The name id Software is a legendary one among long-time PC gamers, and they've now started to branch out into the console market with the upcoming action-RPG/racer Rage (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) and the new Wolfenstein game (PC, PS3, Xbox 360). The latter title, as revealed by id Software's Todd Hollenshead to GameSpot, will be one of the games present at E3, along with some "new stuff".

At id Software's QuakeCon, John Carmack stole the show with a rather perplexing announcement: the iconic programmer predicted that the Xbox 360 version of their upcoming shooter Rage will look worse than the PC, PlayStation 3 and Mac versions. Find out why in the full article up next.

Video gaming site Shacknews recently scored a huge interview with id software's Todd Hollenshead and Tim Willits. In it, both men talk about Rage, id's upcoming title for the Mac, PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 platforms.

First off, the setting. Rage takes place after a comet hit Earth and wiped out civilization. While civilization tries to rebuild itself, players will take on the role of the hero as they try to help the remnants of humanity fight back against the new regime that's risen.

Surprisingly enough for an id title, there's a lot of racing involved in Rage. Players can soup up their cars with modifications and upgrades then head on to different towns where they can take part in races. Players will also need their car to travel around Rage's world getting missions, playing through instances and even stopping in the middle of nowhere to admire the scenery.

Of course, Rage also includes a lot of shooting. As Hollenshead said, there's a certain level of anarchy in the game as represented by the "A" in the game's logo. Side content is also a big thing in Rage, and the game looks pretty big judging from the interview. Willits references Bethesda's Oblivion by saying, "You can go and just do all the missions in the story, like in Oblivion, or you can go do other missions."

On the multiplayer side of things, Hollenshead said that he expects the game to be online on consoles. There will be co-op but versus multiplayer has yet to be decided on. According to Willits, the plan is to let players "find someone who can go on and do some co-op missions. If you finish a few, you can go do something different yourself, then go find someone to do the rest."

To find out more about Rage, click on the Read link below. The full interview's a pretty interesting read so check it out.

Ever since the game's unveiling at QuakeCon 2007, RAGE (PC, possibly multi-platform) has definitely become a technological feat worthy of its namesake. And although some roughed out details are now getting smoothed out, we've learned very little from the game's story or settings, or what id hopes to accomplish with the game.

id Software's Creative Director, Tim Willits, sat down with GameTrailers TV to expound on these particular issues, clarifying some gameplay separation between the gun-toting and gas-pedalling. It appears that the FPS-racing mix is a blend of modes integrated into one single mode, but the shooting mode seems separate from the desert racing. Willits gave the focus as 60% for FPS and 40% for racing, but since the game is still in development, a lot could change.

The pioneers of first-person shooters will be tying their games back down to the essentials: all-around fun, good versus evil plots, and arcade-action ease. And although this game has been fully confirmed for the PC (thus tying the Mac into the mix), the title was hinted to go "multi-platform" (hence the mention of it in the video) - minus the specifics.

A lot of heat is on id Software's latest title after the revelation at QuakeCon 2007, and we know what eye-candy lovers and high-end machines are on about. We're not sure how much of a racer-FPS mix Rage will be, but the engine behind it is 100% beef. We can't help but be amazed as John Carmack gave everyone a skinny on what Tech 5 has to offer.

It's almost undeniable that Rage looks insane, and we can give Tech 5 credit for that. In this video, Carmack demonstrates the engine's rendering capabilities. What we get is an environment made up of 80GB worth of uncompressed textures. Through some smart coding and Carmack's genius, the game should fit a single Blu-ray or 2 DVDs.

Developing for multiple platforms always posed technical challenges, but id may have found the groundbreaking solution. As shown in the videos, Rage is running on PC, PS3, Xbox 360, and Mac. According to Carmack, the Tech 5 engine takes away most problems multi-platform games encounter during development.

There are more reasons why Tech 5 may give Unreal Engine 3 a run for the money, so here's Carmack presenting id's new baby.

Part 2 after the jump!

There seems to be confusion with regards to publishing rights on id Software's upcoming Rage (PC, Mac OS X, PS3, Xbox 360). id Software's mainstay publisher is Activision, and many have assumed that they (Activision) will be the ones to release the game, especially its console versions.

It turns out though that the publishing rights still haven't been determined. Shacknews was able to get a hold of Tom Hollensend of id during the QuakeCon. He clarified that no deals have been signed yet between id and Activision. Now, despite this, a non-existent deal doesn't directly and automatically mean that Activision won't publish it. There still is the chance.

We're just hoping that they settle things already so that, finally, we get to even more footage of the game as it goes through development.

All the rage is on id Software's new title, Rage, but what is it exactly? Hardcore version of Mario Kart, or traditional sci-fi FPS with a slight mix of racing action? Well, pressure from killing all those people can pile up so a change in pace is always a good idea. Whatever's in store, we can say that id's Tech 5 engine made the game look hot.

QuakeCon 2007 had lots of goodies for attendees, and one of the crowd favorites would have to be Rage's trailer that raised eyebrows, stimulated intrigue, and made action fans hunger for more. We do see some racing and first-person shooting, but we're sure there's more than meets the eye.

Word has it that Rage will go multi-platform, and we'll keep you posted when any confirmations drop the press wire. Just put on your seat belt for now, here's the trailer:

Imagine Unreal Tournament populated with single or multi-manned vehicles, each contraption upgradeable with spoils of battle earned with every battle, race, or both. Twisted Metal meets Unreal Tournament 3? Perhaps. But reports coming in from the on-going QuakeCon 2007 were sure that id Software's John Carmack identified the game as Rage - a new (possibly multi-platform) game demonstrating id's new Tech 5 engine.

 

Now details are currently very scarce, as the presentation by Carmack was all about Tech 5, but a visual demonstration pitting what appeared to be similar to Unreal Tournament 2004's Scorpion assault buggy against other similar multi-manned vehicles played into many a speculative imagination - including the fact that it (just might) be available to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 gamers, aside from Mac and PC gamers worldwide.

More information seems to be on the way as the prominent PC LAN fest continues toward August 5 - the anticipation culminating somewhere in-between when Carmack finally renders his keynote. But all that has been preempted with a short description regarding the "content" demonstrated with Tech 5. Rage was painted as a half running and shooting, half driving and destruction racing game, every aspect apparently focused on arcade action, team-play, and closed-track racing circuits.

According to IGN, the visuals were notably impressive. The demonstration touted the engine's graphical capabilities together with completely diverse detail emphasized, as the looped video coursed through the game's racing arena. More on this as the news whacks us back to Timbuktu. Keep your eyes glued to this space, folks!