Not that Bethesda ever left the limelight, but the Starfield and Elder Scrolls studio is the talk of?? the town at the moment. That could be why there's a sale going on that allows you to purchase some games developed or published by the Maryland-based company.

Over the online store Fanatical (thanks, PCGamesN), you can get discounts on a selection of Bethesda-owned titles. The sale gives you the opportunity to build a custom bundle out of a possible 14 game?s, choosing up to five releases for as little as $3.

While it's not a huge selection, there's a fair range to opt for. You could get classic Fallout combined with Rage or go for some of the modern Doom or Wolfenstein releases. It also lo?oks like many of them come with their respective DLCs and expansions as well, so it has that extra appeal.

Only two games actually by Bethesda

Of course, given that Bethesda is a powerful publisher as well, you'll notice that the majority of these games haven't been developed by the studio itself. Still, it shows just how much sway the studio has in the AAA market, and you can still choose Morrowind and Oblivion for your bundle.

It also looks like the sale event at Fanatical is going to be going on for a while. At the time of writing, the countdown clock at the top of the page say???s there are just over 16 days and 18 hours until the deals end. That'll take us right into the middle of October. At that point, I imagine the Halloween sale events will start kicking in.

The post Bethesda sale lets you ‘build your own bundle’ appeared first on Destructoid.

Tensions have cooled

The Epic Games Store has two free PC games lined up this week: Rage 2 and Absolute Drift. You can swing back and forth between all-out apocalyptic chaos to the chillest of chill score-c?hasing.

Here's a refresher on both games wh?ile you mull over logging in to claim t?hem.

You have until Thursday, February 25 at 8:00 am Pa???cific to add the games to your library.

In my head, Rage 2 seems like it's been around for a long time, but 2019 wasn't that long ago – it just feels like it. Back then, I figured I'd enjoy it as someone who digs Far Cry, Borderlands, Doom, and Mad Max, but it wasn't something I was in the mood to play, even with ridiculous gunplay and abilities.

Getting it for free helps – as does Chris' one-liner ab??out it being "screw around: the game."

As for Absolute Drift, it seems like a zen experience for the right type of person. I'm not sure I'm the guy, but I got a chuckle out of "Driftkhana" an?d the soundtrack is dope. There's free-roaming, if y?ou're down.

Next week's Epic Store giveaway is Sunless Sea, a deep, dark, wordy adventure. Check back Feb. 25.

The post Rage 2 is ripe for a revisit now that it’s free on the Epic Store appeared first on Destructoid.

Ghosts in the Machine

Bethesda has announced that Rage 2's first expansion, called the Rise of the Ghosts, will be releasing on September 26, 2019, for all platforms. Originally intended for August, the DLC will include a brand new region, new enemy types, a new vehicle, new weapon, and a new ability. Thi??s is all?? on top of the expected story missions, for which this expansion is set to continue the main plot.

Oddly enough, there isn't a season pass for Rage 2, so you'll have to buy the Rise of the Ghosts expansion separately. It will run you $15 (or 1,500 RAGE coins), or you can grab it in the $80 deluxe edition of ??the main game -which will net you the second expansion when it eventually releases-.

RAGE 2 – Rise of the Ghosts Launch Details [Bethesda]

The post Rage 2’s first expansion releases later this month appeared first on Destructoid.

BJ strikes again

If you've blasted through Rage 2's story mode but didn't quite max out your character, then the brand new "New Game Plus" option should be right up your alley. In addition to another reason to play through the campaign, today's update brings a Wolfenstein voice pack with the dulcet tones of BJ Blazkowicz to accompany you in your travels. I can only imagine BJ has a few choice words for the psychos in Rage's wasteland.

As the second major update for Rage 2, a lot more is present than just new game plus. If you feel the default difficulty options are too easy, the completely unfair "Crazy Hard" and "Ironman" options should really test your skills. Crazy hard is exactly as it sounds, but Ironman is a new permadeath option that will restart you upon death. I cannot imagine going through an open-world game with a single life, so I'd likely never even attempt that. My favorite improvement, though, is the ability to skip tutorial prompts and some of the intro dialogue. I really wish more games would include that for second playthroughs as its annoying as hell to have to sit through ex?planations of mechanics I already know.

The full list of changes, additions, and improve??ments can be found below. It's certainly a lot more? substantial than I figured.

Quality of life improvements

• Pop-up notifications no longer pause the game.
• Camera Deadzone slider adjustment added to controller options.
• Flashlight added for navigating dark areas (hold Focus to activate).
• You can now skip Aunt Prowley's dialog in the opening mission.
• Added an option to disable Ark tutorials.
• Tracking projects now shows progress on HUD.
• New options to turn off Damage and Kill notifications on crosshair.  
• "You Call That a Wingstick?" and TV Fatal voice packs auto-granted after Bethesda.net account link (previously required buying from Wasteland Wizard).

Bug fixes

• ChazCar vehicle no longer misaligns Walker through the chassis when at an angle.
• Fixed an issue where you could not fast travel to Kvasir's lab when there was an objective marker on the location.
• Fixed an issue where combat music did not play correctly when playing through "The Ranger" mission.
• Fixed an issue where the Prowley hologram subtitles did not match VO dialog in Japanese.
• Fixed an issue where you could get stuck attempting to access Authority HQ prior to Project Dagger.
• Fixed an issue where bullet decals and blood stopped appearing in the game world after long fights.
• Fixed an issue where the game may freeze while navigating the Phoenix weapon upgrades menu.
• Player is no longer able to drive vehicles into the Ruined Shaft crusher nest.
• Shop vendor VO no longer overlaps with itself.
• Opening storage containers now correctly play sound effects.
• Breaking wooden barricades no longer leave floating spikes behind.
• Added two log entries for Bridge of Ned.
• Mutie explosion sound effects no longer play when the player turns off all sounds.
• Prowley's VO no longer plays twice in the presidio.

