By Michael Palisano
With so many World War II combat
titles on the market, developers need to create something special to stand
out from the pack. The Outfit looks to do just that with single and
multiplayer missions that offer a massive number of destructible
environments, weapons and combat types. The third person perspective gives
you an excellent view of the action while you fight the Nazis on a variety
of locations. One of the unique aspects of The Outfit is the ability to
call in Tanks, Jeeps and combat vehicles at the drop of a hat using the
Destruction on Demand feature and should ratchet the game's intensity even
further. This action-packed title looks to be one the spring's
most-anticipated Xbox 360 titles, so read on for a closer look at The
Outfit.
Set in the battlefields of World War II,
The Outfit from THQ and developers Relic Entertainment is an action-packed
combat shooter that brings a number of unique elements to the table. You
are given the choice of one of three different squad leaders, each one of
which brings their own abilities and skills to the battle. The squad
leaders are responsive for two squads, and can switch between them at any
time during the game. This allows you to use a number of tactics such as
flanking the enemies from different directions, placing them in different
areas of the map or combining both forces and going straight for the
enemy's throat. The Outfits's sophisticated AI means that the other
members of your squad will automatically implement you commands. You can
order them to take down tanks, assault enemy positions and they can also
seek cover without your specific orders. During each mission, you'll have
to avoid the enemy Nazi forces who will attack you from all sides, but
you'll be able to fight back using your men and machines as well. During
the game, you'll encounter a number of different objectives and tasks
including reconnaissance, rescue plus search and destroy missions, each of
which presents a different set of problems.
One
of the Outfit's more impressive features are the fully destructable
environments, which allow you to blow up and destroy any object that gets
in your way. Anything in your path, including buildings, bridges,
encampments, barbed wire fences, enemy barracks and more can be destroyed
if you want, which should make the gameplay even more enjoyable. If you
get stuck in certain areas, you can call in a number of reinforcements,
which are dropped from the air and offer "Destruction on
Demand", allowing you to almost instantly take control of the
battlefield. The Outfit will also feature a number of cool weapons at
their disposal including machine guns, mounted guns, bazookas and more.
Players will also be able to engage the enemy at close range with hand to
hand combat techniques or engage gun battles and can use their armor to
break through enemy lines. From an gameplay perspective, The Outfit's
pacing is set to much faster than traditional war sims, giving it an
arcade style feel that should make it much more accessible for mainstream
gamers.
As you complete each mission, you'll
earn what are called "FU's", which are points that you can use
to call in airstrikes. You can also also use these points to purchase a
variety of items including weapons upgrades, extra vehicles, additional
soldiers and other items. You can also use these to increase your arsenal,
build machine guns nests or place anti-tank sections on the battlefield.
This is a really cool idea, that should give players plenty of flexibility
when planning and executing their attacks. The solo campaigns will consist
of 12 unique missions and should offer plenty of explosive fun. However,
multiplayer is where the game is truly set to shine, with both split
screen and Xbox Live Support. The split screen mode allows two players to
battle through the campaign missions or go against each other in versus
mode on the same machine. This sounds really cool, but Xbox Live should be
the game's real proving ground. It should work fairly similarly to the
single player game, but the Outfit will also include a number of cool
multiplayer modes including co-op, team, and deathmatch modes. The game
will support up to 8 players simultaneously along with support for
game-matching and the console's headset controller. In addition, the
developers are promising plenty of downloadable content including new
maps, skins, vehicles, and other items available as well. These features
alone should make The Outfit one of the more impressive 360 online titles
to date, and if the finished game is as fun and accessible as it sounds,
it should also quickly become one of the most popular with gamers as well.
From
a visual standpoint, the Outfit looks to make good use of the Xbox 360
hardware, with huge explosions, massively destructible environments,
realistic character modeling and a consistent frame rate throughout. This
should add to the carnage and realism of The Outfit, making for a gritty,
yet glossy action title. Each battlefield in the game is impressively
detailed, and the fact that you can destroy virtually any object you see
makes its advanced graphics engine's power all the more evident. The
game's production values are also looking slick, with impressive cinema
scenes and voice-overs used to give The Outfit an epic feel that should
make it one of the best looking 360 titles to date. The battles seem like
they'll be almost unhinged, and very much exaggerated with all-out warfare
throughout each level that should make for an intense experience. From a
technical aspect, the game is looking impressive and will support many of
the console's HD features including. 16:9 Widescreen support, 720p High
Definition mode, and 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround for superb sound, all of
which should make for a truly next-generation experience.
While the level of realism in the game
isn't as high as some of its competitors, The Outfit isn't aiming to
create a truly realistic representation of World War II. Instead, the
developers at Relic have focused on making an enjoyable, accessible combat
experience. An impressive array of weapons and machinery awaits gamers
looking to take the battle into their hands, with some intense battles in
the single-player mode. The ability to call in extra firepower, almost at
will, should add to the enjoyment, while the points system should add a
strategic element to the battles. The Outfit's solo modes sound fun, but
the online and multiplayer modes should be the real showcases, allowing
massive amounts of destruction and carnage amongst players that should
take the genre in a new direction. Add in a solid graphics engine and
sleek visuals throughout and The Outfit's presentation is looking
spectacular at this early stage. Even at this early stage, this is looking
to be one of the most-promising Xbox 360 titles this spring. The Outfit
should be a solid entry that has the potential to please both action and
war-gaming players.
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> External Link
The Outfit
Official Website (Xbox 360)
