Re: Games Discussion Thread
So. Having played RAGE, I can say that I was actually impressed with a game for once. I had some expectations of Rage, but it delivered, and added in a few nice little things to the mix.
First off, the combat. Combat feels quite a bit different than most of the shooters I've played as of late. Most are to hide behind a desk or a piece of random cover put there for that specific purpose, and use the same weapon for pretty much the entire game. Rage differs in that variety is good, and keeps you alive. I found myself, more often than not, using all four of my guns and at least two of my inventory items during a fight. Granted, I was running around dodging bullets more than taking cover, and firing from the hip as should be done in this particular game, but that doesn't change the fact that combat in Rage feels a lot different from most FPS games.
Next subject: AI. Be it out in the wasteland, or during a gunfight, enemy AI know what they're doing. They can read what you've been doing to their buddies, and respond in kind. If you've been using a Shotgun for too long, then they'll retreat and pepper you from a distance. If you're trying to pick them off from long range, they'll jump around and use cover to bum-rush you and get in your face. In a vehicle, they'll adapt their weapons and driving techniques to suit yours. If you drive like a bat out of hell spraying minigun, they'll swerve in and out of cliff faces or other obstructions to block your miniguns. If you fire missiles all day, they make sharp turns and duck into small cubby-holes to dodge your missile's tracking capability. Overall, best AI I've seen yet.
Next up, interactivity. I felt like I was playing Dead Island for a spell until the NPC's actually started talking to me because of my deeds in the wasteland. The quest-givers talk and move around quite a bit, but your character is still just the voiceless protagonist who's doing stuff for other people. Overall, I felt let down by the loss of character development, but at least the NPC's didn't suck.
Overall, Rage is more about gunplay, less about Roleplay, so let's get down to brass tacks. The guns. The amount of guns in the game is about as varied as the enemies. Which is to say not too much. There's approximately 12 weapons to be found, some by completing the story, others by spending hard-earned cash buying it from the store. This is supplemented by the Engineering feature, allowing players to make all kinds of neat gizmos, from walking guns that shoot and stab people to remote controlled toy bomb cars. Though the Wingsticks are a nice touch. This small list of guns is expanded upon slightly by numerous types of ammo, and a few weapon modifications. Hint: Pop rockets are basically grenade launcher rounds. And the detail on the weapons is pretty nice to boot. Considering you get to look the gun over when you first acquire it, thanks to a nifty little animation unique to each gun.
Overall, if you want a break from the norm of FPS games, Rage is definitely for you. Just don't go expecting and character development that you don't make up in your own head.
