Outwars

That moment when you find a game of which you only had a demo as a kid.

Outwars is a late-1990s science-fiction action game that combines third-person shooting, powered armor, aerial movement, and tactical combat into an experience that remains unusual decades after its original release. Developed by SingleTrac Entertainment Technologies and currently published on Steam by Ziggurat, the game places players inside a heavily equipped Dreadnaut combat suit during humanity’s desperate conflict with an aggressive alien species known as the Skulls. Rather than presenting its battles as conventional ground-based firefights, Outwars gives movement and verticality a major role in how missions unfold. The Dreadnaut armor is central to the experience, particularly because of its integrated jet pack. Players can leave the ground to reach elevated positions, escape dangerous situations, cross difficult terrain, or attack enemies from advantageous angles. Jet-pack fuel is limited, preventing unrestricted flight and encouraging players to consider when aerial movement is worth using. This creates a satisfying relationship between mobility and resource management. Remaining airborne at the wrong moment can leave the player without enough fuel when it is genuinely nee…

Once you rebind and get the compatibility set up it runs well enough to relive a core gaming memory from my childhood. Its a fun game that I used to replay many times over before the internet. still get a kick out of it even now.

You never know what you're getting when you play a game this old, but I genuinely came to love "Outwars" after I truly understood all of the game's mechanics. It's a third person flying shooter with great controls and an emphasis on mission-based objectives. I personally just love games that give you the jetpack from the start, and this one also has tons of bugs to shoot. It is more strategic than your average shooting game, but not to the point that it doesn't still require skill. Every level starts you off with a mission briefing from a guy who looks kinda like Captain Kirk (later replaced with a woman in the second half). The mission descriptions are very important and you really need to read them carefully to make sure you don't fail the mission. There are objective markers on the map, but they don't always tell you the whole story. Later on you can pick your suit and weapons loadout as well. There's much more depth to the game as it goes on, and there's lot of variety, with every mission having a different goal and none ever repeating, which I love. Some levels give you a glider where you fly through a canyon. Another has you slowly trekking through a ship that has coll…

Great game. The single player alone is worth it. The videos and movies between missions won't load. I've tried a few different ways, but I can't get them to work. Honestly, it's fine. The game is cheap enough to not need them. Besides, I never had the videos in the demo version I overplayed as a kid! Great game, great concepts, way ahead of its time. Would love to see it come back.

Loved this as a child, but I'm requesting a refund. When a video is supposed to play it's just a black screen with sound. Controls are very difficult to figure out as well.