I’m very excited for Outriders

Lockdown fatigue has hit me recently when it comes to gaming. With so much spare time on my hands, I obviously have a lot of time to play video games. However, more often than not (when friends aren’t online) I find myself not knowing what to play. I stare at my steam library hoping that something will take my fancy. Normally this leads to me dipping in and out of games for 10-30 minutes only to realise that it’s not what I want to play. It’s also part of the reason I’ve not streamed for a week or so.

It’s pretty clear that many of my games just aren’t hitting the right note for me at the moment. That being said, there is one that I really want to play, and waiting for it to release might also be the reason I don’t feel like playing other games. That game is Outriders.

The demo for Outriders released a few weeks back and I put around 8 hours into it. Completing the content for the first time took only about 3 hours at most. Since then I’ve played through it with a few different characters to get a feel for them. But more importantly, I’ve been playing through those same missions because it’s actually what I want to play.

The grind

I don’t think Outriders is going to be the best game. In fact, I think it will be really polarising and recieve pretty mixed reviews across the board. That being said, I am hyped for it because it’s exactly the kind of game that I can happyily grind away at on my own. With the added benefit of being able to play it with friends.

Normally, that game is Destiny. But like so many times before, keeping up with the grind and more importantly having to fish out money every few months has left me not wanting to play it. Although now that I’ve done this I’m finding out this season is one of the better if not best seasons. However, having to play catch up is not something I want to do. Plus last season was quite frankly poor and made me not want to play.

Moans about Destiny aside the point is, is that I like to have a game that I can grind. Where I can log on for a few hours making some progress. Casually playing through a mixture of new stuff, and replaying old content. Furthermore, I like those games to be multiplayer. There is something about being connected to other players – even if I’m not playing directly with them that makes me enjoy those games more.

Setting an example

This is where Outriders comes in. No season passes, no live service model. I won’t need to drop another £15 in three months. Just a multiplayer looter shooter that I can grind at my own pace and play with friends.

It’s an approach that I’m totally on board with and think we should be shouting about a little more. There is no pressure to try and keep up with everyone else. Play at your own pace, with or without others. It’s exactly what I’m looking for right now.

Plus, and probably more importantly, the game is good fun. I had a really good time just messing about with different combos of perks, weapons, and classes. The future possibilities as you level up and get better stuff has me excited. Furthermore, being a PVE game only, there’s no need to worry about balancing against multiplayer. Your Outrider will at times feel ridiculously over-powered and that’s what makes it fun.

I know a lot of people are comparing Outriders to Destiny or The Division. However, I feel it’s more akin to something like Diablo. Where you just keep getting stronger and stronger and can obliterate enemies in mere seconds. I’m buzzing for it.

New life

Outriders is going to breathe some new life into my gamer lungs. Not only because it’s going to fill a gap for grindy games. But also with People Can Fly’s approach. I’ve been very impressed with the open discussions they’ve had up to this point. They’ve been transparent about what they can and can’t fix before launch. They’re not expecting players to fork out for season passes. There are no microtransactions. In this day and age of gaming so dominated by the greed from the larger publishers. We should be applauding People Can Fly for the approach on Outriders.

Roll on 1st April!

-Will