Finally Gave In and Bought RAGE, Plus Streaming Equipment

When you enter Datablitz and see a game you want so bad that only costs P 1,850 and actually have the money in hand, I couldn't resist anymore. I finally bought RAGE on my Xbox 360 while I was looking around for some cheap streaming equipment. Yes, our streaming will become a regular thing now since all three of us can stream. So look out for that.

Why the urge to get RAGE?

I've been hyped for the game since it was released and it's a new title coming from id Software. Since another game that I was hyped for was coming out on the same day as RAGE, I had to make a choice - Dark Souls or RAGE?  When the day came, I decided on Dark Souls and frankly I don't regret it one bit. Awesome game, but it doesn't mean I didn't want RAGE. After Dark Souls, all those triple A titles that I was planning to get where also coming out so I had to skip on RAGE yet again. Now I had the chance to get it, so I did in a heartbeat.

RAGE is the latest title for the creators who started the whole First Person Shooter genre. id Software created classic titles such as Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Quake. With RAGE being the next title years after those classics, I had to play id Software's latest.

I'm 4 hours into the game now and it's really a great game so far. The shooting is very solid but what I really appreciate is the character models in the game. From the bandits and mutants you face to the people you meet in wellsprings, everything feels so dynamic. With enemies, they put a lot of detail on enemy reactions on how they get shot, especially specific parts like on the arm or leg. The friendly people you meet are not the regular stiff NPC that will give you a job to do or just simple has something to say. How they move when they talk to you brings out their personality which is slowly becoming a standard in games.

RAGE is the first released retail game using id Softwares new game engine id Tech 5. Of course, visually, the game looks amazing. You'd think the loading time would be pretty long with the kind of graphics RAGE has but it's actually fast. Deus Ex: Human Revolution has a way longer loading time. So far I'm hooked in RAGE. People say the game was good but too short for their taste. People tend to forget this is still a First Person Shooter, not an RPG hitting 100 hours. We'll see if what they say is true with the length of RAGE.

Cheap Streaming Equipment, Gotta Start Somewhere...

When I got home I pretty much went to work on setting up my streaming equipment. Arlie and I bought the same capture device Migoy got. We're using component cables so we could play at 720p display when recording. Playing on Standard Definition was definitely not an option.

Took awhile and had some issues here and there, but I finally got it working. Testing the stream was next, and since I had a new game to play, RAGE was the first test. My first four hours of the game was streamed lived awhile ago and so far the stream was smooth all throughout.

It was always part of the plan to include online streaming to TMG, we just needed extra research on how it can be done. Now we finally got it running and will become a regular thing now. Since Arlie Migoy and I can now stream, you'll see either one of us on the TMG channel streaming our gaming sessions. So I'm expecting the channel to be Live most of the time.

Streaming quality will improve in time as we get better equipment and stronger bandwidth. How I wish we could have crazy bandwidth and a PVR- HD capture device for streaming, but we got to start somewhere. When you see us online, come visit the stream and let's all have a good time. The small stream video on the side of the home page is set on auto play, so if you here sounds all of a sudden when visiting, don't freak out. Stream is just Live. We'll be working on a schedule so that there won't be any conflicts.