Outcast - Second Contact Reviews
From most angles, Adelpha has never looked better. But certain assets, animations, and audio keep Outcast - Second Contact closer to 1999 than the 'remake' tag might suggest.
Visually, Outcast: Second Contact is far superior to the original.
Indeed, Outcast still has an amazing universe but this remaster isn't successful in its attempt to modernize its graphics and gameplay.
Review in French | Read full review
Outcast is a remastered that keep the feeling of the original versione, driven by a good narrative structure that put the player in a big world populated by different alien races that give a lot of different quest. Instead the gameplay is old and unfriendly, with a graphics that doesn't work well.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Outcast: Second Contact is an HD remake of the 1999 cult classic Outcast. Though the enhanced graphics are a nice way to introduce the game to a younger audience, it's the only aspect that makes it better than the 1.1 version, which costs considerably less. The price range is questionable in the US marketplace but it's even more absurd in selected countries such as Russia, Brazil, and China where it costs more than $30.
On one side of the coin, Outcast: Second Contact is a warranted revisit of a beloved title. It has a fantastically well-constructed narrative that's a genuine treat to delve in to. However, on the other side of the coin are the terrible combat controls, embarrassingly low-fidelity voiceovers and a bland, bug riddled world design. Being retro is no excuse for recklessly disregarding the quality of the end product. This may be one of those nostalgic experiences that are better left dead and buried in the past.
Outcast: Second Contact is an eighteen year old game that's been given a makeover. This is absolutely fine if you're a fan of the original and want to play it again on modern hardware, but if you don't have the nostalgia quality there's absolutely nothing that you won't find here that's done far better elsewhere. For a steep price tag of £39.99 on PS4, that's just not good enough.
When Outcast Second Contact was announced I was jumping with glee, one of my favourite games of the 90's finally being remade for the modern age. If only the team had spent more time fixing the performance issues before release.
Outcast: Second Contact looks like a completely new game. And that’s its problem. Outcast: Second Contact only has re-texturing to its advantage, with mechanics and audio left untouched. Its glossy coat promising more than it had. A few tweaks to the audio presentation and how Slade handles could’ve gone a long way to bettering the experience. Those who have dabbled with Outcast in the past may find naught but nostalgic memories to power them through, other than that, there's nothing to be had here. This is re-texturing at its finest, but it’s not a remaster.
Outcast: Second Contact is a game that feels more like a direct port of the original rather than a fully remastered experience.
Outcast Second Contact is a neat idea and one that I wish brought Outcast updated mechanics and controls. Instead of being something that can bring in new fans, it feels like an attempt to just update the visuals and that’s it. New updates to all these features, new voice acting, and perhaps some more ease of use and quality of life improvements could have gone a long way to making this more than it is. As it stands, it’s a fascinating look at an old game with new visuals and that’s about it. The game hugely impacted and helped shape and mold what we have known to become open world games, but it’s not caught up yet with all the new improvements in today’s standards for this release. If a sequel does ever see the light of day, I’d love to see how they can actually refine and perhaps mold new open world games into become something more. If the first game could help start a genre, let’s see if a second one could improve and rejuvenate it. Outcast Second Contact is an experience most will likely want to leave in the past, new visual upgrades or not.
Although its augmentations are selective and skin deep, Outcast remains a generous and uniquely captivating game.
With how difficult it is to both a) learn all the mechanics and b) execute actions with Slade's lumbering movement, it's tempting just to move on, and to leave Outcast in the past.
In the end we can therefore say that Outcast Second Contact is a title certainly suitable for those who have already played. For lovers of the original, in fact, this new production will certainly be good, revisited textures, some small and light change, but a fidelity to the past that will surely make you lose some tear. Obviously, although some defects are transported from the past, the title still deserves to be played by those who have never known it. Indeed, this could just be an opportunity to see where many mechanics were born, without having to recover an old and too dated game.
Review in Italian | Read full review