Rage 2: 10 Features That Prove It's Better Than DOOM
What happens if you combine DOOM with Borderlands? Rage 2.
The release of Bethesda's absolutely bonkers Rage 2 is finally upon us and impressions on it are clear: it's a blast to play.The project was developed by id Software (DOOM, Rage) and Avalanche Games (Just Cause series, Mad Max) and it shows. These studios have developed a reputation for tightly-responsive combat and dedication to player freedom and choice.
Rage 2 continues that trend. It's a game that relishes giving players every opportunity to take out enemies with increasing levels of creativity. Your weapon wheel has a DOOM level of variety, filled with imaginative, sci-fi guns go along with the time-tested double-barrel shotgun.
In a lot of ways, it's very much like 2016's DOOM: An emphasis on gun-fu combat, constant action, and a story that's more a framework to let you indulge in your chaotic side. id Software utilizes all of the great things they did with that title here, but thrives even more thanks to Avalanche's involvement. It even incorporates a cartoony post-apocalyptic open world and Sunset Overdrive's color palette to provide a gorgeous playground for you to blow up.
DOOM was undoubtedly a crowning achievement for id Software, but Rage 2 looks to be an overall more stacked title. In fact, Rage 2 may very well have surpassed id's previous work, thanks to some core new features.
10. Story That Resembles A Bloody, (Im)mature Saturday Morning Cartoon
Campaign modes in Avalanche/id Software titles always hold a varied sense of importance, as they aren't exactly the focus of their respective titles. Avalanche's Just Cause games relied heavily on open-structured stories that progressed through completing activities, whereas DOOM took on a simple A-B route with its mission structure, never complicating things further.
Rage 2, interestingly, adopts the Just Cause progression system where you're mostly just killing goons and clearing areas, albeit in whatever way you see fit.
Plot-wise, it likely won't stick with you too heavily, but the whole thing plays out like a Saturday morning cartoon where there's never any time for the action to die down outside of the cutscenes. However, thanks to the absurd cast of characters and consistently speedy pace, Rage 2 is never lacking for personality and energy.
It won't win any storytelling awards, but it's certainly entertaining and avoids being intrusive to the game's sense of freedom.