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				Graphics: 7.5 Gameplay: 9.0 Sound: 8.2 Control: 8.0 Replay Value: 8.5 Live play: 9.0 Rating: 8.5 Publisher:  THQ Developer:  Relic Number Of Players:  1-2 (2-8 online) Preview Cheats Screenshots
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Editor’s note: Review preformed on a Sony 60” SXRD 1080p TV, ISF calibrated by me. Your mileage may vary.

  Hybrids Are Our Friends

  I know what you are thinking, “Oh great, another World War II game, another third-person action shooter.” Well, rest easy, my friend. What we have here with Relic’s The Outfit is a hybrid of sorts, a quite unique game, struggling to stand out from a crowd of sequels and me-too shooters. Now for a lot of dyed-in-the-wool console gamers, the mere utterance of RTS (real-time strategy) causes them to squirm in their seats as butt cheeks tighten. RTS games have been a long-time staple on PC but have never been embraced on the consoles. Relic, having experience developing RTS games like the Warhammer series, brings to the table the needed horsepower and experience to pull off an action game with RTS elements. That’s right, I said elements. Trust me, The Outfit is a balls-to-the-wall, non-stop action game, especially when played online, but I will get to that later.

  Getting Started

  There are 12 single-player missions, which can also be played co-op splitscreen or over Live. Very cool. The first mission acts more like a tutorial and helps guide the gamer though the more unique aspects of the game. Set in Europe during WWII, the story is actually a bit deeper then one might expect, as it involves the failed attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler in 1944 among other things. You play as one of three over-the-top G.I. Joe-type heroes and are able to switch between them when you die, and trust me, you will die.

  First up is Deuce Williams, voiced by Robert Patrick, who carries a bazooka, a .45 cal. pistol and grenades. Tommy Mac (Ron Perlman) likes to play with fire and has a flamethrower as his secondary weapon and a submachine gun has his primary. He also has sticky bombs that can be thrown onto tank treads as seen in Saving Private Ryan and a host of other WWII movies. Rounding out the trio is J.D. Tyler, who is a bit of a schizoid when it comes to his weapon choices. He enjoys hitting you from afar with his sniper rifle but also feels equally at home blasting hot lead into your mug up close and personal-like with his shotgun. He is also a good bartender, as his Molotov cocktail is all the rage behind enemy lines. None of their weapons can be switched out, but they can be upgraded as you progress through the story.

  The tag line for the game is “Destruction on Demand.” What this means is you are able to call for reinforcements at any time as long as you have the dough, or in this case F.U.’s or Field Units. And you earn FU’s how, you ask? By blowing the living hell out of everything, silly. Every time you or one of your A.I. squad mates caps a Nazi, you cash in. The more of your targets and enemies are destroyed, the more F.U.’s you earn, which allows you to purchase bigger and better toys.

  Basic Training

  Here is how it goes down. The missions begin with you choosing one of the three heroes. You are then dropped in at the beginning of the map with four A.I. squad mates who are at your beck and call. You need to fight your way to the first strategic objective, which is usually a motor pool, radio tower, armory or flag point. You must occupy the immediate area with no enemies near it for about 20 seconds. Doing so will replace the enemy flag with Old Glory. Your newly captured strategic objective now becomes a spawn point choice when you die. Commanding your A.I. posse is quite simple. They can be given a few basic commands (via the D-pad) like attack and suppress. These can work surprisingly well, especially online. It is a blast to put your reticule on an enemy player, hit the “attack” command and watch your guys drop what they are doing and open up a can of whoop-ass on him. There are a few other A.I. commands that are character-specific, like melee, attack vehicle and tear gas.

  How Much Would You Pay?

  Pressing the “Y” button any time while in the game brings up the “Destruction on Demand” radial menu, with eight categories to choose from. They include three different grades of machine gun emplacements and “cannons & artillery.” There are all kinds of vehicles ranging from Jeeps to halftracks and of course tanks. You can also call in reinforcements when your squad is depleted. These guys are also needed to operate your vehicles’ guns and cannons. You still do all the aiming and shooting, but they must be in the vehicle and behind the weapon for it to work. Rounding out the selection is the ability to call in aim or artillery strikes and to wiretap (listen in on) your opponents when playing online. Now having enough F.U.’s is not the only requirement to purchase the best stuff; you need to control those strategic objectives I mentioned earlier. raising the stars and stripes over the motor pool will allow you to buy the better-armed halftracks and the ability to acquire tanks, the armory will get you bigger and better guns/cannons and the radio tower allows you air/artillery strikes and wiretapping.

