Act: The Rage [by Fluid Games]

Game: The Rage
Release: October, 2001
Genre: Action/Adventure
Developer: Fluid Games
System Requirements: Windows 95/98/Me/XP, DirectX 7.0, Pentium 200mhz+, 32 MB Ram, 8MB Video
Price: US $5.99
Rating: Not Rated...Probably Mature


Right before the games industry was changed forever with the release of Street Fighter II, another fighting game was at nearly every 7-11 in North America.  The game was Final Fight, and those looking at it would say it looked a lot like SF2.  There is a good reason for that.  The group at Capcom that created Final Fight would go onto create SF2.  For those who played Final Fight, or one of its many clones, including the popular Streets of Rage on the Sega Genesis, Fluid Games has created a great game that will take you back to some of the glory days of the coin arcade.

I started with Final Fight, but obviously this is a concept that goes back some ways.  Double Dragon was one of the first games to really popularize the concept of a 2-player beat-them-up and take back the streets approach to gaming.  Final Fight is perhaps more closely related to The Rage though, as in The Rage, a great deal of being successful is proper use of the weapons that are scattered everywhere.  It's a strange thing too.  I've never seen a 4 wood hidden in a barrel, but you never know.  There are many weapons that you can get in the game, from pistols to bazookas, from knives to crowbars.  Any weapon when picked up can be used until you are either hit, or in the case of the firearms, until you run out of ammo.  If you do run out of bullets to fire, never fear, throwing a machine gun at your enemy will more than leave a mark.

The Rage runs through several stages based on a simple premise.  One of the four character's girlfriend got sick while drinking something at the local bar.  Seems something was slipped into her drink.  So the group of four set-out to find what was in the drink and to find an antidote.  Levels progress mostly out of doors, starting on the streets as you make your way to the bar/disco where the pill was slipped into the drink.  You then move on through to the chemical plant and finally towards the mansion of the big drug lord himself.  Any of the four characters are selectable at the beginning of the game, each with their own special abilities and customized moves.  Big, slow and powerful, to quick and weak are the range of abilities, but I personally liked watching each of the players moves.  Each player attacks in a manner much like was started in Golden Axe.  Press punch once and your character will punch, press it again, and he may punch again, but if you continue to press it, they will run through a series of punches at different levels and elbows as well.  The kicks were even cooler, with one character walking up the enemy, kicking him in the head as he went.

Much like Final Fight, you also have the option to do a special attack that knocks everyone around you down...while taking away some of your energy. 

With that, I should mention that even though this game is not "rated," it is not family affair.  You do have the ability to turn down the violence, which will tone down the blood, but it is a very violent fighting game.  As you move through the disco and on into the game, you'll beat up women in very little clothing...not the sort of thing that kids should be doing.  Also one of the more interesting and fun features of the game leads to a further push for the mature rating.  Each character has a large number of "skins" that can be gleaned from the website.  Some are really cool, personal favorite was the Spiderman skin.  However, since one of the four characters is female, there are some skins that are definitely "adult" affair.

As you get to the last level, you'll find yourself fighting each of the many end-bosses (6?) again, one by one until you lead into the final confrontation with the game's end boss.  He will predictably die...then suddenly start going at you again!  Definitely a lot of shades of arcade's golden age.  The Rage is a great walk through beat-em-up, that fans and those too young to have really gotten into the genre will really appreciate.

Graphics: 8
When the game came out, I'm sure that the graphics were state of the art.  However, as time has gone on, they have aged just a little.  Some of the characters look a little blocky, but that really doesn't take away from a great looking game.  All of the areas have great amounts of detail put into them.  While you'll run into a lot of the same enemies as you go through the game, they don't get really repetitive due in part to the great settings and scenery that you pass through.  The only problem I ran into is that I experienced slow down on my somewhat hefty system when I tried to play two people at the same time.  I never tried the four people at the same time experiment, but I expect I would have been playing at a very slow speed.

Sound: 8
Absolutely rocking sound tracks, and all to realistic punches and screams lead to a great sounding game.

Game Play: 9
The moment you walk onto the screen and see that bazooka lying there on the floor, then sling it over your shoulder and fire, you'll feel in total control of the game.  The fighting is easy to figure out, with the only thing I had to look into the manual for was how to throw my weapons so I could switch it for something more interesting on the ground.  Running is very useful to get yourself set in better position, but even more so, each character when running has an attack that knocks down the enemy without taking any energy away.  Takes a little practice, but certainly is the only way to beat the bosses of the game.  Think elbow on Double Dragon or the jump attack from TMNT or the old Konami X-Men.

Options: 9
A really good number of options are available.  Especially for houses with small children, the ability to turn down the blood is nice.  You also can select difficulty, number of continues and of course the screen and sound settings.  Perhaps most fun for a game like this is the ability to choose different characters.

Concept: 9
Been there done that...you could honestly say that about this game...but I think it would be more like been there...but this is way better.  Final Fight was a good game, but The Rage builds upon that concept and improves it with more up to date graphics, and the ability to play in 3D. 

Fun: 10
An absolute blast to play, after blowing up my first car, I was hooked.  With 2 people it can be even more fun, though you'll need a very good system to experience it.  I think anyone looking for a new high-quality game they can sit down and play with friends, or even by themselves, would appreciate the smashing destruction available to you in The Rage.


Overall: 9
A great game, The Rage is one of the best put together Independent Titles that I have played to date.  You'll find it full of depth, even though the translation of the text leaves a LOT to be desired.  Anyone who is searching for a game that is fun to play and is RIDICULOUSLY cheap should  immediately check out the demo of The Rage.  In fact for $5.99 you should just buy and start downloading it right NOW!

Reviewer's Machine:  AMD 1800 XP, Windows XP, GeForce 2 MX 32MB, 256 MB RAMAdded: April 23rd 2003
Reviewer: The Mole
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