Rage 2 – Update 2 & New Roadmap [Bethesda]

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Rise of the Ghosts expansion incoming

Bethesda is bringing new content to Rage 2 in the form of an expansion (Rise of the Ghosts), the publ??isher announced today at E3 during their annual press conference. It'll spo?rt sandworms, a pilotable mech, new vehicles, more cheats, extra modes, and another faction.

The trailer might more entertaining than the actual DLC ends up being, as it offers up a very familiar (for older people anyway) sitcom feel. Okay younger folks: it's like Too Many Cooks. Enh?!

Rise of the Ghosts will arrive this year on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

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Against the Machine 2

Avalanche is a weird as hell company with a wild track record. The same umbrella that brought us the beloved Just Cause 2 also gave us the maligned Generation Zero. They’re an ??open world box of chocolates: you never know how?? much busywork you’re going to get.

Yet, the boisterous bombastic nature of the Rage series lends itself well to Avalanche’s chaotic design philosophy. It is truly a singular analog for their work thus far. This isn't the Rage you remember. Gone are the drab aesthetics, empty world building blocks, and tight shooting complimen??ts of Id. T?his is a whole new ball game.

Rage 2 (PC [reviewed], PS4, Xbox One)
Developer:  Avalanche Studios
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Released: May 14, 2019
MSRP: $59.99

Rage 2's resting state is what I can only describe as "macabre wackiness." There's lots of death, lots of shooting, and an array of bright colors, which, like Far Cry New Dawn, feels like a direct response to the "brown shooter" motif: broad strokes the original Rage employed. Although the two aforementioned shooters have plenty of company, it feels like we've made it into a brave ?new era of aesthetics.

After a very serious intro you're thrown into the rainbow world of Rage 2's apocalypse with a pistol and the Krull thing. Very quickly you're gifted "ranger gear," the  main gimmick that grants you superhero-esque powers. Even though Rage 2 has a lot of by-the-numbers mechanics (detective vision, a devil trigger/rage of the gods super-state called overdrive) it owns them. Once the neon vision hit after engaging overdrive for the first time and I saw the arcade-like multiplier on-s??cre??en, I was in.

You have one job to do: kill the evil commander (who is part of the equally evil-sounding "Authority" regime) that obliterated your home. Times are tough in the apocalypse, and different factions have popped up amid a mostly reconstructed technological era of warfare. It also makes a point to show you who every named character is (with a little Borderlands zoom up freeze frame intro), which seems cheesy but is actually admirable, as I can't remember who p??ractically anyone is in most modern shooters. Yes, admir??able, but mostly unsuccessful.

A narrative isn't really something that Rage 2 sells with any degree of zeal. After the first five or so hours of NPC intros, the second portion of the campaign basically involves "doing a bunch of stuff on the map to level up three VIP NPC ranks to progress with the story." Now I dig that! If it was a narrative-heavy experience with nothing to do that would be the worst kind of gating. But Rage 2 is basically "screw around: the game." I completed one of three requirements before I even got?? to that point, then chain-completed the other two while I was doing the first critical questline.

At no point was I gated out of a campaign mission. But the fact remains, the narrative is very one-track-minded and feels detached as a whole.?? Nearly everything you do is a solo affair and there's no real attunement to the world from start to finish. Your main request is to crush, kill, and destroy??, alone.

Not all of the side activities are winners. In one instance I came across an uncompleted gas station I needed to blow up that I swore I had done earlier that day: I just assumed the game failed to save my progress. Nope, it turns out it was just a different, smaller version of that same area. Now raiding that gas station — using force push to rip someone's armor off, jumping o??nto the roof to power slam the ground like Goku, and using overdrive to turn an assault rifle into a machinegun — was a hell of a lot of fun.

Rage 2's crowning achievement is that it's always a joy to play in spite of any slow moments or on-paper open world busywork, which assuaged some of the low points. In all you're looking at a roughly 15- to 20-hour campaign, with the typical "double that" guesstimate to do everything. If you're on board with the aforementioned rank-up missions, there's very little room for bloat there as Rage 2 h?as a reasonably sized map and a pointed critica??l path.

Chiefly, Rage 2 is perfect for messing around in, and that counts for a lot. Upgrades are plentiful, and include double jumping, dashing, and launching singular?ities with your hand. It embraces the weird aspects of shooters and allows for fairly open-ended customization with upgrades for abilities, guns, and?? projects (more macro-type stuff like general passive upgrades). Almost everything is impactful too. Random chests can net you a ton of cash or upgrade materials, a random low-grade shotgun enhancement allows you to reload all six bullets at once, and you can craft or buy pretty much anything in the game. Most of these systems aren't new, mind, it's just curated well.

That really is Rage 2's whole vibe. It's like a Voltron of other shooters: Borderlands' irreverent wasteland setting, Doom's fast-paced FPS angle, and Far Cry's upgrade system; and while I wouldn't say it's better than either of the top performers of those franchises, it comes close. Vehicular movement, when it comes to most of the game's selection, is tight, and wandering around blowing up Mad Max-style raiding parties and convoys is a fun way to make traversal engagi??ng.

While the open world is the main draw, Rage 2 is still a shooter first. Locomotion isn't quite as smooth as the recent Doom, but Avalanche is no slouch, with plenty of aerial antics and quick responsive action. Headshots have a satisfying pop to them and combat can get pretty damn deep, especially if you jack up the difficulty setting and dig into some of the skill upgrades to customize your approach. Rage 2 also employs the "slow mo" effect with aplomb, using it in specific surgical instances without overdoing it (even Doom's glory kills got old).

