Scourge: Outbreak

Last updated
Scourge: Outbreak
Scourge - Outbreak boxart.png
Developer(s) Tragnarion Studios
Publisher(s)
Engine Unreal Engine 3
Platform(s) Xbox 360, Windows, OS X, PlayStation 3
Release
  • Xbox 360
  • July 3, 2013
  • Windows, OS X
  • April 2, 2014
  • PlayStation 3
    • EU/AU: November 12, 2014
    • NA: December 9, 2014
Genre(s) Action, third-person shooter
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Scourge: Outbreak is a third-person shooter video game developed by Spanish studio Tragnarion Studios and published by UFO Interactive Games. It was originally released as an Xbox 360 exclusive title on July 3, 2013, but it was released later ported to Windows and Mac OS through Steam on April 2, 2014 and to the PlayStation 3 on December 9, 2014. The game is itself an updated version of The Scourge Project, a 2010 title that was intended as an episodic release but which failed due to overwhelmingly negative reception.

Contents

Gameplay

Scourge: Outbreak is a cover-based third-person shooter, with gameplay highly influenced by the Gears of War series. The game's main campaign is based around four-player cooperative gameplay, with each player controlling one of the game's four player characters. In the game's single-player mode, the three characters not being played by the player will be controlled by the game's A.I. rather than other players.

Besides the usual cover-based shooting mechanics, the game features two special abilities; Shield and Shockwave. Shield creates an energy shield that deflects enemy projectiles, while Shockwave is an area-of-effect attack that damages all enemies near the point of detonation. Each character has a different version of the two powers; for example, "Stonewall" creates a stationary shield that he can shoot through, while "Amp" creates a mobile shield that follows her around, but is unable to shoot while maintaining the shield.

Plot

The game focuses on the four members of Echo Squad, a team of mercenaries hired by the Tarn Initiative to gather evidence of wrongdoing by the villainous Nogari Corporation, who have dominated the world's energy market through their "Ambrosia" technology. Echo Squad's mission is to meet with a Nogari whistleblower, Dr. Reisbeck, and retrieve a meteorite fragment which is the source of the Ambrosia technology. However, Echo Squad's vehicle crash lands outside Nogari's island research base, and Dr. Reisbeck informs them that they were betrayed and shot down by Alpha Squad, the second Tarn Initiative team sent alongside them.

Echo Squad soon discovers that the Nogari facility is in the process of being overrun by the Scourge, a hostile alien race of creatures from which Nogari derived their Ambrosia technology, which have been set loose during the Tarn Initiative's attack on Nogari. Alpha Squad has been subverted by the Scourge, to whom they are now loyal. Echo Squad pursue Alpha Squad through the facility while battling Nogari soldiers and Scourge creatures. Meanwhile, the members of Echo Squad have periodic flashbacks of having been in the Nogari facility previously, and having turned on each other due to having conflicting agendas.

After Echo Squad succeeds in killing all 3 members of Alpha Squad, including their psychic commander, Lilith, Dr. Reisbeck contacts them and reveals that he is a Scourge operative who has been manipulating them into eliminating Lilith. Reisbeck explains that the player characters are actually Scourge clones of the real Echo Squad, who completed their original mission of retrieving the meteorite fragment before dying. The fragment was passed on to Lilith, which transformed her mind into that of a Scourge queen. Dr. Reisbeck serves another Scourge queen, who wanted Lilith eliminated due to her being a rival queen. The Echo Squad clones were created and manipulated into performing this task, due to Lilith's psychic abilities allowing her to take over and control any regular Scourge creatures. The events of the game actually take place more than a week after the real Echo Squad's drop pod was shot down in the opening scene.

Asserting their self-determination, the Echo Squad clones battle a large Scourge creature which they incorrectly assume to be Reisbeck's queen, but are unable to prevent Reisbeck from escaping. The game ends as the Scourge beginning to overrun the planet, with Reisbeck receiving new orders from his queen.

