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    Outland

    Game » consists of 6 releases. Released Apr 27, 2011

    A 2D platformer with an emphasis on either light or dark forms to overcome obstacles and defeat enemies. The game bears a unique visual style and "Out of this World"-style platforming gameplay.

    I hope everyone that can, will buy this!

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    NTM

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    #1  Edited By NTM


    This game was fantastic! (or if not, near fantastic). I just beat it, I took a day off from it for no reason other than not wanting to play games at the time, but overall I think anyone that's looking for a great game in general, you need to buy this, it's worth every dollar. I'm actually asking you to do this for two reasons, I think you'll like it (apart from a few frustrating parts), and I personally want a sequel; and they need the money for it. So please, please, please, if you want a great game, buy it sooner rather than later. I would go on to tell you the pros and cons, but there's a lot of pros and only a few cons. Again, please go buy it even if you're already into a game. By the way, not that it really matters, but I played it on XBLA. THIS GAME DESERVES RECOGNITION! I'm going to get the soundtrack now if there is one...

     

    For those that have it, what do you think? For those that beat it, what did you think?

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    AhmadMetallic

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    #2  Edited By AhmadMetallic

    son i got over 15 titles to buy on day 1 this year. Outland can kiss my beep

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    NTM

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    #3  Edited By NTM
    @Ahmad_Metallic:
    Yeah, I probably have more than that, but I still have it... because it's awesome. That's fine, miss out on the best downloadable game of the year.
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    Scarz09

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    #4  Edited By Scarz09

    I got it day 1, I have only played about four hours but I love it so far.
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    commandercup

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    #5  Edited By commandercup

    I've heard only good things so I'll definitely end up buying this game once I can muster up some cash. I played the demo and I loved the aesthetic.

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    MudMan

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    #6  Edited By MudMan

    I tried the demo and it didn't quite get to me. The visuals are beautiful and controls are snappy, but there is something to the level design that doesn't intrigue me. Which I guess is weird, because I'm as deep into the Metroidvania hole as you can possibly be.


    All the loading screens don't help, either. A game like this should be able to stream everything. 
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    ArchScabby

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    #7  Edited By ArchScabby

    It's alright.

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    stubbleman

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    #8  Edited By stubbleman

    I don't play Ubisoft published games as a matter of principle. And even if I did, or it wasn't a Ubisoft game, there's still that niggling issue that there are like a bajillion games coming out over the next couple of months. Being a broke college kid is the shits. I keep eyeballing the FEAR complete pack on steam but there's just too much new stuff coming out. Any other summer and this game would be just what the doctor ordered, but damn if this isn't a busy summer for games.

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    deactivated-5e9ee8b9b3047

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    I don't get all the hype with this game. Granted I've only played half of the demo. It just looks like a generic platformer to me, and I've played a lot of platformers.

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    NTM

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    #10  Edited By NTM

    @NoelVeiga:
    The level design didn't have any impact on me whatsoever other than how I had to play the game. So it was neither good or bad.

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    NTM

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    #11  Edited By NTM
    @blitzkriegblizzard:
    You wouldn't be able to experience what the game has to offer if you've only played the demo half way through. It's not exactly typical. I've played a lot of platformers as well, and this is pretty unique though you won't totally be able to say its unique because it's pretty much a bunch of games mixed together. I'm sure you've heard about it.
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    Slaker117

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    #12  Edited By Slaker117
    @somnambulist: Just curious, what's so bad about Ubi? Other than being huge, have done anything particularly objectionable? All I can think of is DRM.
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    MudMan

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    #13  Edited By MudMan
    @NTM said:
    "

    @NoelVeiga:
    The level design didn't have any impact on me whatsoever other than how I had to play the game. So it was neither good or bad.

    "

    You may not notice it, but level design has everything to do with the experience the game generates for you. To me it felt less driven than the DS Castlevanias, I was less aware of where I was going for longer. I didn't read it as easily and I was reminded of the artificiousness of it more often. But hey, people are clearly liking the game, I'm just explaining why I didn't actually buy it.
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    FancySoapsMan

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    #14  Edited By FancySoapsMan

    It's a pretty good value at $10.

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    jozzy

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    #15  Edited By jozzy

    Regarding the level design. I like my metroidvania games to be placed in something that looks like an actual location, like a caste or an undergound base (Castlevania and Shadow Complex). What I saw of outland the levels looked like nothing, just abstract platforms with an artsy background. I'll probably pick it up when it's half off, because it does look interesting.

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    RobotHamster

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    #16  Edited By RobotHamster

    For $10 it looks great, but I'll try the demo first.

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    GeekDown

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    #17  Edited By GeekDown

    I will buy it once I finish up a few other games. I really liked the demo and the artstyle is fantastic.

