Final Score: Rage 2 (PC, PS4, Xbox One)

It's been almost a decade since fans first got to experience Rage. The post-apocalyptic shooter from Bethesda and id Software proved to be a divisive subject. Critics found it mediocre to bad and fans either found it underwhelming or enjoyed it to the point that they boosted it into "cult classic" status.

Now Rage 2 is here from Bethesda and a collaboration between id Software and the folks at Avalanche Studios. Critics have found it mediocre to bad, while fans are either finding it underwhelming or enjoying it to the point that they'll boost it into "cult classic" status.

This is the sort of game that Final Score was designed to break down, so let's revisit the Shacknews review and also place it alongside reviews from across the gaming world. Beyond the major outlets, we'll check in with platform-specific reviews and add in their thoughts. Opinions are definitely going to vary here, so take a look and decide for yourself whether to revisit the wasteland.

Shacknews 5/10: "As much as I wanted Rage 2 to work, it just doesn’t deliver the best that it could from the two top-notch studios working on it. Right now, I can’t rightfully recommend picking it up at full price, as I just don’t feel there’s enough content here to warrant what they’re asking. The developers do have a lot of plans to continue creating content in the future, though, so maybe we’ll see a game worth returning to after a few months. For now, Rage 2 feels like the final shrill beep on the ECG before the flatline hits. The last flutter of life the series had to offer, squandered away."
-Josh Hawkins

Destructoid 8/10: "I was pleasantly surprised with the shooter chimera that is Rage 2, which ended up being open world mini-Doom 2016. It's not going to make anyone a believer the free roam format, but folks already predisposed to those vices will find plenty to sink their teeth into."
-Chris Carter

GameSpot 6/10: "Rage 2 is at its best when you're given the chance to keep up a gratifying momentum in combat, but struggles to setup the scenarios its combat deserves. It's satisfying in the way clearing out an open-world checklist is, especially because powers are such a joy to use. The disappointment comes from the fact that those activities are rudimentary in nature and the decent ones end well before you get your fill."
-Michael Higham

Game Informer 7/10: "Rage 2 is a disparate experience. The shooting and arsenal are top-notch, allowing players to wield great weapons like a kickass shotgun that dishes out deadly spreads and potent focused fire with an alternate attack. That combat is enhanced by an overdrive mechanic that lets you cut loose and absolutely destroy hordes of enemies in a psychedelic bloodbath as you gain more powerful attacks and serious life regeneration during these berserker states. But outside of the heat of battle, Rage 2 has serious flaws including weak characters, boring activities and enemies, and an absolute snoozer of a shallow open world."
-Daniel Tack

PC Gamer 70/100: "If a single weapon contains the essence of a first-person shooter, it's undoubtedly the shotgun. Early in Rage 2, protagonist Walker—a wasteland ranger who can be either male or female, depending on your preference—finds a futuristic combat shotgun hidden away in an Ark: a kind of advanced fallout shelter designed to protect humanity and its precious technology from a cataclysmic asteroid impact. Rage 2 has a lot of problems, including a forgettable open world, a weak story, and terrible vehicle handling, but man, that shotgun. The instant you fire it, you know, everything else aside, it's a quality FPS."
-Andy Kelly

Push Square 7/10: "RAGE 2 is a bit of an odd one. It's been marketed as a sandbox of insanity since its initial reveal, but the reality is that it's actually a pretty tame open world shooter -- you could even call it safe. It can be loud but it's no Mad Max: Fury Road, it can be sassy but it's no Borderlands, and it can be brutal but it's no DOOM. It's a game of brilliant highs and surprisingly boring lows, where both positives and negatives punctuate this post-apocalyptic adventure."
-Robert Ramsey

Xbox Achievements 80/100: "After a damp squib of an ending in the first RAGE, the sequel delivers on the original game's promise with a better – albeit rather short, for an open world game – story, fantastically robust and enjoyable shooter mechanics, fun vehicular combat, and a mischievous sense of the absurd, with giant mutants, exploding red barrels, and more than a modicum of blood and guts. Yes, the environment can be a mite bland in places and some aspects are needlessly complicated, but that doesn't prevent RAGE 2 from succeeding as a slice of pure post-apocalyptic joy in a world full to bursting with post-apocalyptic games."
-Richard Walker

BONUS VIDEO REVIEW: The Jimquisition

Rage 2 is available now on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. If you do decide to pick it up, be sure to check out our continuing coverage.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?