Rage 2 extended gameplay trailer showcases the BFG-9000 and some very okay action

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A new Rage 2 video courtesy of IGN showcases 11 minutes of fresh life-in-the-wasteland gameplay, including some vehicular combat, the Overdrive berserker mode, a boss fight, and the first appearance of a gun you may have played with once or twice before: The infamous BFG-9000 from Doom.

The video begins with a running rumble through the jungle with something that looks like a Mad Max War Rig decked out by a troupe of circus clowns, before switching very suddenly to a ruined city environment wherein hides an Ark, which are somewhat similar to Fallout's Vaults but without all the wildly unethical psycho-social experimentation.

After a little bit of expository chit-chat and some shooting-and-looting, our hero enters the Ark and picks up the Grav Dart Launcher, a fun little piece that connects a host to a target and then launches the host toward it, a bit like a very powerful magnet. There's a sort of holographic training scenario and then it's back out in the real world for some time with the new toy, a Just Cause-like vehicle spawn, fights with enemies who don't seem especially well-versed in self-defense, a throwdown with a pair of Super Mutant Behemoths, and then finally, a flash—literal and figurative—of the BFG.

On the whole, I can't say my socks are thoroughly rocked by this video. There's no weight to the vehicles—they look like they're floating over the surface rather than thundering across it like the supercharged howlers they're supposed to be—and most of the on-foot enemies seem more upset and confused by your presence than actually determined to do you harm. Some of them charge aggressively, but others act pretty much exactly like I do when I trip over the cat in a dark room.

On the whole, I think it fits with Phil's take from his January preview: It looks perfectly okay (well, except for the vehicle combat, which just looks bad) but I expected more of a "wow" factor from an Avalanche/id Software co-production, especially one that's supposed to be so outrageous and over-the-top.

Rage 2 comes out on May 14. Here's everything we know about it so far.

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.