Outernauts

Last updated
Outernauts
Outernauts.jpg
Outernauts Facebook cover image
Developer(s) Insomniac Games
Publisher(s) Electronic Arts
Platform(s) Adobe Flash, iOS (February 2014)
ReleaseJuly 2012 (open beta)
Genre(s) Role-playing, social network game

Outernauts was an Adobe Flash social role-playing video game for Facebook. Developed by Insomniac Games, it is the developer's first social video game, as well as their first game for a non-Sony platform. The game is published by Electronic Arts and was released as an open beta in July 2012. [1] [2] It was announced by Insomniac Games that the game would no longer be available on Facebook from January 31, 2014, and would be ported to iOS. The game was shut down on February 1, 2016.

Contents

Gameplay

As Outernauts, players must explore alien planets to capture and nurture creatures with which to do battle, in gameplay similar to the Pokémon series. Player actions are limited by "energy", an in-game resource that accumulates over time, but which can also be purchased with real-world currency. [3]

Critics praised the game's presentation, with Eurogamer noting its "classy cartoon visuals, slick orchestral soundtrack and finely-tuned UI." Eurogamer commented on the size of the game's world, describing how even with a week of play, most of the galaxy map had yet to be unlocked. [3] GamesTM too, praised the game world as "interesting to explore", the characters "providing a sense of unknown that continues to entice". [4]

Inside Social Games compared the depth of Outernauts' gameplay favorably to other social games, but warned that the social viral mechanics, such as "nag screens" and "pay to win" mechanics would ward off the core gamers it set to attract. [2] GamesTM likewise, found the energy system to be the game's biggest hindrance, and one which could frustrate by interrupting gameplay. Despite this, GamesTM concluded that Outernauts was "a step up on most Facebook games". [4]

Closure

On December 14, 2015, Insomniac announced that all the microtransactions options were removed, and that the game is shut down permanently on February 1, 2016. Insomniac explained that the current player base was too small, [lower-alpha 1] and that the overall game became unprofitable. [5]

Related Research Articles

Insomniac Games, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Burbank, California and a studio of PlayStation Studios. It was founded in 1994 by Ted Price as Xtreme Software, and was renamed Insomniac Games a year later. The company is most known for developing several early PlayStation mascots, Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet and Clank, as well as the Resistance franchise, 2014's Sunset Overdrive and the Marvel's Spider-Man series with Marvel Games. In 2019, the studio was acquired by Sony Interactive Entertainment, becoming a part of SIE Worldwide Studios.

<i>Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire</i> 2003 video game

Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire is a 2003 pinball game developed by Jupiter, published by The Pokémon Company and distributed by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance handheld game console. It was first revealed at E3 2003. The North American release was done to coincide with the fifth anniversary of the North American release of Pokémon Red and Blue. It is based on Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, and is a sequel to Pokémon Pinball for the Game Boy Color. In some ways, it plays like a traditional pinball game, where the objective is to get a high score by keeping the ball in play as long as possible and hitting bumpers. In keeping with the theme of Pokémon, it features Pokémon collection, where while the players play pinball, they must also capture the eponymous creatures.

<i>Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal</i> 2004 platform video game

Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal is a 2004 3D platform video game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. It is the third installment in the Ratchet & Clank series and was released in North America on November 2, 2004. Shortly after it was released in Japan on November 25, when the first volume of the Ratchet & Clank manga, drawn by Shinbo Nomura, was released. A demo of this game was included in the PAL release of Sly 2: Band of Thieves. The game introduces Dr. Nefarious, a robotic villain.

<i>WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain</i> 2003 professional wrestling video game

WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by THQ for PlayStation 2 in North America on October 27, 2003. It is the sequel to WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth, the fifth and last game in the WWE SmackDown! series based on World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), and the final game to be named after the weekly television show of the same name.

<i>Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity</i> 2008 video game

Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity is a hoverboard racing video game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the PlayStation 2 and Wii. It is the fifth pure racing game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, and the second entry in the Sonic Riders trilogy, a spin-off of the main series.

