Outtrigger Hands-On

A common problem with many console games that begin as arcade games is that their game structure is not designed to provide an all-encompassing gameplay experience but instead to suck quarters from your pocket. Outtrigger was born in the arcades where its linked cabinets and trackballs attempted to emulate the mouse and keyboard shooting experience found in online first-person shooters for the PC. The results were less than encouraging, but that didn't discourage AM2 from continuing its development of the Dreamcast version. With Quake III Arena and Unreal Tournament already released for the Dreamcast and Half-Life not far away, some would say that the last thing the Dreamcast needs in its twilight is another first-person shooter. However, with its lightning-quick gameplay, cramped maps that encourage constant confrontation, and explosive weapons, Outtrigger is shaping up to be an outstanding addition to the genre.

Outtrigger is all meat and no fluff. The arena-based one-player modes consist of just two variations: mission mode and arcade mode. The mission mode acts as a training ground where your skills may be nurtured into competency. You'll have to undertake 15 training missions in three separate difficulty settings. They begin with simple tasks like collecting objects laid directly in front of you, and then you eventually move on to killing a predetermined number of enemies within a given time limit. The arcade mode, Outtrigger's primary one-player option, presents one scenario after another that must be conquered before moving on. Some scenarios ask you to fight as a team with a computer-controlled teammate, while others place you into the maps against hordes of enemies. There are four difficulty settings for the arcade mode, and each setting consists of six or seven missions to complete. These missions gradually increase in difficulty, and after completing each mission, you are awarded points based upon your completion time and how many times your character perished. There are no boss fights included this latest burn of Outtrigger, but some of the missions will have one superweapon that must be acquired in order to pile up enough kills before time expires. The one-player mode can be addictive in the same way that most good arcade games are, but the predictable computer AI makes things easy once the patterns are recognized.

The split-screen multiplayer mode should be Outtrigger's bread and butter, but only three modes have been implemented thus far. You may play four-player deathmatch, team battle, or go online and play against up to three other players at once. The version of Outtrigger we received has yet to fully implement a playable online mode. Of the 20 total maps, 13 are available from the beginning. The time limit, kill limit, and handicapping may be adjusted to suit your taste, and you may choose from one of six initial characters, and you may also alter the color scheme of your character's outfit. Multiplayer games of Outtrigger are frantic because the maps are extremely small. There are no places to camp, and there is very little use of strategy beyond unloading your weapons as quickly as possible. Sega has mentioned previously that there will be online player rankings and a chat room to accompany Outtrigger's SegaNet-enabled online mode.

Both the single- and multiplayer modes found in Outtrigger play basically the same. You stalk the maps looking for the opposition and kill them. You are awarded a point for each kill, and the deceased player will drop a coin that's good for yet another point. However, the coins may be picked up by anyone, so it's fairly common for players to scavenge coins from other players' kills. The majority of the one-player missions ask you to drop a specific number of enemies within a minute. As you kill enemies, small clock items are dropped that will award you with an extra five seconds to finish the mission. Like the point coins, clock items may be picked up by any character in the game. You may assume the roles of four different heroes with varying attributes in Outtrigger, and there are plenty more that may be unlocked as you progress through the game. There is a character-edit mode, but it's not possible to create new players from scratch. You may only change the colors for the predesigned characters and adjust their weapons settings. The weapon variety is solid. There are machine guns, sniper rifles, rocket launchers, grenades, flamethrowers, heat-sinking missiles, photon torpedoes, and many more. Similar to the quad-damage feature found in Quake III Arena, there is an item that may be picked up in every map that increases your damage rating. Thermal and night vision goggles are also included, and they let you see enemies through objects or in the dark. Health and ammo are generously scattered throughout the maps to keep the intensity at a maximum.

There are more than a dozen different control schemes to choose from, including the option for up to two players to play with the Dreamcast mouse and keyboard configuration on each console. You may strafe, jump, shoot, reload, and switch weapons. Controlling the characters is fairly easy, but because of the confining and cluttered nature of the maps, it's common to get caught on objects while attempting to strafe or backpedal. The game controls quite well in first-person mode, but in third-person mode it's difficult to target enemies that aren't on the same level as you. The computer assist will sometimes target enemies perched on top of crates, but it's far too erratic to be counted on. Most will want to play Outtrigger from its first-person perspective.

Outtrigger's graphics are fast and clean. The frame rates clip along at a staggering pace, even while playing multiplayer via split screen. When playing the one-player mode, the weapon effects look fantastic. Real-time lighting and particle effects emanate from explosions, and some armaments like the photon torpedo wrap enemies in a glowing ball of electricity that is very convincing. Not surprisingly, these effects are drastically toned down in the multiplayer split-screen modes. The maps are detailed but small. There are plenty of objects to hop onto for brief cover, and there are networks of ramps and platforms that may be used to get someone off your tail. Some of the more simplistic maps are little more than an oval or square with a few crates scattered about. While the simplistic level design encourages constant skirmishes and helps keep the frame rates up, they significantly deplete the game of strategy. The lack of blood and gore in the game may turn off some older fraggers, but it will help Outtrigger reach a wider audience.

Even without knowing its history, it's easy to see that Outtrigger got its start in the arcades. The simplistic one-player mode will only hold your interest for a short period of time, and the limited multiplayer modes implemented in the latest version we received are disappointing. For those who haven't picked up Quake III Arena or Unreal Tournament yet, Outtrigger is shaping up to be a tightly executed but limited alternative. Outtrigger isn't scheduled for release until June, so there's still plenty of time for AM2 to beef up the gameplay modes. Look for more on Outtrigger, as its release date gets closer.