‘Rage 2’ Is A Colorful Punk Spin On The Post-Apocalypse From The ‘Just Cause’ Developer
Bethesda Softworks made Rage 2 official Monday followed by the release of a gameplay trailer today. The sequel to the open-world shooter is coming with some major changes for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, starting with a more colorful and punk rock-inspired tone.
The first Rage was released on last-gen consoles in 2011 and was meant to be a showcase for id Software’s game engine at the time. The game received praise for its graphics and gameplay at the time, but was knocked for issues over the story, characters, lack of things to do in the game world, and a poor autosave system for checkpoints.
Id Software never came back to Rage as it decided to focus on other titles like Doom. In a surprising move, Bethesda Softworks has contracted Avalanche Studios to develop Rage 2 instead. This is a studio with a long pedigree of creating open-world shooters with plenty of action and things to do. Their portfolio fittingly includes Mad Max and the Just Cause franchises.
The Rage 2 gameplay trailer captures many of the traits of Avalanche Studios’ previous titles with fast-paced action, a large color pallet, vehicular mayhem, plus crazy weapons and settings in an open world.
RAGE IS BACK! Watch the #RAGE2 Announce Trailer now! https://t.co/ESD7U5koyG pic.twitter.com/zCb7rQAJf4
— RAGE 2 (@rage) May 14, 2018
Bethesda Softworks bills Rage 2 as a marriage of “Avalanche Studios, masters of open world mayhem and id Software, gods of the first-person shooter.” The game is not expected to be released until next year, but will likely feature prominently at the publisher’s E3 press conference scheduled for June 10. Bethesda’s Marketing Vice President Pete Hines stated on Twitter the showcase might be their longest yet.
About Rage 2
For those unfamiliar with the original Rage, it takes place in a dystopian future, more than a hundred years after an asteroid collides with Earth and destroys human civilization. All that’s left is a lawless land filled with pockets of survivors, mutated creatures, and the Authority. The latter is an advanced organization that is also oppressive.
Players took on the role of a former U.S. Marine who was put into stasis in an Ark along with many others before the asteroid crash. He was given enhanced abilities via nanites injected into his blood and the end of Rage saw all Arks becoming active.
How this will feed into a sequel that takes place nearly 50 years after the first game is not yet known. However, the official description of Rage 2 provides some clues.
“In the year 2185, humanity’s numbers are dwindling. Ruthless and bloodthirsty gangs roam the open roads and the tyrannical Authority seek to rule who remains with an iron fist. You are Walker, the last Ranger of the wasteland. Robbed of your home and left for dead, you’ll tear across an unforgiving wasteland battling bloodthirsty gangs to find the tools and tech needed to take the fight to The Authority and crush their oppressive rule once and for all!”
Rage 2 will release sometime in 2019 for the Playstation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
