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RAGE 2

Impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.
RAGE 2 Game Cover
66%Game Brain Score
gameplay, graphics
story, stability
65% User Score Based on 7,866 reviews
Critic Score 67%Based on 10 reviews

Platforms

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RAGE 2 Game Cover

About

RAGE 2 is a single player open world role playing shooter game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by id Software and was released on May 13, 2019. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

In the open-world shooter RAGE 2, players navigate a post-apocalyptic wasteland as a ranger with advanced technology, battling against various factions and mutants. The Deluxe Edition includes the base game, a expansion with a new location, enemies, and weapon, as well as additional cosmetic and gameplay bonuses. The TerrorMania expansion, available now, challenges players to reverse a curse and defeat skeletal enemies in an alternate reality of the wasteland.

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65%
Audience ScoreBased on 7,866 reviews
gameplay731 positive mentions
story744 negative mentions

  • The gunplay is fast-paced, satisfying, and reminiscent of DOOM, making combat enjoyable.
  • The game features a vibrant open world with diverse environments and plenty of activities to engage in.
  • The abilities and upgrades add depth to gameplay, allowing for creative combat strategies.
  • The story is weak and forgettable, lacking depth and engaging characters.
  • The game is plagued by bugs and crashes, including a game-breaking bug that can prevent players from completing the main quest.
  • Driving mechanics are clunky and unresponsive, detracting from the overall experience.
  • story
    5,594 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story in "Rage 2" has been widely criticized for being short, generic, and lacking depth, with many players noting that it consists of only a handful of missions that can be completed quickly. While some appreciate the game's focus on fast-paced combat and exploration over narrative, the overall consensus is that the story fails to engage players, often feeling like an afterthought amidst the action. Additionally, numerous bugs, particularly one that prevents players from completing the final mission, have further marred the experience, leading to frustration among those seeking a cohesive narrative.

    • “The story picks up years after the events of the first game, in a post-apocalyptic world where civilization is slowly rebuilding after an asteroid disaster.”
    • “The central plot revolves around dismantling the authority’s plans for domination and rallying the fractured remnants of the world’s factions.”
    • “The story is short but engaging enough to keep you moving through the zones finishing the missions and collecting everything you could.”
    • “The biggest negative point is easily the laughably short story.”
    • “With only 8 missions, bad writing, and uninteresting one-note characters, this was a real disappointment.”
    • “The story is pretty bland and forgettable, but the gameplay is solid and a lot of fun.”
  • gameplay
    1,831 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay in Rage 2 is widely praised for its fast-paced, satisfying gun mechanics reminiscent of Doom, combined with chaotic, over-the-top action and a variety of abilities that encourage aggressive play. However, many players note that the open-world design feels repetitive and lacks depth, with driving mechanics that are often criticized as clunky and unrefined. Overall, while the core gameplay loop is engaging and fun, the surrounding elements, such as the story and world design, leave much to be desired.

    • “Everything regarding gameplay is amazing, smooth and addicting, and it's clear this was the main focus from the devs.”
    • “The gameplay is great as the guns feel satisfying to shoot and the powers make the action even more fun.”
    • “Its core gameplay loop—move fast, kill creatively, and blow things up with style—is inherently fun, and it offers a kind of mechanical joy that few shooters can match.”
    • “Even for a $3 open world game, it's simply so goddamn boring. Needing to pad time to give you a tutorial on the concept of a shotgun is such a bad sign. You walk into a room, blow all your abilities, and that's it. The gameplay is at odds with open world money-grubbing consumables and ammo pools while you get endless armored hitscanners thrown at you. The toughest enemies in the game are only tough because they can't be one-shot by abilities, while the regular mob groups are way more dangerous.”
    • “The gameplay amounts to open world bubble wrap popping but with nu-doom feeling combat, which if everything else was up to par, I would've enjoyed, but everything else is just so frigging bad.”
    • “The driving mechanics are improved a bit, but still every single vehicle handles really badly and seems incapable of taking sharp turns.”
  • graphics
    1,078 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics in Rage 2 have received a largely positive reception, with many players praising the vibrant and colorful aesthetic that sets it apart from traditional post-apocalyptic games. The visuals are described as stunning, with detailed environments and impressive effects, although some users noted occasional graphical glitches and performance issues. Overall, the game's graphics are considered one of its standout features, contributing to an immersive and visually engaging experience.

