After four hours with Rage, I wasn’t entirely sold on the concept. Its decimated landscapes, ramshackle villages and thriving mutant population had reminded me a little too much of other games in the genre. Instead of combating cliché with a unique art style à la Borderlands, id Software had seemingly poured its resources into a relentless quest for photorealism. While the visuals had been intermittently startling (particularly at medium to long range) the world had never broken free from the generic.

The game’s role playing sequences had by then been exposed as nothing more than window dressing. Despite my best efforts, I hadn’t been able to interact with the denizens of the wasteland in any meaningful fashion. Instead, I had been forced to endure a series of painfully verbose morons, merely so that I could press a button to accept my next mission or purchase my next upgrade. The asteroid that annihilated human civilisation had seemingly wiped out all trace of personality as well.

After spending most of my time battling identikit enemies from the Mutant and Bandit factions, I had also developed mixed feelings about the combat. Happily, the lack of diversity had been somewhat offset by solid shooting mechanics, smooth and expressive animation and challenging AI. The Mutants had scrambled over fences and descended from rooftops. They’d even slipped over in their desperation to kill me. The Bandits had been far more circumspect, using cover when necessary and flanking me as soon as the opportunity presented itself. Unfortunately, one dreadfully repetitive boss encounter took the shine off the first half of the campaign.

I’d also spent plenty of time behind the wheel of my rickety old buggy. The various quest locations were linked by perilous desert roads and I’d been swarmed by Bandit vehicles on numerous occasions. The driving controls were basic, but the action had been enjoyably chaotic and I’d already wasted several dozen of my fellow commuters using rockets, mines and machine guns. I’d also had the opportunity to enter organised racing events and purchase new components for my vehicle.

After eight hours with Rage, I was in a slightly more forgiving frame of mind. I had encountered a third faction of enemies, the self appointed rulers of the wasteland known as the Authority. More organised than the Mutants and better equipped than the Bandits, the Authority had injected some much needed variety into the combat.

By this stage, I had also blasted my way through some of the most interesting levels in the game. One mission had required me to infiltrate a mountainous lair inhabited by a vicious gang known as the Jackals. This heavily guarded stronghold had consisted of caves and shanty structures linked by makeshift bridges and flying foxes. I’d been under constant attack from snipers as I negotiated my way through this exciting vertical sequence.

I’d also taken the time to dabble in the numerous sideshows on offer, the best of which was a Magic: The Gathering style collectable card game. As accessible as it was addictive, the game had provided me with strong motivation to scour the wasteland for additional cards for my mutant themed deck. I hadn’t experienced quite as much success in my other gambling endeavours. Five Finger Fillet, for example, had seen me pay good money for the right to repeatedly plunge a dagger into my own fingers.

I was also hired to deliver parcels to various sites throughout the world. Sadly, this mode was cordoned off from the main quest line and it felt somewhat contrived as a consequence. As soon as I accepted a courier job, I had to speed directly to the letterbox and then straight back to the post office. If only I’d had the freedom to drop off deliveries while visiting locations on other business.

After 15 hours with Rage, I was feeling reasonably satisfied. I had completed the story mode and experienced a few hours of multiplayer. Considering the game’s pedigree, the absence of traditional deathmatch was surprising to say the least. In its place had been Road Rage, a series of vehicle based modes in which I had to outpace and outgun my rivals across half a dozen maps. Between matches, I had been able to level up and unlock new cars. While it hadn’t been able to hold my attention in the long term, Road Rage had proven to be an enjoyably chaotic little diversion.

Rage had also offered up a couple of hours of two player gunplay, including some nail biting timed challenges. The cream of the co-op missions had required a tactical and collaborative approach. Unfortunately, all of the environments were hand-me-downs from the single player mode. This not only struck me as lazy, but also convinced me that Rage would have benefitted greatly from offering co-op throughout the main campaign.

With its unimaginative setting, insipid characterisation and lack of enemy variety, Rage didn’t make a great first impression. If I hadn’t been playing the game for review, I probably would have thrown in the towel after a few hours. Instead, I pressed on and experienced some strong level design and solid action.

Buyer Beware: We have heard several reports of crippling issues associated with the PC version of the game.