Way back in 2014, I was so excited to try the new IP being released from legendary game studio Bungie. That IP, of course, was Destiny, a looter shooter made by the masterminds behind Halo. I was blown away by the gameplay shown at E3 and the loop felt like it was designed specifically for me. You could play solo or with friends. You would explore beautiful planets and take on waves of alien races, robots, insect people, and many other foes. The best part? NUMBERS. I love numbers. The bigger the better. Games that reward you with guns and armour sets with BIG numbers attached excites me. With all that said, Destiny never grabbed me. Not sure what it was. I had tons of friends who were super into it, but it never gripped me with the way past Bungie games did.
So three years later, in September of 2017, Destiny 2 came out. I had a close friend who tried to get me into it, but it just could not get its claws into me. These games that appealed to me so much, that rewarded gameplay with BIG numbers attached to a myriad of weapons and armour sets. Games that should have grabbed me didn’t. That is where Outriders comes in.
I did not play Outriders when it officially released. I had read about it being a buggy mess with crashes and memory corruptions and that didn’t appeal to me. So I never tried it. The game also released on April 1st of last year, so to me it felt like a cruel joke. Jump a year and a couple months, many patches, content updates, and a full blown DLC expansion later, I have finally decided to give this game a chance and I am so happy I did.
Before I start praising this game, let me start with the negatives. The plot… it’s awful. My major issue with Outriders is that it takes itself SO SERIOUSLY. I like my sci-fi the way I like my pizza. Cheesy. Some of my favourite games blend sci-fi elements with a hint (or sometimes a heaping scoopful) of comedy and ridiculousness. Games like Mass Effect 2 and Fallout: New Vegas walk that line masterfully. Hell, even Halo has the Grunts. Those little bastards are hilarious! However, when science fiction is taken too seriously I fail to get excited. The characters in this game feel like they’ve never laughed or made a joke in their life. It’s a style of writing and character development sure, but it’s not something I particularly enjoy or find myself relating to. I often felt as though the story chugged along and my character was just along for the ride. None of my decisions or relationships felt like they meant anything. This is an even larger problem in the Worldslayer content. The character creation is also some of the most bland I’ve seen in a video game in a long time. A few facial presets, a few hair colours (no blond for some reason) and a decent array of skin tones. But that is it. You could put some scars or earrings on your OC, but no additional accessories that make you feel like you’re creating YOUR OWN creation. This game wouldn’t get its own episode of Monster Factory, that’s for sure.
On the opposite side of the coin, you have the extremely addictive and satisfying gunplay. The first thing you do in Outriders is select your class. You have the Devastator, who acts as the close range tank class who uses earth bending as their alternate form of damage. The Pyromancer, a medium range mage style class who utilizes fire. Also available are the Technomancer who is a long range technology user, and the Trickster who is another close range time bending attacker. The game really celebrates you getting right into the action as two of the four classes heal when you kill a target in close proximity to you. I played as the Devastator in the base game, and I gave the Trickster a try in the Worldslayer content.
Even though I played as the two close range classes, they felt noticeably different and I found myself having to change my strategy when using the the different abilities each class had. Each class also boasts eight different abilities which can range from buffs, slows, jumps that can send you to the other side of the map, the list goes on. There is also a huge range of weapons with big numbers that I love so much to choose from. Some weapons are better even if they have lower firepower because they may buff your other stats or abilities. The building paths in this game are very diverse and interesting. There is also a new tier of weapons and armour in the Worldslayer content called “Apocalypse.” These weapons and armour pieces allow a third modifier to be added to them. This adds onto the already vast build system that the base game allowed.
Now onto the main question. Outriders: Worldslayer as a DLC package. Is it worth it? Absolutely not.
I have a lot of positive thoughts on this game, but that’s as an entire package. I was stunned at how quickly I got to the end of the Worldslayer campaign. I could not believe that it was over. It felt like I barely did anything in comparison to how big the base game feels. That’s it.
I really really enjoy Outriders, but I would highly suggest seeing if it’s your cup of tea before purchasing the DLC. I do think I will continue to enjoy it and try to max out my character, but that’s because it really hooked me. If you didn’t enjoy Outriders as it previously was, then this DLC won’t sway you. If you’re into cover shooters and looter shooters I say give this one a chance. If not, then maybe wait until this goes on a deep sale to try it out. I do think it’s worth playing, just not at the current price.