<i>Hydrophobia</i> (video game) 2010 video game

Hydrophobia is an action adventure video game developed and published by Dark Energy Digital for Microsoft Windows, the PlayStation 3 and by Microsoft Studios for Xbox Live Arcade. The game was released for Xbox Live Arcade on September 29, 2010, as part of Xbox Live's Games Feast promotion, marking the first of three episodes. The PC version was released on May 9, 2011. The PlayStation 3 version was released on November 1, 2011 in North America and November 2, 2011 in Europe.

<i>Crysis 3</i> 2013 video game

Crysis 3 is a 2013 first-person shooter video game developed by Crytek and published by Electronic Arts. It is the third game of the Crysis series, a sequel to the 2011 video game Crysis 2. The multiplayer portion of the game was developed by Crytek UK. Crysis 3's story revolves around Prophet, a Nanosuit holder who is on a quest to take revenge on the Alpha Ceph, the leader of the Ceph alien race. The game's story serves as the end of the Crysis trilogy. Gameplay revolves around the use of the Nanosuit, which grants players a variety of abilities such as being invisible. New features introduced in Crysis 3 include a new Nanosuit ability called "Rip & Throw", a compound bow and hacking, which allows players to hack into enemies' equipment, drones, and security defenses.

<i>Spelunky</i> 2008 video game

Spelunky is a 2008 source-available 2D platform game created by independent developer Derek Yu and released as freeware for Microsoft Windows. It was remade for the Xbox 360 in 2012, with ports of the new version following for various platforms, including back to Microsoft Windows. The player controls a spelunker who explores a series of caves while collecting treasure, saving damsels, fighting enemies, and dodging traps. The caves are procedurally generated, making each run-through of the game unique.

<i>Resistance 3</i> 2011 video game

Resistance 3 is a 2011 science fiction post-apocalyptic first-person shooter developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. Resistance 3 is the final installment in the Resistance trilogy. Resistance 3 is the first in the series to support 3D and PlayStation Move and was the first to introduce the PSN Pass program. The game shifts away from the military aspect of Resistance: Fall of Man and Resistance 2 and takes on a post-apocalyptic survival-horror feel.

<i>Fuse</i> (video game) 2013 video game

Fuse is a four-player cooperative third-person shooter video game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Electronic Arts for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game was announced as Overstrike before it was rebranded in August 2012. It was released on May 28, 2013 in North America, May 30, 2013 in Australia and on May 31, 2013 in Europe. Fuse was both a critical and commercial failure for Electronic Arts.

<i>The Adventures of Shuggy</i> 2011 video game

The Adventures of Shuggy is a puzzle-platform game developed by British studio Smudged Cat Games and published by Valcon Games. It was released June 15, 2011 for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade, for Microsoft Windows on June 13, 2012, and for Linux and OS X on October 30, 2015. It follows the vampire Shuggy as he seeks to rid his newly inherited mansion of its undesirable inhabitants.

<i>Ratchet & Clank Collection</i> 2012 video game

Ratchet & Clank Collection is a high-definition remastered collection. The collection includes the original 3 PlayStation 2 games: the first game, Going Commando/Locked and Loaded, and Up Your Arsenal, all at 720p in 60 frames per second, and includes stereoscopic 3D support at 30 frames per second. It also includes the multiplayer of Up Your Arsenal over the PlayStation Network. The PlayStation 3 Multiplayer Servers were terminated on February 15, 2018. It includes a Trophy set for each game. All of the games in this collection have been re-rated E10+ by the ESRB; they were originally rated T since the E10+ rating didn't exist at the time these games were released on the PlayStation 2.

