Rage PC Mini-Review

I decided to purchase Rage for a couple reasons. One is I am a big fan of both id Software and Bethesda Softworks, you have to admit, both companies have brought us some of the most popular and influential games in the industries history. Games like Wolfenstein, Doom, Quake, Hexen, Heretic, The insanely popular Elder Scrolls Series, and the Fallout series of games. All games that I loved and that set many of the standards that made the gaming industry what it is today. They are also working on Fallout 4 and Doom 4. So it's hard to call yourself a gamer and not like these compaines with a list of games and achievements like that.

The second reason is I also love "apocalyptic" or post-apolcalyptic themed games. Fallout being one of my all time favorites. Even though does not share the same exact theme, but they do "feel" like it, I also greatly enjoyed Borderlands and the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. So it would stand to reason I should enjoy Rage.

Well, let me start off by saying that I did enjoy the game a great deal. So much so that I played through it just one day. That is where my biggest fault with the game sits, and it is one of the most disappointing aspects of the game, the point that really let me down. It was simply too short and easy to complete even on it's hardest setting. I was able to play through the campaign, completing every quest, finding all the secrets, on its hardest mode, in just under 9 hours.

To me, that's just incredibly short for a game like this, the RPG FPS. Sure, 9 hours is OK for a "normal" FPS, but not a game like this, with this much build up, story, and so much room to expand. As the story developed, it sucks you in, and then all of a sudden it just starts to feel rushed, like its pushing you to complete the final mission.

I just expected a lot more game time, did not expect it to end where it did, and I excepted it to be harder than it was. Or perhaps I am just getting too good at these sort of games. Not sure where to place the blame there. Perhaps I just had too many high expectations for the game.

Even though this was a huge disappointment for me, I can honestly say that I truly enjoyed playing the game a great deal. It was a lot of fun those 9 hours. The game itself does do credit to the names on the box, save for the fact it just felt so short and in the end, rushed.

The game does have a saving grace, one that might be able to redeem it, that there might be DLC in the works. Perhaps to continue the story since it just left open at the end after such a dramatic build up. It just seems like a horrible place to end the game, you expect it to continue. The multiplayer options are also very nice as well and can easily add more game time to the clock.

The game itself ran great, the only problem I had was a common and well known driver issue that would cause the game to flicker and "artifact" on my dual 6970 powered system. However this issue was easily corrected by simply updating to the 12.1 beta drivers from AMD. Other than that, I had no problems at all with the game, no stability issues or graphic anomalies that other people reported. For being a port, it played well on my system.

So would I recommend Rage? Yes, but I would wait for it to go on sale. At the time of this article, the game was $30 at most retail stores and Steam, though I got mine on sale for $15. It really is a great deal of fun to play. If you enjoyed games like Fallout 3, New Vegas, or Borderlands, you should enjoy Rage. Just don't expect it last nearly as long as any of those titles.

Rage has lot of potential, a good storyline, and it really is a lot of fun to play. It would easily get a 9 or 10 out of 10 for me if it was not for the fact it just seemed too short and as you neared the end of the game it started to feel like you were being rushed to complete it. So I have settled on giving it a 7 out of 10 for now. We will see where that goes if and when we get some DLC to continue the story.

Rated: 7/10