Outcast - Second Contact

The only reason I got this is because GOG said it has "Controller Support" but there's no "real" controller support to speak of. There is no way to map your controller's sticks or buttons - it just binds whatever the developer thinks they should be and that's all you get. This is not what I would call "Controller Support". It's definitely a good looking game but it's unplayable with JUST a controller.

The Second Contact version of Outcast greatly improves graphics of the original. The latter being gorgeous itself... for its time. This means Second Contact brings the emotionally powerful sights to a modern audience. The story and the gameplay remain the same, as well written and fun as ever. It's satisfying to bring the Talan themselves to foil the main villain's plans. The game is humorous, provides both mystery and its explanations and invests the player to fight for Talan with a feel of importance. The landscapes vary, but remain true to original. The nostalgia feels fulfilled upon revisits. The Talan have a rich culture. There is a lot to see and do but it never feels like busy work or daunting. The game allows you to explore at your own pace and wanderlust. Though the game will tell you what you're supposed to do next, you can do it in your own order to a degree. Still, I couldn't give the remake a 5 star rating because I had issues with the input. I imagine it must be a simple fix, wink wink nudge nudge at whoever makes patches. Namely: often pressing forward keeps the PC moving forward even when I release the button or the jump doesn't happen when pressing the jump button or not on time, giving some misplaced anxiety when needing to jump. There's also some silly animation issues here and there, where a character forgets to open their mouth when speaking. Especially when the player does certain side quests, the battles may become a little too easy, though. It would be nice if the game offered some way to increase difficulty or a battle heavy side quests for more challenge as most battles don't require any special change in tactics to get though. Overall this is a fantastic old school experience brought back to life from the time when games were enjoyable and made by passionate people instead of cynical cash-grabbing commodities made nowadays. I do recommend this game to anyone who longs for wonder, adventure or to be transported to a whole new world.

I didn't expect much and was pleasantly surprised. The story and side missions are okay and provide occasional chuckles, the main character is a classic 80s action hero (voice of Bruce Willis in the german version) with a hard shell and golden heart, the voices and dialogues are really neat, ammunition lies around behind rocks und in corners (like it did in the old days) which makes exploration vital and fun. Combat feels like a puzzle-ballet, worked for me but might not be for everyone. The camera is a bit erratic. All in all, I had a lot of fun.

For the better part of two decades, I wished for the Outcast name to be revived. The original game holds such sway over me, one look at my user name and you know what it means to me. Second Contact feels like archaeology: an open world game brought back to life, as if to tell modern open world games that this is what they were supposed to become. Second Contact is, like any indie game, not perfect but for any Outcast fan it's an absolute must. For any gamer, it's as hit-or-miss as it was back then, but if it's "hit", it's for life.

I am a Gothic/Risen and i felt like this is the closest to a Gothic in space, the only difference is that Outcast is not an rpg but it hits all the others elements perfectly!