There are other hidden things...other ways to make money. If you’re a retail adopter of RAGE, you get access to the Wasteland Sewer Missions and these are packed with goodies that make your life out there a lot easier.

The gadgets are extremely useful, from lock grinders that get you into some pretty neat areas, to the sentry bot and turret that can really turn the tide of battle. Also the bot is an amazing companion that will really turn up the heat in a fire-fight. Then you have RC cars that can be rigged to blow up and that just about tops it off...it’s the icing on the cake death for the bandits!

Exploration

RAGE is a big game (in terms of the game world) you’ll probably take 10-15 hours to complete it and even then, you’ll miss something no doubt if you rush through the story. The Wasteland is pretty large and opens up after a few hours into quite a sprawling area that requires a vehicle to get around. As previously mentioned, this vehicle is upgradeable and there are rockets, miniguns, special one shot items and more to earn/buy for your chosen ride. You’ll need to keep your eye on your cashflow too, because RAGE requires that you spend money to get ammo and everything else you need.

Driving

Driving is another important part of RAGE. The vehicle handling is pretty tight, it gets better as you earn your rewards and get more upgrades for your vehicle. The single player races themselves are pretty fun as well, and you only need to do a few to proceed with the story if racing isn’t your thing. However, driving around the Wasteland you’ll get attacked by bandits and well, you’ll get rewarded for every bandito you turn into a smoking wreck. Simply put, driving is cool and it feels cool. It gets so much better when you get a new ride and some upgrades. The control system is solid and there are no complaints here.

With all of these systems (and I’m sure I missed something) there’s a lot to RAGE that you won’t see until the game lets you roam wild and free. Stick with it and RAGE is truly something that has raised the bar in terms of putting all of these things together nigh-on seamlessly.

It’s a game where the money matters...don’t hoard it or you’ll find that you’re stuck when you really need something important. Also, as per id Software there are Easter eggs and secrets in the game.

Graphics

There is some pop-in if you really make the game work hard. It’s 60fps and smooth, but if you whip your view around really fast, you’ll get some textures that fade in quickly. If you play the game without making RAGE look for pop-in, you’re just fine. This game is nothing short of amazing visually, id Tech 5 and the megatexture technology is something that really makes the 360 version look fantastic. There’s no detail drop on the textures, rocks look like rocks, the environments are stunning and the character/vehicle textures are all highly detailed. You can see the rust patterns in the metal, the striations in the rocks and you can identify sedimentary rock compared to other types.

I could go on and on about the visuals but you have to see it to truly appreciate it. The lighting is pretty neat as well, it’s not as dynamic as it could be, but when you’re tearing across the landscape leaving tracks in the dust – you don’t really care. It totally immerses you in the game world and leaves you breathless when you see the environments for the first time. RAGE is a beautiful stunning game with a high fidelity and detail that makes the head spin. The texture and design artists literally were able to paint this world to life and they did a fantastic job. When your character gets his hand on his first pistol and looks it over, the level of detail alone is nigh-on jaw dropping.