Third-person action videogames underwent a lot of remodelling two decades ago. Specifically the subset dedicated to shooting. When Gears of War proved that the time had come to standardise a few mechanics, every other title simply followed its lead. There’s was the odd bit of initiative here-and-there of course, but by-and-large the conventions of the genre are the same now as they were 10 years ago. Scourge: Outbreak is everything that this image presents: an average action game resting entirely on established mechanics.
Back in 2013, the digital distribution services on console were rapidly catching up with the quality of peer services on PC. This allowed for increasingly impressive titles at a fraction of the cost of AAA retail products. Mars: War Logs proved that lengthy experiences akin to those offered as full priced titles just a few years prior could now be presented as more wallet-friendly packages. Scourge: Outbreak was designed to hammer this home by aping one of the most popular innovators of the current-generation.
A Scourge on Gears of War
Whatever your feelings towards Epic Games’ Xbox 360 opus it’s impossible to deny that much of what makes a modern third-person shooter title originated in the guise of Marcus Fenix. The lock-in cover system, the roadie run and blindfire may have been presented in similar titles previously, but Gears of War standardised them in a way that anyone can learn. And that anyone can borrow for their own purposes. Scourge: Outbreak capitalises on this familiarity, if never truly exceeding these expectations.
Contain the Outbreak Co-Operatively
Scourge: Outbreak is a videogame that is designed for co-operative play. Online only, the entire campaign can be played through drop-in/drop-out lobbies with friends or anyone who chooses to join. The player team has four available slots to fill, however unlike the comparable FUSE there’s very little difference between them aside from the character model. In fact, the only discernable difference is that of the temporary virtual shield that can be summoned. Characters will either have a shield they can place or a shield they can carry. The latter restricts firing until it’s depleted. All players can also command an area effect ability which uses the same resource: a slowly recharging meter.
Despite the fact that the campaign is intended to be played co-operatively, the tutorial must be played solo. Regardless of your party or any other settings. You do get the option to skip the tutorial but only after you’ve booted your teammates from the game. It’s a very bizarre design decision that reeks of a lack of forethought. Sadly, it is not the only example of such issues. When playing with a mix of AI and human team members, the AI can be chaotic. Especially given that – while perfectly capable of picking targets and reviving teammates by themselves – they will blindly follow the host player. This means frequently leaving a member of the team unnecessarily vulnerable.
Scourge: Outbreak Chooses Imitation over Innovation
Scourge: Outbreak took a while from announcement to release, and during that time it had built up hopes of innovation. Sadly, what was delivered wasn’t to the standard one would hope. Enjoyable in places, Scourge: Outbreak is marred by an uneven difficulty curve and a lack of its own initiative. It appears that aiming to replicate the best a genre has to offer, rather than exceed it, will only ever leave you with an inferior experience. Scourge: Outbreak seems to have aimed for average, and in that it’s wholly successful.
The game is playable now on PC, and via backwards compatibility for Xbox consoles. However, we can’t recommend it over many of it’s peers. One for the Gears diehards as they await the inevitable next title, at best.
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