I was pleasantly surprised with the shooter chimera that is Rage 2, which ended up being open world mini-Doom 2016. It's not going to make anyone a believer the free roam format, but folks already predisposed to tho??se vices will find plenty to sink their tee?th into.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Rage 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

Someone's mad, and it's not just Max

The most recent gossip surrounding Rage has me doing my best Jim Mora "Playoffs?! Don't talk about playoffs!" impression. Although Rage 2 launched a mere three days ago, id Software already wants to get to work on Rage 3.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, id Software's Tim Willits expressed his eagerness to make another Rage sequel. When asked whether he foresees Rage having a future beyond this game, Willits said "I hope so. Yes, is the answer to that question. We've always loved this franchise because it's such a fun setting. We can do what we want. We were once?? talking about riding on giant cockroaches. What other game can you have a conversation where that's a legitimate conversation you can have?! It's a crazy, fun, exciting franchise and I hope we can make a third one as soon as possible."

In Willits' defense, this reads like an innocuous wish that's predicated on the positive and entertaining ways the series has evolved. Realistically, Bethesda will probably greenlight a third Rage (if it hasn't already). There's room in that Doom, Far Cry, and Borderlands are all still wildly successful, and Rage 2 seems like an inane mashup of the three.

But, even if it's unofficial and completely off-the-cuff, it's too early to start thinking about Rage 3. We need time to breathe. We need time to play Rage 2. Give it a couple years, and people will go "You know, I could really go for another Rage game?. The last one was fun!" Then, BAM! Hit 'em with the trilogy.

'Rage 2' Studio Director ??on Creating a "Fun" Apocalypse, 'Mad Max' Influences [The Hollywood Reporter]

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Despite all my...

For as ridiculous as it seems on the surface, Rage 2 can actually get pretty tough and bury so??me of its secrets deep within the crevices of its open ??world.

Here's some help deciphering them.

Purple line dishwasher

When driving from place to place, always set a waypoint and use the purple breadcrumb lines! I can't tell you how many times I drove round trying to take a shortcut and ended up falling into a pit, requiring me ?to ba?cktrack.

There are a lot of bridges in Rage 2's overworld, so using the purp?le lines will help you navigate around th??em.

Don't hold out for the mystery box, open chests now

In 90% of games, cracking open chests is near useless, but that's not the case for Rage 2.

In each marked location on the map (either a side mission or an innocuous area of interest) has Ark chests (major rewards, like skill-increasing upgra??de items) or storage containers. The latter are extremely common and contain huge caches of money (which you can use to buy nearly anything in the game) or Feltrite (u?pgrade crystals).

Every single storage container matters. Just one location can net you an entire upg??rade in most cases. Don't leave until you've found them and checked them off the HUD list!

An item is an item, no matter how small

Either during boss figh?ts or after the carnage, clear out the entire arena for ammo. Often times you'll need to either continue the fight or go back to a hub location and buy more ammo, so grabbing all the shells you can will help you on future missions.

Look for purple points of interest everywhere (usually cabinets) and vacuum up ev??????????????????????????ery bullet.

Always guard your pepperonis Go into battle prepared

Get used to utilizing the two-gun swap mechanic to your advantage. You'll frequently run out of ammo early in the game with many weap?ons, so make sure your quick swap (Triangle/Y) slot is always something that's fully loaded. Hold Y, select your full primary, then hold Y again and select? another ample gun.

Pressing Y will swap between those new designated pieces of gear.?? Do the same for your thrown consumables: you don't want to hotswap during a big fight.

Here's how fast travel works

Fast travel can be a bit confusing. When the game begins you can only fast travel between the three ma??in hubs and only when you're near your vehicle. Select the hub from your map and press Square/X.

It sounds simple, but it can be finicky if you're not close to your vehicle or are deep into a mission location, ev?en after said mission is complete. If all else fails, go into your car and drive away a bit, then try to use fast travel.

You can fix your ride for free

Your initial car is a lot like the Batmobile. It talks to you, it has machine-guns (okay more like Nolan's Batmobile), and it's nigh invincible. If your vehicle shields are depleted it won't "blow up," it'll just become nonoperational. To fix it again yo??u'll need to get out of the driver's seat, go to the front (the engine, basically), and hold L1/LB?? to replenish its meter.

Once that's? done you're good to go back in. Just note that during a fight it's tough to actually focu?s on repairs, so clear out enemies first.

The post Guide: Six quick tips for Rage 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

What is this free you speak of?

Bethesda has outlined a content roadmap for its upcoming open-world shooter Rage 2 and there is a surprising amount of free DLC involved. While two paid DLC expansions will be heading to the game, the rest of the stuff mentioned here is a bunch of extra goodies that everyone will have access to. Even the oddly unpublicized cheat codes of Rage 2 will be getting additions in the coming months.

Most of the free content is relegated to cosmetic items, but there will be things like "World Events" and whatever "Rageisode" is. As for the paid content, the first pack is set to land in August of this year. Titled Rise of the Ghosts, this expansion will include new weapons, a new enemy faction, extra abilities and vehicles, and some brand new areas to e??xplore. The second expansion lists basically the same stuff, though it doesn't have a defined release date (instead saying simply Fall).

While it may be a common trend for triple-A game?s to have post-launch content roadmaps now, at least Bethesda is giving something back to people that don't want to pony up extra cash. While I have to question why the game couldn't? be delayed to include all of this, at least it's not being sold piecemeal to us.

Rage 2 [Twitter]

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This trailer certainly takes a turn

The theme for the entirety of Rage 2's l?aunch trailer is turning back the clock, mostly in a "Wait, how did we get here?!" kind of way. It's very 80s schlock which is good but expected.

Then Rage 2 turns the clock back even farther -- to 2011 and the original Rage. "Lame Ending! That's all I get? A cutscene of some ground shaking?" writes a dissatisfied player. Then the clock keeps rewinding. Before, he bought Rage, before he was born, before his parents were married, before da V??inci's Vitruvia??n Man. It rewinds until it can't rewind anymore, all the way back to a cat licking a lollipop.

This may read like a Joe Rogan DMT-fueled dreamscape, and, to be honest, I can't be certain it isn't. It's batshit bananas. But, between all that nonsense and the excellent Doom-looking action, I can't remember a launch trailer that did a be??tter job of mak??ing me want to actually play the game.

