Rage's Anarchy Edition & Multiplayer Modes Announced

Bethesda and id Software were on the offensive when it came to showing off Rage at their BFG Showcase in Utah last week.

Not prepared to rest on their laurels of showing off an all-new single-player level and allowing the press a lengthy hands-on with various sections of the campaign, they also announced the game's multiplayer modes and the game’s Anarchy edition.

Considering that id Software are generally held as the daddies of the FPS genre and in particular, deathmatch, it may surprise you to hear that Rage won’t actually ship with a deathmatch game mode. When the game ships in September, Rage will offer two types of multiplayer action, both of hugely differing natures.

The first, Rage Combat Rally, which according to Tim Willits, id’s Creative Director, is “uniquely Rage” and it combines the game’s vehicle combat with objective based match types. The short demo that id showed off to the gathering press took place amidst a slew of devastated highways and had a handful of players racing around to pick up checkpoints to earn points, whilst shooting the crap out of their opponents at every opportunity. With customisable cars, devastating weapons, up to 6 players, “at least 5 maps” and a variety of game modes – including classic deathmatch; Chain Rally where you must chain 3 checkpoints together to score points and some team based stuff – Rage looks to be trying something different with its multiplayer.

The other mode, which in fact is a two-player co-operative mode called “Legends of the Wasteland,” throws players back into the Rage single-player world to visit previously visited areas to complete objectives with a friend in fiction that is tied to the game’s main narrative. In the short demo we saw two players head back into the town of Wellspring to rid the place of the Shrouded Clan who had taken up position there. Ripping through town the two players have to complete various objectives – like disarming bombs – and avoiding RC bomb cars, before ridding the town of its unwanted inhabitants. With 8 scenarios to complete online or via split-screen, Legends of the Wasteland is sure to add an extra leg to Bethesda and id’s single-player orientated shooter.

The last piece of big news from the BFG Showcase for Rage was the announcement of its “Anarchy Edition,” which is a free upgrade for those that pre-order the game. The Anarchy Edition will come equipped with various in-game tools – all of which are pictured below – like a one-handed Double Barrel Shotgun, a Fists of Rage knuckleduster, a Rat Rod Buggy combat vehicle and some Crimson Elite Armour – which combines the attributes of all three of the in-game suits. Unfortunately, this deal is currently only available in North America, but Bethesda are working on other regions. More, as and when we hear it.

Rage is scheduled for a September 13th and September 16th release in North America and Europe respectively. Check back later on in the week for our Rage hands-on preview and our interview with id Software’s Matt Hooper.