    • “The graphics are stunningly gorgeous and the gunplay is fast, addictive, and satisfying.”
    • “The world is awash with neon, graffiti, and bold colors that contrast beautifully with the barren wasteland, creating a unique aesthetic that sets the game apart from traditional post-apocalyptic shooters.”
    • “The game's incredible graphics, combined with its rock-solid optimization, deliver a truly breathtaking visual experience.”
    • “Despite being a six-year-old game at the time of this review, I encountered several graphical glitches that persist even after extensive troubleshooting.”
    • “The visuals are completely rubbish – it looks mediocre at best, with bland textures and a real lack of detail anywhere.”
    • “The graphics are very disappointing and I expected more in this modern age of games.”
  • stability
    392 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The stability of the game has been widely criticized, with numerous players reporting game-breaking bugs, frequent crashes, and various graphical glitches that significantly detract from the overall experience. While some users noted that the game runs smoothly at times, many others experienced frustrating issues such as freezing during key moments, invisible NPCs, and audio problems. Overall, the consensus is that the game is plagued by instability, making it difficult to recommend without significant patches to address these ongoing issues.

    • “It runs so smooth on my PC, high framerates, max settings, no glitches, bugs, or technical issues from my experience.”
    • “The game runs great on my GTX 1080 on ultra and a 32 inch HDR monitor.”
    • “As for performance, it runs great; Vulkan is smooth as butter as you'd expect.”
    • “The game is a buggy mess!”
    • “It's buggy - save your games often, especially before you conclude the last of the 3 main quests.”
    • “The steam version is still bugged to hell even after all these years, texture glitches, distant locations stretched like crazy, and enemies spawning right on top of you when you're driving.”
  • optimization
    278 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players praising its solid performance and graphical fidelity, particularly on mid-range PCs, while others report significant issues such as stuttering, crashes, and poor performance on lower-end systems. Some users noted that the game runs smoothly at high settings, but others experienced frustrating performance drops and bugs that detracted from the overall experience. Overall, while there are commendable aspects of optimization, many players feel that further improvements are needed to address the inconsistencies and technical issues.

    • “On PC, the game’s fluid performance, enhanced visuals, and detailed environments amplify the thrill, making it one of the most chaotic and enjoyable action games in recent memory.”
    • “The game's incredible graphics, combined with its rock-solid optimization, deliver a truly breathtaking visual experience.”
    • “Very well optimized; you don't need a NASA computer to run it at top specs.”
    • “What has become more frustrating with time are the bugs and performance issues.”
    • “The other big problem with this game is it feels unoptimized to death.”
    • “The optimization is bad and the game is boring.”
  • music
    246 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its energetic blend of electronic and rock elements that enhance the fast-paced gameplay, while others find it forgettable or lacking in variety. Many note that the soundtrack effectively complements combat but fails to leave a lasting impression outside of gameplay moments. Additionally, issues with music timing and glitches detract from the overall experience, leading to a consensus that while the music can be enjoyable, it often doesn't reach the memorable heights of similar titles like Doom.

    • “The energetic soundtrack blends electronic and rock elements, perfectly complementing the fast-paced chaos and adding to the adrenaline-fueled atmosphere.”
    • “The soundtrack, gameplay, graphics, and optimization for now are the only selling points for this game.”
    • “The music is fantastic, the enemies are varied, kills are satisfying.”
    • “Lastly, the soundtrack was forgettable. This is a big downside for me, as I have played just too many similar games where the banger soundtrack elevated everything by a lot.”
    • “The soundtrack leans into electronic and industrial tones, effectively complementing the frenetic pace of combat, though it isn’t particularly memorable outside of gameplay.”
    • “However, it felt like the soundtrack was almost not present within the game - there were some neat tracks sprinkled throughout, but overall, silence throughout most of the game.”
  • grinding
    197 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The grinding aspect of the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many players finding it tedious and repetitive. Reviewers frequently mention that the game requires excessive grinding to unlock story missions and upgrades, leading to a frustrating experience filled with mindless tasks and a lack of engaging content. While some players appreciate the combat mechanics, they feel that the overall gameplay loop is marred by the need to grind through monotonous activities, making the game feel unnecessarily stretched and dull.

