Outriders First Impressions

Outriders has finally released for Xbox, PlayStation and PC. A “looter shooter” game that allows you to face devastating enemies with a huge variety of different weapons and abilities. Outriders has been very highly anticipated, and is even free on Xbox Game Pass. It is clearly to see why this is the case, from first impressions, this game seems to be quite good.

Huge Variety:

And one of the reasons why is because of the massive variety. There are so many different weapons, enemies and bosses that you can experience within the game. Allowing you to have a unique and different experience almost every time you play. This is a vital key point that needs to be met in a game of this genre, and it is wonderful to see that the game does allow for that level of variety that is needed.

Weapons to Earn:

On the topic of weapons, the weapons in this game are great and all useful in their own ways. From starting the game and throughout playing it, you will be using different types and rarity of weapons which all provide a fun experience. With different weapons having loads of different abilities, adding a bit more to that variety that is massively needed. Of course, not all weapons will perform the same, it is extremely difficult to balance weapons perfectly in a game like this, especially at launch. Which is why we can pass this off.

Rarity:

I just mentioned rarity, and that is another great thing about the game. Weapons that are meant to be rare, like epics and legendaries are difficult to get and very uncommon to find. Which is how it should be. The most powerful weapons are supposed to be difficult to get, so that you have more to work for in the later stages in the game.

Those later stages of the game are vital to get right in a looter shooter like this. An absolute key component that needs to be placed well. It is good to say that from first playing this game, the endgame looks good. The content is quite replayable off the bat and there is a lot of content to go through, with legendaries being available from vendors in the endgame. Giving players a reason to redo or play new activities is one of the key parts of the endgame, and that’s why legendaries from vendors are so important. Players are given a reason to go out and earn the materials and parts they need to unlock the best gear. Though I haven't experienced much of this yet, I can tell it could be a bit tedious. 

World Tiers:

For players who like to push themselves, the world tier system is extremely good as a challenge. World tiers act as a difficulty system. The higher the world tier, the more powerful the enemies are. World tiers offer some devastating combat, but also a higher chance at better gear and more of those materials you need. A challenge that can be enjoyed either alone, or with friends.

Multiplayer Experience:

On that note, solo and multiplayer options are both very viable options and work well. Playing alone does offer for some challenging moments, but also a fun experience. Where you can play at your own pace and smash enemies. Or you can play with friends, or other players, through multiplayer. This makes the content easier, especially in those higher world tiers, and quite fun at the same time.

And to ensure that you can play with your friends, the option for crossplay has also be added to the game. A feature that is always great to have. You can play with your friends no matter what platform you are on. You can enjoy different content and the story with your friends, without many issues.

Story Time:

The story can never be ignored in a big game like this. Many games in the same field have struggled with this field, like Anthem. But does Outriders suffer from the same problem? The best way to put it is that the story is decent. It is a straight forward, and not very complicated tale that does have some interesting plot points. Delivered through different points in the stories and different bosses. But I have not found it extremely memorable straight off the bat. 

Boss Fights:

Boss fights are one of the most entertaining parts of the game. Boasting unique and powerful abilities and fighting styles that really separate them from each other. You will very rarely face a boss which allows you to do easy damage or stay in one spot while trying to fight. The boss fights feel like boss fights, encounters that you may often find yourself struggling to overcome.

Abilities:

Abilities are one of the key parts that separate games from each other. Unique and fun abilities that are different are needed to ensure that your game is different. It is great to see that the character abilities available in Outriders are pretty fun and unique. You can choose the abilities that are best for you, with different fighting styles and powers available to be mixed and matched, offering even more to that variety mentioned before. These abilities will serve you well throughout the whole game, you need them to overcome the toughest of challenges and quests.

Loot and Shoot:

But of course, within Outriders you will get loot that you do not want. It is part of the whole loot and shoot experience. Because of this, the interface has been optimised to ensure you can easily get rid of that unwanted stuff and do what you need to do. Being very simple and easy to use, you can easily navigate through the menus to fully customise your character. Quick selection is one of the great parts of this features as well. This allows you to select gear by their rarity so you can quickly and efficiently dismantle mass amounts of unwanted gear. A nice quality of life update, but again something you would expect to see in any game like this. 

Customisation:

Customising your character is one thing, being able to easily earn and change your armour and weapons. But there are even more customisation options available, not just for your character. Within your own hub space, you can fully customise your hub vehicle, your own banner and emotes. You can change the colours, parts and design of your vehicle to make it look even more dangerous. You can also change the design of your banner, to make it match your own preferences. And this does play quite well into the field of variety, but I did not think this was anything mindblowing. 

Performance Wise:

Visuals. A key part to every game that you play. Amazing visuals are needed, and it does decently in this area. Outriders has some truly beautiful environments and colours, with quite a few areas looking stunning. With some wonderfully strong settings and feels, making the world feeling even more alive. Even the cinematics look very nice. But in quite a few circumstances, I found the world and visuals to be quite empty and unfulfilling. Which brings it down for me.

To ensure cinematics work to the finest level, additions were made to the full game, to make sure you have the best experience. You can now change the cinematic max fps and camera shake, making it feel a lot finer, adding to the overall performance. But this isn't a massive deal overall.

Bugs To Start:

However, there are some other issues with the game. This is expected from a game of this size at its launch. There are bound to be some bugs and glitches. Some weapons do not work as they should and there are some issues with objectives and waypoints, preventing progress. But Square Enix and People Can Fly have already started making changes and addressing player feedback. Which is very good to see, working to make improvements as quickly as possible is something every company should do.

In terms of first impressions, this game has had a decent start. Full of fun and enjoyable encounters and good variety. But time will tell how successful this game will be. Though quite a few encounters are quite enjoyable, I do find myself questioning if it is worth coming back to in the future. Off the start though, I am going to give Outriders a 6/10. It's had a decent start, but the future will tell if it will flop or not.