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Outriders: A looter-shooter that even Cody could enjoy. (Gaming)

by Korny @, Dalton, Ga. US. Earth, Sol System, Tuesday, March 02, 2021, 10:36 (1123 days ago)
edited by Korny, Tuesday, March 02, 2021, 10:41

So over the past few days, A handful of us have been playing the free Outriders demo, which is a Microtransaction-free third-person ability-focused looter-shooter. Here's a 30 second-ish clip of the game in a nutshell:


We'll get back to this clip in a bit...


While it's not likely going to win awards in any key departments, I've actually found a lot to love in this game, and despite its extremely derivative nature, I've ironically found it to be a breath of fresh air in the genre, especially in the co-op department. The biggest reason being that the devs (People Can Fly) seem to have set out to specifically avoid every pitfall and issue with the looter genre, with a number of no-brainer solutions to issues found in games such as Destiny and The Division. They also set out to pull some of the best elements from those games, and have built upon them in ways that are almost immediately apparent, such as low-level loot making a significant impact on your playstyle and build.

The biggest thing that the game has going for it though, is that it is not a "Live Service" game. It has a beginning and an end, but with a lot of options for players to dictate how they will go about the journey from one point to the other. So the only investment system comes from crafting and tweaking the builds that you want to take through the different World Tiers (that you can jump between at will once you've unlocked them). Given how rewarding loot is from the outset, there is no grind towards the "endgame", because the World Tiers that you are in ARE the endgame; it's all about your build and RPG progression.

And your builds and gear really matter because they all actively push you to have more fun, not spend more money, or grind for longer amounts of time.
I found a piece of low-rarity armor that had a perk for an ability that I had earlier considered useless for my playstyle, but which now made it an essential piece of my three-ability combos. And your abilities are important, because despite this being ostensibly a cover-shooter, once the game clicks, cover won't be a focus for you. Let's go back to that 30-second clip:

I'm playing the Devastator class, which is a tank, and the first three powers that you unlock are all about doing damage in an area near you, and letting you throw yourself at the enemy. This is important because for this class, killing enemies within 20 of you heals you. As you can see in the clip, any enemy in range has a skull under their name is a potential health boost. This encourages an aggressive close-range playstyle that would be suicide for most of the other classes that you can play as. Speaking of which, notice how Fooch joined halfway through the video and started slowing enemies and turning them into exploding skeletons?
Yeah, that was really satisfying to experience, and paired really well with my build:

It's like Mass Effect 3's co-op decided to be edgy for the sake of how awesome over-the-top violence can be.

Anyway, SkillUp put out a video that I have some issues with (hey, I enjoyed the dialogue and strong focus on the B-grade plot!), but it sums up a lot of the things that the game does right.


The free demo is out for good, and progress carries over to the final game if you decide to take the jump!

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I'm enjoying too!

by breitzen @, Kansas, Tuesday, March 02, 2021, 10:56 (1123 days ago) @ Korny

Still gotta try out a couple of the classes, but yeah, it gets a lot right. Its gunplay is pretty average, but abilities are like 1/2 of combat and those are great, so it does end up feeling good!

I've spent most of my time playing the trickster, very fun, and with a couple of the right mods, can just teleport around endlessly and stun enemies for buddies to come in and finish off!

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Is it worth setting up that required account to play?

by Pyromancy @, discovering fire every week, Tuesday, March 02, 2021, 12:51 (1123 days ago) @ Korny

Is it worth setting up that required account to play? (I don't have said account from playing prior games the developer/publisher have offered)

I had downloaded the Demo to quickly try it out but was completely turned off once they halted the game before it could even start, demanding I hold some unknown account. I get it, it may help them track bugs and issues as well as chart my character progress and apply it to the full game once it releases (it sounds like you get to keep your progress in the release version?)
However I don't take setting up accounts (or giving out personal information) lightly, especially when I just want to try a game when I may not buy it, ever. From the outset I'm not sure this game is something I'd buy but I wouldn't mind trying it. Free demo is no longer Free in my eyes

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Is it worth setting up that required account to play?

by Korny @, Dalton, Ga. US. Earth, Sol System, Tuesday, March 02, 2021, 13:05 (1123 days ago) @ Pyromancy

Is it worth setting up that required account to play? (I don't have said account from playing prior games the developer/publisher have offered)

I had downloaded the Demo to quickly try it out but was completely turned off once they halted the game before it could even start, demanding I hold some unknown account. I get it, it may help them track bugs and issues as well as chart my character progress and apply it to the full game once it releases (it sounds like you get to keep your progress in the release version?)
However I don't take setting up accounts (or giving out personal information) lightly, especially when I just want to try a game when I may not buy it, ever. From the outset I'm not sure this game is something I'd buy but I wouldn't mind trying it. Free demo is no longer Free in my eyes

I don’t recall setting it up for this game, though I do already have a Squeenix account (maybe it automatically logged me in?).
I’ve never had any issues (made one back in the Tomb Raider 2013 days), other than being added to a mailing list that sends me FFXIV offers once a month or two, but that’s on me for giving them my real email at the time, and never bothering to opt out of the mailing list. Otherwise I think it’s just a ToS and crossplay thing, since you generate crossplay codes for your lobbies.

