Rage 2 News: PAX East Gameplay reveals new weapons, vehicles, and more

Bethesda has gotten off to a rocky start in 2019. Fallout 76 has had several major issues that seemed to drive the general public away, leaving only hardcore fans of the studio wandering the post-apocalyptic landscape of West Virginia as they continue to improve the game with big patches full of content drops and quality of life changes.

However, one of their upcoming titles has definitely caught the attention of core and casual gamers alike is Rage 2, which is slated for release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows on May 14th.

A follow up to the 2011 hit Rage, the sequel will take place thirty years after the events of the first, and with all of the Ark Survivors now out on the surface, we will see bandits, mutants, and possibly members of the Authority try to control them as a fight for dominance on the world ensues.

While Rage was a success, it did have several problems, mainly stemming from its abrupt ending and a limited arsenal for players. However, at PAX East, Bethesda was able to show off some of the weaponry that players would be able to get their hands on.

While Bethesda wasn't willing to show much in the way of the story, they instead revealed a variety of ways for you to take out your enemies.

In the first few minutes of the video above, provided by Giuseppe Nelva of Twinfinite.net, we were shown the powers that can be used in Rage 2, including a jumping slam that eviscerates targets, the Shatter ability which sees you bash an enemy, breaking them to pieces and sending the rest of them flying away from you, and Vortex, which levitates enemies above the ground, allowing you to shoot them and propel them in a direction.

Defensive skills like the Dash and Barrier were also shown off, as was the ability to hover in the air. After showing off these basic powers, Bethesda showed off how they can string these abilities into combos, giving you even more variety when it comes to dispatching of anyone who may pose a threat.

After that, we saw a few guns and their alternate fire modes. Shotguns, for example, have an alternate fire where you shoot a blast of air at an enemy, sending them flying backwards. It seems that the gameplay has really evolved between Rage and Rage 2, which is promising.

Outside of combat, we also saw a hovercraft of sorts named Icarus as the developers pushed towards an enemy base. At that point, we were able to see how the Overdrive meter works, allowing players to move into the action faster the more stacks you have.

Something that really wowed players in the original title was the way enemies responded to their allies or themselves being hurt. For example, if you shot someone in the leg, they'd drag themselves behind cover in an attempt to save themselves.

It was something that really helped make that game unique back in a time when not all shooters had that ability. In this latest gameplay video, the AI of enemies didn't really have time to shine. Hopefully, though, that will be addressed in the future.