In my personal opinion, the best computer game ever made.
Because I have no idea how to review a game that is, in my opinion, the best reason to own a personal computer, I'll isolate each review category and emphasize the game's strong suits.
Gameplay: Outcast combines elements of roleplaying, adventure, action, and puzzle games into a coherent, working, stable product. The entire game world is open to you right from the start, as are all the tactics you can use to pursue your ultimate agenda, which is to find the pieces of your satellite and return to earth, saving the world of Adelpha from the treacherous rule of Fae Rhan in the process. Viable tactics include stealth, assault, and subterfuge. However you like to play games, Outcast will likely accommodate your taste.
Graphics: When you look at it now, Outcast seems like a joke compared to modern games, what with its software voxel engine, but if you take a peek under the hood and compare it to other games of the time, Outcast is in fact a technological masterpiece. This isn't your ordinary voxel engine, but one that handles not only 360-degree rotation but also vertical inclination of the camera, which was virtually unheard of at the time. Model rendering was embedded alongside the voxel renderer, so you have the best of both worlds. The renderer supports bump-mapping and post-render effects, such as depth-of-field, lens flare, and environmental reflective water (complete with surface effect ripples). In short, this renderer did then what hardware could only begin to do just a couple years ago.
Sound: I can't say the audio is truly spectacular — the crunching foot steps get on my nerves after a while, to be honest — but it does the job. What's really impressive is the soundtrack, composed by Lennie Moore and performed by the Moscow Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. I don't know how Appeal managed to fit that into their budget, but it's an appropriate soundtrack for an amazing production. My personal favorites are the opening theme, Shamazaar, and Talinzaar (tracks 12, 13, and 15 respectively).
Value: I already told you this is my candidate for the best computer game ever made. What more needs to be said for its value? The game world is huge, the story intriguing (if you like theoretical physics and parallel realities), tons of equipment, and the game an absolute blast front to back. Obviously my opinion is my own, but when anyone asks me if there's a game I think they should play, my answer is invariably, "Outcast."
Tilt: Ten points on all accounts. I don't have any complaints about this game, though I do have a few items on my fantasy wishlist. In order, they go: multiplayer support, voice recognition, longer story. Um, different outfits, maybe? All of these are far-fetched and, under the circumstances, superfluous.
Did anyone else notice they bump-mapped Wolf's nipples? Very clever. One extra point for that.