Outcast: Second Contact is a complete visual remake of the original Outcast, released in 1999 to a world of PCs mostly too weak to properly run it. As hardware became more powerful, the original Outcast has become a cult classic, allowing for developer Bigben Games to be able to give it a new coat of polygonal paint and release an updated version with updated graphics while retaining nearly the same gameplay.

Story: A Sci-Fi Melting Pot

Outcast: Second Contact has a story that is almost a cliché due to its use in a million games, movies, stories throughout sci-fi. The story involves a man with a vaguely special forces background named Cutter Slade getting stranded in an alien world with peace loving beings, named Talan, ruled by a malevolent dictator and his clan. Slade must fulfill his destiny as the prophesied savior, the Ulukai, by collecting several macguffins to defeat the dictator, find his friends to return home, and ultimately bring peace to the land of Adelpha.

Taken at face value, one could be forgiven for writing off the story as unimportant. It would be tragic if you did that though, as the story is pure cheese. It’s a lot of fun as Slade is the typical one liner spouting 90’s hero, and the Talan show themselves to be deeper characters than normal NPCs usually are. The story becomes more fun than most modern game narratives have been recently.

Graphics: A New Coat of Paint Over a Rusty Wall

Outcast: Second Contact is much better looking than its original incarnation. That’s about the only compliment that can be given to it. This game looks like an Xbox game. There is exactly one Talan character model, and it can be hard to differentiate between the different characters that you must talk to and the many filler bodies that just have basic information. Outcast: Second Contact has implemented a system where each character has their names over their head for easier reference, but all the Talan move around and that makes them even harder to find when they’re needed.

The stages are the typical adventure game areas, desert, marshy farms, fire, and more. There is really nothing here that hasn’t been seen before. Each of these worlds is a wide-open land built for exploration and once the game opens up, a couple of hours in allows for really deep exploration the further in the game you go.

Gameplay: Lock On and Shoot Shoot Shoot

When it comes to the moment to moment gameplay, Outcast: Second Contact really shows its age. The gunplay seems as if the player has to wrangle the controller respond, not every trigger pull registers as a gunshot. The trigger button is also the same button that brings up the weapon menu; if the button is held a little too long, the menu appears in the middle of a battle. There is an automatic lock on system direct from many third person shooters of the era who had not figured that the best way to control characters is just like a FPS.

This would be fine, if the lock on wasn’t so touchy; if Cutter moves, the lock on will cancel and the chances of hitting your target will rapidly reach zero. Ammo is at a premium, not due to rarity, but due to the sheer amount of bullets required to take an enemy down mostly due to being unable to stop and aim properly.

The exploration is just as frustrating as the shooting. The big reason is that information received about an objective does not translate to information on the map. It’s fine that the game doesn’t hold the player’s hand with big “objective here” markers, but I would like to feel like my investigation and exploration led to more than vague “it’s over there somewhere” guesswork.

Exploration isn’t helped by traversal either, it’s almost as if the game doesn’t want the player to go any way other than the predetermined programmed “path.” This severely cuts down on combat tactical options and shortcuts while exploring.

Atmosphere: Bright, Optimistic Sci-fi

The atmosphere in Outcast: Second Contact is pure late 90’s. Everything is bright, shiny, and optimistic. The late 90’s was a time when everything seemed to be looking up when the world had been through the conflicts of the 80’s and 90’s and it seemed that nothing would bring us down. Little did we know that September 11, 2001 was right around the corner. Sci-fi had moved away from humans being the universal antagonist and now viewed us as capable of great heroism.

Cutter Slade fits right into the messianic “chosen ones” like Neo from The Matrix, and the humans in Stargate (which Outcast: Second Contact draws more than a little inspiration from). He represents the person that we all secretly hope to be, a powerful hero capable of changing the world. There is no tragic backstory or real questioning of his moral right to kill the bad guys for the good of this land that looks to him for protection. It’s the kind of story that is not told anymore, even our superheroes need to be complex and flawed characters now instead of the people we all strive to be.

I’m not saying that Cutter Slade is the epitome of humanity, only that his character is a breath of fresh air in a sea of protagonists that are honestly mopey sad sacks.

Overall: Outcast: Second Contact is An Aged Game That Will Be A Fun Nostalgia Trip For People Who Love the Original

Outcast: Second Contact is a better-looking version of a game from 18 years ago. The story is a fun ride that is buried under a mountain of outdated combat and exploration that is difficult to get past. For players who grew up or have fond feelings of this gameplay, the game would be a fun trip down memory lane. For new players used to more modern gameplay styles, the gameplay may be too much of a burden to reach the things that Outcast does well despite the age. Maybe in a more modern sequel, this series will get some recognition.

THE GOOD The Characters are Surprisingly Fun Cutter Slade is One of the Greatest Action Names Bright, Colorful Atmosphere THE BAD Shooting is Frustrating Difficult and Time Consuming Exploration 6 Fair Review Summary Outcast: Second Contact is An Aged Game That Will Be A Fun Nostalgia Trip For People Who Love the Original, But Not Many Others.