The Outfit E3 2005 Impressions

We had a chance to go behind closed doors at the THQ booth for a look at The Outfit, a squad-based World War II shooter from Relic. We didn't actually get to play the game, but we saw a lengthy multiplayer demo, and so far the game looks promising.

We saw one map played by two players in a co-op objective mode, where each player controlled a squad of four unique characters, such as snipers and infantry units. Although it was an early build of the game, the characters and vehicles were highly detailed, and the destruction effects looked impressive.

You can choose one of three heroes to control during the game, each with unique abilities and weapons. If you aren't happy with the hero you chose, you can change to a different character at any time during the game. You can also use the D pad to issue special commands to the other soldiers in your squad.

As you play, you gain points that you can use to purchase things like air strikes, antiaircraft guns, and vehicles. You can choose where you want to place your purchases, and they'll drop from the sky by parachute within a few seconds. Once you have your firepower, you can use it to blow up anything and everything in your path, from walls to buildings to bridges. Some structures can be deformed as well. We watched a tank blow several large holes in the side of a building before the building finally collapsed.

According to Relic, the game supports up to eight players on Xbox Live, with co-op, deathmatch, and team play modes. You can also play through the single-player campaign cooperatively, which allows other players to jump in the game at any time to lend a hand--or a grenade.

We didn't get to see any of the single-player campaign, but the multiplayer experience looks like it will be exciting and chaotic with a decent level of strategy involved thanks to the interesting purchasing system. We'll keep you updated on the status of The Outfit, which is scheduled to release alongside the Xbox 360 later this year.