Outland [XBLA/PSN] - Sean Connery sold separately

Kitsuna

Outland

Release Platforms: PSN, XBLA
Price: PSN - £10 and XBLA - 800msp
Release Date: Out Now
Official Website:
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Once upon a time there were two sisters who created the world.

And then they sought to shatter it.

They were stopped by a Hero who managed to imprisoned them and so save the world.

But that was a very long time ago, and now that the doors of the prison have weakened, a new Hero is needed.

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Details

Developed by Housemarque, Outland is a 2D platformer with a lot of other action game elements mixed into it. The gameplay mainly revolves around Prince of Persia style platforming and switching colors - ala Ikaruga - in order to destroy enemies and traverse obstacles of the opposite color.

As opposed to a straight set of linear levels, the game uses an open world structure similar to Super Metroid. Over the course of the game, players learn new abilities that will allow them to access previously inaccessible areas and collect hidden treasures.

Finally, there is also an online co-op mode that allows two players can assist each other in saving the world and participate in special challenge rooms



The game is currently out on XBLA at the price of 800 MSP and it will be out on PSN at a price tag of £10 when Sony gets the Playstation Store back up and running.

Trailer

The First 5 Minutes

Reviews

Below are the Metacritic links that lead to all of the reviews so you can peruse them and decide whether or not this game is for you. Because of the recent PSN downtime, there aren't many PSN reviews available yet.

Xbox360 reviews
Playstation 3 reviews

Mr_Grinch

Woo, dedicated thread! Loving this game so much for being awesome, hating this game so much for taking my time away from Mortal Kombat.

The art-style is lovely, I get sort of a Tron meets Avatar vibe, and the bosses (well, boss, I've only beat one) are fantastic. The demo is pretty crappy though.

PaperLuigi44

Thank you kindly, Kitsuna.

I won't say anything about the second boss, Grinch, but needless to say it tops the first one.

But yeah, pretty amazing so far.

Adda

Not being able to play this is more annoying than identity theft. True story.

Looks awesome, really encouraged to hear it is getting such positive feedback.

PaperLuigi44

My gut feeling on the art style was Limbo (the levels themselves being black) crossed with the gorgeous sunset effects from the new Donkey Kong (at least for the first world). It's a nice contrast.

Ah_Pook

i am definitely getting this whenever sony gets their shit together

John Zoidberg

Very fun game. Got past the 1st boss last night and I am looking forward to seeing how much crazy form switching you will likely have to do later in the game.

It also looks fantastic.

Shadowfire

The third boss is a cocksucker. I had to put the controller down and shut it off last night.

And it's my own fault... it's not unfair or anything, just really hard.

Lunker

I have already bought this, but I'm doing my best not to play it, as I have so much shit to do this week it's not even funny.

Dirty

Adda wrote: »

Not being able to play this is more annoying than identity theft. True story.

I too, hadn't really been bothered by the PSN downtime, until I tried the trial for this game on XBLA. I would much rather play this with the PS3's d-pad (plus, there is a co-op mode that I could only take advantage of on PSN). Now I'm a little frustrated.

wileee

After a couple of hours playing Outland on XBL coop, I have zero regrets spending the $10/800pts.

The controls are very fluid. Environments are fun. Love the acquisition of new powers as you progress. (very Metroid like, Including some of the enemies). The coop connection was free of lag for the most part.

I will say that coop can be helpful most of the time once you realize what can be done differently from single player. For example the "color activated platforms". In SP you have to change yourself to the same color as the platform to make it "solid". This forces you to switch colors when jumping to/from different colored platforms. However in coop if each of you are a different color, ALL platforms will be solid and you just have to be wary to jump at the right time. The downside to this is that if the other player is on a blue platform and you switch from blue to red, the platform will disappear sending them falling.

Another note on coop is that each player has free roaming ability. (you're not confined to one screen)

Seriously though, if you like platformers at all, I think you would be hard pressed to be disappointed in this game.

DoctorArch

I said this in the XBLA thread, but Outland handles like a finely-tuned sports car. This is the way all platform controls should be.

Madpanda

Beat this over the weekend, the last 2 levels are pretty nice, last 2 bosses pretty rough.

postgame question

Anyone unlocked the world in the upper right corner of the map? I am like 3 idols of the gods away from the achivement if thats related. The only ones I have left appear to be on non portal maps so I have to go through each stage checking the map for completion

Rubix42

I really want to buy this, but have very limited game time right now. Is this game short, or very long?

Madpanda

Around 7 hours for the single player according to my time.

Rubix42

Madpanda wrote: »

Around 7 hours for the single player according to my time.

So based on my current gaming time I have, maybe 2 weeks of gaming for $10? Perfect.

Thanks!

hatedinamerica

Damnit, I went to three different videogame stores in my town today to see if I could find a 500 or 800 MS Point card, but apparently they don't make cards for less than $20? Or if they do, nowhere around here carries them.


Guess I'll have to wait to buy this until tomorrow when I get paid.

aka when i'm old and grey :P

PaperLuigi44

A part of me loves that 'oh crap' moment when a larger badguy appears for the first time, considering how easy the combat is to use.

Only dude I constantly have issues with is the sword wielder who dashes at you. Guy doesn't waste any time and I can't find a way to stun him.

