The Outfit Review

Synopsis

The Outfit is a Third Person Squad Action Shooter that takes place during World War II. It utilizes some gameplay mechanics from RTS's. You can airdrop in turrets, vehicles, and call in airstrike/artillery strikes. The game consists of 12 single player maps, and the multiplayer maps derive from those single player maps. The game is hectic, and despite a few flaws, is a great game.

Gameplay

Gameplay in The Outfit is fast. You'll be running, gunning, and sprinting behind cover quickly and effectively. You can choose to play as several different characters, all of which have different abilities. The character list is as follows:

Lieutenant JD Taylor
Affiliation - US Army
Main weapon - Rifle ( Upgradable to Sniper Rifle )
Thrown Weapon - Molotov Cocktail

Sargent Thomas MacIntyre
Affiliation - US Army
Main Weapon - Grease Gun ( Upgradable to Light Machine Gun )
Thrown Weapon - Sticky Bomb

Captain Deuce Williams
Affiliation - US Army
Main Weapon - Bazooka ( Upgradable to Anti-Tank Rifle )
Thrown Weapon - Frag Grenade

General Viktor Morder
Affiliation - Schutzstaffel ( SS )
Main Weapon - MP44 ( Upgradable to MG42 )
Thrown Weapon - Sticky Grenades

Nina Diedrich
Affiliation - Schutzstaffel ( SS )
Main Weapon - Rifle ( Upgradable to Sniper Rifle )
Thrown Weapon - Molotov Cocktail

General Hans Von Beck
Affiliation - German Wehrmacht
Main Weapon - Sturmpistole ( Hand-grenade launcher ) - Upgrade to Panzershrek
Thrown Weapon - Frag Grenades

Multiplayer games and Single player missions rely heavily on the acquiring and spending of Field Units. Field Units let you purchase anything you could possibly need. From AA emplacements, reinforcements, artillery, tanks, and other war-time necesities, field units help you stay in the fight longer and fighting harder.

Shown here is an example of Field Units being used to call in a German Wagon with attached MG42's

You and your squad fight to the death to eliminate the enemy. To help them on their killing sprees, are different stations you can capture. The stations range from little command posts to Armorys and Vehicle Depots. Capturing these things gives your team special things to purchase like Panzer tanks and other amazing weaponry. All things you wish to acquire cost Field Units, so save up. The game also features destructible environments, so if an enemy is behind the wall, blast it away!

Graphics

Graphics in The Outfit are decent. The game was released on March 17, 2006, so for an almost 6 year old game, the graphics are pretty good. There are the occasional texture pop ins, but they are easily avoidable. The only real problem i had with the graphics engine for The Outfit is the destruction. You can blast holes in buildings, and they are pretty detailed, but when it comes down to completely destroying a building, the building just sinks and disappears into the ground. Pretty disappointing.

Controls

Controls in The Outfit are definitely not your CoD clone at all. The controls are actually fairly different from alot of games, and they work pretty well. LT is for grenades, and clicking the right stick aims in. It reminds you of those old arcade shooters i used to play, which gives me that nostalgic feeling that few games give.

Final Verdict

Im awarding The Outfit an 8/10. The game has its technical flaws, but players have to take note that the game is nearly six years old. If you love shooters, I recommend you definitely giving this game a try.