The post Rage 2’s launch trailer admits the first Rage’s ending sucked appeared first on Destructoid.

Rage in a cage

Here's a nice bit of pretend playing: Rage 2 is "coming to Dreamcast." Of course, that's not strictly true. But Bethesda is running a promotion that dresses everything up in costume and keeping a str?aight face.

Bethesda's giving this custom Rage 2 machine away to one lucky person who follows the Rage account and retweets the following tweet:

Follow and RT for a chance to win this custom Dreamcast -- and yes, it actually plays #RAGE2! //t.co/0PRi91zYfI pic.twitter.com/oNRYt5sJW2

— RAGE 2 (@RAGEgame) May 1, 2019

There's some trickeration at play because the only functional thing about this Dreamcast is the case. The rest has been stripped out and replaced by a custom PC that's loaded up with Rage 2; it also has HDMI output to easily hook to a monitor. It still has a distinctly late-90s/turn-of-the-millennium flair, the pink Rage 2 logo splayed across the black shell almost like some sort of middle schooler's trapper keeper that has way to??o ma?ny doodles and stickers.

Rage 2 launches on May 14, meaning this is all coming to a head rather quickly. Bethesda is picking the winner sometime on Monday, May 6. Time is of the essen?ce. One of you -- I don't care which one -- go and win this thing rig??ht now. Believe it and you can achieve it. Envision it hard enough and maybe your dreams will be cast. 

The post I need one of you to win this Rage 2 Dreamcast appeared first on Destructoid.

Is the promise of 'open world antics' enough

Rage is kind of a blur for me. I'm not even 100% ??sure it exists.

When it came out I casually picked it up, blazed through it in roughly 10 hours, then forgot about it until it showed up on Breaking Bad. This was pre-Doom 2016 revelation id Software, searching for their identity after the mixed reception to Doom 3 as their first big comeback since their acquisition by Bethesda in 2009. It was also released in a Mad Max: Fury Road-less world, before ?the post-apocalyptic motif reached Beyoncé level saturation.

All I remember are the vague Peter Jackson-ass goblin enemies (mutants) and a lot of brown. I'm not sure a lot of people at Bethesda recalled much of it either, as id Software found Doom again (now their main focus) and the series was dormant for eight years until they handed the keys to Avalanche Software for Rage 2: which looks to be a complete rebuild.

Which leads me to my big question: what are your expectations for Rage 2? It's okay to say "none," because that's basically where I'm at. This is a new developer, a time-lapsed story where anything can be changed or retconned, and a completely different angle. So far it has billed itself as a wacky open world adventure, but is that enough? Are you waiting on reviews or is your heart already set on Rage 2?

Inquiring minds want to know while I formulate all of that in my head, and continue to mull on it for an eventual Rage 2 review. As far as I'm concerned though Rage 2 is almost part of an entirely new series, w?ith ?the "2" being used for marketing purposes.

The post What do you want? to see out of Rage 2, and how did you feel a??bout the first game? appeared first on Destructoid.

No experience? No problem

Bethesda is gearing up the hype machine on its upcoming shooter sequel Rage 2, which is ready to rock in just a few weeks' time. A new trailer titled "What is Rage 2?" hopes to get new fans up to speed on the explosi?ve title and its dy??namic action mechanics.

The preview for the Avalanche Studios release includes a look at both the universe and the story elements of Rage 2, before getting down to ??the good stuff with the game's amazing and kooky arsenal of weaponry, special abilities and more. We also get to see some hi-octane vehicular mayhem, along with a selection of?? villains just waiting to be on the business end of your bad mood.

The trailer also notes that Rage 2 will welcome new players, and set up those who never played the predecessor with all they need to get down and dirty in no time at all. I will admit that, from first trailer to last, I've gotten a kick out of Rage 2's irreverent approach to itself. Hop??efully that st?yle can apply itself throughout the whole adventure.

Rage 2 launches May 14 on PS4, PC and Xbox One.

The post ??What is Rage 2? Find ??out in this chaotic overview trailer appeared first on Destructoid.

The keyart is on point

Just before E3 last year, Walmart Canada unexpectedly leaked a list of potential games. While the list was mostly wrong (likely due to being placeholders), there were a few that were correct, notably Gears of War 5 and Rage 2. Wishing to capitalize on the blunder, the official Rage Twitter account Tweeted at Walmart with some suggestions for how to fix the supposed box art it had posted. Now, you can own that very same box art if you pre-order Rage 2 from Walmart Canada.

Available for PS4 and Xbox One, all pre-orders from Walmart Canada now until release will net you the minimalist, incorrect box art for your copy of Rage 2. It will be a slipcover for the standard case, so you don't need to worry about losing the official art. Sadly, the cover will only be available for Canadian residents, but you will likely be able to ??find a copy on eBay after release??.

Walmart Canada Gaming [Twitter]

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Proper naughty

Bethesda has announced another cheat code that will be available in Rage 2 at launch. If you're not a fan of Tim Kitzrow (YOU SAVAGE!) and would like to add a dash of British charm to the proceedings, why not activate the "Diamond Geezer" cheat? Featuring the voice of Danny Dyer (star on EastEnders and descendant of British royalty), you'll be able to hear lines of "proper naughty" and "look at them fuckin' barnets" as you kill people in Rage's wasteland.

Much like the other cheats announced yesterday, the "Diamond Geezer?" pack will be available in-game as an unlockable. European players may get the opportunity to unlock it sooner with a pre-order bonus, though the trailer doesn't mention that.

RAGE 2 – Diamond Geezer Cheat Code (F??eat. Danny Dyer) [BethesdaSoftworksUK via YouTube]

The post Add a dash of British charm with Rage 2’s ‘Diamond Geezer’ announcer pack appeared first on Destructoid.

