In Defense of “RAGE 2” a Year Later

By: Ryan Ramakrishnan

In the lead up to iD and Avalanche’s collaboration in the fork of “Rage 2,” I was very excited for this post-apocalyptic game. I knew 2019 was quickly getting overwhelmed by open world post-apocalyptic shooters but “Rage 2” kept my attention. I was looking forward to the action-packed driving like “Mad Max '' used and the fast, brutal gunplay like that of “Doom.” and once the final product released exactly a year ago today, it was certainly a little divisive. Willingly addressing its flaws, I’d like to, in honor of the one-year anniversary of the game, talk about why I did love “Rage 2” and think it deserved or deserves more attention.
The team that crafted the amazing gunplay seen in the “Doom” franchise working on “Rage 2’s” combat should be a no-brainer as to why I loved it. But let’s first look at the other elements that aren't as amazing as that, but still good enough to cover. I personally recommend “Mad Max.” The 2015 game is very fun and I think it's underrated, more so than “Rage 2.” I digress but the developers. More known for “Just Cause” brought their design of vehicular combat and racing in a post-apocalyptic landscape to this one. Sure, it's no technical marvel. “Rage 2’s” driving is not “Forza Motorsport” but it is fun for sure. I really enjoyed boosting down hills and whipping around the open world. The main vehicle, the Phoenix has some awesome ammo to blast away at other cars, enemy camps and more. And it picks up speed to make for an exhilarating ride. Even when you destroy your car, you can repair it. And the variety of other vehicles makes for a fun incentive to, at the very least, collect them and test drive. I didn’t love all of them but it was easy enough to pay nothing to bring one in and move around the quite large world. I thought that crashing into cars and doing massive damage with your vehicle was a great time and something fresh for open world action games. You’re not going to crash into other vehicles with your favorite car in “Grand Theft Auto” after-all.

“Rage 2” has a forgettable story, one that I can barely recall characters and entails of. And the side characters aren’t anything amazing. What works though is the world itself, albeit in a different manner than ideal. See, a good open world has things to do and see and interesting stories and characters galore. “Rage 2” instead has an open world with a checklist of sorts. I know that is cliche, especially if this were a Ubisoft title, but I find it entertaining. I get great pleasure out of visiting every enemy camp and checking them off. The way I look at it is that the gameplay is so fun that each camp provides for a playground of destruction. Visiting each of the enemy bases, provides different challenges; some have few enemies, others are packed and difficult. And some are puzzles or require you to complete tasks within. It falls into the repetitive nature surely but I find exploring the dreary open world to be enjoyable. It is a type of game I play when I am not awake, interested or attentive enough to invest in story, overly difficult gameplay or online play. Maybe it’s just me, but throwing on my favorite playlist or podcast and driving around and destroying every enemy camp in sight and seeing those checks on the map makes me feel very satisfied and relaxed even.

This game also has an expansive upgrade system. I quite like this because, even today, I haven't’ gotten everything. “Rage 2” has several trees to upgrade. You can get new abilities and expand on each of them, making for plenty of interesting and fun options in combat. You can upgrade your character himself, your driving, cars, weapons, ammo types and more. The game almost feels like an RPG in this sense but I appreciate it being pretty straightforward amid all of the upgrades. Collecting Feltrite and crafting materials, as well as schematics for new upgrades leads you to the ability to get so much. I enjoyed unintentionally stocking up on things to upgrade to find myself unlocking tons of new skills and advancements for my awesome superpowers and favorite guns. It is satisfying to progress like this ends there always seems to be something new and exciting on the horizon.

And now for the actual best part of “Rage 2.” The real reason this game is one of my favorites in the last year and why you should try it is the combat. It stars off simple enough but even at the beginning, you quickly realize how much of a badass you can be. Like I previously talked of, “Doom” had a major impact on the gameplay so shooting feels pretty awesome. It is truthfully not as good as “Doom,” in fact, sometimes I wish it was closer to it. But the game design isn’t so much about constantly running around at all times as you move between camps and locations. But once you’re ready to fight, the abilities and guns make for a hell of a ride. “Rage 2” has awesome powers. One feels like a Force Push in Star Wars; one lets you perform a body slam from very high up. You can dash mid-air multiple times. You can practically fly. And with the aforementioned upgrades and skills, you practically always have those abilities getting better.

It is unfortunate that getting all the guns requires a lot of work and the truth is you can get by with just a free. But even if you go by the assault rifle, shotgun and rocket launcher, those three make for a great time. It is very pleasing to shoot enemies with these weapons and launching rockets is actually awesome. “Rage 2” provides such a fun experience whenever there is an enemy nearby. And when they get tougher and you are challenged further, it is even better since you feel yourself live up to the potential of being a badass. Combat is frantic and at times very intense. I always dash and jumbo around, launch enemies into the air and off cliffs. The action is always flowing and the combination of gunplay and special abilities makes you look and feel truly awesome.

So, there you have it. That is my defense of “Rage 2.” A year later and I feel like the last 365 days saw far too few people give it the attention its gameplay deserves. I admit that this is a flawed game. The U.I. is very slow, the story is forgettable and the entire game overall feels repetitive at times. But on the surface, there is a gameplay system that is a joy to take on. The combat feels amazing and gives you great power to have a crazy time with. And getting around in the world and wrecking enemy vehicles, all to get to another camp to show off is satisfying. And of course, the many upgrades and skills you get make “Rage 2” feel like the gift that keeps on giving. But of course, all this is just my opinion. Did you play “Rage 2?” If so, did you love it, did you hate it? Let me know all your thoughts about “Rage 2” in the comments below.