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    buft

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    #18  Edited By buft

    bought it for the co op

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    Icemael

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    #19  Edited By Icemael

    I played the demo. It wasn't fun. The combat was shit, the controls felt awful and the messy graphical style made it hard to see spikes.

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    Chontamenti

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    #20  Edited By Chontamenti

    I have to finish Portal 2 first, and then I'll pick it up..
    The demo get me. I like the graphical style a lot, and the idea of an "ikrauga"-Platformer is amazing. (just my opinion) ;D

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    Slaker117

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    #21  Edited By Slaker117

    You're getting a lot for $10. I take issue with a few design chooses, but it's a great value. Something to check out if you're into 2D action/platforming.

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    YoungFrey

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    #22  Edited By YoungFrey

    I love the visual style and it's a lot of fun to play.  If I could change anything, it'd be to add more Prince of Persia into the mix.  The first one.  The real first one.  Not that there is anything wrong with it now, I just like PoP more than Ikaruga
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    louiedog

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    #23  Edited By louiedog

    I just played about an hour of the game and I'm really enjoying it so far. I don't know if I just wasn't pay enough attention or what, but the graphics, particularly the backgrounds, seem a lot more striking while playing than they did in the Quick Look. The controls are solid and I'm liking everything about it so far. There's still a lot left to see, but already it's one of the better XBLA platformers I've seen and one of the best games on the service so far this year. My only complaint so far is that co-op seems to be online only. I think my girlfriend would have enjoyed playing through this with me.

    I hope people pick this up, it's a steal at $10. It kills me when I see people buying up mediocre arcade ports at $10 just because they've heard of the game when fantastic new games like this are available. There are about 1000 GB users who have played it, which is a pretty good number for an XBLA game that's been available for a couple of weeks. Hopefully it's got wider appeal beyond this site and it's not just from Brad talking it up. What a shame the PSN downtime will probably ruin it's chance on that platform.

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    soldierg654342

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    #24  Edited By soldierg654342

    After beating it, I can confidently say that It was a stronger proof of concept than it was a game. 

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    Twiggy199

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    #25  Edited By Twiggy199

    downloaded it, played it, i want my money back!

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    Needle

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    #26  Edited By Needle

    Just finished getting 200/200 in Outland, I thought it was pretty good. The actual level design is quite decent actually, and while I love the high-contrast style I will agree that it made some obstacles quite difficult to see. Also, this game's been out three weeks and the co-op game is already a barren wasteland - it took me about half an hour to find a match for the co-op achievement.

    Speaking of achievements, the "Millionaire" one stinks. I hate achievements like this one that require pointless cyclical grinding. It's an hour of my life I won't get back.

    I really enjoyed the polarity system - when it works well, the game is fair and challenging. Sometimes, it doesn't work so well. By the end, with everything shifting polarities at a rapid pace, things got to be a bit much. The boss battles were all interesting. Sound design was great - there were definitely vibes of Future Sound of London coming through on some of the Jungle tracks.

    The replayability apparently comes from leaderboards in Arcade mode, but from what I can see the amount of actual players is pretty sparse. I finished the Underground in Arcade mode with what I thought was a poor performance, and ended up in 20th place (out of only 70). I probably will not return to it. Kinda wish games like this had an actual contest tied to leaderboards for the first month or two, it would really spur continued play sessions and possibly new purchases.

    In any event, yea, I liked it maybe more than this wall of text suggests.

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    LegalBagel

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    #27  Edited By LegalBagel

    The collectables could have been much better designed IMO.  If you're going to have a game of this style, it's not good that most of the collectables don't actually help you gameplay-wise.  The point of Metroidvania collectables is to give you an incentive to explore.  Except for a couple bonuses here and there, the Marks don't help you, and the Money Pots only serve to make sure you can buy upgrades.  It doesn't help that the Millionaire achievement isn't possible to get merely by hunting Money Pots.  Overall the exploring and finding stuff was much more of a grind compared to the games this is inspired from.


    Beyond that, the main gameplay behind this is pretty great.  The color switching adds another layer for you to improve on beyond basic 2D platforming, and the game gets challenging but not annoying.  I actually would have liked to see some more bullet hell-ish sequences to deal with.  Even if the combat is fun, it's simple enough that the color switching sequences were the much better part.  If you stick to the main story with a little exploring on the way, it's great.

    Highly recommended for the price.
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    NTM

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    #28  Edited By NTM

    The soundtrack's fantastic! Best of the year so far.

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    alistercat

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    #29  Edited By alistercat

    @NTM: I think Portal 2 has a pretty amazing soundtrack. As does Bastion. For an already under appreciated element of games, having so many great ones at the same time makes it even more under appreciated.

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