Insta-gib sounds incredible

Bethesda has revealed that Rage 2 will contain a bunch of unlockable cheat codes. Purchased with in-game currency, you'll be able to acquire the pre-order "He's On Fire" cheat along with a bunch of modifiers such as insta-gib, an electric bubble shield, and an AI companion. I have to wonder why this stuff wasn't present at my preview event, because it would have made playing the game a lot more ent??ertaining.

If you're wondering about why there was the pre-order trailer yesterday, it turns out grabbing the deluxe edition will grant you immediate access to the various chea?ts. For anyone that opts to go with the standard version, you'll need to work to unlock these. I don't think that's a bad deal, especially since it would give me an actual goal to accomplish in the massive ope?n-world.

Here are the currently announced cheats. Bethesda is teasi?ng more for after launch.

• He's on Fire: NBA Jam announcer Tim Kitzrow will accompany you on your journey, or at least his voice, yelling encouraging things at you. 
• Git Gud: Making things explode in one hit is great. The name of this cheat is not. 
• Son of Thor: Surround yourself in comforting electricity, and kill enemies that get too close.
• Klegg Support: An NPC that you're hired to track down and kill is transformed into a friendly AI who will back you up.
• Phoenix Rejector Seat: The rejector seat just does the opposite of an ejector seat, sending your Phoenix hurtling up into the air and depositing you on the ground. I'm not sure what it achieves but I want to watch it happen.

Rage 2 will let you buy cheats from a wandering wizard [PC Gamer]

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From downtown!

Since yesterday was April Fool's Day, a lot of us glossed over this Rage 2 announcement. Who the hell would think that Tim Kitzrow, famous for being the announcer from NBA Jam and NFL Blitz, would even be included in Rage 2? Well, it turns out the jokes on us: Bethesda really i?s bringing everyone's favorite sports commentator to its latest open-world shooter.

If you pre-order Rage 2 now, you'll receive the "He's On Fire Cheat Code" DLC pack. As mentioned above, this will include commentary by Tim Kitzrow for basically every single action you perform in the game. Seeing as how I found Rage 2 to be incredibly basic during my PAX preview, having some color commentary could liven the experience up quite a ??bit. If nothing else, I w??ould expect every successful sniper shot to be followed by "FROM DOWNTOWN!"

RAGE 2 – He's On Fire Official Trailer [Bethesda Softworks via YouTube]

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Minus Blake Griffin

id Software's Rage was a bit of a mixed bag back when it released nearly a decade ago. Trying its damnedest to comb?ine a bunch of different genres together, it felt nothing like id's back catalog, while lacking a clear identity of its own. Here was a shooter that was trying to be part-RPG, part-racer, part-adventure, and part-classic shooter. It only really nailed one aspect (the shooting), but never let that segment shine. Missions were over before you knew it and it was back to driving around an oddly linear wasteland to pick-up another repetitive quest.

When Bethesda announced Rage 2 last year, it was clear what needed to happen. Either id Software would have to focus on crafting another killer shooter or go full in on the idea of an open-world shooter? in th?e vein of something like Borderlands. Giving the reigns over to Avalanche Software, Rage 2 does end up finding a much better balance of dif?ferent styles, but does little to stand out from the crowd.

For the demo available to PAX attendees, Bethesda was letting p?eople simply roa??m around the world Avalanche has created for his new vision of Rage. There was no real direction or strict limits, you could jump in your car and take off in whatever direction you wa??nted. I figured I would hit a wall somewhere, but I floored the gas and kept going for nearly 10 minutes without stopping. I went deep into some dese??rt and was utterly lost.

I decided to pull up the map and that’s? when a sense of dread swept over me. Maybe as a kid, I would love having a gigantic world to explore, but Rage 2 reminds me of all the insanely large maps tha??t Ubisoft loves to churn out. It also has just about as many icons as ??any Assassin's Creed game, with possibly 100 different items to visit. There are outputs, convoys, hidden locations, caves, and even main missions for you to dig into. It's ridicul??ously overwhelming and just makes me think of how much time I'd be wasting to finish it all.

Seeing all of that, I closed the map and decided to drive to the nearest icon. A convenient on-screen compass shows the closest location of interest, so I hopped back in my car and took off. When I got there, I was greeted by some kind of automated turret that was firing lasers at me. I took out my "smart" rocket launcher and proceeded to fire a bunch of missiles into it. Being a "smart" rocket launcher, I couldn't fire at will but h?ad to wait for every single rocket to lock-on and alert me to it being ready to go. Talk about a momentum killer.

Once I was done with that, I saw a convoy driving by and decided to chase it. I hopped in my car and starting blasting rockets at anything I could lock-on to. When I depleted my ammo, I switched over to a turret and held the fire button until some guys exploded. There were a bunch of dudes on motorcycles following the main convoy that I believe was transporting explosives somewhere. After dealing with them, I had to repeat a process of shooting an exposed core on each segment of the truck before it dismantled the whole thing.

Since that chase sequence took me even farther in another direction, I was lost yet again. I spun around in a circle to see if anything was nearby but noticed the distance approximation said 1,400 meters. Not wanting to travel across all of tarnation, I gave in and picked out a much? nearer location on my map.

When I got there, you could? be mistaken for assuming this little garage was ripped straight from Borderlands. It had a few enemy vehicles and some regular enemies guarding what I thought was going to b?e a nice prize. Not one to run from a fight, I ripped out my assault rifle and proceeded to head-shot everyone without much effort. I'm not sure if aim assist was on, but the current build o?f Rage 2 ?did not have keyboard controls functioning properly. I was forced to use a gamepad, so it felt almost like the game was? helping me a bit.

You also have some magic attacks, or whatever the game calls them (no tutorial was present in the demo) and they could potentially add some flavor to the proceedings. They aren't a wholly original addition to shooters, but you get cool moves like a ground pound and telekinetic tosses. Sadly, I didn't encounter anyone that needed these moves performed on them. I was head-shotting people with an assault rifle while they wer??e tiny dots on my monitor. I didn't see the point in mixing things up when simple bullets were fine enough.

