It looks like you’ll have to wait until E3 to actually get a firsthand look at Bethesda and id Software’s upcoming RAGE 2, the first-person shooter sequel to the highly forgettable 2010 outing for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.
The eight-year-old shooter was more-so a showcase and a big piece of promotion for the id Tech 5 game engine that id Software’s John Carmack was touting quite heavily at the time. Megatextures this and HD-streaming that didn’t really pan out all that well when RAGE finally dropped and it was far less convincing than what most people had been led to believe. Although, to be fair, just about every first person shooter the last two generations has been less convincing and more underwhelming than Rian Johnson’s ability to direct a coherently sprawling, space epic.
Nevertheless, Bethesda believes that the second time is the charm. Although, if this were a Hollywood movie franchise the sequel would surely be relegated to the direct-to-DVD bin just like the Death Race sequels, but since video game publishers are more shameless and less creative than their Hollywood counterparts, you shouldn’t be surprised that an already derivative shooter that was like a less RPG-centric version of Fallout: New Vegas with poorer vehicle handling than Mad Max was going to receive a sequel anyway.
Lo and behold, the teaser trailer for RAGE 2 has already leaked, featuring 15 seconds of some true cringe-anarchy, enough to make you squeeze out a jolt of shameful laughter through gritted teeth like a feculent fart that leaves more stains than noise in the immediate vicinity.
You can check out the teaser below courtesy of Nibel.
RAGE 2 ad has been leaked apparently pic.twitter.com/lCL6bvfqBV
— Nibel (@Nibellion) May 14, 2018
Bethesda has been sending out DMCA and copyright strikes against YouTubers posting up the video ahead of the official announcement, so don’t be surprised if the tweet above also disappears at some point throughout the day.
The teaser is filled with a lot of multi-color haired freaks with big guns, as well as mutants, a samurai-sword wielding scavenger with an android helmet, and ghetto bandits. Near the end of the clip we briefly see a large CGI monster with explosions going off in the background, while scantily clad, muscle-men with scrap-helmets fire makeshift shotguns into the distance.
They try to pack a lot of nonsense into a very short trailer. I doubt it will be enough to convince people who have been waiting for DOOM 2, and I sure as heck know it won’t convince people who see purple-haired freaks and “nope” out of games.
That’s not to mention that a ton of the imagery in the teaser trailer is filled to the brim with male homoeroticism. I have no idea what kind of demographic Bethesda thinks they’re going to capture with that kind of marketing direction, but trying to be “edgy” sure didn’t work out so well for them with Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus.
We’ll have to wait for the full unveiling at E3 this upcoming June in Los Angeles, California. In the meantime you can keep an eye on the RAGE.com website for more info.
