Rage 2

Looks like Super Mario Maker 2 is gonna be pretty good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnNYHnljSWM

I'm also about five hours in and my experience has been mixed. This is not the fault of the game, though. Some games give me motion sickness and this is one of them, unfortunately. I can usually eliminate it with some settings changes but I haven't gotten there yet with Rage 2. So I'm not playing nearly as much as I want to. I've read that bright colors can cause stronger symptoms and that may be at play here because there is a TON of fuchsia. I love the look of it but maybe my eyes/stomach/head/etc do not.

But more to the point:

I love the campy plot, it feels like a throwback to late 90s/early 2000s FPS sensibilities in terms of plot and I love that. But it's much prettier than those games. The id engine always shines and it's definitely great here. The cheesy as hell intro kinda says "hey this isn't a serious shooter, have fun and turn off your brain" and I respect that.

Jon you're spot on with it feeling more like Rage than any other game. You can feel influences from elsewhere, and the powers you unlock even give me a Mass Effect vibe, but this has its own identity. If you liked the shooting mechanics from Doom or any other recent id game you'll feel right at home, but you can't play it the same way. To really get the best out of this game you have to play it tactically-- and it helps that the tactics involve some pretty badass powers and a lot of pew pew.

It's just pure fun.

It's not perfect though. Driving was my least favorite part about the first game, and that holds true for the sequel. It's a little dull. I had hoped that they would learn a few things from Borderlands (and I'm not even really a fan of driving in Borderlands).

Sometimes the various upgrade paths are vague until you understand it. I recommend reading guides like the one Jon posted. You aren't really going to spoil much plot because the plot is fairly thin (to the game's credit, honestly).

From what I have read, it seems like the average gamer will probably get 25-30 hours out of this and that feels perfect. They could have tightened it up and made it feel a little more active by shrinking the map a bit so travel time wasn't as much of a factor but that's a minor complaint.

Overall I'm looking forward to seeing what the next 20-25 hours have to offer.

I've stumbled upon the Wasteland Wizard a couple times but decided to ignore him because I never felt the need to cheat actually.

This.

Is.

Glorious.

I can't wait for this.

I have no real predictions for 2019.

Oh, Nintendo will release Mario Maker for Switch in 2019. There will be an optional tablet accessory for the switch to make it more like the Wii U or 3DS version.

BUT RIPPING AND TEARING IS LIFE

It's interesting, the general reception I seem to be reading is that the Doom Eternal gameplay is bonkers incredible and the Rage 2 gameplay show's a mediocre, repetitive game. I... don't know what Rage 2 video people have been watching. I think they're both bonkers incredible.

In that case Greg, you'll love this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoG_5cY_Ph0

:D

And yeah I felt like the Doom Eternal reveal was basically showing that sure, you felt like a badass in Doom 2016 but that was an 8/10 at best on the badass scale, and this one turns it up to 11. BUT. I'm sure that was played by someone way more skilled than I am.

Shotty is my go-to in every id shooter, they just feel so satisfying.

And the one I watched was like 7 minutes but the ones you saw may have had the keynote speaking in between gameplay.

I did not, they didn't even mention that much in the Keynote did they? That gamespot article echoes (and elaborates a bit on) what they've been saying about nukes and anti-griefing measures. I just hope they're done well. Trolls gonna troll, you know?

It looks like the idea of playing on a Cheerful Ghost instance in Fallout 76 may be possible eventually but not at launch. From what they’ve said previously, private games will come later. Which is unfortunate but I guess understandable.

Hahahahaha, oh wow. They’re embracing the absurdity and I love it. I’m not sure I’ll snag that but... it’s tempting.

I agree with you about the Co-op Jon. It was unique. Whereas with Borderlands you’re playing basically the same game but with more people, the dynamic in Rage’s co-op changed the feel of the game dramatically.

The fully open world could be nice if done well. I just hope it doesn’t lose what made the first game unique, although many people would argue that major changes needed to happen to the core of the game.

But Rage 2’s gameplay looks insanely chaotic which is something id has been doing well for a while now. I have really high hop a for this.

I’m comforted to know that this isn’t just shopped out, id is developing it WITH them. It’s possible that the scale was something they hadn’t dealt with before and who better to get than the team who did Just Cause 3?

And apparently the gameplay reveal is coming tomorrow.

Bethesda always puts live action stuff in their trailers and it works sometimes. I agree that it didn’t really work for me this time. It just looked like a mid-90s post-apocalyptic sitcom intro which is honestly kinda funny and maybe what they were going for. Just not what I was hoping for.

BUT new gameplay tomorrow so I’m fine with that.

Also I gotta say this is a gutsy move to do this sequel. I really figured after the reception the first game got that it would just kinda be forgotten.

Interesting. That suggests a different kind of focus for the game which may be good.