RAGE 2

The combat is top-notch but the open-world setting is pretty pointless for such a linear game. Story missions which should unlock sequentially have to be unlocked by completing repetitive side quests.
RATING: 6.5/10

I was a bit spooked by the mixed reviews, but to be honest I get it since the opening of this game is just absolutely terrible and the worst part of the experience. Once you get past it and into the midgame where you have some abilities and weapons/weapon mods under your belt is when the game really opens up. The easiest way to describe the gameplay loop is to say that it's like Doom but with Far Cry outposts and instead of stealth, you have a bunch of cool abilities on top of some interesting weapons that are either reminiscent of Doom and Resistance or something unique entirely. The gameplay was so addicting that I really couldn't put it down.

honestly just a simply fun game with a crap story but fantastic gun-play

Just a Fun Shooter
Rage 2 is often forgotten and even hated when discussing id Software's more recent games, often compared to the new Wolfenstein and Doom games and even criticized for being a bland, generic, open-world shooter with a terrible story.
Truth is, Rage 2 is not a bad game at all, and I would go as far as to say it is unjustly hated and misunderstood. This isn't the type of shooter where you are supposed to care about the story, and this isn't the type of open-world game where you are supposed to explore or feel immersed. Rage 2 is simply a fun game with a fun gameplay loop, and sometimes that is all you need.
The best aspect of this game is that it understands what it needs to do well and accomplishes it. The weapon sandbox is balanced and fun to use, the superpowers and abilities you unlock throughout the game are all satisfying, the vehicles control surprisingly well, and the game missions are short but ultimately sweet.
Once again, Rage 2 isn't some sort of masterclass shooter like Doom Eternal or Ultrakill, but it doesn't need to be. I beat the game, explored almost the entire map, completed all the outposts and missions, and thoroughly enjoyed my experience from beginning to end.
Ultimately, getting this game depends on if you value gameplay above everything else. If that's the case, id Software's satisfying weapon feel and balance, plus the simple 30 seconds of fun gameplay loop, should be more than enough reason for you to get this. Just make sure you find all the Arks at the start of the game so you can unlock all powerups and weapons as soon as possible.

It's difficult to recommend, but the game provided me with positive emotions due to the new gameplay experience, so my review is positive.
I missed Rage 2 at launch and only tried it now. I was quite surprised to find that the game isn’t terrible, just mediocre. It feels like the offspring of Mad Max and Bulletstorm. A modest, straightforward game that doesn't aim for greatness.
Technical state and performance: the game runs smoothly. There are minor animation glitches (for example, if you equip a pistol and immediately press the button in an elevator, the gun-holding animation breaks, causing the hand to jitter rapidly up and down). However, I didn’t encounter any crashes or game-breaking bugs during my 5-hour playthrough.
The narrative isn’t for everyone. It’s packed with clichés and references to 90s action movies, which might not resonate with all players. NPCs deliver their lines with over-the-top bravado, and the main objective of the game is repeatedly spoiled—it comes off as self-parody, but I wouldn’t consider that a strength. Naming the protagonist Walker and making him a ranger—it’s somewhat original, but also a bit cringe-worthy due to the on-the-nose approach.
Gameplay is solid. The gunplay is particularly satisfying, clearly influenced by the creators of Doom. The controls are a bit clunky, but you can remap the layout to suit your preferences.
The game world is a mixed bag. On the one hand, with contributions from the teams behind Mad Max and Just Cause, the post-apocalyptic setting is visually appealing. However, the game severely lacks content. Points of interest (like outposts, mutant dens, etc.) are architecturally distinct but gameplay-wise identical, which is problematic. We're used to repetitive locations, but usually, there’s an abundance of them; here, each gas station, each raider base is different in design but identical in gameplay, and there aren’t many of them. This leaves the world feeling empty.
What’s missing: a co-op mode. The game, with its in-game currency for purchasing cosmetics and DLC, seems to aim for a live-service model. But there’s no online mode! And the content is critically lacking. So playing solo quickly becomes tiresome (unless you’re the type who loves to explore every inch of open worlds, like I do).
What surprised me was the AI and side activities. The AI is smart, responding to your actions and exploiting opportunities, like attacking during reloads. Enemies attempt to flank you and react to your behavior—this offers a refreshing experience. More than once, I found myself running in circles around a raider base, taunted by the last surviving NPC who played hide-and-seek with me, attacking from a distance. I was also pleasantly surprised by the ability to take down vehicle convoys in a Mad Max-style—that’s a nice touch. NPCs driving around add a bit of life to the world of Rage 2.
So, is the game worth high ratings and a must-play recommendation? Probably not. Games like this need either a wealth of content, multiplayer, or a captivating story. In Rage 2, despite its title, boredom is the predominant feeling most of the time.