Reception

The game received primarily negative reviews upon release, with the Xbox 360 version garnering a score of 40 out of 100 on the review aggregation website Metacritic. [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Star Wars: Republic Commando</i> 2005 tactical first-person shooter video game

Star Wars: Republic Commando is a tactical first-person shooter video game developed and published by LucasArts. It was released for the Xbox and Microsoft Windows in March 2005. Set in the Star Wars Legends expanded universe, the game revolves around Delta Squad, a special ops unit within the Galactic Republic's Clone Army consisting of four genetically-enhanced clone troopers, referred to as "Clone Commandos." Throughout the single-player campaign, players assume the role of the squad's leader, RC-1138 ("Boss"), and complete various missions during the Clone Wars. Players can also indirectly control the actions of their squadmates RC-1262 ("Scorch"), RC-1140 ("Fixer"), and RC-1207 ("Sev") by issuing different commands, which allow for certain situations to be approached in multiple ways.

<i>Dino Crisis 3</i> 2003 video game

Dino Crisis 3 is a 2003 action-adventure game developed by Capcom Production Studio 4 and published by Capcom for the Xbox. Like the previous installments in the Dino Crisis series, the gameplay revolves around fighting dinosaurs or other reptiles, but the enemies in this game are not real dinosaurs. They are mutations created from DNA extracted from various dinosaur species. The game takes place on a space station. It is the third and final game in the Dino Crisis series.

<i>Brute Force</i> (video game) 2003 video game

Brute Force is a video game released for the Xbox by Microsoft in 2003. The game is a squad-based third-person shooter that uses four members of a team who fight in numerous battles. Each character on the team has their own strengths and weaknesses. The story is of a science-fiction setting where humans spread throughout the galaxy and tension arises with the threat of a hostile alien race that appears. The squad, Brute Force, is sent in to confront the enemy. Brute Force began as a PC game in 2000, but was soon after turned into a first-party title for the Xbox, following the buyout of Digital Anvil by Microsoft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Fury's Howling Commandos</span> Comic book series published by Marvel Comics

Nick Fury's Howling Commandos was an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. Running six issues before its cancellation and cover-dated December 2005 to May 2006, the series featured a fictional team set in the Marvel Universe, consisting of supernatural characters employed as a unit of the espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D.

<i>Clive Barkers Jericho</i> 2007 video game

Clive Barker's Jericho is a horror first-person shooter video game developed by MercurySteam and Alchemic Productions and published by Codemasters. It is produced by Clive Barker. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2007.

<i>BlackSite: Area 51</i> 2007 video game

BlackSite: Area 51 is a first-person shooter video game, released for Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows on November 12, 2007 in North America, and PlayStation 3 on December 10, 2007. The game is mostly unrelated to the 2005 multi-platform game Area 51. The game was developed by Midway Studios Austin and published by Midway Games.

<i>Fracture</i> (video game) 2008 video game

Fracture is a third-person shooter video game developed by Day 1 Studios and was published by LucasArts. It was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in October 2008. Set in the 22nd century, the story involves two factions, Pacific and Atlantic, fighting in a xenophobic America split by global warming. The player assumes control of Jet Brody, an Atlantic Sergeant ordered to capture Pacifican Commander Sheridan. The game is notable for its focus on terrain movement through the use of futuristic weapons. Fracture garnered mixed reviews upon release.

<i>Borderlands</i> (video game) 2009 video game

Borderlands is a 2009 action role-playing first-person shooter video game developed by Gearbox Software and published by 2K. It is the first game in the Borderlands series. The game was released worldwide in October 2009 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows, with a Mac OS X version being released on December 3, 2010 by Feral Interactive. The game's story focuses on a group of four "Vault Hunters", who travel to the distant planet of Pandora to search for the "Vault", which is rumored to contain advanced alien technology and other priceless riches. The hunters piece together clues to find the Vault while battling the savage wildlife of Pandora, local bandits that populate the planet, and ultimately banding together to prevent the Atlas Corporation and its privately funded paramilitary forces from reaching the Vault first.

<i>Killing Floor</i> (video game) 2009 video game

Killing Floor is a cooperative first-person shooter video game developed and published by Tripwire Interactive. It was originally released as an Unreal Tournament 2004 mod in 2005. A full retail release followed on May 14, 2009, for Microsoft Windows, and for OS X on May 5, 2010. A version for Linux was released via Steam in November 2012.

