Horribly underrated, definitely worthy shooter
I'm playing lots of games nowadays, and compared to other games with nice graphics too, like Max Payne 3 and Crysis 2, I can tell you that Rage runs sooo smoothly, quickly, flawlessly. It doesn't feel the least bit clunky, and I don't see that hint of sluggishness that I can feel with some other games at high graphics settings; simply put, Rage looks awesome [and] runs so smoothly at the same time. I'm almost grieved to see that id Software missed the chance to set revolutionary graphics standards yet again (like they did with Doom III years ago), because of those technical issues that plagued the launch date of Rage. I wish the gaming industry cared to look back at games after they've been patched, because I'm sure that if anybody did, then Rage would get totally different ratings now, and would actually be considered technically and graphically groundbreaking.
Gameplay itself is also very innovative, engaging, satisfying, and varied. Some areas may remind you of the world of Fallout, for example, while other areas may remind you of the world of Dead Space! Now imagine that, both feelings and settings seamlessly in one game.
Guns feel solid; just like a proper shooter. Experienced FPS players who know the difference between the feeling of shooting in MW3 or Battlefield 3, being very satisfying and authentic, and the feeling of shooting in Fallout 3, for example, being bland and like something is wrong with it, will understand what I mean. Rage is a "satisfying" authentic shooter; the guns feel right and are solid.
From the perspective of story, it's on ok job for id Software, I guess; but I really think it's time they up their storytelling and writing standards and stop resorting to the "mute" alter ego who does not have a voice. I never liked Valve's style of creating mute alter egos and trying to convince some people that it's because "they are the hero"...as if the alter ego does not have a face that has nothing to do with my face! If you gave the character I play with a face and name, then give him a voice too; millions of fans love Shepard of the Mass Effect series and can feel that they're Shepard just fine. And we all know how the storytelling of the Mass Effect series has us all hooked up and in love with the series and the story; the same goes for Max Payne 3 and how hearing our own voice works so well to enhance the story and storytelling; so it's time id Software (and Valve) snap out of that outdated, decidedly cheap policy of saving money by not paying a proper voiceover actor to do the voicing of the alter ego. Giving the character a voice in Rage would've definitely improved the story a lot.
The music and audio generally are also great.
Rage is definitely worth buying today. With that said, if companies will keep pushing more intrusive DRM methods, and abuse our internet connections by forcing us to download huge updates before we are "allowed" to play the single player campaign of games, and if companies (whether id Software, Activision, Blizzard, EA, Rockstar, etc) will keep pushing to stop gamers from selling their used games, then frankly, none of the games that such companies produce would ever be worth buying. So I urge decision makers and companies to stop such policies, and to follow the path of companies like CD Projekt Red instead; and if they don't, then I urge gamers to fight back and not feed those companies or encourage them to keep following overzealous DRM policies.
I would've given this game a 9 instead of 8.5 if it had more user-friendly DRM policies, and if the AI was better, as some of the enemies seem a bit dumb sometimes. And I would've given the game a 9.5 and considered it an instant classic that deserves a cult following (like Fallout) if it the 3 problems were not there: launch time problems, AI problems, DRM fanaticism and greed.