    • “Pacing is good; you're upgrading yourself all the time and it's not grindy.”
    • “Things to collect but it's not too tedious.”
    • “A shallow game but fun and not too grindy.”
    • “The campaign is barely able to keep itself relevant and story missions are usually very boring and tedious.”
    • “Story missions that should progress naturally instead require grinding through repetitive side activities just to unlock them.”
    • “This game would've been great if it was more focused like Wolfenstein or Doom, but instead is filled with mediocre and tedious things to do to pad out the time you'll get out of it.”
  • humor
    195 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is highly polarizing, with many players finding it forced, cringe-worthy, and lacking the charm of similar titles like Borderlands. While some appreciate the absurdity and occasional funny moments, such as NPC behaviors and unexpected glitches, others criticize the writing as generic and unfunny, leading to a sense of frustration rather than amusement. Overall, the attempts at humor often miss the mark, resulting in a mixed reception that highlights the game's struggle to balance comedic elements with engaging gameplay.

    • “It's absurd, hilarious, doesn't take itself too seriously, and a technical masterpiece.”
    • “The characters/NPCs are hilarious, unique, and straight-up weird; it's fantastic!”
    • “The humor, the shooting, the exploring, the wasteland.”
    • “The necrodisc is boring and unfunny with the Evil Dead reference that goes nowhere.”
    • “The voice acting is cheesy and cringey as the game tries hard to be funny and cool and pretty much fails 100% of the time.”
    • “The story is as barebones as it is miniscule: loss of mentor-figure/acquisition of allies/getting revenge is squeezed into not even 10 missions, plus a bugged bonus DLC mission with character progression that is frankly laughable and makes the game an unfunny chore to play in the early stages.”
  • monetization
    151 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization strategy in this game has drawn significant criticism, particularly for its inclusion of microtransactions in a full-priced single-player title. Players express frustration over the presence of ads, the necessity to purchase in-game currency for DLC, and the overall perception of a cash grab, with many feeling that the cosmetic items offered do not justify the additional costs. While some reviews note that microtransactions are not overly intrusive, the general sentiment is that they detract from the gaming experience and reflect poorly on the developers' intentions.

    • “Controller input was flawless, and while there are microtransactions, they’re extremely unintrusive.”
    • “The microtransactions are not intrusive and are purely cosmetic.”
    • “Most negatives are about microtransactions cosmetics for guns but literally all of them are available to get without paying real money.”
    • “The tacked-on in-game purchases for cosmetics is an insulting gimmick to beg you for more money in a game without any co-op or multiplayer to show them off.”
    • “The monetization is scummy: to buy the DLC, you'll have to buy a virtual currency for an in-game store.”
    • “It's a pretty decent game, but Bethesda's bait-and-switch monetization and absurd microtransactions leave a sour taste in your mouth.”
  • atmosphere
    95 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere in Rage 2 is described as vibrant and colorful, with impressive graphics and an energetic soundtrack that enhances the chaotic gameplay. However, many reviewers feel it lacks the darker, more immersive tone of the original Rage, resulting in a more shallow experience despite its visual appeal. While some appreciate the game's unique environments and post-apocalyptic setting, others lament the loss of the original's atmospheric depth and engaging storytelling.

