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Outtrigger
Online, FPS, action made specifically for the Dreamcast! - Review By Celeryface - Page 1/2
"Interforce wants you to help stop worldwide terrorism. Head into training in the offline mode, then join in online with the ranks of many to help put a stop to terrorists. Interforce wants you!"
What is this? A recruiting ad for the military? Nope, 'fraid not. It's Outtrigger for the Dreamcast! Outtrigger is a fast-paced, 3D shooter, similar to Quake 3 Arena and Unreal Tournament, complete with 1st and 3rd person perspectives which runs at a smooth 60 frames per second, and boasts full online play.
Terrorists have attacked our military research facilities, leaving heavy casualties, many with families. The military funding corporation, Visitaria, has responded by opening a new training facility to form an elite group of male/female soldiers to become Interforce: The International Counter Terrorism Special Force. Recruited from around the world, you take on the role of Jay, Alain, Lina, or Talon...all unique elite soldiers.
In Outtrigger, you are sent to this new training facility to hone your skills to become an elite soldier as a part of Interforce. You are put into "real" combat situtations such as rescuing hostages, team battles, target practise, and top rank battles where the person with the highest score wins. All of this takes places in many battle arenas loacted in such places as a library, a castle, and an abandoned train station. Other locales can be unlocked through further gameplay. The offline mode is the training grounds for the online mode, where the real counter-terrorism takes place.
As previously stated, Outtrigger is similar to Quake 3 Arena and Unreal Tournament. But beyond the obvious difference of being able to choose between first- and third-person perspectives, the game also sports many great attributes. The game features full online play for up to 6 players, supporting both the 56k modem and the Broadband Adapter. Also a 4-player splitscreen mode has been added, for you to enjoy with your buddies without having to play online. To accomodate the gamers who play 3D shooters on the PC, Sega added mouse and keyboard support to Outtrigger, which is, in my opinion, the best way to play a 3D shooter.
The Good
Big explosions are a must for first-person shooters. |
Once you have Outtrigger spinning in your Dreamcast, the first thing you will notice is the many options available to you: Arcade Mode, VS Mode, Network Battle, Mission Mode, and Character Edit.
Arcade Mode consists of four training ranks to go through, preperatory, novice, intermediate, and advance. Each containing six training exercises to get to you ready to stop those terrorists.
VS Mode features multiplayer split-screen action, with upto 20 levels to choose from. When playing with your buddies in the multiplayer mode, you can set your game to have a time limit, point limit, team battle, and handicaps. The multiplayer mode is fun to play, but lacks the options like "Capture the Flag" or something similar found in other 3D shooters.
Network Battle is where the game really shines. Full six player online gameplay with 56k and Broadband Adapter support, gives all Dreamcast users the opportunity to team-up and compete online. You can go online and recruit your teammates and try and become the best Outtrigger team. When playing online I found that the gameplay and framerate was very fast, but while shooting there was a small delay. But this is from my own Outtrigger online experience, and it may differ with you and your ISP. (Note to Sega, send me a Broadband Adapter - or just start selling them again) Overall, the Network Battle mode was great.
Mission Mode is an added feature where you play through novice, intermediate, and advance levels to unlock new characters, levels, and weapons. There are 15 levels in each, meaning in total, that's over 45 levels! The mission mode add alot to the replay value.
Character Edit allows you to do just what it says - character edit - you can edit your characters by changing their color and which weapons they carry during the game. The only problem is that it uses existing character models, and doesn't allow you to change the look of the character like in Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2.
The action is fast-paced and multiple enemies will hunt you at once. This game requires honed, twitch-gaming reflexes! |
Visually Outtrigger has very nice graphics with a smooth 60 fps framerate, and VGA support that is just stunning. (If you dont have a VGA adapter for your Dreamcast, I highly recommend picking one up) The textures are very colorful and detailed. The character models look great, and move smoothly through the game. The levels are in an arena style, and are very unique, some featuring a wide open arena, and some having complex rooms, stairs, and much more. The visuals, overall, have been done very well.
The gameplay is basically fast-paced shooting. Yes a very short description, but thats what its all about. If you are familiar with any of the Dreamcast's previous first-person shooters, or you happen to play FPSs on the PC, you know what to expect in terms of gameplay. The game was born in the arcade though, and it shows its root with large colorful power-ups and small levels. The game runs at a high framerate, which is desired for 3D shooters, and the gameplay is very fast, offline and online. Throughout the game you will be able to unlock new characters, levels, and weapons from the Mission Mode, for use in your counter-terrorism work. The controls are completely customizable, and has over 15 pre-set control schemes to use. The keyboard and mouse combo is a must for gamers that are coming from PC 3D shooters, and is also great for any gamer to have as well, but the standard controller works just fine.
Next: More Good, The Bad and The Final Word
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