Above is the VOD from last week’s livestream of RAGE 2018, and what a stream it was! Per usual, we ran into technical difficulties, played some awful games, and had a blast going through each and everyone of your entries. While there can be only one winner, we want to give special accommodations to several games and above all, a big thank you to anyone who submitted or watched the stream! Without further ado, hit the jump to see the highlights, the winner of RAGE 2018, and of course, the pack containing every game for your own enjoyment.
- Green Hill Man Man – Sonic Mania was the return to form that fans had been crying out for for years. Along comes Green Hill Man Man to remind us that, as fantastic as Mania is, the nostalgia goggles run deep. Almost as deep as the cuts this game’s got. Make it one of your first games to check out if you’re familiar with Mania’s history.
- Green Hill Dating Simulator – Full disclosure, this game ran a bit past the requested 5 to 10 minute runtime that games were asked to be kept to. But frankly, it was worth it. Thanks to the motley crew who gathered together to stream, we got more than one laugh voicing the numerous different characters. But it wasn’t just our acting that made this game enjoyable. The game is chock full of puns, nods, clever, and sometimes corny writing that makes it a wonderful delight. On top of that, there’s two ending, and we only made it to one on stream! That alone means you have to check it out, if anything to find out what Chemical Plant has to say.
- Sonic Boom and Knuckles – This game managed to flawlessly combine the RAGE 2018’s theme with RAGE 2016 Act 1’s theme, while also being appropriately weird. There’s also a bit of replay value if you can score every ring in the level, which we never did. It’s surprisingly challenging but has one wicked sense of humor that can’t be missed.
- Sonic Level Management System – This game is as comical as it is addictive. It also feels a little too on point, and frankly, that’s how it should be. Saying anything more will spoil the fun.
- Green Hell Zone, Sonic Jam Session, and Sonic Ramp Rush – On the surface, RAGE is about making a “bad game.” The reality is that it’s more parody than purely slapping something unplayable together and calling it a day. These three games are grouped together because… frankly they aren’t bad at all! Green Hell Zone is as technically impressive as it is dumb; it’s a procedurally generated game that has a goofy looking Sonic barreling down a hill, trying not to die from spikes and to make it to the goal. Sonic Jam Session is a rhythm game that features every version of Green Hill played in a style very similar to the Theatrhythm or Guitar Hero games. Sonic Ramp Rush is similar to those old flash games you used to play in middle school, where you fine a blue ball (supposedly Sonic) off a ramp and attempt to gain rings to by upgrades to get more momentum, distance, and rings. All three of these games have one thing in common… they could easily be polished up and be solid entries to SAGE! Seriously, we’ll likely go back to Sonic Jam Session a few more times before it’s all said and done and would love to see any of these games make an appearance towards the end of the summer!
And your winner of RAGE 2018 is…
Sonic Suggests is a wild ride from beginning to end. The amount of work that had to go into this in just a few days is staggering, and after a year with Sonic titles released on two opposite ends of the critical spectrum, it just feels appropriate that this year’s RAGE winner embraces the goofiness that is Sonic the Hedgehog. There’s plenty of gags you’ll see right off the bat, but it’s the subtle bits and spot-on comedic timing that makes Sonic Suggests the winner of RAGE 2018.
Once again, we’d like to thank everyone that joined us for the RAGE livestream and submitted games. We love playing through these every year and we hope to entertain you as much as you entertain us! And speaking of entertaining…