Fifteen Years On, Rage Still Can’t Fix Its Car Controls

Rage is a game about a man waking up in a vault after centuries underground, stepping out into a world full of broken cities and roaming gangs. That setup sounds big. It mostly feels small.

ID Software built Rage on id Tech 5, the engine behind Doom 3 and Quake 4, and the ambition shows. The Wasteland around the Vaults of Hope is wide, full of ruined buildings, empty streets and distant mountains. It looks good. But the systems underneath keep getting in the way.

Trailer, via HDGAME01.

Vaults of Hope

The Vaults of Hope are the game’s central setting. Players move through them, talk to survivors, and pick up side quests. It is the strongest part of Rage, a rare moment where the story feels grounded and personal.

The Driving

Driving is where Rage stumbles badly. The car controls are loose and unforgiving, turning becomes a fight against the road, and the physics engine treats cars as soft targets for enemy fire. Long stretches of driving feel like punishment, not fun.

The Gunplay

Combat leans on cover and aiming, and it works better than the driving. The shotgun, the pistol, and the assault rifle all handle well. Enemy variety is thin, though, and fights often come down to the same handful of foes repeated across levels.

The Story

The plot follows a man named Walker as he leaves the Vault of Hope, meets a survivor named Eden, and tries to find a cure for a plague sweeping the Wasteland. It is simple, sometimes silly, and rarely stays with you after the credits roll.

The Side Content

Side quests fill out the Wasteland, sending Walker to fix a water pump, hunt a wanted criminal, or clear a bandit camp. Most of these are brief, easy to complete, and easy to forget.

Performance Problems

On PC, Rage suffers from frame rate drops, pop-in textures, and long loading times. On consoles, the problems are worse. None of this ruins the experience entirely, but it keeps Rage from feeling like a polished product.

What Works

1. The Wasteland setting, which gives players plenty of room to wander.
2. The Vaults of Hope, which offer a human scale amid the ruin.
3. The gunplay, which is competent even when the shooting feels routine.
4. Eden, who gives the story some warmth despite her limited screen time.

What Falls Short

1. The driving, which turns long trips into a chore.
2. The enemy design, which repeats itself across most levels.
3. The story, which coasts rather than builds toward anything.
4. The technical rough edges, which show on every platform.

A Decent, Uneven Ride

Rage is not a failure, but it is a disappointment. ID Software set out to make a vast, open wasteland, and they got there, but the systems underneath keep getting in the way. The driving is a chore, the story barely holds together, and the technical problems keep pulling focus away from the few moments that actually work.

It is a game with a strong idea and a weak execution. The Wasteland is worth seeing, but the trip through it is often a slog.

game review · id Software · id Tech 5 · open world · Rage