If youвЂ™re not a fan of the genre by now, itвЂ™s unlikely that Outriders will change your mind however, itвЂ™s easily one of the most accessible. Outriders makes you feel incredibly powerfulДЇundamentally, Outriders is a looter shooter, but one that thankfully doesnвЂ™t feature any microtransactions (at least not yet, and hopefully never).But the execution leaves a lot to be desired. ThatвЂ™s not to say the entire world and setting is a bust вЂ“ Enoch is generally engaging enough to run around, and thereвЂ™s countless amounts of additional lore and context for players to discover. The plot becomes slightly more interesting towards the end of the game, but any evocative moments completely misfire. You awake over 30 years later, only to discover that the human race is still battling to survive, and its fate rests largely in your hands.ДЄll the usual tropes are here, with corny one-liners, frequent f-bombs and truly awful facial animations that make the cutscenes feel like a chore to sit through, rather than serving as a pleasant break from the action. What was supposed to be a paradise soon turns into a deadly hellscape, and your player-created character, known as an Outrider, is plunged into cryosleep after barely surviving the catastrophic events that transpire. Earth is deemed inhabitable due to one too many wars and natural disasters, so the human race sets forth to find a new home on a planet called Enoch. OutridersвЂ™s story does little to draw you in.

ItвЂ™s also infinitely better when youвЂ™re playing with friends, so if youвЂ™re traditionally a solo player, be warned. But underneath the cringe-worthy dialogue and generic premise is a game thatвЂ™s fundamentally fun, but one that only rewards players who have the time to invest in it, and patience to endure the gameвЂ™s sludgy start. YouвЂ™d be forgiven for thinking that Outriders was nothing more than a poor tribute act, then, particularly as the gameвЂ™s outlandish characters and fairly forgettable story do little to help its plight. If it all sounds a bit samey compared to other games, thatвЂ™s because it is. There are countless bits of cover to huddle behind during firefights and various guns to collect with different rarity values, power and stat-boosting bonuses the familiar circular cursor thatвЂ™s used to navigate most of the menus is alive and well, and thereвЂ™s crafting, gear and bullet-sponge bosses to take down. A predominantly brown, war torn world awaits the player after a clunky introduction, and harkens back to the insipid period where every video game developer suddenly forgot that other colors were available. This feeling of familiarity doesnвЂ™t do Outriders any favors, either. I generally despise pitting вЂGame A against Game BвЂ™ when it comes to a review (nothing is truly original after all), but OutridersвЂ™s inspirations are so obvious that itвЂ™s impossible to ignore. If youвЂ™ve ever dabbled with Destiny, The Division or Gears of War, itвЂ™s hard not to draw comparisons between Outriders and the aforementioned games. ItвЂ™s immediately obvious from the outset that Outriders takes liberties with some of its source material.

Outriders review ign