I didn't think Rage was complete shit, but I'll definitely agree that it was disappointing. I think the best part was the many in-game references to other Bethesda and id titles.

I also agree that Doom 3 was much better for its time. In fact, I just replayed D3 and the expansion earlier this year, and I still found them quite enjoyable. Atmosphere has always meant more than story or gameplay to me, at least in regards to first-person shooters.