    • “The energetic soundtrack blends electronic and rock elements, perfectly complementing the fast-paced chaos and adding to the adrenaline-fueled atmosphere.”
    • “The atmosphere is stunning, especially at night time around the settlements and camps, with bright vivid colors and the flare of the lights. I think the graphics are really quite stunning, though sometimes things do seem a little hazy.”
    • “The towns and regions are oozing atmosphere.”
    • “Rage 2 destroys the tone the first game set up and has no atmosphere at all.”
    • “Simply put, they very obviously decided it wasn't worth it and thought 'oh the action's good and that's all that matters', so what you get is a shallow story and barebones atmosphere, NPCs walking around repeating the same lines as each other and broken animations.”
    • “There's no eerie places like the dead city in Rage 1 with deep atmosphere, and thus exploration is not nearly as exciting as it could be.”
  • replayability
    56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag, with many players noting that while there are some enjoyable elements and challenges, the core experience feels limited after the initial playthrough. Some users appreciate the addition of DLCs and new game modes that enhance replay value, while others criticize the linear story and lack of meaningful content to encourage multiple playthroughs. Ultimately, it seems that the game may appeal to completionists and those seeking a challenge, but many feel it lacks substantial replayability.

    • “Ridiculously replayable!”
    • “Classic shooter with plenty of replay value.”
    • “Fun game, a lot of replayability and things to do in the wasteland even after you beat the game.”
    • “Unfortunately, not very replayable once you complete everything (unless you like playing literally the same thing again).”
    • “The game has no true replay value and it's just so short that it's sad.”
    • “100% the game in the amount of time I have played in it, 0 replay value.”
  • emotional
    52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the emotional aspect of the game is widely criticized, with many reviewers noting a lack of depth and connection to the characters and storyline. Players feel that the narrative is boring and poorly executed, leading to a disconnection from any supposed emotional moments, as characters are introduced only to be quickly discarded without impact. Despite enjoyable gameplay mechanics, the absence of a compelling story and emotional engagement significantly detracts from the overall experience.

    • “It isn't as emotional as Fallout 3, but it is 10 times the shooter that game was.”
    • “The scenic mix of futuristic and natural landscape views has me spacing out on the emotional high of it all as if I stepped into a heavy metal magazine with all its idyllic beauty ravished by all-devouring psychotic violence.”
    • “And truly, the story was absolutely worthless, and the ending of the game has no emotional weight to it whatsoever.”
    • “I cannot really overstate just how bad the writing is with annoying characters, a boring story, and a lot of really unsatisfying moments.”
    • “Rage 2 has a fantastic gameplay loop, but seemingly does everything in its power to limit the amount of fun you can have with a boring story and pointless sandbox.”
    • “Ridiculously short and boring story, an empty open world and poor performance with multiple crashes on my end.”
  • character development
    38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game has been widely criticized for being shallow and lacking depth, with many reviewers noting the absence of meaningful backstories or character arcs. While some praise the character design as visually interesting, it often fails to compensate for the overall lack of engaging narrative and personality among NPCs. Overall, players seeking a rich story or character growth may find this aspect severely lacking.

    • “Outstanding game engine, open world, incredible detail, beautiful graphics, state of the art, top-notch character design and animation, zero compromise on visuals, great gameplay, with the legendary id software behind it.”
    • “Absolutely beautiful and unexpectedly diverse world, in terms of character design, as well as environment design.”
    • “What is the main difference between classic story-driven FPS and the Rage series, Rage 2 more than ever, is the strong presence of roleplaying and character development that from early on have a strong impact on the possibilities or at the very least, how you undertake the challenges set before you.”
    • “The character development is shallow and some complained about that.”
    • “There's no character development, no plot twists, no backstories, no learning a mystery after rescuing someone.”
    • “The most underwhelming story, character development, and dialogue that I've seen in a while.”
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18h Median play time
19h Average play time
11h Main story
32h Completionist
8-30h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 125 analyzed playthroughs
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RAGE 2 is a open world role playing shooter game with science fiction theme.

RAGE 2 is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows and others.

The main story can be completed in around 11 hours, while the entire game is estimated to take about 32 hours to finish. On average players spend around 19 hours playing RAGE 2.

RAGE 2 was released on May 13, 2019.

RAGE 2 was developed by id Software.

RAGE 2 has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its story.

RAGE 2 is a single player game.

Similar games include Rage, Agents of Mayhem, Wolfenstein: Youngblood, Mafia III, Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 and others.