Rage 2 Review

Introduction

Developed by Avalanche Studios and id Software, Rage 2 is an eagerly awaited sequel of a video game that captured the imagination of gamers eight years ago. It is definitely one of the most anticipated games of the year so the level of expectations is quite on the higher side. Let’s have a look at how it has performed so far.

 

Gameplay

Bearing the signature gameplay of any id Software game, Rage 2 offers a splendid blend of nimble battles and entertaining gameplay. The players get to choose from a wide array of weapons. These include Wingsticks which is a three pronged boomerang for stealth attacks and was a prominent feature of Rage 1. The player will soon get his hands on an assault rifle and finally a shotgun. You can find sophisticated weapons hidden inside vaults and unlocking and collecting all such items adds to the whole fun.

Nanotrite Powers

Ability to double jump via the Grav-Jump and dashing via the Rush features comprise nanotrite powers. There are also offensive powers such as Shatter which is essentially the Jedi force push and Slam which makes the character slam his fist down to ground and deal with the damage. You get to unlock 11 Nanotrite powers throughout the course of the game and they are all hidden in vaults. These powers have been integrated seamlessly in combats.

Overdrive

The overdrive mode is activated once a certain number of kills has been achieved. This is essentially a mode that lets you get rid of your opponents swiftly. It gives you instant health, bolsters weapon damage to 9000, health regen, makes everything go splat and drop more feltrite. Ranger weapons are affected differently by the overdrive mode which turns out to be an exciting feature. It amps up the speed of the battle and the time tends to spur you on as well.

Combats on vehicles

The combats on vehicles are highly detailed. However, they are not as gratifying as the conventional combats. The controls are not as responsive or sensitive. It is quite easy to destroy an opponent’s base with a vehicle mounted weapon. Nevertheless, there is always a risk of the vehicles getting damaged real quick if you get surrounded by too many opponents.Vehicle mounted weapons are equipped with an auto-target feature which can get a bit frustrating as one moment it is zooming around and locking onto opponents and the very next moment it simply does not budge when you are trying to shoot at a particular target.

Upgrades and Projects

You can bolster your weapons, power, vehicles and combat using feltrite, project points, weapon and vehicle cores. Once tasks are completed on the map, project cores are achieved. Having said that, there are certain project trees that are not unlocked until you reach a certain point in the storyline and meet a relevant character. There is no sequence to how they get unlocked and it only depends on the storyline and your subsequent progression. You can also get your weapons upgraded and unlock features such as larger clip size, quicker reload, bullets that can rip through the armor and plenty more. It can be a bit taxing to keep track of multiple resources and to collect them.

Storyline

The story of Rage 2 is set up 30 years after the events of its predecessor. The player assumes the character of Walker, the last ranger. The world was devastated by an asteroid smashing into the planet in 2029 and bulk of the humanity was cleaned up. The remainder of the humans rose up and got divided into tribes. One of those factions, the Authority and its leader, General Cross, emerge as the bad guys. Cross was presumed dead or missing but he unexpectedly makes a comeback and exterminates most of the first rangers. So, you, the second generation ranger, are the only hope left behind.

You are responsible for restarting an old project named as Project Dagger with an aim to defeat General Cross.The story is not as interesting as one would expect it to be and is relatively short. There is no character of note but there are quite a few of them who also feature in the prequel to the game. The humor is quite lame and the side-quests are flimsy. We felt no inclination whatsoever to pursue them.

Barren wasteland

The wide and open barren wasteland provides you access to a few tasks that occur again and again. You get to loot a few items but they seem of no vital significance. Ammunition appears to be the single most important item to collect which tends to run out every now and then. If you run out of ammunition, you will have to stop combat which is the only entertaining aspect of this game.

Graphics and audio

The game has been developed using Avalanche Studio’s Apex Engine and not id Tech. You also tend to get an air of grave Borderland from the game. The cel-shading is absent and the general color scheme is lackluster. The graphics seem to be a bit outdated but they are still likeable. The bright neon hair of the thugs and the banners in the city do add plenty of vigor into the game environment.The soundtrack of the game is quite fascinating and goes along well with the gameplay. It does begin to play out of nowhere. The voice acting is decent but we encountered a glitch wherein the dialog audio suddenly disappeared while someone was talking.

Final Verdict

Developer: Avalanche Studios, id Software
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4
Played on: Windows

Price: Rs. 3,999

The quality of the combat is the lone factor that rescues Rage 2. The remaining aspects need some improvement. It is quite evident what the developers wanted to achieve with regard to the story, combat, vehicles, enemies etc. However, it is the combat only that stands out and we would definitely want to have some of it again and again.

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