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A heads up for a great alternative!

by Korny @, Dalton, Ga. US. Earth, Sol System, Tuesday, March 02, 2021, 15:08 (1122 days ago) @ Pyromancy

If you have PS+ or Gamepass, you can pick up Remnant: From the Ashes for free. It's a fantastic game with a similar premise, though it's a little more... *sigh* Dark Souls than Mass Effect.
While it does work great as a 3-player co-op experience, my first playthrough was entirely solo, and I had a really great time with it.

Remnant is a pseudo-procedurally generated third-person shooter where the only RNG is really in the Bosses that you encounter (26+ in all, not counting events or Dungeons) with you only encountering a dozen or so per playthrough, unless you activate Arcade mode or Reroll your campaign), which all have a guaranteed loot drop or two that can be something as simple as a mod that lets you summon flying skulls, to a gun that shoots radioactive beehives at enemies, or an armor set that drains your health rapidly, but gives you a massive damage boost and Lifesteal.



It's pretty great, and I haven't even touched either of the two expansions that I bought for it yet:

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Is it worth setting up that required account to play?

by stabbim @, Des Moines, IA, USA, Tuesday, March 02, 2021, 15:45 (1122 days ago) @ Pyromancy

Yeah, that part raised my eyebrows too, but so far it hasn't been intrusive at least. I believe the game is cross-platform, so it's probably being used at least partly to manage that.

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Outriders: A looter-shooter that even Cody could enjoy.

by stabbim @, Des Moines, IA, USA, Tuesday, March 02, 2021, 15:43 (1122 days ago) @ Korny

I haven't played much yet, but I like it. It's by no means identical to Mass Effect 3's multiplayer, but the way it FEELS to move around and fight is the closest thing to it that I've seen. Closer than Andromeda, for sure. There's a lot of potential here and I'm probably buying the game barring any unforeseen major problems.

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Outriders: A looter-shooter that even Cody could enjoy.

by cheapLEY @, Tuesday, March 02, 2021, 21:13 (1122 days ago) @ Korny

Outriders is a good example of “greater than the sum of its parts.” No individual aspect of the game is incredible, but it adds up to an extremely compelling and fun experience.

Like you, I’m extremely here for the B-game bullshit story. I wouldn’t say any of it is well presented, but I do want to know what’s going on, so I’d say it’s working for me.

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Outriders: A looter-shooter that even Cody could enjoy.

by Cody Miller @, Music of the Spheres - Never Forgot, Wednesday, March 03, 2021, 00:39 (1122 days ago) @ Korny

Looks like Gears of War, and Gears of War is 15 years old. I'm good thanks.

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Never disappoints

by ZackDark @, Not behind you. NO! Don't look., Wednesday, March 03, 2021, 06:47 (1122 days ago) @ Cody Miller

- No text -

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Never disappoints

by cheapLEY @, Wednesday, March 03, 2021, 07:30 (1122 days ago) @ ZackDark

Sometimes I have to wonder if there’s an unspoken competition to see who can be the biggest dickhead around here.

Maybe that should be cause for a little introspection . . . nah, that’s silly. (:

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Never disappoints

by Cody Miller @, Music of the Spheres - Never Forgot, Wednesday, March 03, 2021, 08:40 (1122 days ago) @ cheapLEY

Sometimes I have to wonder if there’s an unspoken competition to see who can be the biggest dickhead around here.

Maybe that should be cause for a little introspection . . . nah, that’s silly. (:

Did I miss something? Did I insult anyone who is enjoying this? All I said was that I think it looks like a game I played 15 years ago, and I have no interest in that.

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Never disappoints

by cheapLEY @, Wednesday, March 03, 2021, 09:22 (1122 days ago) @ Cody Miller

No, not at all. And I meant that very light-heartedly. As always, it’s just a time thing. No one can be dismissive in quite the same way that you seem to manage. Again, I don’t find that offensive, I frankly think it’s fucking hilarious.

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