FIRST-PERSON shooter sequel Rage 2 plays out like a ‘greatest hits’ package of recent games.

Avalanche Studios’ and id Software’s title features the gunplay and beefed up weapons of Doom, the grungy post-apocalyptic aesthetic of Fallout, the playful sense of mayhem of Borderlands and the open-world mechanics of countless other games.

And it just about pulls that melting pot of ideas and influences off.

Rage 2 – set around 30 years after the original – sees you play Walker, the last ‘Ranger’ in a world that has all but been destroyed by an asteroid. It is kind of game where you do not really need to worry about the story though.

Being a Ranger basically gives you a licence to gradually unlock almost supernatural abilities to face the Authority – an evil group who are trying to take control of the wasteland – Mad Max-style outlaws and various crazed mutants.

It controls well and defeating enemies releases a resource called ‘feltrite’ which encourages you to get up close and personal and approach the combat in a different and more fast-paced way.

Most of the missions and side missions can be approached in any order which is a mixed blessing because you can easily find yourself outmatched if you do not keep a close eye on the difficulty rating of each quest.

Some missions I only got out of by the skin of my teeth and the lousy checkpoint system meant I sometimes had to do a lot of backtracking after each ‘game over’ screen.

But putting moments of frustration to one side, Rage 2 is very fun to play. As well as going on foot, you can also hit the road in a variety of weaponised vehicles

And driving on those scorched paths and dirt roads and making discoveries or getting into battles along the way while enjoying the game’s bizarre humour is one of the highlights.

RATING: 6/10

DAVID MORGAN