Exclusive Update: The Outfit

Firepower and brainpower unite in The Outfit, Relic's strategic shooter for the Xbox 360. Here's an in-depth look at what is shaping up to be the first truly great next-generation action title.

Relic is growing up, and in a big way. Driven by the sweeping success of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War, the company's ranks have nearly doubled in span of just six months. But the Vancouver-based development studio has every reason to build up its arms, as it's fighting a war on a whole new front--the Xbox 360.

Relic's first-ever console game, The Outfit, is like World War II as reenacted by G.I. Joe. It's a totally over-the-top action title that blends squad-based combat with a dash of strategy.


If you get close enough to deliver a melee attack, you'll be rewarded with a one-hit kill.

Fit and Fiddle
In designing The Outfit, Relic's challenge was to find a way to translate their PC strategy know-how to a home console. The Xbox 360 controller is ill-suited for a point-and-click RTS game like Warcraft. The answer, Relic found, was to emphasize action and condense the strategy to its barest essentials.

On the surface, The Outfit looks like any other squad-based shooter. Your hero character leads a small squad of computer-controlled grunts into combat on a vast outdoor battlefield. But even the hero selection is more strategic than in most games.

The three members of The Outfit have unique strengths and weaknesses. Deuce Williams (voiced by Robert Patrick, the shap-shifting T-1000 from Terminator 2) is the most balanced character in the game, and comes equipped with a vehicle-shredding bazooka and a potent .45 handgun. Tommy Mac (voice by Ron Perlman, of Hellboy fame), meanwhile, can dish out massive damage with his flamethrower and Tommy Gun. The speediest character, J.D. Tyler, (voiced by T.C. Carson, who starred as Kratos in God of War) packs a punch with his sniper rifle and shotgun.


The action is fast, but the strategies are sound.

The Spoils of War
As in a full-fledged RTS game, The Outfit gives you the ability to deploy and command units on the battlefield. Rather than charge into a firefight, you can deploy a Jeep and use it to transport your squad straight through the enemy front line. If your enemy has a heavily fortified strategic point, you can soften their defenses by ordering a precision airstrike. And if all else fails, you can order your squad mates to attack or suppress the enemy forces using simple, pre-configured commands on the directional pad. And if your squad gets mowed down, no sweat--reinforcements are just a deployment away.

As in any straightforward strategy title, success hinges on your ability to capture and hold your opponent's assets. But you can't always rely on the might of grenades and bullets: if you don't fortify your strategic points with machinegun nests and anti-tank emplacements, your opponent can turn the tables and snatch back your territory.


You can call for vehicle support in the form of Jeeps, halftracks, and tanks at almost any time.

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