It’s hard to escape the feeling, and maybe it’s something that someone should whisper to id, but Rage doesn’t half look a lot like Fallout 3. Now, clearly a developer with the pedigree of id is going to bring something new to the genre, but with Rage being the third post-apocalyptic-themed game to emerge along with Fallout and Borderlands, we’re in the dangerous position of becoming jaded with the whole setting. That’s, however, our first instinct, once we let the dust settle and actually take a look at what id is attempting, all preconceptions are blown away.

The creator of Doom and Quake has always been a technological innovator. Perennially at the forefront of the industry’s arms race, its titles have pushed the genre’s boundaries. Though on the surface Rage looks like it could be described as an action-heavy Fallout 3, underneath it is so much more. Built entirely around id’s new Rage engine, the big buzzwords surrounding the game are ‘mega textures’. Basically, a form of compressing and streaming data, it allows id to build huge open environments, small indoor areas, and give each surrounding area its own unique look. It may sound like PR speak, but how many games have you played recently where you can quite clearly see the textures have been repeated across the world? Rage’s environment is not only distinctive and impressive but feels much more real for it.

As with most of id’s games, the technology here is impressive, but the story is less so. A post-apocalyptic world where, after an asteroid hit, you emerge years later from a government Ark, part of The Eden Project. The world has succumbed to bandits and the remains of society have collapsed. Once in the world the possibilities are limitless. Rage is filled with towns that act as hubs for the game’s commerce, allowing you to buy supplies and, most excitingly, purchase upgrades for your ride. You’ll have access to an RPG level of customisation, not only for your buggy but also your weapons. From pistols to assault rifles to a crossbow, you’ll even have the option to change ammo types via the D-pad.

With your personally customised buggy (with perhaps some heavy machine guns strapped to the roof) you can engage in races and battles to earn yourself some cash or simply take on the NPC quests. They’ll most likely involve engaging some bandits in gloriously violent and visceral action. id has described Rage’s structure as ‘open but directed’, you’ll never feel like you have no clear direction of where to go or what to do. Rage will always make sure you are moving forward, but with the level of detail present in the environment and colourful characters, stopping to enjoy the world and explore will definitely be one of the game’s pleasures.

It can’t be overstated how lush and organic the world looks. Not just a wasteland, the beginnings of the new society can be seen, with a mishmash of different cultures, the towns’ art direction is really showing a new side of id. Normally associated with guns and explosions, Rage has characters, crafted with depth and care, and the world looks lived in. Not only that, the actual desert looks realistic, not in the photorealism sense but in the way it moulds and complements with the setting. Rage is a much more mature title than id has ever produced and it’s obviously setting its sights on Doom levels of success.