Codename: Outbreak Demo

Although a collision with a huge comet is practically game over for every life form on Earth, things might not pan out too well even if the said cosmic object barely misses out planet. As the game at hand prophesies, such an event would leave Earth with a severely damaged atmosphere, as well as a present from the comet itself, in the form of alien spores that quickly subjugate humanity once they come of age.

Codename: Outbreak is a first-person shooter that concerns itself with the grim prospects of the future, such as what would happen if the Earth got fertilized by a passing comet with a new type of organism. To keep in tune with the aforementioned pessimistic approach, this organism happens to be extremely violent and territorial, which means that it quickly starts to conquer the planet and basically decimate every human they come in contact with.

Despite the odds, the governments around the world keep on fighting, by sending teams of highly-trained soldiers to deal with the crisis and put an end to the invasion. You happen to be one of these soldiers, which means that your job is to eliminate as many aliens as you can and accomplish a variety of objectives meant to push back the new overlords. The squad-based mechanics make the gameplay a bit more fun, though, since you are usually joined by a few other companions as well.

Speaking of gameplay, the first-person shooter mechanics are spiced up with a bit of role-play as well, since you can also pick up various items as you go along. Obviously, most of these objects are actually ammunition, armor pieces and logs containing information, but they add a touch of variety to the experience, which is always good news. However, the disappointing fact is that there is only one weapon you can use throughout the game, although it does have multiple firing modes.

Hence, the same gun can switch between spraying pellets like a shotgun, to shooting powerful laser beams and disintegrating the enemies. Everything you collect is stored in the inventory and you can switch between items as often as you wish, although the equipment selection is quite disappointing. It's all about the idea, however, and it is nice to see that the developers tried something different for a change.

The squad-based gameplay and the RPG elements make a good case for Codename: Outbreak, but the action itself is too basic and unimpressive. Hence, the small bursts of fun you experience throughout the campaign are too isolated to influence the overall coach class feeling that overwhelms you.