August 7, 2008 - Although id Software is the name behind crucial series like Quake and Doom, it has been a while since we’ve seen something totally new from the developer. Luckily, they have a whole new IP in development, and we were able to get a first look at it at E3 and QuakeCon in 2008.

Rage has actually been on gamers’ minds for quite a while. It was first announced at QuakeCon 07, but there was almost no information on it save for a teaser trailer, and many (including myself) started to wonder whether this title actually existed or not. However, it is id Software’s policy not to reveal anything until it is absolutely perfect, and now we have some concrete details available. The story in Rage deals with the aftermath of a cataclysmic asteroid impact. Several powerful people knew about the impending disaster and were ushered into an underground bunker to shield them from the effects. However, when they emerged from their shelter, they found a world in ruins with several unexpected survivors.

Many of the people on the surface actually survived the blast and were now living in shantytowns across the globe. But not all news is good news. Many people were adversely affected by the radiation from the asteroid’s impact, and they ended up with serious mutations. These mutants wander the deserts in between the human colonies looking for victims to quench their unnatural and bloodthirsty Rage.

The gameplay looks to be a mix of First-Person Shooter action and driving. It sounds like an interesting mix, and the developers have said that they are looking for a game that resembles movies like The Road Warrior and Mad Max. While much of your driving time will probably be spent driving away from enemies or getting to the next shantytown, there is a competitive racing aspect of the game that will allow you to race against other characters to win money that can be used for upgrades.

The shooting part of the gameplay looks to be pretty straightforward, while the driving component looks like it will go for a crazy, rally approach that will play like a mix of Burnout and Motorstorm. The combination of these two elements looks like it will create a very unique gameplay experience that will challenge fans of racers and shooters alike!

From what we’ve seen so far, the graphics in this title look extremely detailed and slick. Mutants have many distinguishing features, and the environments look amazing. Of course, the color palette looks like it is made up of heavy browns and tans, so there’s not much in the way of color, but it really creates an atmospheric element to the whole look of the game.

Of course, there has been some controversy recently about the graphical discrepancies that may occur between the final version of the game on the PlayStation 3 versus the Xbox 360. Developer John Carmack said during QuakeCon this year that since Microsoft charges a hefty royalty fee for games with more than two discs, the game would have to be compressed substantially in order to fit on two discs. This would result in worse graphics on the Xbox 360 because the PlayStation 3’s Blu-ray disks can house all the game data on a single disc with no compression required. Microsoft has yet to comment on the situation, and many hope there will be some type of concession made so that both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 owners can share the same graphical experience.

Rage looks like it will be a fairly interesting title that combines the post-apocalyptic theme of so many modern games and mixes it with some new gameplay elements. The result will hopefully be an awesome title that can live up to the hype of being from the people who brought you Quake and Doom. As of now, there is no release date or target window for Rage, as the developers have said it will be released “when it’s done.” So, here’s hoping the id team is hard at work bringing this one to stores some time in the near future!

By Amanda L. Kondolojy
CCC Freelance Writer