When the creator of the First Person Shooter gets to work building a new First Person Shooter you’ve got to sit up and pay attention and after a number of years in development and even a switch of publishers, it looks like we are finally about ready to see Rage from id software, but has the wait been worth it?

We went behind closed doors to have a play with Rage to see what the game has in store. Read on to see how we got on.

Name

Rage

What platform is it on?

PS3, Xbox 360, PC

When's it due out?

16 September 2011

What other game is it like?

Any other First Person Shooter

Does it use any new tech like 3D, PlayStation Move, or Kinect for Xbox 360?

Nope

The pitch

RAGE, the highly anticipated first-person shooter from legendary developer id Software, will hit retail shelves across North America on September 13th and throughout Europe on September 16th. The game has already won numerous awards at E3 2010, including ‘Best Overall Game of Show’ from IGN and three ‘Best of E3’ Game Critics Awards  including ‘Best Console Game’. RAGE features intense first-person shooter action, breakneck vehicle combat, an expansive world to explore and jaw-dropping graphics powered by id’s revolutionary id Tech 5 technology.

The storyline

Set in the future an asteroid has struck Earth and the few pockets of survivors are forced to begin a new civilization. There are mutants, an elite army and bandits amongst others to contend with this in new Mad Max like world.

Trailers, demoes, and video

Our first impressions

Rather than throw us in to the game proper, Bethesda Softworks, the publishers of the game, and id software, the developers of the game instead allowed us to play a number of teaser levels to show us what to expect.

The invite only access was free reigning in time – we spent just shy of an hour with the game in the end, however it’s clear that we didn’t even get beyond the tip of the iceberg here.

e3 quick play rage image 14

Lets start at the beginning shall we? It’s fair to say that the wait looks to be worthwhile. The graphics, thanks to the id 5 tech engine are stunning with plenty of detail be it interiors or the dusty roads and racetracks you’ll find yourself on.

We played a number of demo levels including Bash TV, Dead City, and RC Bomb to namedrop a few and all are intricate in their design and their offering.

Bash TV for example is allow about circus style imagery and close quarters, while Dead City sees you working through a deserted city taking on mutants, bandits, and the over riding enemy of the game The Authority.

But it’s not just the graphics that will impress. The gameplay too is fluid, easy to master, and yet challenging enough to offer well a challenge.

The Authority are the hardest to kill with their military background shinning through in the way they move and attack. Mutants are a bit dim-witted but still come at you with pace and determination.

e3 quick play rage image 12

But that would imply that it’s just another guns blazing snorefest with shotguns and BFGs.The reality is that Rage is anything but with some levels that involving racing, and others that involve genuine puzzle solving to get through them.

Take Bash TV for example. Played out like a “Horde” level where the enemy just keeps on coming you’ve got to do your best to survive as long as you can. Do so and you get good rating, get good ratings and you’ll get sponsorship, which in turn gives you more money to spend on upgrading.

RC Bomb as the name suggests saw us controlling remote controlled cars that had bombs attached on them. The level was designed to only allow the cars to go into certain areas, and you’ve got to use that to progress through the level.

There’s not a shotgun in sight.

With big levels, fantastic graphics and what appears to be the gameplay to match, you should be in for a treat come September when this comes out.

The only thing you’re going to worry about is whether you can buy this and Gears of War 3 on the Xbox 360 which is out the week later.

Please note

The E3 games convention is a fantastic chance to see the latest games due out over the coming year, as well as, letting us get a glimpse into what is going to be the big titles and the ones to avoid like the plague.

The big problem however is that for most of the titles that glimpse is, well, just that. At the show you'll get to play a level here or a multiplayer map there or even have a product manager walk you through a specific level.

So with that in mind we present you with our Quick Play.

What we've done is broken down the key facts you need to know and then given you our first impressions based on around 15 minutes of gaming. For us that 15 minutes isn't enough to do a First Look review or even a review. How can you rate a game that offers over 30 hours of gaming on just 15 minutes of play? However it should hopefully give you an idea, a feeling, a notion, of what to expect come launch day.