  When you make your choice, you use the left stick to move around the playing field a 3-D representation of your weapon or vehicle. You can also use the right stick to spin it in any direction. Once placed, tap “A” and immediately a large troop carrier will fly over and air-drop right to the spot you designated, which is now marked with a colored smoke bomb. All guns and cannons come with soldiers to operate them. If the gun operator is killed, you can put your reticule over the emplacement and press “A” to call down another soldier. Now this is where things get interesting, as you can destroy the enemy guns and cannons, but if you only kill the operators, you can take over enemy gun emplacements and call for reinforcements to operate them for your side. It is a bit tougher to pull off, because the operators are protected behind the bigger guns and cannons. They can turn them but only so far (except for the A.A. gun nets, which can turn 360 degrees), so you need to try to flank them. When you do this, the A.I. operators will actually disengage from their emplacements and take you on with their rifles or even hand-to-hand. This strategy is best suited for online play where it is a constant struggle to protect or take control of the strategic points. With single-player, you are mostly moving onto the next objective, and it is less necessary to have past points protected. However with that said, there have been times where, let’s say, I was halfway through a mission and I spawned accidentally at the beginning only to find more enemy A.I. soldiers have parachuted in and were attacking my captured strategic points.

  One-Man Army

  The missions are fairly linear, but you can attack your objectives any way you see fit. Going at it Rambo-style will usually get you nowhere fast. You need to use your noodle and position your artillery in the best spots to yield the most damage. To keep you on your toes and adrenalin up, the enemy A.I. will call in for reinforcements often. They drop from the sky just like your side. Most of the missions do play out the same, as you fight to gain control of the next strategic point. As you capture them, you can then start buying the bigger guns and vehicles as the ensuing enemy ramps up its assault. Some may prefer to play it on foot, while others may want to get behind the wheel of the biggest and baddest tank, like the “Calliope” (which is equipped with a massive rack of top-mounted 75mm rockets) and go medieval on Uncle Fritz. I like to mix it up but definitely prefer to drive, as you can capture strategic points and use the “Destruction on Demand” all while behind the wheel. One nice touch is that you can take over and shoot any gun emplacement or cannon yourself. Just walk up and press “X”, and the A.I. solider will step off and let you take over. When you are done, if he is still alive he will get back right on. Another cool feature is the way the achievements are integrated into the game. None of them are known or listed; rather, you discover them. For example, take out a searchlight, and you get a dialog box alerting you to an achievement opportunity if you destroy all of the enemy searchlights in that level. This really encourages the player to destroy and attack everything in sight.

  In between the missions is story time. Played out in real-time cut scenes, the story of our three heroes unfolds as they chase the evil Nazi General Hans von Beck though the French countryside. The story is actually engaging and has a few twists, so resist the urge to press “A” to skip them.

  Function Over Form

  I think what turned a lot of people off with the (online only) demo (downloadable via Xbox Live Marketplace) is the fact the graphics look rather generic and the learning curve is quite steep with no instructions as to how things work.

  While the overall graphics get the job done, they are by no means next-gen looking. Objects look clean and somewhat detailed, but some textures are rather bland. The overall color pallet is bright but tends to run more towards the primary colors as you would see in a Mario game. I have noticed some object and texture pop-in, which does not affect gameplay, bit it just seems that maybe the game was rushed a little and could have used more time in the shop. The clouds above appear to be made of two different layers and move in different directions or speeds, giving the sky a nice 3D effect. There are some nice little touches, like when the clouds of dust billow up from the ground as large cannons recoil from being fired.

