Last week Rich travelled to London to play Rage and to film an interview with the game's creative director, Tim Willits. Sadly, when we looked at the footage afterwards, Rich's beautiful face appeared as nothing but a heavenly bright light, with only a hint of checked shirt below. We scrambled our crack team of videographers to recover the footage, replacing each frame of Rich with stunning new footage of id's new post-apocalyptic shooter.

Willits has been at id Software for 16 years - he came up with the idea for bespoke deathmatch maps in Doom - and he talked to Rich's glowing face about Rage's open world, the graphical power of the PC, and how gamers are suffering from "modern combat fatigue." He also briefly covers the impressive mod tools that will be released when Rage comes out on October 4th in the US and October 7th in Europe.

 
Rage really is id's attempt to move away from traditional corridor shooters, and that's what their latest 'making of' video is all about. The developers talk about creating an open world, crafting memorable NPCs and a vehicle based multiplayer. There are some great character designs on show; the monocled Mayor Clayton in particular looks fantastic. Rage is released on October 4th.

id founder John Carmack has been talking to Industry Gamers about the success of mainstream shooters like Call of Duty. He defends the series, saying "As long as people are buying it, it means they’re enjoying it," and criticises the "snooty attitude" of indie developers who criticise the lack of innovation in the military squad shooter format. "It’s almost as if it’s popular, it’s not good. And that’s just not true," he says.

"If they buy the next Call of Duty, it’s because they loved the last one and they want more of it," adds Carmack. "So I am pretty down on people who take the sort of creative auteurs' perspective. It's like 'Oh, we’re not being creative.' But we're creating value for people - that’s our job! It’s not to do something that nobody’s ever seen before. It’s to do something that people love so much they’re willing to give us money for."

"So I do get pretty down on people that - you see some of the indie developers that really take a snooty attitude about this."

id are currently putting the finishing touches on their open world shooter, Rage, which is not a squad military shooter. "I’m actually happy Rage is a little bit different in terms of feeling and tone," says Carmack. "It’s not just, 'Here’s your squad mates.' But that’s still a proven formula that people like, and it’s a mistake to . As long as people are buying it, it means they’re enjoying it."

Rage is due out on October 7. At E3, Carmack told us why it will run better on PC, and explained why the PC is the future of gaming, saying that they're now "an order of magnitude" beyond consoles.

 
Bethesda have released a new developer diary showing off the arsenal available in id Software's upcoming shooter, Rage.

If id are known for anything, it's their guns. They know how to do firearms. The classic id shotgun, a crossbow that fires mind-control darts, a bladed, homing boomerang of death and a hunter-killer spider robot are just a few of the items that'll be filling your ever-expanding gun rack over the course of the game. Despite all the huge environments and vehicle racing segments that id have shown off before, the team are keen to emphisise that Rage is still a shooter at heart, with no less bloody head shots than you'd expect from the creators of Doom. It's due out in October.

This making-of video for Rage shows us the one thing we haven't heard much about so far, the story. An asteroid, fittingly named Apothis, passed close to the Earth, wrecking havoc on our ecosystem. You survived by being part of the government's 'Project Eden', which had you sealed away until the start of the game. Your pre-disaster nature makes him a valuable asset in the desolate wastes.

The twist? Apothis is apparently real, and has a (low) chance of hitting the Earth in 2036. Here's hoping, when the end finally comes, it's looks half as cool as id's vision.

 
The latest developer diary for Rage takes a behind the scenes look at id studios as they work on the finishing touches to Rage. Id stalwarts John Carmack and Tim Willets discuss the merits of running a shooter at 60 frames per second, and talk about the megatexture technology, which allows artists to customise every inch of the game world, resulting in less repetitive environments.
 
You can get a closer look at those environments in the latest Rage screenshots, and find out why Rage will run better on PC. The game's out in the US on October 4 and in Europe on October 7.

Some lovely new high-res Rage shots have landed, showing us more of the wasteland and some extremely angry mutants. But why can't we talk to the mutants? Because they'll eat our faces. Instead we'll have to simply run them over. All of them. Until the wasteland is empty and we're all alone in the world again. Victory! You'll find the ten new screens below. Click to hyper-bloat them to full size.

