Scourge: Outbreak

Scourge: Outbreak is an action indie game, a third-person shooter to be more exact, where you will fight against an evil corporation and steal a piece of meteorite that could bring peace to the world.

A not so bright future

The action of the game takes place in the year 2026 when the world has almost ran out of all available natural supplies so power becomes a luxury. The Nogari Corporation develops a new power source called Ambrosia and rises to be the most important in the world. They've created Ambrosia using a strange meteorite fragment of unknown origins.

The only ones that dare to oppose them are The Tarn Initiative. You'll be playing as the member of an elite mercenary team, the Echo Squad, who has been hired by The Tarn Initiative to steal the meteorite fragment and share its secrets with the world.

Indie action at its best

You'll be able to choose from four different characters: Stonewall, Amp, Mass and Shade, each featuring their unique traits, skills and abilities. A nice addition to the game is the fact that each of the characters also has a different background story and a reason to get back at the Nogari Corporation.

Besides standard weapons (pistol, assault rifle, grenades) you'll be equipped with an Ambrosia suit. This means your suit will have different abilities you can activate, as long as it still has energy: the shield, which is different depending on what character you'll choose and the shockwave. This last weapon/ability is harmless to allies, but I found to be quite devastating and versatile in combat. especially that it can hit targets through solid objects.

Being part of a team means there are certain perks: when you get yourself injured or incapacitated, other team mates will be able to heal/revive you. You can also issue orders to your team members to move, attacks, hack consoles or either help injured allies. This can prove to be very useful when the heat is on.

Great details and crisp sounds

Despite some small animation glitches, the game looks quite good as it takes full advantage of the old Unreal Engine. The details are very nice if your PC allows you to play it at Ultra and the weapon textures are beautifully rendered.

The music is barely noticeable, which is a good thing when you're being fired upon from all direction, and the sounds are quite realistic. Voice acting is also nicely performed.

Not triple A, but worth playing

The single-player campaign isn't that long and features between 5 and 10 hours of gameplay, yet combined with the multiplayer and the co-op mode it really makes the game a best buy. The price is also quite attractive.

Even if it isn't a triple A title, the game is quite enjoyable so I recommend you give a try!