Ratsult2

wileee wrote: »

I will say that coop can be helpful most of the time once you realize what can be done differently from single player. For example the "color activated platforms". In SP you have to change yourself to the same color as the platform to make it "solid". This forces you to switch colors when jumping to/from different colored platforms. However in coop if each of you are a different color, ALL platforms will be solid and you just have to be wary to jump at the right time. The downside to this is that if the other player is on a blue platform and you switch from blue to red, the platform will disappear sending them falling.

Very true, and it can lead to some funny moments. There are also some situations where you have to communicate to your partner what color he needs to be so you can get through certain blocks. Another difference from single player is some platforms require that both players be on them and the correct color to move. This makes some sections easier (platforms that you have to hurry because they drop, you don't have to hurry in co-op) and some sections harder (easy jumps that suddenly you have to try and time with a partner).

The co-op challenges are great too. They are not afraid to mix things up a bit.
(spoiler for the 3rd or 4th co-op challenge)

One player is in charge changing colors for both players.... then half way through the other player is in charge. :P

Madpanda

PaperLuigi44 wrote: »

A part of me loves that 'oh crap' moment when a larger badguy appears for the first time, considering how easy the combat is to use.

Only dude I constantly have issues with is the sword wielder who dashes at you. Guy doesn't waste any time and I can't find a way to stun him.

I've stunned them *once* possibly. I think it has something to do with hitting right as they swing.

Unless I am doing something cheap like uppercutting from a lower platform, I always lose at least 1 heart to those guys.

Ratsult2

You should try:
Hit them once, jump over, hit them, jump over, hit them, jump then ground stomp.

Kitsuna

I'm just approaching the end of the game and I have to say that this has been consistently awesome and well worth my money. The art direction is fantastic, the controls are precise and responsive and the gameplay is suitably addictive in that "just a little bit more before I switch it off" fashion.

The four bosses I've fought have all been suitably epic and challenging and I'm interested to see what the final boss will pull out of it's hat to challenge me.

RainbowDespair

Played Outland for a few hours. I don't think the story mode quite works - since you autorespawn (with full life no less), there's not really much tension in the action department and exploration isn't as exciting as it could be since you've got maps for every place and it even tells you which way to go to reach your next goal. Good but not great.

However, I absolutely love the arcade mode. True, it's the same layouts as before, but with a time limit and combo meter, the game finally rewards skill & planning in a very addictive way.

Kitsuna

Just completed this a little while ago.

The final boss wasn't as difficult as I expected. It took me a handful of tries to beat it but I got my victory when I stopped trying to hurry and started taking my time.

Now that I'm finished with it, I have no hesitation in saying that this is a fantastic game and that I have no regrets in having picked it up. I'll certainly be returning to it sometime in the future, either for a new playthrough or simply to wander around the game world and enjoy the platforming.

Mr_Grinch

Finished the Story Mode on MK9 so now I'm free to put some more time in to this. Loving it so far, it gives me a real "Flashback" vibe.

I'd kill for a HD version of Flashback.

Brainiac 8

I finally got to play for a bit last night after being out of town all weekend.

I just got my super laser...woo!

The Priestess gave me some trouble, but I finally wooped up on her.

JonBob

Finally got past the winged serpent. I was going to go exploring after that, but got funneled into a new area. Have I encountered a "point of no return" here, or will I get freedom again later?

Shadowfire

There is no point of no return. Even when you enter the area with the last boss, there's a teleporter to leave right there.

Also, the last boss is kind of a bitch, but only in the most "this is a completely predictable pattern and you're doing it wrong!" way.

Szechuan

I've only made it past the first boss and acquired both colours, but so far this game has been fantastic. Has anyone else noticed some similarities between the title music in Outland and PoP2008? I've been trying to see if it's the same composer but haven't found the info yet.

Chainsaw Wabbit

I am gravely disappointed. The thread title led me to believe I would find something like this:

Szechuan

Sorry Wabbit. It does have great boss fights, though. I'm astounded this was only a 10$ title after what they charged for Braid.

PaperLuigi44

Did the 4th boss fight last night, while a part of me thought "man, they could use some checkpoints", it was incredibly satisfying to manage everything, learning a bit more with every attempt. Thank god I had two special attacks left for the end though.

Lunker

Finally got to sit down and actually play this ... so gorgeous. Housemarque really knows what they're doing; Super Stardust was eye sex, and this is just stunning to see in motion. Reminds me of the silhouetted levels from Super Meat Boy and DKC Returns. I've only put a little time into it, but it's hitting all of my buttons so far. Controls are smooth and responsive, traversal is fun, and I'm expecting some ridiculous bullet-hell patterns by the end of the game. It's making me want to go back and play Ikaruga all over again!

Brainiac 8

Yea, I'm at one section right now where the bullet patterns go too quick for my mind to calculate so I attempt to just run through it all without dieing. :P

PaperLuigi44

Been going through the final world, and now I've decided to explore the older worlds for stuff I've missed, it's been quite a ride.

Also the difficulty twist they've added to the last world is pretty clever, the phrase 'Outland you magnificent bastard' may have passed my mind.

Brainiac 8

I beat the Spider last night...and it was awesome.

I died once just because I wasn't sure what it wanted me to do. Also did one online coop challenge map...and the laggy nature of the online means I'll never do that again.

Sheep

Picked this up today. Digging it. Only beaten boss 1 though. Golem. I love the Ikargua-ness of it.

PaperLuigi44

I mentioned it in the XBLA thread but the end boss is pretty excellent. All the bosses are.