It's been a very busy year for PC news at E3. All last week we were bombarded with new trailers, announcements, screenshots and interviews from LA. We got to see some of the most exciting games of the next few years demoed right before our eyes. You can find all of our E3 2011 posts right here. If you don't fancy clicking through five days of madness, we've compiled the biggest stories of this year's conference into one post with links to all the best trailers, screens and stories of the show.

Battlefield 3 gets a release date, beta plans announced


Battlefield 3 was spectacular at E3 this year. It was one of the best looking games at the show. The EA conference tank mission demo stole our war-obsessed hearts and made us all go "ooooh!" at the screen. In terms of actual news, however, the October 25 release date is a big deal. Battlefield 3 will get a couple of weeks head start on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (out November 8). There will also be a Battlefield 3 beta in Septermber.
Far Cry 3 revealed


Far Cry 3 is coming. The sequel plans to combine the lush jungle environments of Far Cry with the open world of Far Cry 2. Ubisoft promise that the AI has been altered this time so the action happens when the player wants, not when an overzealous patrol comes within a mile. The lawless island will be fully explorable, and the game is built in an upgraded version of the powerful Dunia engine that fuelled Far Cry 2's enormous world. Check out our Far Cry 3 E3 preview for more.
Arma 2: Free announced


We went to E3 expecting more information on Arma 3 following the announcement in the week leading up to the conference. What we got was entirely unexpected. Instead, Bohemia announced Arma 2: Free. One of the best military sims ever made will be free to download this month. The only caveats are a downgrade in graphics, and a lack of mod support. You'll still be able to jump into 50-player missions with your friends. Think of it as the best demo ever.
Modern Warfare 3 could get dedicated servers and mod tools


The fact that Infinity Ward and Activision are even thinking about adding PC specific features like dedicated servers and mod tools to Call of Duty is big news. While it faces stiff competition this year in the form of Battlefield 3, Call of Duty is still one of the biggest games in the world right now. If its creators start paying more attention to supporting the series on PC, that can only be a good thing.
Star Wars: The Old Republic raids revealed


The Old Republic's raids were shown for the first time at E3 this year. Tim dived in and got to see the improved UI and a raid set on Alderaan. You can read all his thoughts on the new raids here. Bioware released some footage of the Eternity Vault raid on the official Star Wars: The Old Republic site. They also released an in-depth dev diary detailing a whole mission set on Tatooine from start to finish.
XCOM returns


After a year of media silence, XCOM re-emerged from its alien cocoon this year a changed animal. The trailer wasn't great, but Graham reported distinct improvements when he saw the game behind closed doors. Check out Evan's overview for a summary of changes that have been made to XCOM in the past year.
Bioshock Infinite trailer and demo amazes


This year's Bioshock Infinite E3 trailer was impressive, but the behind the scenes demo Graham saw was even better. He saw a world full of big ideas and exciting gun fights, a battle of philosophies on a gorgeous floating city. Read all about it here.
Mirror's Edge 2 plans hinted at, could use Frostbite 2


While not quite exactly confirming anything, EA games president Frank Gibeau made it quite clear that EA plan to bring back Mirror's Edge. What's more, it could be powered by Battlefield 3's Frostbite 2 engine. We don't expect a sequel anytime soon, with DICE hard at work on Battlefield, but the prospect of a new Mirror's Edge game further down the line is still exciting.
John Carmack on Rage 2, and the power of PC


It's no understatement to say that John Carmack is one of the giants of the industry. The multi-talented engineering wizard has been building state-of-the-art engines for years. When Carmack starts talking about his predictions for the future of the gaming industry, it's a good idea to listen. We spoke to Carmack about his work on Rage, and his thoughts on where the PC is at. His says the PC is "an order of magnitude" more powerful than the consoles, and that he's keen to change his development approach to one in which id design more efficiently for the PC first, and then move to consoles afterwards. Coincidentally, this is the same approach taken by DICE with Battlefield 3.
Mass Effect 3 gets release date