At least the visuals were nice. Being powere??d by the latest version of id Tech, Rage 2 is comparable to both Doom and Wolfenstein 2 in terms of raw technical prowess. ID Tech 6 is being pushed much farther, with gigantic open areas that look almost photorealistic. Bushes ruffle as you drive p??ast, dirt kicks up as you speed across the de?sert, and water splashes as you zip through streams with your foot to the floor.

The only thing that sort of betrays this quality is the actual art style. I'll be the first to ??admit that I like pi??nk, but Rage 2 does not have an aesthetic that mixes with the color. You have these deep, saturated tones and then this obnoxious neon plastered on certain spots which, in my opinion, looks ugly. My only thought is that Bethesda is trying to my Rage 2 look as ou??trageo??us as possible, or it's directly cribbing from Borderlands in an effort to steal Gearbox's thunder.

That could have potentially worked if Gearbox didn't just a?nnounce the long-awaited Borderlands 3. I wouldn't call Rage 2 a "looter shooter" by any means, but it certainly looks the part. The only other thing I can think to compare this to is the litany of Ubisoft open-world titles from recent years. When you?? remind me of Ghost Recon Wildlands, I really don't want to come back for more.

At least Rage 2 isn't shying away from going full hog in a certain direction. Maybe it isn't for me, but you can't fault a game for jumping into a genre that is popular with many gamers. Avalanche has proven it can make titl??es like this, so we'll just need to wait and see what the end result is like. If all else fails, at least we can still throw around that rad ass wingstick.

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Also Doom and two Wolfensteins

There's a recent trend where certain ?high-profiles games don't make their way to Steam. Bethesda has gone out of its?? way to affirm its future lineup won't be a part of that.

Bethesda is bringing a majority of its newest games to Valve's storefront at release. On Twitter, Bethesda confirmed Rage 2, Wolfenstein: Youngblood, Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot, and Doom Eternal will be available on both Be??thesda's launc?her and Steam.

Along with that quartet of upcoming games comes one major already-released title. Bethesda says that Fallout 76 is also on its way to Steam later this year. Fallout 76 originally launched exclusive to Bethesda's store. The move to Steam is likely a way to gain visibility through discount events now that th??e initial wave of full-price launch sales has passed.

This development is particularly interesting because Bethesda had already shunned Steam. Last December, Bethesda announced that Rage 2 wouldn't release on Steam, rather opting to only sell it through its own store and launcher. Something happened that c?hanged Bethesda's attitude.

This is probably the short-term arms race that's destined to play out. As large publishers like Ubisoft declare their allegiance for the Epic Games Store, others like Bet?hesda will announce they're sticking by Steam. The subtext here is that Valve is quite possibly striking deals of its own to keep p??ublishers on its store -- but that's definitely unconfirmed as of now. However, renegotiating revenue splits with the industry's biggest names would be one way to garner this sort of favor. Whatever's happening, we're just getting started.

@bethesda [Twitter]

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It's about time

Survival is the name of the game when it comes to?? the release of video games next year! With so many survival titles coming out next year, it truly will be a contest of which player base will have the best attention span! S??o, while we still have yours, here's the recent happening in video games:

• Post-apocalyptic survival games aren't going anywhere.
• Joker from Persona 5 is coming to Smash!
• Soulja Boy video game consoles are a thing and more!

If the recent announcement of a live-action Sonic the Hedgehog movie and the fact Soulja Boy has his own brand of video game consoles aren't definitive signs w?e're in the darkest timeline, I don't know what else is. Just bring on the apocalypse already because video games certainly already are judging by the upcoming r??elease schedule.

On that note, with how hard Fallout 76 fell flat on its face this year, I am curious how badly it could affect public perception on post-apocalyptic survival games in general -- especially from Bethesda. As cool as the vehicular combat stuff looks in RAGE 2, I couldn't help but notice just how similar the bright aesthetic looks to Ubisoft's Far Cry: New Dawn. It'll be interesting to see what the public pe?rception ends up being on these games.

Discharged question of the week: Do you think the survival genre can sti?ll mix things up enough to be interesting?

The post In this episode of Prega??me Discharge, post-apocalyptic games are forever a?? thing and so are Soulja Boy branded consoles! appeared first on Destructoid.

Time to RAGE about it

Bethesda's upcoming Rage 2 looks to not be launching on Steam. Similar to Fallout 76, the game will first hit Bethesda's own launcher service before making its way to Valve's digital marketplace (if it even does come). Other digital retailers such as Green Man Gaming and Fanatical have warnings that keys purchased through them will not work on Steam and it looks like the retail release will a?lso be the same.

While Fallout 76 hasn't been particularly good for Bethesda, it does make sense that the c?ompany wou?ld be willing to gamble with its biggest releases on a proprietary launcher. With Epic Games also following suit with certain titles, this could finally light a fire under Valve's ass to get Steam into a better place.

At any rate, if you do intend to grab the PC version of Rage 2 and are dedicated to Steam,? just know you'll be in for a wait.

You can only preorder Rage 2 ?;for Bethesda's launcher right now, not Steam [PC Gamer]

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Maddest Max

Bethesda promised us a new Rage 2 trailer for The Game Awards 20??18, and it certainly delivered.

This two-minute trailer is a virtual flyby of what seems to be the entire Rage 2 map. Surprise! There's insane shit happening in all corners of this wasteland! From high-flying cars to crazy mech battles, Rage 2 does its over-the-top Mad Max act at all times.

There's a bit of news to come out of this Game Awards segment, too. Rage 2 is officially set for ?a May 14, 2019 release. Get ??the pink hair dye ready, we've got a party to go to.

The post Rage 2 launche?s on May 14, still looks like insane fun appeared first on Destructoid.

I wonder if Andrew W.K. will show up again...

