Rage goes a different direction with its multiplayer; co-op coming as well

Id Software’s upcoming FPS Rage will have something of an unusual take on FPS multiplayers, by making it entirely vehicle based. The co-op gameplay will also be slightly different, and feature original objectives and levels based on sections of the campaign.
You might expect that id Software, the company that more or less invented the modern online first-person shooter, would have something special cooking when they release their first complete game in seven years. And it turns out that they do, although it may not be exactly what most of us are expecting. Recently, id invited IGN down to check out the multiplayer that will be included on the upcoming title Rage.  It’s not exactly what you might expect.
It would seem like a no-brainer to say that Rage’s online multiplayer will feature the same formula that made it great–see person, shoot person–but not so. Ever the trendsetters, id have decided to change things up with the online multiplayer, and instead of the typical FPS deathmatch, the competitive multiplayer will be entirely vehicular-based. No, seriously.
The online multiplayer will put you in a vehicle in what id is calling the “Rage Combat Rally”. Further bucking trends, the game will only allow six players at a time. It is all part of id’s strategy to create only the things that it considers to be “uniquely Rage”.
The games will be all about points, so you won’t simply hunt down your opponents and destroy them. Instead you will attempt to find score multipliers to increase the points for a kill, which will also help you outside of the game. Rage will offer a leveling system, so you can pimp yo’ ride to earn more loadouts, new weapons and the like.
The vehicle combat is described as more arcade-like than realistic, so while the physics may seem a bit unbelievable, they will be consistent, and are designed to be as fun as possible.
Along with the Rage Combat Rally, the game will also feature a co-op mode that is available online or locally. The co-op will not simply be the campaign with a second player though, it is a specifically developed game type that will work within the fictional universe of Rage.
The co-op will take you through missions you will experience in the single player campaign, but with a twist. The missions will offer their own backstory that builds on the primary plot, and the objectives will be unique to the co-op mode. The scenario described detailed a mission involving disarming a series of bombs. One player will need to operate a mechanism while the other disarms the explosives. Both will need to fight off the enemies, but it won’t be as simple as wiping out everyone and then going to do what you need—it will require teamwork and careful timing.
We’ll have to wait to see how well it goes over with the fans, but it is a gutsy move by id. Whether it pays off or not will be decided when Rage is released on Mac, PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 on September 13.
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Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta first-look

Digital Trends gets an early look at the multiplayer beta for Gears of War 3, which kicks off next week on April 18 and runs through May 15.
Starting next week, Microsoft and Epic Games will begin an expansive beta test for the upcoming September Xbox 360-exclusive, Gears of War 3. The beta will unfold over a series of weeks, with tiered entry into the test for different groups, beginning next Monday for those who got a code with their purchase of Bulletstorm.
While April 18 is the first day that most will finally get a sampling of the Gears of War 3 multiplayer, members of the media have been tooling around the beta’s available maps for the better part of a week. Today we can share a little bit of that experience with you readers, a taste of what is to come when the true madness begins on Monday.
There are four maps included in the beta test. First is “Old Town”, a bright and cheery little village with cobblestone streets and chickens running free. The layout on this one takes a bit of getting used to, as some of the low-lying walls can’t be jumped over thanks to the decorative metal bars adorning them. “Trenches” is set in a windblown industrial yard, with an environment highlighted by lots of brown hues. It’s a dusty place, a fact which becomes clear when the occasional windstorm picks up during a match, severely limiting how far you can see.
The best of the four are “Checkout” and “Thrashball”. “Checkout” is set in a rundown department store. A small, squarish map with only a few, easily observed routes across, and plenty of cover around to conceal yourself behind. More than on most other maps, the shotgun is your friend here. The same is mostly true of “Thrashball”, though that map features a much more open central space. The setting is a ruined Thrashball court (character Cole Train’s game), complete with a precariously dangling electronic scoreboard that will at some point during a given match fall right into the center of the fighting arena.
Team Deathmatch and King of the Hill (in which players fight to control small, constantly pieces of land) are joined by Capture the Leader in the beta, which is new to Gears of War 3. It’s essentially capture the flag, though in this case your “flag” is a specially designated human or Locust commander whom the enemy must take down, grab as a meat shield and drag back to their home base. It is, in a word, awesome.
Before you start playing, you set up the multiplayer loadout for your in-match avatar, though that can also be changed between spawns in the heat of a match. There are three assault rifles in all: the chainsaw bayonet-bearing Lancer, the slow-firing, high-power Hammerburst and the new Retro Lancer, which replaces the chainsaw with a proper blade bayonet and features a special charging execution. The Hammerburst has also been tweaked in a rather cool way; click the right stick when you’re aiming with the left trigger to drop into a first-person iron sights mode, which cuts the weapon’s recoil down to almost nothing. There are also two shotguns you can equip as a secondary: the returning Gnasher and the brand-new Sawed-Off Shotgun, which offsets its extreme power with a one-shot clip capacity and painfully slow reload.
Other weapons are scattered around the various maps, though at this point, with everyone still new to the game, it’s always a race to get to the good stuff first. Among that good stuff is the Digger Launcher, a fantastic new weapon that fires a torpedo-like grenade which burrows beneath the surface until it reaches a target and explodes. As long as you can see enough of what’s ahead to line up your aim correctly, there are no obstacles that will stop a digger once it is launched. That seems to be it for the new weapons on offer in the beta, though there could certainly be more.
Experience points and medals (which breed XP) earned in each match contribute to your overall multiplayer level. Rising through the ranks doesn’t bestow any gameplay advantages the way it does in the Call of Duty series; instead, you unlock additional character models (much like the previous game) and weapon camouflage. The options are limited in the beta, though the final release will presumably contain a great deal more.
Gears of War 3 isn’t out until September 20, but you can get in on the beta starting next week–provided you got a code with the purchase of Bulletstorm. If you didn’t get a code, you also have the option of pre-ordering Gears 3, which grants a beta code that can be used the following week. The beta will run until May 15.
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