  Everything in the game is destructible, and during the longer online battles, the map looks completely different by the end, as nearly every wall and building is leveled. This really changes how and where you place guns etc. as the map is dynamically changing. You are able to blast many holes into structures before they completely collapse into the ground. This effect is nearly the same as used in LucasArts’ Mercenaries but not done quite as well. It just looks a bit odd when the remaining walls just slide into the ground like an elevator car. Other explosions look fine although sometimes a little dry. There are some environmental scars left behind from big blasts and flamethrowers, but most disappear just like the dead bodies.

  Speaking of bodies, the animation is a bit rough and mechanical. It is odd that there seems to be both canned death animations as well as rag-doll. One big complaint I have read on more than one occasion is the vehicle controls. Some feel they are poor; it makes it nearly impossible to drive and or shoot. While they do take some getting used to and do offer a bit of a challenge, I feel this bit of criticism is overblown. First off, if they were super easy to control then they would be way overpowered and no one would play on foot. There needs to be a balance with all the elements in the game for it to work. Yes, they can be a bit tricky, but with a little practice, you will be rolling over your enemy in no time. My only gripe is when you are in close quarters the camera gets pushed up over and you can not see your vehicle, as you are right on top of it; this can make for a frustrating experience. Adding to the good balance is the fact you can jack any vehicle from an opponent even when they are moving. Be careful not to be run over, though.

  So in a nutshell the graphics get the job done, they just won’t win any awards. Where I feel the horsepower of the Xbox 360 has been put to good use is the A.I. and the sheer amount of carnage that goes down at a nearly non-stop rate. Others may disagree, but I feel this game could not have been pulled off on the original Xbox. In multiplayer, for example, there can be more than a hundred A.I. units on the field at any given time, all doing their part to win the battle. It is just so darn satisfying watching your freshly positioned gunners get busy defending and or assaulting the enemy. I know some players that prefer to don their Field Commander’s helmet and tend over their soldiers rather than fighting themselves. Things change really fast on the battlefield, and a good general is often more important than Rambo.

  Ba BAM!

  The voice acting fits the over-the-top gameplay and story. Some of the in-game one-liners are quite humorous but get old after the twentieth time. The screams from freshly torched soldiers, however, never get old. The guns could use a little more oomph, as they sound a bit flat. The music fits the game to a T -- aggressive WWII fanfare that keeps you in the mood to kill more Nazis. The overall 5.1 presentation is great, with deep bass emanating from all corners of my room as gun blasts and explosions rain down from all directions.

  Off The Hook

  Where this game really rocks is online, especially when you are able to play with friends on your team, as coordinating tactics is so important in achieving victory. The Outfit offers up 12 maps (more coming via download) and room for eight players on Live, and while that may not seem like many, trust me, it is. With eight players, each with their own squad of four plus the seemingly never ending parade of air drops, within the first few minutes of play it seems like you are in some sort of massively multiplayer war game. Hosting eight is a bit tough for mid-fi connections like mine, but I can host six with no problems. When overextending your abilities, the game slows to a frustrating stutter-fest. You are able to choose from 13 different insignia kits that will lay over your vehicles, making you stand out from the crowd.

  There are three different modes available: Deathmatch, Destruction and Strategic Victory. The latter is by far the most popular, for good reason. This is where your team and the enemy square off in the battlefield, each trying to whittle down the others’ command points. Gaining control of the strategic objectives serves two purposes. If you capture them all, it’s game over because the enemy has nowhere to spawn, and by capturing the motor pool, armory etc. you can buy the bigger toys. The host can adjust the starting command points, which dictates how long the match will be, the starting amount of F.U.’s each player has, respawn time and F.U. drops. That’s right: chests of gold fall from the sky and are sprinkled around the map, so if you are low on F.U.’s and are having a hard time killing the enemy, this is a way to grab some cash.

  In The End

  As stated up front, this game is a genre unto itself. It does have its weak points, like plain- Jane graphics and some hit detection problems. Aiming can feel a little unsatisfying, and the auto-aiming assist can be quite liberal at times. However, all of this is easily overlooked once the addictive and freshly charged RTS gameplay grabs hold of you and never lets go. The single-player missions are solid if a bit repetitive, but it’s the online multiplayer that drives this game in for a home run. Every time I take my squad online I have an absolute blast, and isn’t that what gaming is all about?

3/31/2006  Eric 'Jetson' Pfoutz