Posted on: June 21, 2024

xenics

Games: 476 Reviews: 2

Shows its age, but it's still got it

Outpost 2 was great back when it first came out. Is it still? Hard to say. As an OG fan who finds comfort in its old-fashioned, familiar story and art style, it's impossible for me to view it with an objective eye. I'll try, though. Let's start with what I liked about it back in 1997. Outpost 2 has an engaging story, good music and sound design, and challenging gameplay that emphasizes colony management over combat. There's an entire novella that comes with the game, with a new chapter unlocked with each campaign mission. It's a pretty good read if you have the patience for it. If not, the mission briefings are enough to keep you on track. Today, I think the game still holds up. I've replayed it a few times over the years. I find myself with a new appreciation for Outpost 2's hard science approach. This story has very little technology that one could consider fantastic. It reminds me of The Expanse in that the grounded setting makes it easier to connect with emotionally. Despite being an RTS, its story carries a lot of weight. Most of my criticisms of the game are technical. It's locked at an uncomfortably low resolution, and the graphics were dated even at release (Starcraft came out less than a year later and looks miles better). I like the unit and structure design, but the drab environment gets old pretty fast. Another barrier to entry is Outpost 2's outdated design. There's some noticeable redundancy in the controls. To put a truck on an ore hauling loop, for example, you need to click on the mine you want to take from, then the smelter you want to unload to... and then click on the mine again. You already chose the mine once, so why? Combat units are difficult to control and organize. You can't queue build orders. Garages are impractical because of how many unnecessary manual steps are involved to perform their basic function. I love Outpost 2. It's a great candidate for a remaster, because the core design still works, it just needs a new coat of paint.

Is this helpful to you?

Posted on: May 2, 2024

Nathrielle

Games: 92 Reviews: 3

Classic RTS in spaaaace, er, on a planet

My favorite RTS of all time. Along with a single copy of Outpost 1, I own several copies of Outpost 2 on CD from the 90's when I used to play it multiplayer via LAN or serial port connection. Even now, during holidays my family sometimes plays it. Gameplay does include a focus on tight time management to be able to keep abreast of how many workers and scientists you have, while avoiding a "zerg rush" where the AI during single player missions sends waves of small attack parties towards you, after sending scouts periodically. The gameplay has a wide variety of units you can control, both combat and logistical. You can create multiple bases using command centers, or make one big one with redundancies and further bolster its damage resistance with the DIRT building. Entire game is voiced/animated and I encourage you to watch a Youtube gameplay video to see/hear. There are two factions, Eden and Plymouth. Each have shared and unique buildings and units, e.g. Plymouth can take over enemy units, while Eden has Thor's Hammer units which shoot pure lighting and has meteor defense buildings. Lava flows post a hazard to ruining your base, and the search for minable resources pushes you into areas you need to safeguard which is especially true once you unlock rare ore mines. You can also trade between players using a trade center. The only thing Outpost 2 severely lacks is a map editor. Outpost 2 used to be freely downloadable from www.outpost2.net. Shortly before it became available on GoG, it disappeared; I'm guessing that's when Activision acquired it. If you buy Outpost 2 on GoG, you can download a community patch which adds over 40 missions, bugfixes for multiplayer, running in native resolution, and other features. Currently Outpost 1 with a DOSBox Config is available there along with a github link to an unofficial HD remake. TLDR: This classic game is a 10/10. You can't beat the style and feel of this game. Anyone who loves a classic PC RTS should pick it up.

Is this helpful to you?

Posted on: February 21, 2025

ScreamingWhisper1

Verified owner

Games: Reviews: 2

Great Old One!

Can be tough to learn but its a matter of building the right buildings first as you set up defensive walls that funnel enemies to your strong points. Lots of fun!

Is this helpful to you?

Posted on: August 31, 2025

Yaba1968

Verified owner

Games: 37 Reviews: 3

Outpost 2 from Sierra

Good RT strategy game, good nostalgia feel for late 90s Sierra stuff. If you like the Command and Conquer games, you'll like this one, too.

Is this helpful to you?

Posted on: August 29, 2024

mobettah26

Verified owner

Games: 5 Reviews: 1

Nostalgic

Yes, it's an old game. As such, it has some gameplay problems: no manufacturing ques, no manufacturing waypoints, tech tree is hard to follow, easy AI is too easy, normal AI is to hard, etc. That being said, this has a lot of features that set it apart from old RTS games such as AOE or Command and Conquer: great player vs. environment, the importance of keeping your population's morale up, and the delight of space laser tank battles. The real joy is that this is a classic game for those of us who grew up in the 90's/early 2000's. The old graphics, immersive sound effects and music really bring you back in time as you frantically ward off enemy Lynx', outrun volcanic lava, and push to evacuate your population before the unstoppable arrival of the Blight. Pleased that GOG has created an affordable, relatively bug-free way to revisit this space RTS that was ahead of it's time.

Is this helpful to you?

Discover CD PROJEKT RED games

Highlights

Featured

Close, but not an exact hit

Outpost 2: Divided Destiny

Survival is just the beginning!

Other ratings

Add a review

Edit a review

Delete this review?

Report this review

Additional Details (required):

Report this review