I bought RAGE when it came out, but never really got anywhere in the game. For the first hour I remember it felt really boring, or perhaps it was just me who was tired of shooters around that time.
It's very quiet at first. TBH it's quite linear and quiet all the way through, but some parts of it are very good. I mentioned before it was kinda like a cross between Borderlands and Doom. It is also like a cross between FO3 and Doom which I think is how Carmack wanted it. There are bobbleheads in it too, giving a clear nod to Bethesda and FO3.
There are a lot of "grindy" parts where you just have to grind and get on with it. Graphics are ace, make FO3 look terrible tbh. And once you do get to shooting it too is good fun. Guns feel weighty and shooting is very satisfying.
Now here is why I am a little worried about RAGE 2. Firstly I *do not* like Bethesda's new engine. IDK who designed it (whether it's Carmack's Tech or what not) or anything else about it (I've not wasted time looking tbh) but I don't like it. I will use Doom (the new one) and Wolf 2 (the latest one). Both suffer from atrocious load times as well as very small levels (Doom just about pulls it off by being very "mazey") but Wolf 2 is a effin' joke. Loads of load time and you can complete the section it loads faster than it took to load most times. This really breaks down and waters down the action in the game for me. It's far more about listening to it prattle on about the dude's life with very little gameplay. And PREY also felt like this a little too.
Their games should be getting bigger, not smaller. FO4 was no bigger in map size than FO3, and load times in the built up city of Boston are a joke. You accidentally go into a building then you have to wait up to a minute to load into the building, then load out again and then like a wally you press the wrong button and you have to do it all over.
I want to see game worlds expanding, not getting better looking but shrinking because it can't do both. That is why most people call FO4 FO3.5. Because they don't consider it worthy of the title 4.
And all of this worries me about RAGE 2. That it could be long loading times, small levels and all prettiness and no fun.
We'll see I guess.