Paying $60 was a mistake, & I was one of the few who was unable to play for weeks after the game's launch, but I must say I still enjoyed RAGE quite a bit for what it was, for its blending of old & new.

The gunplay feels fantastic (esp. after DOOM 3's); the characters all feel very real & visually exhibit a great range of personality; the megatexture technology & art design is mindblowing; enemies-particularly mutants with their wild movement-react in uniquely 'realistic' ways to your firing, often stumbling past you as they come to grips with their death, or tripping over themselves to the side; easter eggs done right. Also: Wingsticks.

Some large gripes, however:
-Very slow intro.
-Mission structure is overly in-your-face about you being a gofer for absolutely everyone.
-Side missions felt pointless: Freq. boil down to repeating levels you've already completed. Too much padding.
-Pacing, story & writing seemed incoherent & incomplete. Like they dropped a lot in development. ( )