Games

With a legacy that includes Doom, Quake and various sequels to both, it’s hardly surprising that any new game from developer id Software carries an incredible weight of expectation.

Set in a post-apocalyptic future, Rage comes across as a slightly uncomfortable mix of id’s own first-person shooters, publisher Bethesda’s Fallout 3 and the Twisted Metal driving games. Like Bethesda’s futuristic RPG, Rage takes place in a desolate world of ruined cities, barren landscapes and Western-influenced townships built out of scrap. It’s a compelling, if slightly familiar world, and one that looks absolutely mind-blowing thanks to id’s incredible graphics engine. And the accompanying surround mix is no slouch either. It keeps you on your toes with eerie effects as you explore a seemingly deserted location, before exploding into life as mutants attack.

But while the first-person shooter sections feel reasonably weighty and look beautiful, they fail to do anything new to the genre. And the driving sections are surprisingly simplistic and uninvolving – which is a real shame as they are the only way to get around the game world, and the entire focus of id’s multiplayer ambitions for the title. Disappointing.

Xbox 360/PS3/PC, Bethesda, £50 approx, On sale now 
HCC VERDICT: 3/5