Outlaws, LucasArts’ forgotten FPS from the late 90s, remains underrated even after all these years. Coming out in the same year as Shadow Warrior, Blood, Doom 64, GoldenEye 007, Hexen 2, Turok, and Quake 2 didn’t do the game any favors. A small but dedicated community kept the game alive through the 2000s. Now, 26 years later, Nightdive, the masters of bringing dead/forgotten PC classics to life, has come out with a much-needed Outlaws remaster. Dubbed Outlaws + Handful of Missions: Remaster, the game finally gets its due as a simple, but essential entry in the FPS renaissance of the 1990s. If you love Outlaws, there’s no reason not to get Nightdive’s remaster. If you’re hearing the name for the first time and are curious, read on, Marshall!
A Tale as Old as Time
Like the majority of the FPS of the 1990s, the story in Outlaws is just there to keep things moving. Ex-Marshall James Anderson was living a peaceful life before the land-grabbing tactics of a certain railroad baron left his life in shambles. Seeking revenge for the death of his wife and to get his kidnapped daughter back from the hands of outlaws, James turns into a crazed, vengeance-seeking badass we’ve seen in so many spaghetti westerns.
While the story is simple and grounded, unlike many games of the time, Outlaws excels in the presentation department. Featuring hand-drawn, fully voiced cutscenes, the game hooks you in right from the start. Each of the original campaign missions starts and ends with these beautiful cinematics. While the cutscenes are not remade, unlike an upcoming Nightdive remaster, they are preserved in high-resolution, uncompressed format. Inspired primarily by Sergio Leon’s Westerns, Outlaws’ story is simple but powerful, especially considering the time it was released in.
Aside from the story, one other aspect that makes Outlaws unique is its soundtrack. The game features a fully orchestrated score created by legendary composer Clint Bajakian and was miles ahead of its competition. As far as I know, it’s one of the first games to make use of a live score, and Bajakian’s masterful work does a lot of the heavy lifting to make gunfights satisfying. The excellent voice acting also deserves a mention. There are lots of witty quotes and one-liners that fans of the original are sure to remember even after all these years.
A Fistful of Boomstick
One of the reasons why Outlaws does not enjoy the fanfare of its peers is its style of gameplay. While games like Quake and Half Life pushed boundaries in first-person shooting, Outlaws featured a more laid-back and simplistic gameplay loop. In the place of loud, dimension-hopping explosions and alien invasions, Outlaw concerns itself with pitting the player against a large number of eagle-eyed enemies in large (and sometimes confusing maps. The game expects you to treat gunfights seriously and punishes players who bum-rush into encounters with a swift death. Using long-range weaponry, throwing dynamite against enemies in cover, and overall, being a cautious fellow is preferred and is mandatory when playing at the highest difficulty setting, dubbed ‘Ugly’.
The gameplay has not been altered in any way in the remaster. However, the presence of a weapon wheel and modern control layout is a lifesaver. However, the auto-aim can feel inaccurate at times, and the dynamite throwing is still clunky as ever. Moreover, the enemy AI is also hit and miss, and playing on the hardest difficulty can go from “rootin’ tootin’ cowboy shootin'” to “I just got one-shotted”. But hey, that’s the original experience in its purest form. The main campaign can be completed in around 4 hours, well before the gameplay starts to overstay its welcome.
Remastered Revenge
Aside from two mishaps in the form of Blood: Fresh Supply and Bladerunner, Nightdive’s remastering track record has been nothing but stellar. This trend continues with the Outlaws remaster. The graphics have received a huge upgrade with remade weapon and character sprites, effects, HUD, and the like. At the same time, it maintains the original comical visual style, and a classic graphics toggle option is readily accessible. The multiplayer functionality has been restored, and I had a blast playing a few rounds of the basic but fun deathmatch mode. There is also a vault accessible from the main menu that contains behind-the-scenes info like concept art, sprites, renders, and composer commentary. The expansion pack aptly titled ‘Handful of Missions’ is also available in the Outlaws Remaster. Their quality is not up to par with the original campaign, but they are still worth playing.
Now, we tackle the Bison in the room. Ever since the Atari acquisition, Nightdive’s game prices have seen a significant increase across multiple regions. Asking $30 for a remaster of a 28-year-old game isn’t going down well with many Nightdive fans, and I’m on the same boat. The fact that there’s no discount for owners of the original hurts more.
Real Talk
Outlaws + Handful of Missions: Remaster is a fitting tribute to an underrated gem from the glory days of FPS. As usual, Nightdive has done an excellent job of updating the game without sacrificing the original style and substance. The Outlaws remaster is one I’d suggest checking out, though you can decide for yourself if it justifies the $29.99 price tag.
FINAL SCORE: 80/100