Honestly, it's been such a chaotic year, in gaming and in general, that I'd forgotten Rage 2 was happening and hadn't actually released yet. Well, looks like publisher Bethesda and set to remind us all with a brand new trailer?, which will debut at The Game Awards tomorrow.

Developed by carnage-lovers id Software and Avalanche Studios, Rage 2 is a post-apocalyptic first-person shooter that will see punky players doing their best Mad Max impersonation whilst decimating all who stand in their way. Set some three decades after the original title, Rage 2 will? offer up an arsenal of crazy weaponry and ?vehicular mayhem with which to put the "waste" in wasteland.

If you wann??a catch the new trailer, then tune in to The Game Awards Thursday, December 6 at 17:30 PT / 20:30 ET. That's Friday morning at a bleary-eyed 02:30 for us Europeans. We will, of course, cover any new and exciting news from the show here at Destructoid.

Rage 2 launches in the first? ?half of 2019 for PS4, PC and Xbox One.

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Experience two different hells

ID Software's RAGE and Doom (2016) will be coming to Xbox Game Pass today. While the announcement says, "Available Now," the Xbox Live servers may not have updated when you go to check. In any regard, ?this is a great way to experience both titles if you're interested in their upcoming sequels.

For my money, I wouldn't really say RAGE is all that necessary. It doesn't look like Bethesda is interested in continuing the story from the first and the game doesn't really do anything all too interesting. It has fun enough combat, but its world design is bloated out for no reason with really ?lackluster sidequests.

Doom, though, is an absolute blast and a great update to the granddaddy of all first-person shooters. It does have a few issues, but it puts gameplay front and center and doesn't inundate you with needless exposition (until the very end). Even if you have no interest in Doom Eternal, check out the firs??t one. It might reve??rse your opinion really quickly.

Major Nelson [Twitter]

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It's Rage 2, my dudes

It's fitting Rage 2's vision of post-apocalyptic life revolves around graffiti and brightly-haired punks who look as though they follow a strict "here for a good time, not for a long time" lifestyle. Everything about it seems punchier than its much-maligned pre??decessor, as though the upcoming first-person? shooter is something closer to a renegade cousin to the id shooter than a formal sequel.

And after spending some hands-on time with it at E3, I think there's merit to that notion. But in revamping the Rage brand, Rage 2's wears its influences like punk rock patches on a shiny ne?w leather jacket.

That isn't to say that Rage 2 lacks its own identity. Before my demo began, I watched a short video detailing some of the game's different environments, factions, and vehicles (Bethesda wasn't demoing any of the car-based gameplay at E3). As expected, they're all equally over the top. Rage 2 doesn't se??em to be a game ?that cares about restraint. It's unhinged, all violent and edgy in the way that, when the bullets start flying, comes together quite nicely.

The short demo started with a brief introduction to Walker, the Texas Ranger that players control throughout the game and his Nanotrite skills. Nanotrites are the basis for Walker's offensive and defensive abilities. They'r?e superpowers, more or less, capable of reducing even the wasteland's toughest inhabitants to putty when used in conjunction with Walker's impressive arsenal of high-powered guns. One's an evasive, omnidirectional dash. Shatter is an explosive push. And lastly, there's Slam, which has Walker leap into the air and land with enough force to wreck anything in his immediate vicinity. 

Armed with an understanding of Walker's Nanotrites and an earnest desire to see just what the hell is going on in Rage 2, I began the demo proper.

There's a lot going on in Rage 2, both visually and mechanically, but it feels like an irradiated mashup made from bits and pieces of Bethesda's recently published titles. It's hellishly fast and full of delightfully violent visual feedback, not unlike Doom. The Nanotrite skills, with their supernatural ability to turn the tide of impossible situations in the player's favor, echo the Outsider's gifts bestowed unto Dishonored characters. Even the way that Walker can approach enemies with stealthy intentions, throw a curled wingstick at an unsuspecting foe and then unleash holy hell on whoever's left standing evokes a certain fluidity similar to Wolfenstein.

But all of those similarities and gameplay parallels meld together once the shooting starts. Rage 2 is fiendishly fast. The demo level weaved from shootout to shootout as I guided Walker through a rundown corporate facility. The wastelanders occupying it aren't exactly unstoppable -- life post-apocalypse undoubtedly toughened everyone up -- but they know how to take a beating. Because of this, it's best to line up headshots, mix in some Nanotrites, and stay mobile at all times. There's an arcade-like simplicity to Rage 2's violence, despite the game's top-tier visual tech. It's a game about shooting people, and that shooting feels exceptional. And to sweeten the deal, Rage 2 does a great job of rewarding dynamic play.

Chaining kills and utilizing Walker's abilities grant a combat multiplier. With enough subsequent kills, Walker can use Overdrive, the perfect summation of Rage 2's frenzied take on the open-world shooter. It's the digital version of PF Flyers, except instead of guaranteeing that players will faster and jump higher, Overdrive makes Walker move a little faster and fight a hell of a lot harder. With Overdrive, Rage 2's gam??eplay loop becomes something like a constant return on investment: the more you kill, the more you can use Overdrive, and the longer you're in Overdrive, th??e easier it is to push forward.

It's not uncommon for a first-person shooter to feel both violent and graceful. Rage 2 isn't clumsy, but it's far from elegant. It's more bucking bronco -- all raw energy and power -- that uses violence as an exclamation mark rather than a period. Walker's shotgun launches enemies into the air and melee attacks land with a sickening crunch. The Slam Nanotrite feels as powerful as it looks and the wingstick i??s the perfect compliment to an offensive arsenal. Walker's not overpowered -- I had to duck and heal during a few fights -- but everything about the way the game is designed seems to try and trick you into thinking that you are. 

All told, I finished the demo in under thirty minutes. In that half hour, I mowed through hundreds of enemies, threw more grenades I usually do in an entire game, and smiled every time I saw my combat multiplier go up. If Rage 2 manages to balance vehicular combat, shooting galleries, and a decent world to explore, it's destined ??to be a hit. If not, well, at least it's fun to shotgun some bandits in the face.

