The Outfit Xbox 360 By James Ritchie on Aug 29, 2007 - Updated Oct 15, 2011

The Outfit plunges player into the very familiar warzones of Europe in the grips of World War 2. While the WW2 game has become a videogame genre of its own over recent years since the inception of Medal of Honor, Call of Duty etc., The Outfit attempts to bring something new to the table with its squad-based, pseudo-strategy gameplay.

The game's plot is expectedly thin, told primarily via largely unimpressive FMV cutscenes. However, the storyline is unimportant in The Outfit - the zany, frenetic action is focal point. Playing solo or with a buddy, you tackle a variety of fairly uninspired objectives as either one of three characters, each wielding different weapons, thus each having strengths and weaknesses. The tactical element comes into play when one utiliizes the power of 'destruction on demand' - at any point during a battle, the player can spawn into existence a range of vehicles, weapon placements and reinforcements to turn the tide and overcome the foe. This will cost the player resources that are accrued from combat.

For one reason or another, the action itself is a bit of a letdown. Whether its the unresponsive weapons that make it feel like you're just point the thing at your foe and its independantly releasing a weak deluge of rounds, or the oft-frustrating vehicle controls, it doesn't feel like a tacticle, run-and-gun style shooter. The campaign spans 12 levels, and the environment design doesn't stray enough from generic to be noteworthy. Multiplayer is enjoyable in short bursts, however some players have experienced (as did I) saving issues in co-op.

In summary, The Outfit is a rather bland shooting game, saved by its unique quirks that make it a rent-it title, rather than a must-have that it clearly aims to be.