminator" than "Mad Max." I remember the time when hypothesizing about the theoretical end of the world was fun. With that in mind, I would like to thank the developers of "Rage" immensely for reminding me of how cool facing the end of the world can be.

Set in a dystopian future in which an asteroid strikes Earth, wiping out most of civilization as we know it, "Rage" places the player in the shoes of a survivor aboard the Ark, a facility in which several human beings were placed in cryogenic stasis to protect them from their impending doom. The Ark survivor is awakened to the current state of the world, a giant bandit ridden wasteland in which everybody must look out for themselves first.

The ensuing story of "Rage" ultimately amounts to fetch quests and assassinations that take the player all over the wasteland. Although the story is not as good as it could be, the locales that the game takes you to are what seal the deal. Traversing bandit hideouts, riding your dune buggy through the expanse of the desert with raiders firing at you and defending towns and people from mutant attacks are all fun. The very responsive controls, simple interface, and intelligent enemy AI further play a hand in maximizing the fun of the game, making it simple to understand but not too easy.

Graphically, "Rage" is one of the most gorgeous games that I have seen in my life. The first look you get of the wasteland as you walk out of the Ark is simply stunning, only improving from there once you begin exploring. Despite the fact that the vast majority of the game takes place in a desert-like landscape, it's hard not to really get lost in the game thanks to the sheer amount of detail put into every landmark in the game. For the first time, I was actually able to get a feel of where I was in the in-game world by simply looking at the geography of my location. For all the fun of the game play, "Rage" is undoubtedly a technological milestone in terms of graphical capabilities.

The game does have its share of flaws, however. The multiplayer of the game in particular is lacking. The Road Rage modes, while repetitive, do offer a fair bit of fun. But the Legends of the Wasteland mode specifically feels like more of an afterthought. The mode pits players together in point-gathering challenges that feel derivative of better multiplayer games.

Overall, despite its lack of compelling multiplayer or narrative, I have to give "Rage" a high recommendation. It has satisfied the "Mad Max" fantasy that I have had for years and, if nothing else, has delivered one of the most memorable settings that I have seen in a video game in recent history.