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You're lone wolf-ing this one, kid

Speaking at an event at their Stockholm studio this week, Avalanche's Magnus Nedford, designer of punk-rock shooter Rage 2, revealed that t??????????????????????????he upcoming sequel will not feature multiplayer.

"We're just focused on the best open world single player game that we can make," said Nedford in a statement to Eurogamer. "I personally really believe you can make single player games really? fantastic, so that's what we're focused on".

The news comes as a surprise given the co-op and competitive multiplayer of the previous game, as well as Rage's 2's loud marketing, which is filled with colourful characters and a nihilistic "party" atmosphere. I'm all for single-player experiences, given that I have no friends, but when I saw the initial trailers, I honestly thought that multiplayer would actually be the main focus of the bombastic title.

Rage 2 is headed to PS4, PC and Xbox One in Spring 2019. Our own Ray Porreca, the scamp, got some hands-on time with the game at E3, so look forward to his preview in a few short hours!

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Game included, and I can't believe I have to clarify that

Mentioned during last night's E3 press conference, Bethesda have released more details on the special editions of their dystopian punk-rock shooter, Rage 2.

First up is the Deluxe Edition, which simply includes the game along with, say it all with me, a shit-ton of DLC. This includes Nicholas Rain's armour and pistol, the Mutant Monster Truck skin, an exclusive mission; Cult of the Death God, a battle standard and the classic BFG from iconic shooter DOOM. You also get a "Progress Booster".

The Collector's Edition, which costs around $120, is a boxset containing the game and all of the above?? mentioned DLC, minus th??e Progress Booster. In terms of physical jive you will also get a steelbook casing and a poster. The apparent centrepiece of this affair is a mountable head of mutant Ruckus the Crusher, which can "talk and sing for hours". I can't even imagine.

Both editions are available to pre-order at participating outlets now, ahead of the game's release. Rage 2 is currently sched??uled?? for launch in Spring 2019, on PS4, Xbox One and PC.

The post The Rage 2 Collector’s Edition includes a weird talking head appeared first on Destructoid.

LOUD NOISES

[Update: The official trailer can be found below.]

Late yesterday, Youtube videos started pre-rolling with a 15-second preview for one of the gaming industry's worst kept secrets, Rage 2. The pre-roll video has since been removed from YouTube's advertisement slot, as well as being sharply taken d??own from any public accounts that are re-uploading the chaotic clip.

However, none of us will have to wait much longer to see the full trailer, as the Rage twitter account dropped a hint that the preview will be making its official debut?? today. I guess these video adverts just ?jumped the gun a little early.

Assuming that it hasn't been nuked by the time you read this, you can check out the pre-roll at this link. Be warned, backed by the incomparable Andrew W.K. the video is real loud from the split-sec?ond you hit play, so limit that volume control if you're wearing headphones, or in a work environment.

The post (Update) Rage 2 trailer leaked, removed, will officially ret??urn toda?y appeared first on Destructoid.

Say you want this

There's currently a lot of buzz surrounding Bethesda's Rage because it sure seems like a new gam??e is going to be announced next Monday. The Smart Money is on a sequel or some narrative that ma?kes use of the same post-apocalyptic setting. I am here to tell you about the Dumb Money, which also doubles as the "Holy Shit, That'd Be An Amazing Callback And It Won't Make Them Any Money" Money.

Episode 7 of Season 4 of Breaking Bad opened with Jesse playing a version of Rage that never really existed. He stood in his partied-in house and gunned down mutants with a light gun. Jesse was going through some heavy stuff at the time. This meth empire raked in a lot of cash, but it also unleashed a lot of evil into the world. Playing Rage -- simulating ??killing that took place soon after some real-world killing -- was more t??orturous than cathartic.

In all actuality, this scene served two purposes. It put a fake gun in Jesse's hand to really drive home how he couldn't find any form of escapism from his demons. Playing the game with a standard controller would not have had the same impact. And, it put Rage in front of a mainstream television-watching audience five weeks before it released -??- even if it wasn't all that representative of the game.

It's time to rewrite history. Release that on-rails version of Rage that currently only exists in the Breaking Bad universe. All major platforms have the means to facilitate that control scheme. PC and Xbox have Kinect, PlayStation has Move, and the Switch has its Joy-Con. That's before considering all the VR platforms ??that could easily make this a reality.

There's a gap in the Rage canon that needs filled in. Bethesda could make this happen. This needs to be priority A1. So, ya ??know, make it happen.

Alternatively, I'll settle for a similarly-fake slice of the Rage sequel making a cameo during Better Call Saul.

The post This new Rage b??etter be the weird fake ligh??t gun version from Breaking Bad appeared first on Destructoid.

5:14

Well, it seems like this is really happening. On the heels of Walmart Canada accidentally outing a Rage sequel yesterday (along with a bunch of other games), the Rage Twitter account came back to life just to poke fun at the mega-retailer. It was a ridiculous goof that maybe slightly lent a little credence to the veracity of the leak. Bethesda's antics today almost definitely confirm some soon-coming Rage news.

Betheda posted this to Twitter this afternoon:

pic.twitter.com/OZg34srDmc

— Bethesda (@bethesda) May 10, 2018

It's a picture of Big Ben set to 5:14. Assuming for our purposes that the time equates to a date, that gives us May 14 -- next Monday. Further, the neon pink that highlights the clockface is the same? color Bethesda used in yesterday's Walm?art spoof.

We're left with a few questions. The big and obvious one -- What does Bethesda have planned for this Rage? Is it a sequel? Also, is this pink actually an unexpected part of the aesthetic? Is the London reference a nod to the setting? The answers (??probably) aren't far away.

[Update: Bethesda also tweeted this one minute before our post went live -- at 5:14pm Eastern time. Something's up, and it's not just? that rocket.]

pic.twitter.com/PC6fBW5BNO

— Bethesda (@bethesda) May 10, 2018

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