Avalanche, iD Software, and Bethesda have done something I never thought would happen: they’ve finished Rage.
2011’s id Tech 5-powered Rage, an open-ish world shooter that had lofty ambitions to change the way game visuals were made forever, was also hamstrung by being kicked out the door without an ending.
It set up a villainous pseudo-governmental agency known as the Authority, lead by General Cross. Rather than taking down this mercenary group, the player instead…runs down a hallway in an Authority base, shoots some things, and then watches the camera fly away into the air.
Then the credits happen.
When it came time for the inevitable post-launch expansion DLC, iD decided to finish up a cancelled side mission that slotted in right near the beginning of the game, rather than elaborate on the sudden ending.
Rage 2’s story is aware of this and more than makes amends. It re-establishes the state of the world and its antagonist in its first 60 seconds, sets up a whole new chapter that takes place 25 years later, then overwhelms you with explosive, exhilarating action for the next 10–15 hours. It’s a breathless and seamless open world game that’s paced like a fighter jet.
