Rage Does Everything Right

ID Software has come a long way. They became a household name in 1992 with the release of a little title called Wolfenstein, and have since become synonymous with the first-person shooter genre. Prolific titles such as Doom and Quake set the standard for innovative, unique, and fun games, and allowed for a relatively small company to reach a large audience.

In a time where FPS (first person shooter) games are a dime-a-dozen, id Software took it upon themselves to create a game that would simultaneously fill all the necessary quotas, but also reach outside the box. That mindset gave birth to RAGE, a post-apocalyptic shooter that, for better or worse, does exactly what it's supposed to do. The graphics are gorgeous while running at 60 frames-per-second, and the weapon selection is acceptable, though some may find it a tad sparse when compared to other games in the genre.

The selling point for RAGE comes in the form of vehicular combat. Players are able to acquire vehicles through races, bets, and quests, and subsequently outfit them with an array of weapons and gadgets. If guns on your car isn't your thing, you're more than welcome to invest in a beefed-up grill to ram your opponents into pieces. But whatever you decide, you will never feel like you are selling yourself short.

Unfortunately, for all of the things that RAGE does well, it never really reaches beyond the typical confines of the average FPS. It is very much an on-rails shooter, and, except for the moments when you're in a vehicle, you'll never feel like you're free to do whatever you want. From the very beginning of the game, the paths are linear, and the item needed to finish a whatever quest is in progress is always straight ahead. This eventually becomes repetitive, especially when the enemies being fought look and sound exactly the same.

This is not to say that RAGE isn't fun to play - it is. However, some players may yearn for the open-world feel of a game such as Borderlands, which, much to id's chagrin, RAGE has been compared to liberally. What ultimately makes this game stand out is that, at its core, it has "id Software" written all over it: the bosses are huge, the enemies are disturbing, the guns are crazy, and most importantly, there is a ton of fun to be had.

Grade: B

Everyone has a little bit of nerd inside them dying to come out. Release your inner nerd.

Best 5 Room Escape Games for iDevices

If you're like me, you may have played a lot of room escape games online. But did you know that it's also a growing trend in the Apple App Store? What's great about iOs apps, is they can take advantage of the touch, tilt and shake abilities of the devices. Here is a list of some top-quality games you should check out. Many of them are even free.

1. Antrim Escape (1, 2 & 3) By Game Hive Corp.

This is a series of three games, with a possible fourth to come, set in Antrim Castle in Ireland. The first one is the shortest of the three, but definitely worth playing. I found AE2 to be the most challenging of the three, and AE3 the most balanced. These games have High quality retina-optimized graphics and take advantage of the tilt and shake features. When you finish these games, you'll be wishing for more.

2. Ellie - Help me out...please By Ateam

This game offers a Japanese horror twist to the room escape genre. You are communicating with a little girl through a monitor, and you have to help her escape her cell. There are multiple endings, some good and some bad. So it's worth playing this game more than once.

3. RoomBreak: Escape Now!! By Gameday

This is for the hardcore room escape players. There are 5 episodes with 5 rooms each, making a total of 25 rooms to escape. Each one has an exhaust meter. If you're too slow to solve the puzzle, the meter runs out and you have to start the room over. This can be frustrating for most players, but for those who stick with it, it can be a very rewarding experience.

4. Diamond Penthouse Escape 2 By TeraLumina

While not as long or as unique as the other games in the list, Diamond Penthouse Escape 2 is a solid game with logical puzzles and a humorous ending. It's free and definitely worth your time. Also check out the other games by TeraLumina, such as Haunted House Escape.

5. Escape Game: "The Drifting Locked Chamber" By IDAC CO., LTD.

IDAC is responsible for many room escape games in the app store. They vary in quality, but most are full of challenging puzzles that could stump even the best escapers. I think of the Locked Chamber as one of their better games, as all the puzzles felt logical. Like most IDAC games, it is very linear, but not frustratingly so. If you like their games, you should download AppNavi, which offers many more of their games for free.