Pairing the open world design of Avalanche Studios with the gunplay and precision shooting of id Software, RAGE 2 has been on our radar ever since it made its debut last year. With its vibrant punk aesthetic and over-the-top action, we decided to send Toby Berger into the wasteland. Armed with a can of neon-pink spray paint, a gelled up hairdo, and a VHS tape of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, he finally emerged to bring you this review.

A snippet.

Moment-to-moment action, unlike Ranger Walker’s rote journey, is the saviour here. Fast, visceral, and immensely satisfying through and through. Weapons you collect are not only varied but they each have an often surprising and engaging alternative firing function — like the Smart Rocket Launcher’s lock-on system, for example. When taken as a whole Rage 2’s arsenal offers up a range of ways of taking on enemy encounters. And while you start off with just an assault rifle and a pistol, additional weapons are found in Arks: giant fallout-like shelters designed to withstand the cataclysmic effects of an asteroid’s impact on Earth. Visiting these massive structures to pick up new weaponry gives you more to play around with, and that only adds to the fun. Oh, and Rage 2’s shotgun just might be the best digital double-barreled firearm in a long while.

Click Here to Read Our Full RAGE 2 Review

Launch trailers, release date trailers, gameplay debuts, cinematic vignettes, at this point if you follow the day-to-day news and goings on of the videogame world odds are you've seen your fair share. Which is why when a launch trailer like the one for RAGE 2 comes along it's well worth setting aside some time for.

Sure, it has a central idea or theme in how it plays out, but with id Software and Avalanche Studios long-awaited sequel all about over-the-top combat in a huge vibrant open world - it nails the feel. Alongside being pure dose of fun.

Check it out.



RAGE 2 is out next week, on May 14 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Recently we had a chance to play it for a number of hours - so be sure to check out our latest feature.

In a very weird promotion that extends to the general public, this collaboration between Bethesda and Hunter and Fox Tattoo Studio involves people being able to get a RAGE 2 tattoo from "a curated selection" that "you will not decide which one" you end up getting. #noRAGEgrets. Also next Friday, May 10 at 10am you can tune in to "watch a handful of content creators and Bethesda staff go through the once-in-a-lifetime experience".


Via the inking of a permanent RAGE 2 tattoo. Albeit one designed by internationally renowned tattoo artists Lauren Winzer and Heath Nock. Either way this is definitely, well, something. Borderline silly? Sure. Reckless? Well, that sums up tattoos in general. The fan event will be held the following day on Saturday at the Hunter and Fox Tattoo Studio in Sydney - so if this sounds like something you might be interested in, head to the Facebook Events page for more info.

The live stream will be broadcast over at http://www.twitch.com/bethesda. For more on RAGE 2 check out our recent hands-on feature from a recent lengthy play-through.

Having had some serious time with the game before being struck down with some sort of apocalyptic virus I, Kosta Andreadis, managed to put together a feature highlighting some of the fun you can have in the world of Avalanche's RAGE 2, which includes a lot of blood splatter.

Clean up in aisle two, please.

Including short, digestible video capture, this feature looks at a number of the game's systems that tie it more closely to id shooters of old, while still standing tall in the open-world, sandbox fun stakes. Here's a snippet:

There was a time when discussing a first-person shooter, the only part that people cared to talk about were the weapons. The guns. How did they feel? And was there some sort of heat-seeking plasma rifle that turned enemies into goo? RAGE 2 is the sort of game that fits into this mold. A game where one can quite simply talk about the numerous, myriad various guns (see, overkill -- just like the game). Such as how the assault rifle hits that right mixture of powerful and satisfying in how each bullet strikes its target. But also, not something that you’ll avoid most other weapons for...

Click here for our in-depth video-highlighted RAGE2 expanded hands-on.

With the rise of 4K display sales, the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X consoles have been tapped into by just about every major release over the past year or so. With most titles looking at higher 4K resolutions as their go-to enhancements. In a recent interview with Hardcore Gamer, id Software Studio Director Tim Willits offers a brief glimpse at the upcoming RAGE 2, running on PS4 Pro and Xbox One X.

To make it simple, on the enhanced consoles, it runs at 1080p/60fps. On base hardware, it runs at 30fps. On PC, it’s uncapped. We went for speed over 4K for the enhanced consoles.

Targeting performance over resolution is a welcome choice for a fact-paced action shooter like RAGE 2. During the launch of the Xbox One X Microsoft's own Gears of War 4 offered a similar 1080p/60fps mode for the enhanced console, in addition to a 4K/30fps mode.

Currently both Microsoft and Sony do not offer any specific requirements for developers when it comes to how they use the additional power of each console - which has led to some instances where higher-resolution versions of titles offer little-to-no performance improvements. It's great to see RAGE 2 going this route, as just about the only thing that we could think of from our recent hands-on time with the game that might negatively affect the experience - would be an erratic frame-rate.

RAGE 2 is an enticing proposition, a large post-apocalyptic world to explore full of character, story, and vibrant locales ranging from deserts to swamps and places with pink neon sunsets. What sets it apart, as we learned from a recent hands-on session, is the combat. Which is, well, awesome.

As a joint production between Avalanche Studios and id Software, it's rare to see fast, fluid, and responsive action in an open world game.

