Rage: Eyes On

The preview for Rage started out traditionally enough, and had things continued to move along at a nice even pace - rocky outcrop here, decapitated mutant there - then it might have been possible to cast aside creative director Tim Willits's suggestion that this is a "new dimension" in first-person shooters. Even so, I almost found myself saying out loud, "Is it?"

Rage is set in the not-too-distant future, in a world left dusty and desolate by an impolite asteroid. A member of the Ark Project, you emerge from your subterranean apocalypse-be-gone to find that things have been badly messed up. You'll set out on an adventure to find other Arks like you, discover what the government is up to now that their plan for rebuilding hasn't been altogether realised, and figure out what's happening with a group of shadowy figures called the Authority. Foremost on the list of cons for this crowd is that they seem to be experimenting on the beleaguered populace, leaving many of them deformed, hyper violent and dressed in every dystopian hallmark you could care to think of. They're not all that keen on you, either, so it'll be up to you to kill a good deal of them.

The world in which you'll collect weapons, buy supplies, get your missions and repair your vehicles is known as Wellspring. This town, seemingly Western in bent (populated by folks with hillbilly accents and sporting a vaguely redneck soundtrack) exists in the Wasteland - a land wasted by the asteroid. We were shown around Wellspring and its fringes, where we skirmished with packs of desperate locals, and got to check out some of the game's excellent combat and melee mechanics. Gory? Yep. But would you expect anything else from the creators of that rib-spreading masterpiece, Doom? Oh yeah, in case you're catching up, Rage is brand new IP from the guys behind one of gaming's original moral panics. It's their first new franchise in quite some time. Bonus.

Engineering items will spice up gameplay that some gamers will surely consider they've seen before (while I sat in the viewing room, impressed as all hell by the graphical display, combat, array of weapons and prospect of another shooter as varied and collection-driven as Borderlands, I can tell you I was still thinking the same thing). And for gamers who like to kill in new and exciting ways, Rage brings you such delights as electric bolts and RC cars packed with plastique. You'll be able to collect and sell just as you can with other games of this type, but in this presentation what I sensed we were getting was more, bigger and better.

Vehicle battles look like amazing fun, explosions caused cheerful oohs and aahs, and plenty of features will allow for customization. What self-respecting dev expects to be able to tell gamers what they can and can't do these days? Already, it's easy to see a massive a amount of work has gone into the environment and environmental effects: "individually handcrafted" was the phrase Willits used to talk about everything from the rocks to the grass to ravaged buildings. He took pains to ensure we all walked away knowing that this world had been created rather than generated.

Rage looked like quality from head to toe. Even with that little niggle about originality, it didn't take long to start to see just why I had overheard people on the showfloor telling their mates they just had to go see Rage.

In a mission to save Wellspring's water supply and gain a bit of local support, we were further shown just what the Authority had to answer for. Nefarious deedsters had dropped in on a maintenance crew and busted them up, so it was up to our guides to use those aforementioned electric bolts and zap them as they stood in a pool of water - all very BioShock-esque, right? Well, if there's one thing that E3 taught me it's that when the games start blurring together and it becomes a little easy to heap comparison on comparison, take a step back and re-consider your analysis. It's never fair to pigeonhole a game during the tiny snippet you're privy to.

And the devs had an ace up their sleeve.

In the Dead City, Rage's massive open world was fully on display, and after one "boss" was put down by some clever maneuvering and firing, another larger, toothier, droolier one appeared. This guy was huge! One of the biggest bosses I saw at E3, and I leaned forward in my seat to see how he might get taken down. Alas, they cut. That was it. Wait until 2011, sorry.

Let me be clear: aside from the fact that the game follows on from titles like Borderlands and so at this early stage looks to borrow a little too heavily from recent shooter canon, Rage is looking tasty. A massive world, a huge number of things to see and do, vehicles to trick out, guns to experiment with, secrets to discover and mutants to vanquish... Rage will deliver to shooter fans; there can be little doubt. There is also plenty of time for that story to take shape, and a whole lot of polish to come on.

Watch this space for more developments. And as you wait to see if this game will have something for you, practice this mantra: These. Guys. Made. Doom.