Parents' Guide to

Rage

By Marc Saltzman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Ambitious but violent action game suitable only for adults.

Game PlayStation 3 , Windows , Xbox 360 2011
Rage Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

  • Rage Game: Screenshot #1
  • Rage Game: Screenshot #2
  • Rage Game: Screenshot #3

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 11 parent reviews

mockkk
mockkk Adult
February 2, 2022
age 15+

pretty funky with a fresh taste of glob

Pretty good gore. Lots of profanity also, but the combat made me forget about the dialogue there. But it is pretty funky, with a fresh taste of glob, As in gore.

This title has:

Great role models
Easy to play/use
Brennan P.
Brennan P. Adult
August 25, 2016
age 16+

Great story but terribly violent

I will give you the cons and pros. Pros. Beutiful graphics, great story, great charictors, open world, and racing. Cons. The fights are groosum and very long, the language is very bad, and you can not open different places with out doing mission and the majorty of them are just killing raiders. I got rid of it because of the violence and language. If you are looking for more of a game with an actual open world platform and is post apocalyptic try fallout 4 or new vegas. There is a scene with a guy dead with knifes all up him, there are decapatations, and body parts fly of body's when a person or mutant is blown up.

This title has:

Great role models
Easy to play/use
Too much violence
Too much swearing
See all 11 parent reviews

What’s It About?

Legendary game development studio id Software, the company responsible for Wolfenstein, Doom and Quake, is back with its most ambitious offering to date: RAGE. A cinematic opening sequence introduces the premise: In the near future, an asteroid pummels the planet and forces humankind to start all over again. In a desperate attempt to preserve the human race, you are one of a few important people cryogenically frozen to help rebuild earth after the fallout. Problem is, the "Ark" facility malfunctioned and you're the only survivor. You must band together with survivors of the impact in this post-apocalyptic world and become a key player in keeping the bandits and mutants at bay.

Unlike id Software's past games -- straightforward first-person shooters -- RAGE folds many other genres into the mix, such as racing (you'll acquire and upgrade dune buggies to navigate the desert Wasteland) and role-playing elements, which include an inventory system, weapon upgrades, stores where you can buy and sell items, and plenty of side jobs. Exploration is also encouraged, with many collectibles to find. Combat plays the most significant role, however. Players will wield many powerful weapons, ranging from guns, grenades, and crossbows to boomerang-like "wingsticks" and RC bomb cars that can detonate nearby enemies. You can also use stationary sentry turrets and crawling sentry bots that automatically fire at nearby baddies.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (11 ):
Kids say (12 ):

Id's latest game fares very well, delivering a huge, exhilarating and gratifying adventure. That said, a few technical glitches and missing multiplayer modes prevent it from being a perfect pick. Along with the engaging, sometimes addictive solo campaign, Rage also houses many multiplayer options, including cooperative (co-op) and competitive game modes. This includes many vehicle-based games to play with friends online, such as the capture-the-flag-like "Meteor Rally," where you'll collect fallen meteors and drive them to capture zones to score. But many shooter fans may be disappointed to learn there's no deathmatch or team deathmatch options for traditional kill-or-be-killed, on-foot action.

Visually, the game looks phenomenal, with high-definition characters and expansive towns and desert patches; but this huge and near photorealistic world comes at a price: frequent and long load times. There are random graphical oddities, too. We saw a helmet that appeared to be floating off the ground after it was shot off an enemy's head. And why do fallen weapons disappear after two seconds when enemies stay on the ground? It doesn't make sense to spend so much effort to create a realistic world with incredible graphics when these little things break the immersion. Overall, however, Rage is an extraordinary adventure that surely won't disappoint demanding gamers. Given id Software's reputation and how long it took to release, there's a lot riding on this game. However, the developers have managed to pull it off with style, speed, and intensity.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the lack of decisions and consequences in this game. Should the player have a choice regarding whether or not to kill a group of bandits or mutants they've never met? How does your avatar know the survivors who helped him out of the Ark are the "good guys" and not the others?

  • Families can also discuss the impact of violence when playing video games.

Game Details

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