Rage

Description

Rage is set in a post‑apocalyptic near future, the story begins after the asteroid 99942 Apophis collides with Earth. You play as Nicholas Raine, a soldier placed in underground cryogenic stasis as part of the Ark project. Emerging more than a century later, Raine finds himself in a wasteland ruled by bandits, mutants, and an authoritarian faction known as The Authority.

On PC, Rage was notable for being the first title to showcase id Tech 5, John Carmack’s final engine project at id. Its “megatexture” technology allowed vast, detailed environments without visible texture tiling, though the launch version was criticised for texture pop‑in and driver issues.

Gameplay blends classic id Software shooting mechanics with exploration and driving. Players wield a variety of firearms, a crossbow with specialised ammo, and the iconic wingstick, a bladed boomerang used for stealth or quick kills. Vehicles are central to progression: you can race, upgrade, and arm them for combat in the wasteland. Missions are structured around hub towns, side quests, and instanced combat zones, giving the game a hybrid feel between corridor shooter and open‑world action. A sequel, Rage 2, was released in 2019, expanding the formula into a more traditional open‑world shooter.