RAGE is a pseudo looter-shooter that tries to do many things, but unfortunately falls short on most fronts. It's also weighed down by half-baked mechanics, repetitive gameplay, and mediocre writing. However, underneath its numerous flaws, and identity crisis lies a very solid FPS well worth a playthrough. Moreover, the thing about this game is that many of its issues work in its favor, such as its dull aesthetics, which serve to reinforce the gritty and post-apocalyptic feel of the world, the claustrophobic dungeons, which work in pairs with the machete-wielding maniacs constantly charging at you, and the short and concise writing, which doesn't get in the way of the gameplay. Ok, the last one is pushing it, but I'm a bit biased, as I'd rather kill people, than to romance them.
Jokes aside, the game has quite a few positives, and not just incidental ones. The gunplay is by far its best feature, being fast-paced and engaging, and featuring few but satisfying weapons, with different ammo types for each situation (although admittedly some of them are gimmicky). Enemies are reactive, and are actually quite competent, as some of the humanoid NPCs use cover strategically and then bumrush you, only to run back to their friends as they take damage; likewise, some of the more 'feral' ones use the environment by climbing the walls and ceiling in order to overwhelm you. The game also features a basic gore system, and they also react in various ways after being shot at by, for instance, kneeling if they've taken enough damage, or limping instead of running if their legs are hurt, and so on.
On top of that, there are numerous constructs and tools you can craft to aid you in combat, such as EMP grenades, turrets, mechanical spiders armed with machine guns, and so on.
Even outside of shooting and looting, the game offers other activities, some basic like dice, others more intricate like a card game that lets you look for/buy cards and then use them to battle NPCs. Although, the one you'll definitely want to play is racing, which is the main way to gain the special currency required to upgrade your vehicle. Or, you can explore the town hubs, and talk to the people, who are surprisingly charismatic, and sometimes offer you quests.
Now, to elaborate on some of the aforementioned issues: For starters, most of the things not immediately related to shooting enemies are quite barebones, like the crafting system. Actually, the game in general is very basic at its core and, as a result, can become quite repetitive, especially considering it peaks relatively early and the gameplay loop barely evolves past the first hour or so, and the writing is barely an incentive to keep going (and if it is for you, prepare to be disappointed).
There is also very little actual playable space in this game. The "open-world" really only serves to connect the towns and dungeons, and there is almost nothing to do when driving from point A to B. Interior cells aren't better off, either - the vast majority of doors are inaccessible, and while some of the dungeons are seemingly huge, they're extremely linear, and most of the time you might as well be walking in a straight line. Invisible walls are a staple in most videogames, but in this case, it's literally all around you, everywhere, all the time, to the point where it hurts the gameplay. The game encourages you to explore in order to find loot, but only when it lets you.
Anyway, some other issues I can think of are: spongey enemies, clunky inventory, no map (!!!), fixed camera while driving, muddy textures/somewhat constant pop-ins, and weird soundtrack choices (as in, the melodies are okay, just not how they're used). None of these really spoiled the experience to me, and I actually quite enjoyed it. Buy it on sale.