<i>Rock Band Blitz</i> 2012 video game

Rock Band Blitz is a rhythm game in the Rock Band series from Harmonix as a downloadable game for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network, released in August 2012. Unlike previous iterations of Rock Band, Blitz is not sold with any special instrument controllers, and was designed to use regular console controllers to match notes in a song, using gameplay mechanics similar to Harmonix' previous titles of Frequency, Amplitude, and Rock Band Unplugged. In addition to 25 songs that will ship with the game, the title is capable of using any songs the player has downloaded or exported for Rock Band 3. Due to music license expirations, the game was delisted from the PSN and Xbox Live storefronts on August 28, 2017.

<i>Driveclub</i> 2014 video game

Driveclub is a racing video game developed by Evolution Studios and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for PlayStation 4. It was announced during the PlayStation 4 press conference on 20 February 2013, and, after several delays, was released worldwide in October 2014.

<i>Diamond Trust of London</i> 2012 turn-based strategy video game

Diamond Trust of London is a turn-based strategy video game by Jason Rohrer, with music by Tom Bailey. Following a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter the game was published by indiePub and released for the Nintendo DS on August 28, 2012. The game has been placed in the public domain and is hosted on SourceForge.

<i>Sunset Overdrive</i> 2014 video game

Sunset Overdrive is an action-adventure video game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Microsoft Studios. The game is set in 2027, in a fictional metropolis called Sunset City. The player controls an employee of FizzCo, who has to fight off the OD, short for Overcharge Drinkers: humans who have turned into mutants after drinking FizzCo's energy drink beverage. In the dystopian Sunset City, the player character can wall-run, use zip-lines, and grind rails to swiftly navigate through it, with a large arsenal of weapons to use. The game also has a cooperative multiplayer mode called Chaos Squad, which tasks players to complete a series of missions with seven players. As the game puts emphasis on momentum, the game does not feature any cover system.

<i>Soulcalibur: Lost Swords</i> 2014 video game

Soulcalibur: Lost Swords was a free-to-play fighting game distributed through PlayStation Network. Released in 2014, the game is based on Soulcalibur V and is strictly single-player. It uses the same weapon-based fighting system from previous games; however, several of the gameplay mechanics were changed, simplified or otherwise removed.

<i>Ratchet & Clank</i> (2016 video game) 2016 video game

Ratchet & Clank is a 2016 platform video game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. The game is a tie-in of the 2016 film of the same name, as well as a remake of the first game in the series. The game was originally planned to be released in 2015, but was delayed, along with the film, to April 2016 in order to give the film a better marketing campaign and the game additional polish time.

<i>Stealth Inc 2: A Game of Clones</i> 2014 video game

Stealth Inc 2: A Game of Clones is a 2D puzzle platform video game which was developed and published by Curve Digital. The game is a sequel to Stealth Bastard Deluxe, featuring different mechanics which involve puzzle sections. The game was released for the Wii U on October 23, 2014. The PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows versions of the game were also released in April 2015.

<i>Guitar Hero Live</i> 2015 video game

Guitar Hero Live is a 2015 music rhythm video game developed by FreeStyleGames and published by Activision. It is the seventh main installment in the Guitar Hero series. The game was released for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One in November 2015. As with previous games in the series, the goal is to use a special guitar controller to match fret patterns displayed on a scrolling note pattern on screen in time with the music.

References

Notes

  1. According to Insomniac, the game was played by millions of players since its launch.

References

  1. Ben Maxwell (2012-05-09). "Insomniac reveals first Facebook game, Outernauts". Edge . Retrieved 2012-08-29.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. 1 2 Pete Davison (2012-07-23). "Outernauts Review". Inside Social Games. Archived from the original on 2012-07-27. Retrieved 2012-08-29.
  3. 1 2 Johnny Minkley (2012-08-20). "Outernauts Review". Eurogamer . Retrieved 2012-08-29.
  4. 1 2 "Outernauts Review". GamesTM (126): 98. 21 June 2023.
  5. Makuch, Eddie (December 11, 2015). ""Millions" Played It, But Ratchet & Clank Dev's Outernauts Is Shutting Down". GameSpot . Retrieved December 14, 2015.