The Outfit

Though a bit rough around the edges in places, The Outfit's fearless fusion of action and strategy pays off in a big way. It's engaging, it's addictive, and it's ferociously one-of-a-kind.

Half action, half strategy, The Outfit blends gameplay elements from Mercenaries, Battlefield 2, and straightforward RTS games like Command and Conquer to create one of the most original games we've seen in years. If nothing else, it's the best online action game currently available for the Xbox 360.

"Germans on the Horizon!"
The premise is simple. You're a member of an elite World War II squad called "The Outfit" (think the A-Team on steroids, sans the gaudy gold chains), the only fighting force standing between Nazi Germany and global conquest. The single-player campaign -- which consists of 12 battlefields -- is straightforward and relatively unadorned, with cookie-cutter mission objectives and serviceable enemy A.I. That's not inappropriate, as the campaign serves as a glorified practice session for the riveting Xbox Live modes. In The Outfit, online is where the real action is.

In any of the modes, you select one of three lantern-jawed heroes: Deuce Williams, the bazooka-toting, cigar-chomping leader; J.D. Tyler, the speedy sniping expert; or Tommy Mac, a beefy walking armory who excels at dishing out punishment. But don't be fooled, because The Outfit is no trigger-happy shooter. Though it's packed with spectacular action scenes, its pacing is often more thoughtful and considerate than games like Halo 2. For starters, you're not just fighting over kills -- you're struggling for control of strategic points located around each of the maps.


The physics engine in The Outfit makes for some particularly satisfying explosions

With shootouts taking a back seat to strategy, the focus is on a feature that Relic and THQ call "Destruction on Demand." If you have enough Field Units, a form of resources you earn by capturing strategic points, you can call for supply drops and reinforcements. Tanks, Jeeps, turrets, and extra troops are never more than a few button taps away. Most deployments can be leveraged for offensive or defensive purposes, so you can deploy turrets to hammer on a fortified point, or use them to protect your territory from invasion. Ultimately, the Destruction on Demand feature is the heart of the game's strategy, and a crucial component to victory. Charging into the fray will usually get you killed, but a few well-placed machine gun nests can work wonders.

An Army of One to Eight
The single-player campaign is good Nazi-bashing fun, but the multiplayer mode is what will make The Outfit famous. Supporting up to eight players -- each of who commands four A.I. teammates, for a grand total of 40 characters in the biggest battles -- the multiplayer matches in The Outfit are downright apocalyptic in size and scope. If you thought Halo 2 matches were intense, you ain't seen nothing yet. In The Outfit, tanks smash through houses, flamethrowers cook entire squads, and massive artillery strikes reduce city blocks to flaming rubble. But because the gameplay is built upon a smart, polished strategic core, the action rarely devolves into pray-and-spray tactics. Intelligent use of Destruction on Demand always takes priority over toe-to-toe shooting. If you want to inflict massive damage on your opponent, you'll have to rely on well-placed anti-tank cannons, machine gun nests, and heavy vehicles (like the flame-spewing flammpanzerwagen tank).

As you might expect, The Outfit runs the full gamut of multiplayer support, from split-screen and System Link to Xbox Live. Match types range from boring old deathmatch to more strategic game modes, including a well-integrated cooperative game type. Judging by several hours of massive multiplayer matches, it's clear that The Outfit is the most riveting online action game currently available for the Xbox 360.


Melee attacks are devastating in The Outfit

Comments [0]

post a comment

Post a Comment