id Reveals More Rage Details, Including Console-Centric Focus

July 24th, 2009 at 2:39 PM - Games by Brad Cook

id Software co-founder John Carmack has spoken with Game Informer magazine about what players can expect from their next-generation first-person shooter Rage, including a design focus that starts with the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game: "The largest chunk of our market's going to be on consoles," Mr. Carmack said. "I mean, yes, you can use the mouse for it but it's critical that the [console] controller be the way that we design the game."

The game is also planned for Mac and PC, but it likely won't see release until next year at the earliest. All three versions are expected to be the same, although the PC/Mac version will offer higher video resolutions and better anti-aliasing and texturing for the graphics.

Game Informer also revealed some information about the storyline, which put the player in the role of someone who survived a catastrophic asteroid strike and finds themselves waking from suspended animation in an "ark" that was buried underground. The player discovers the ark's crew is dead and its computers are destroyed, so they make their way to the surface, where they find a Road Warrior-styled wasteland run by a group known as "The Authority."

As Mr. Carmack demonstrated when he showed an early version of Rage at Apple's WWDC conference in 2007, the game will put a lot of emphasis on racing makeshift vehicles. Game Informer noted that players will be able to build such devices as sentry turrets, if they can find the right blueprints and parts, and they'll be able to journey from town to town taking on missions, participating in a gladiatorial game show called Mutant Bash TV, and more. They'll also be able to upgrade their vehicles and weapons.

Thanks to Inside Mac Games for the heads-up.