The Outfit
The Outfit, développé par Relic Entertainment et édité par THQ, est sorti le 13 mars 2006 sur Xbox 360. Ce jeu de tir, de simulation et de stratégie se déroule pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale et se distingue des autres titres du genre en mettant l'accent presque entièrement sur la destruction, au point que ses créateurs le qualifient de « destruction on demand ». Le joueur évolue dans un environnement entièrement destructible où presque tout peut être explosé, et il peut incarner l'un des trois personnages disponibles : Tommy Mac, résistant et armé d'un lance-flammes et d'une mitrailleuse mais coûteux en ressources, Deuce Williams, équipé d'un lance-roquettes et d'un pistolet et moins onéreux, ou JD Tyler, précis au sniper et au fusil à pompe mais mourant d'une seule balle. Pour progresser, le joueur accumule des « Field Units » dépensables via le bouton Y et le stick gauche de la manette afin d'acheter du matériel comme des chars ou des tourelles, d'abord pilotés par l'IA avant d'être pris en main directement. Utilisant le moteur Havok, le titre affiche une note agrégée de 55,42. La presse a salué sa présentation visuelle et sonore sur 360 ainsi que son mélange audacieux d'action et de stratégie, tandis que certains joueurs regrettent aujourd'hui des visuels datés malgré le souvenir d'un jeu coopératif local sous-estimé.
Médias
Avis des critiques et joueurs
Critiques de la Presse (Metacritic)
« Wrapped up with gorgeous presentation all round, with sumptuous 360 visuals and booming, atmospheric sound and music, the gameplay never fails to be anything less than engaging and enjoyable, both throughout the single player campaign and in the fantastic and fully online multiplayer modes. »
« 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. [Apr 2006, p.74] »
« The Outfit does not aspire in the slightest to reflect the sights and sounds of real-life combat in dubya-dubya-two. It aspires to be one thing and one thing only: fun. [Apr 2006, p.82] »
« The vehicle controls are a sticking point. Many of the maps in The Outfit are big, so vehicles are the main means of transportation. It’s so easy to zig in vehicles when you meant to zag - a major no-no with enemy A.I. this tough. The rest of The Outfit is a superfine romp that any action gamer should experience. »
« The unique gameplay is extremely well conceived, if not perfectly pulled off, and coupling it with some super hot multiplayer action earns The Outfit a medal. »
« Meshing a perfect blend of action and strategy while maintaining an enjoyable experience is no easy task, but Relic has captured it perfectly. »
« Relic's game achieves so much, almost creating a new console genre, combining the shoot-'em-up with the RTS. While it fails slightly in not being tactical enough (at least in Campaign mode) or quite compelling or consistent enough as an action shooter, the range of game modes and levels on offer means you get plenty of bang for your buck. »
« Online action provides the game's best thrills, with up to eight players slogging it out at one time. [Apr 2006, p.28] »
Avis des Joueurs (Metacritic)
« Such an underrated game, and (I think) to say it was a launch title, it really is a lot of fun on couch co-op. One of my all time favourites, yet very few people bought or heard of it. A little gem if you appreciate what you are getting is more towards arcade fun than a war simulation. But a very good game to chill out to »
« I personally remember really enjoying the Outfit when I was a kid but revisiting it today is just sad. For starters the visuals even for 2006 seems really underwhelming and you will here the same few generic military themes throughout the whole game. So the music and visuals aren't impressive but what is interesting is the gameplay at least at first. It's a weird mix of 3rd person shooter and RTS and while its kind of neat the game lacks in variety and so by the half way point in the campaign you'll of seen pretty much every thing this game has to offer. Spawn a tank in and spam defensive units in certain areas and you'll pretty much win most of the game by doing this. And the story doesn't help much as all the characters are your standard WW2 stereotypes. And the tone is all over the place like one moment it seems they wanted it to be this over the top goofy squad shooter and than other moments its suppose to be serious. Pair that with very janky gameplay, dumb AI and some of the most unsatisfying gun play I've experienced and you got yourself a mediocre game. Overall the game isn't terrible as I did enjoy some parts in a sort of arcade way and the style of game was interesting but by the the last level I just wanted it to be over with. »
« Me and my brother seriously loved playing this game especially playing 1v1. The only downside is it's only on Xbox 360. If it was on Xbox one, ps4 and pc then there would be millions of downloads I'm sure »
« While there are a lot of games like it, this game will satisfy. You are limited to 3 characters to use during levels or matches, but it has some cool weapons and many fun gameplay modes. »
