RAGE by id Software wasn’t received well by both players and critics, so it was a big surprise when we learned a sequel was on the way.
After playing through a short RAGE 2 demo, I can confidently tell you that there’s a lot to look forward to. I played through the same Eden Assault mission Bethesda revealed back at QuakeCon.
Right off the bat, we got to experiment with the most significant new feature in RAGE 2 – our Nanotrite-infused exo-suit.
Nanotrite powers are a big thing in RAGE 2, and there are many of them. They have a cooldown that only lets you use a handful at a time, but combining and using them proved to be an effective strategy.
The first of these powers is Dash. It gives you a quick burst of speed as you move, and primarily works as a dodge. Dash was also the power I used the most during my go with the RAGE 2 demo.
The second of the Nanotrite powers is Shatter. Shatter works a lot like a Jedi’s force-push – you generate a focused kinetic blast from your hand to hurl objects and enemies across the room. It can also, quite literally, shatter your enemies into bloody confetti.
Our next Nanotrite power is Slam. We saw it during the E3 demo – your character leaps in the air and lands with a powerful ground-pound that sends enemies flying.
The final and most potent Nanotrite power we got to see was Overdrive. Overdrive makes every one of your weapons and powers hit harder. Your gun bullets will make enemies explode, and every one of your other Nanotrite abilities will be supercharged for a brief period and with a quicker cooldown.
You will only be able to activate Overdrive after you finish charging its gauge by fighting enemies.
We got to play with actual weapons as well, not just Nanotrite powers. In the demo, we got to use a pistol, a shotgun, and an assault rifle. Our character could also hurl grenades, which proved useful in the tight spaces in which we battled.
We were also able to use the Wingstick, the iconic boomerang blade which the previous game introduced. The Wingstick will have new abilities in RAGE 2, but we did not get to see them in the demo.
The RAGE 2 demo was intense, and my whole mission turned into one long and epic shootout. It is this intensity that keeps me excited for the release.
RAGE 2 is set to release sometime towards mid-2019 on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
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