Putting the push-forward, ability, and weapon-based combat that we got to experience in the context of an environment where all the above is there, ready to explore and discover – adds immeasurably to the enjoyment. As does the overall neon aesthetic and the fact that the world is detailed and full of, well, if-not life then things to look at and do. Rage 2 is not a sombre time to contemplate the destruction of a world, it presents a theme park of attractions in the form of player-controlled destruction and a surprisingly engaging cast of characters and oddities.

Click Here to Read Our Full Rage 2 Hands-On Impressions

With that date being, bright pink futuristic drum roll please, May 14, 2019. Which is sooner than what we would have guessed, and great news too because the latest trailer looks, brilliant. No only full of action, but this id Software and Avalanche Studios collaboration also looks to be full of variety, fun, and colourful characters.

Check it out!



What's even stranger is that RAGE 2 wont be the first major brightly coloured post-apocalyptic shooter coming in 2019 - with Ubisoft's surprise Far Cry New Dawn reveal, which is due in February next year.

So now the question will be, who will do pink better? Based on the trailers, it's a tough call. This is easily the best RAGE 2 showing yet. RAGE 2 is coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

Rage 2, the collaboration between id Software and Avalanche Studios, is an open-world shooter that blends the fast-paced and intense shooting of an id title with the exploration and freedom of an open-world action-adventure. After going hands-on with the game at QuakeCon it's definitely safe to say that it nails the former. We didn't really get a chance to experience the latter.



In our subsequent discussion with id Software studio director Tim Willits we wondered if the team was planning any sort of multiplayer or co-op component. Based on what we played, and a general love for all things co-op, Rage 2 feels like it could work in a multiplayer setting.

As it turns out though, Rage 2 is strictly a single-player game. At launch anyway.

"It's a single-player game," Tim responds. "We feel that we are offering many hours of game for the money, but we also want to have a longer tail on the game." Which means that the focus is to deliver a robust single-player game at launch. "We'll have some free updates," Tim adds. "And we'll have paid updates. We have some community things too, so you can kind of feel that you're part of a community. And we'll talk about those later. But our focus is single player."

The community aspect definitely sounds interesting, as does the reference to a longer tail. Meaning that Rage 2 is being developed in the style of a game as a service where support and updates continue for an extended period of time after launch. At its most basic level this could be an arcade-like time trial mode with leader boards and so forth. Either way, Rage 2 is definitely one to keep an eye on in 2019 - the combat already feels polished and leagues ahead of many current shooters, and the promise of open-world destruction and vehicle combat give it the aura of Doom meets Mad Max.

It's all in the name, QuakeCon. Shooters of the first-person kind. Ahem. Well, in addition to Quake Champions and DOOM Eternal in the early hours of this morning we also got a fresh look at id Software and Avalanche Studios RAGE 2. In this new deep dive we get a look at the open world environments, story, factions, weapons, and vehicle combat.

Check it out.



It' safe to say that this is looking impressive, with its Mad Max meets Quake vibe. The abilities and weapons and being able to traverse and jump in and around combat areas looks great - and should ward off any doubts that the shooter stuff might suffer without id at the helm. Of which we've been told is sorta the case with Avalanche Studios collaborating closely with the makers of DOOM and Quake on RAGE 2's development.

The car combat section of the video above is presented in a action-heavy way, and it looks like players will take on entire convoys of bikes and other vehicles. Also, the we get a rundown of the various factions which will not only look different but also focus on different battle strategies and rides. The only thing missing, which we'd love to see - would be some form of co-op.

Currently listed with a Spring 2019 release window - that translates to Autumn 2019 for ANZ.

It made our best-of E3 list for a reason. First, because we're huge fans of the original Rage and second because we think that bringing in the open world expertise of Swedish studio Avalanche Studios was a masterful touch. And so as part of our continued coverage we bring you this interview with Avalanche to discuss the bright new world of RAGE 2.

This freedom to explore a new future from both a visual and ecological standpoint also extends to how these new inhabitants behave in combat. Where, as John describes, each new encounter offers “different sorts of tactical challenges”. Adding that factions will “have their own location, and the way they’ve built up their defenses in their homeland will colour how you approach them, how you fight them, and how they fight you. You’ll have to think about [it], and maybe even work the world to prepare yourself for certain types of encounters.” That last bit in particular hints to a persistent world where player action affects both the environment and those choosing to live the post-apocalyptic lifestyle.

Click Here to Read The Post-Punk Wasteland of Rage 2

2015's Mad Max was an open world action title developed by Avalanche Studios, who is currently hard at work developing RAGE 2 with id Software. With both titles sharing somewhat similar premises - in that each is based on a post-apocalyptic vision of the world. At a recent hands-on event in Sweden we posed the question to id Software's Tim Willits to find out if there was any cross-over or overlap in design.

"We're trying to be really careful," Tim explained. "Because when you're working with a developer that made a Mad Max game and you have a post-apocalyptic game you need to be very careful." Of course with the setting and the existence of the original Rage it was hard not to see the similarity or wonder if things like systems and vehicle design would carry over. "I came here years ago after they finished Mad Max," Tim adds. "Some of the cars looked just like the cars out of Rage. One of the guys walked up behind me and said, 'Yeah, we were going to take that down before you got here.'"

But, as the same team that created Mad Max is hard at work on RAGE 2, unintentional or not there will be some element that creeps into the world. "I mean all the folks here are pretty smart," Tim concludes. "All the artists. And we're really careful about stuff like that. But, there's spirits. Spirits are afloat in the world."

For more on RAGE 2, check out our recent hands-on preview.