SpawnPoint - Where Game Begins

The Sound and Art of RAGE

Post-Apocalyptic games have been a trend lately. It’s gotten to the point where it turns me off as a general setting, but despite barren wastelands tasting kind of bland, RAGE actually looks like it has a lot of flavor.

Bethesda and id Software recently released a new trailer for RAGE, showcasing the games sound and art. I’ve watched this game throughout development and it has come a long way. In all honesty, I didn’t give the game much thought when it first came of notice. I thought,

 “Hmm…Borderlands…Fallout 3…real authentic.”

But looking at the game in its current stage of development, I must say, there really looks to be some potential here. My reconsiderations have a lot to do with the artistic effort that has been put into RAGE.

As you can see the graphics are really shaping up nicely, and I don’t just mean polygonal counts, although I’m sure that’s sufficient. RAGE really has some interesting environments that look unique. When I think barren wasteland, I expect a serious lack of detail, but that isn’t the case with RAGE at all. The environments are littered with detail and personality. This is a huge testament to the artists involved with this game.

I find it really interesting how the artists can literally paint on the polygonal level within the actual game world. This opens up a realm of possibilities with just how unique you can make a world within a game now that the textural limitations have been removed.     

One of the most important aspects of any game or movie for me is sound. When I think about the games that really resonated beyond my initial play-through with them, they all involve either good soundtracks or sound effects. With that said, RAGE’s weapons sound fantastic. I am very picky about the way a gun sounds in game; it can really make or break the level of immersion. The shotgun in RAGE particularly sounds natural, and it’s just one of those small things that win me over.

Probably the most shocking thing about RAGE that I’ve come to learn is that John Goodman is in the game. As the voice of Dan Hagar, a protective character who is trying to keep his settlement safe, John Goodman provides that deep, warm, fatherly voice that fits the character ideally.    

So against all odds, I’m actually really excited for this game. I’m a bit tired of the setting, but if this trailer is any testament to the work that was put into developing RAGE, then I’m confident it will be worth experiencing. Id’s new Tech 5 engine is simply incredible, and I believe it will really open a lot of doors for what’s possible in game design. What’s interesting to note is at the end of the video it’s stated,

“When do I stop? When is it good enough that it achieves the goal?”

With the ability to edit landscapes with hand at the polygonal level, how do you know when you’re finished? I’m happy to live in the generation I do, and to be a gamer for reasons like this. As technology progresses we move further and further into a direction with less restraints on what we can create artistically. I look at RAGE, and despite how this game inevitably turns out, I see the foreshadowing of great things to come in gaming.