I live off of Xbox Live Marketplace. Discovering a new Xbox 360 game demo waiting to be played is almost as exiting as getting phone calls from telemarketers (I enjoy the pleasant conversations associated with switching my long-distance phone carrier). A few weeks ago, The Outfit hit the marketplace and gamers got a taste of the destruction before its release. The game featured some crazy demolition gameplay never before seen on the “next generation” system including fully destructible environments. However, I was concerned with particular flaws in the game mechanics that could plague the retail version. Sure enough, The Outfit was released containing the same bugs I feared in the demo as well as a linear single-player campaign with no replay value.

The Outfit takes place during World War II, when Nazi-Germany battled against the United States and its allies in war-torn France. In single-player mode, you can take on the role of three hardened soldiers: Captain Deuce Williams, the leader of the Outfit, carriers a Bazooka most effective against vehicles and emplacements with optional upgrades; Sergeant Thomas ‘Mac’ MacIntyre packs a high-pressure flamethrower capable of cremating infantry units; and Lieutenant John Davis Tyler who holsters a sniper rifle and shotgun for long- and short-ranged attack. Besides the weapons they carry, there is little difference between what the characters can do. They are all incredibly sluggish and have the marksman skills of a gerbil. It’s hard to tell whether or not you hit your target due to the problematic reticule system.

To compensate for the precision problems, you are given a squad of four soldiers you can command. They usually do what they’re told even though the commands are rather unspecific like “suppress,” which rushes the enemy, and “melee,” which fights the enemy in hand-to-hand combat. The soldiers also act as shields against strayed bullets, a much more useful “skill” than having them use their guns.

The Outfit also features a strategic gameplay element called “destruction-on-demand.” At any time, you can summon airplanes to deploy vehicles (which range from tanks to …wheelbarrows) and heavy artillery (such as antitank cannons and machine guns). You can position the heavy artillery in designated areas for you or your soldiers to use against the enemy. To deploy anything, you must earn Field Units by completing game objectives. Field Units act as cash and you must use them sparingly to afford the heavy weapons when you really need them (calling an air strike against two enemy soldiers isn’t what I’d call conservative spending). The single-player campaign can get pretty boring following a very linear level design to complete repetitious objectives. When you capture a base once inhabited by Nazis, that base will become a spawn point when you die. 

The Outfit greatest feature is the multiplayer gameplay that allows you to play online or through system link. The multiplayer modes are a lot more exciting than the single-player campaign including deathmatch and capture-the-flag. Playing against an online opponent offers up some unique experiences you can’t get with a linear campaign. However, the precision problem persists online as well. Because of this, playing on Xbox Live feels too chaotic and out of control with little replay value. 

Graphically, The Outfit looks like a polished Xbox title instead of a “next-generation” game. Although the levels are destructible, the detail in the character models isn’t too great and the explosion effects don’t look real at all. The sound also fails in certain aspects with laughable voice acting, a loud and often annoying soundtrack, and a mixed bag of awesome-sounding explosions and less-than-realistic gun shots.

The Outfit is a combination of chaotic action and in-game strategy. But what would have been a fantastic Xbox 360 game is plagued with problematic controls and a repetitive, linear single-player campaign. The multiplayer mode is more interesting to play, but the game is too chaotic for its own good. If you fancy the freedom of total destruction, just rent it. 

Gameplay: 6.7
Although the game is fun, its riddled with gameplay flaws and a repetitive linear single-player campaign

Graphics: 7.5
Fully destructible levels with disappointing graphics

Sound: 7.0
Funny voice-acting, mixed sound effects, and annoying music

Difficulty: Medium/Hard

Concept: 9.0
The Outfit had the potential to be a great Xbox 360 title

Multiplayer: 7.3
Because of the chaos that surrounds you at all times, it’s hard trying to follow the objectives of the game.

Overall: 7.1
I would like to see what The Outfit could be without some of it’s shortcomings. The Xbox 360 is still in its infancy as developers have barely scratched the surface of its potential, and the concept of the game represents creative thinking the industry desperately needs. In execution, however, The Outfit falls short in delivering a gaming experience gamers will keep coming back to. War fans need only rent it.