<i>Sam & Max: The Devils Playhouse</i> 2010 point and click episodic video game

Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse is a graphic adventure video game developed by Telltale Games. It is the third and final season of the Sam & Max episodic series created by Telltale, following Sam & Max Save the World and Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space. The first episode was released as one of the first apps for the iPad on April 2, 2010, and was released for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and the PlayStation 3 on April 15. A remaster by Skunkape Games was released on August 14, 2024 for Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

<i>Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City</i> 2012 video game

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City is a squad-based third-person shooter video game for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, co-developed by Slant Six Games and Capcom. It was released on March 20, 2012 in North America, March 22, 2012 in Australia, March 23, 2012 in Europe and April 26, 2012 in Japan.

<i>Transformers: Fall of Cybertron</i> 2012 video game

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron is a third-person shooter video game based on the Transformers franchise, developed by High Moon Studios and published by Activision. It is the sequel to the 2010 video game Transformers: War for Cybertron, and directly follows the events of that game, as the Autobots struggle to defeat their Decepticon foes in a civil war for their home planet of Cybertron. The game was released on August 21, 2012, in North America and on August 24, 2012, in Europe for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. In 2016, it was released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on August 8, in Australia and on August 9, in North America. Mercenary Technology developed the game's Windows version, while Fun Labs developed the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions.

<i>Evolve</i> (video game) 2015 video game

Evolve is a first-person shooter video game developed by Turtle Rock Studios and published by 2K. Announced in January 2014, the game was released worldwide for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in February 2015. Evolve uses an asymmetrical multiplayer structure, where five players—four playing as hunters and one as the monster—battle against each other on an industrialized alien planet called Shear. The hunters' gameplay is based on the first-person shooter design, while the monsters are controlled from a third-person perspective. The hunters' goal is to eliminate the monster, while the monster's goal is to consume wildlife and evolve to make themselves stronger before either eliminating the hunters, or successfully destroying the objective.

<i>Gears of War</i> Third-person shooter video game series

Gears of War is a media franchise centered on a series of video games created by Epic Games, developed and managed by The Coalition, and owned and published by Xbox Game Studios. The franchise is best known for its third-person shooter video games, which has been supplemented by spin-off video game titles, a DC comic book series, eight novels, a board game adaptation and various merchandise.

<i>Gigantic</i> (video game) 2017 free-to-play strategic hero shooter video game

Gigantic is a third-person shooter video game developed by the independent game studio Motiga and published by Perfect World Entertainment. The game focused on team-based action combat with heroes battling alongside a massive guardian. Players must protect their guardian along with their team and attempt to destroy the opposing team and their guardian.

<i>Gears Tactics</i> 2020 video game

Gears Tactics is a turn-based tactics video game developed by Splash Damage in conjunction with The Coalition and published by Xbox Game Studios. It is a spin-off of the Gears of War franchise and a prequel to the first game. The game was released first for Windows on April 28, 2020 and subsequently for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on November 10, 2020.

<i>Rogue Company</i> 2022 free-to-play third-person shooter video game

Rogue Company is a free-to-play multiplayer tactical third-person hero shooter video game developed by First Watch Games and published by Hi-Rez Studios. The game was released in open beta on October 1, 2020 for Microsoft Windows via the Epic Games Store, Steam, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, with an Xbox Series X/S release following on November 25, 2020, and a PlayStation 5 release on March 30, 2021. The game features full support for cross-platform play and cross-progression. The game takes inspiration from the Counter-Strike series of tactical shooters. The game came out of beta on June 9, 2022.

<i>Gears 5: Hivebusters</i> 2020 video game

Gears 5: Hivebusters is a downloadable content (DLC) expansion pack developed by The Coalition and published by Xbox Game Studios for the 2019 third-person shooter video game Gears 5. It was released for Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on December 15, 2020. The pack is a direct prequel to the Gears of War: Hivebusters comic book series, and follows the origin story of Scorpio Squad, an ad-hoc team of commandos who embark on suicide missions to combat the threat of the Swarm by infiltrating and sabotaging their Hives through the use of lethal toxins.

<i>Aliens: Dark Descent</i> 2023 real time strategy video game

Aliens: Dark Descent is a real-time tactics video game developed by Tindalos Interactive in collaboration with 20th Century Games and published by Focus Entertainment. Set in the Alien universe, the game was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on June 20, 2023. It received generally positive reviews from critics.

References

  1. ↑ "Scourge: Outbreak reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved Apr 4, 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.