Id Software, the pioneering developer behind Doom and Quake, is releasing its first new IP in ten years, Rage.
Superficially, it looks like id's take on a Mad Max post apocalyptic future. As an asteroid is heading towards Earth, the "Eden project" is created. Groups of 12 people are put in pods to survive the blast. As they emerge, they find a world populated with mutants and weapon-wielding maniacs. The game is, as id puts it, a fight for survival.
Besides first-person-shooter combat, the game also features vehicular combat. There are vehicle classes (buggies, heavy cars, etc) that are used to get players around the in-game world.
Each shanty town settlement is different — the vibe, the architecture and the people that inhabit the area are different. In a side quest that id showed, the player goes after bandits who are holding the town's water supply for ransom. Those bandits, the Ghost Clan, are acrobatic and put ninjaesque moves. They not only move but also talk differently than, say, the group of Union Jack body paint wearing thugs of the other town in the demo.
In the game, players can collect blueprints to make machines like remote controlled bombs or turrets from scrap parts.
The game seems well suited to the id Software brand name — whether or not it reaches the heights of previously id titles is hard to say without actually playing the game. One thing is certain, though, this game looks great.