Not to be outdone, Mass Effect 3 got a release date of March 3 2012, which feels like a long, long way away. It's looking good, though. Check out Josh's hands-on preview for more
World of Warplanes announced


World of Tanks developers, Wargaming.ne, revealed their next MMO at E3 this year. It's called World of Warplanes,and will follow a very similar 'free-to-play with microtransactions' pricing structure to World of Tanks. As with WoT, players will be able to build up their own hangar of warmachines, purchasing planes and upgrades with real and in-game cash.
Brothers in Arms: Furious 4 revealed


Brothers in Arms has gone mad. Gearbox unveiled a brand new direction for the series at the Ubisoft press conference, surprising everyone. Furious 4 replaces existential angst with axes and tactical squad combat with chaotic hyperviolence. It's a bold move by Gearbox, but will it backfire? Check out the Furious 4 trailer for a good look, and read Tim's impressions of the game.
Payday: The Heist unveiled


The choice discovery of E3 this year, Payday: The Heist mugged Tim with its foul language, feisty action and criminal sense of cool. Tim says it's like Left 4 Dead, but with cops instead of zombies. You can read his hands on with the game here. Check out the in-game footage for more.
Dust 514 to be PS3 exclusive, could come to PC


CCP are trying to realise a staggering vision. They're trying to unite PC and console gamers in the same universe. Their FPS, Dust 514 is designed to let PC players send console players on missions to take strategically important planets in the Eve Online. Dust 514 players will share the same chat channels as PC gamers playing Eve Online, and will be able to join Eve's player-created corporations. Eve players floating high above conflict zones will even be able to deliver orbital strikes that will have a direct effect on the FPS battle raging below. It sounds incredible. It will release as a PS3 exclusive, funded by microtransactions, but we'll eat our hats if it doesn't come to PC within a year. You can read Josh's Dust 514 impressions here.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has 30 hour main quest and horses


We got a good look at The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim at E3 this year. The footage and screenshots Bethesda released showed dragon-slaying, horse-riding and plenty of combat. Graham delivered his impressions from the show floor, while Tom delivered his analysis of the video. We discovered a few more facts about the game as well. The main campaign will be about 30 hours long, but with enormous scope for exploration. You'll be able to ignore the main quest from the start of the game, and a carriage-based fast travel system will let you travel to all of Skyrim's major settlements straight away.
Torchlight pirated more than 5 million times


We managed to get hold of Runic Games' CEO Max Schaefer on the show floor for a frank discussion about piracy, DRM and Torchlight 2. The former vice president of Blizzard North revealed that Torchlight has been pirated "millions and millions" of times in Asia, and explained why that doesn't bother him. Check out the interview for more.
Magicka has sold 600k, PvP DLC will be free


Magicka has been a runaway success story for Paradox games. Graham had a chat with Paradox CEO Fred Wester about the future of the game, which Wester predicts will sell a million by the end of the year. He also reveals that the next piece of DLC, which will add a PvP mode to the game, will be free to everyone who owns the game.

And there you have it, an overview of some of the best showings at this year's conference. What were your favourite bits of E3 2011?

There's been a change of date on the official Rage site. Id's open world shooter is now slated for October 7, several week later than the former mid-September date. When we spoke to id co-founder John Carmack on the show floor, he said that Rage is ready to go, barring a few last minute polishes. Hopefully it'll be squeaky clean and bug free when it finally arrives in October. For more on the game, watch our interviews with John Carmack and Rage dev Tim Willets.

 
Our fellow spies at E3 managed to track down id Software's Tim Willits for a few interesting words about Rage's vehicle sections. Willits says he's gained a new respect for racing games after developing Rage's post apocalyptic buggies, but assures us that we won't be forced to go racing if we don't want to. It sounds as though they'll mostly be there to use to crash into things and as a roving platform from which to launch rockets. That sounds good to us.

We caught up with John Carmack recently, too. He told why Rage will look best on PC, and compared current PCs to the consoles, saying that modern PCs are "an order of magnitude" more powerful.