RAGE 2 is a good game that verged on great. I really do believe they fumbled the ball and I really hate to see it. The combat is so close to DOOM that you can taste it, and I must say that RAGE 2 has the best combat and gunplay of any open world FPS RPG.
So where did we go wrong? First is the Ubisoft style open world with copy and paste objectives across the map. With Bethesda backing the team as a publisher, I would've loved to see them help out in creating a world more akin to Fallout than Assassin's Creed. Instead, the gameplay loop gets bogged down in monotony as you're simply doing the same thing over and over in a new place.
Second, the story just isn't very interesting and the characters aren't very memorable at all. Do not believe that needs further elaboration.
Third, they really should've gone way further with vehicle customization and upgrades. Especially because of how much time you spend in the car, which is a character in and of itself in a way given that it speaks. There is one car that could be considered as the regular viable driving option. It's the only one that can be repaired in the field, upgraded, and cannot be destroyed entirely. Regardless of this, it only gets a basic upgrade menu. None of which improve speed, handling, or acceleration. I would've loved to see swappable parts found through the game that effected stats of the car so you could make it fit your playstyle, similar to Mad Max. Had they done this with the 3 vehicles that could be considered "Ranger" vehicles, being the main car, the motorcycle, and the gyrocopter thingy, that would've won a ton of points with me!
Will we ever see a third game? Probably not. But even so, I hope it happens. I would love to see them take one last crack at it because I wholeheartedly believe that this franchise has amazing potential. Hell, The Witcher didn't meaningfully find its footing until the third lap around. They have the combat down, the game is so fun under a microscope, but when you start zooming out and taking it as the sum of it's parts, it falls short. Still, you can get this game dirt cheap at times, and I would recommend wishlisting it and giving it a shot when the opportunity presents itself. There really is something here that's just out of reach.

RAGE 1 was a first-person shooter set in a post-apocalyptic world after it was ravaged by an asteroid strike, with the survivors either eking out a living on the surface in the aftermath, or retreated to cryostasis pods that buried into the ground.
With slick shooting and presentation that was, for the time, fairly slick for a semi-open world environment, it was a fun experience but ultimately somewhat shallow given the comparison to the similarly themed Fallout games it unfairly received (since its nothing like Fallout as a game)
Whilst that disappointment was somewhat on the player due to misrepresentation and / or the wrong expectations (its still a relatively linear shooter with none of the depth those Fallout comparisons suggest) it did have its failings.
On the one hand you had the visceral combat and smooth feel of FPSes that Id software are known for, but on the other you had a clunky narrative with undeveloped villains, and a game-world that wasn't especially convincing in size or content when put up against the likes of Fallout or S.TA.L.KE.R.
There were a lot of good points to RAGE, such as the combat being a precursor to the likes of DOOM 2016 with its fast pace and brutal intensity, and a reasonably in-depth system of weapons upgrades and item crafting. Unfortunately there wasn't a whole lot beyond that action backing it up.
Does this sequel, then, right those wrongs?
Ehhhhh......kind of....?? But not really.
The story is throwaway crap, the villain is still undeveloped, and it is still just shallow shooty-shooty-bang-bang if you were expecting an immersive sim or a more involving 100+ hour experience.
What it does do, however, is manage that sense of scale better and actually feels like a large environment with things to discover. Then when you get into the nitty-griity of the gun-play, well, it totally rocks and is probably one of the most satisfyingly punchy (quite literally) shooters that isn't called DOOM.
Your character gets their hands on a super-suit that comes with special abilities, and as you level these up they become devastatingly effective in battle. With moves that can yeet an enemy into another time-zone, or pulverise them into walls, you'll often see enemies being rag-dolled in a manner that evokes memories of Skyrims sometimes crazy physics.
Even your bog-standard melee attack will wallop them senseless before you obliterate them with your rather fabulous shotty-gun, or various other weapons that all tend to leave them as a stain on the floor and walls.
Everything can be upgraded and on a harder difficulty level you'll need to invest resources into these enhancements, as the engine is quite capable of throwing fairly large numbers of tough combatants at you. On the action side of things this is a ten out of ten title.
The game-world is reasonably flexible with fast-travel points, and when you have to manually get around there's always violent skirmishes to be found along the way, as various factions start scrapping with each other. Eventually you get a mini flying machine that speeds up travelling when you eventually reach the point of wanting to be quick and more direct.
On the whole it provides enough game-play mechanics to stay compelling, and it's always super fun as a shooter. It begins with deliberately rough edges and over time sands them off in appreciable ways into a slick loop.
But, despite all of this well-realised potential, it still fumbles (ever-so-slightly) if narrative or player choice are your thang. I played it for forty hours because its incredibly enjoyable when it comes to the combat, whereas the story.....um.....not so much. It's passable stuff, though not especially compelling or note-worthy.