So the demo came out last night and I’ve played for about 3 hours now, which I feel is enough for me to collect my thoughts about the overall base of the game. But first, I’d like to say a couple things. First, no, it’s not a Destiny killer. Stop coining every new looter shooter as a Destiny killer. Having the mindset that only Destiny or (insert new LS game here) can survive at the same time is like saying Halo or CoD can be the only FPS game. It’s also okay to like more than one game of the same genre, so don’t automatically wish it to fail just because people say it’s going to kill a game you enjoy. Second, don’t be so antagonistic about a game just because some other person said something bad about it. Give it a try yourself before you criticize it based on what you’ve heard. The demo is free for everyone, so give it a try yourself before you treat your favorite content creator’s opinion as fact that only morons disagree with. So, here’s my opinion. [b][u]Gunplay[/u][/b] It took me a while getting used to this new system. I’m only used to playing FPS games and the only 3PS game I’ve played is Warframe. Even then, this is much more different. If I had to guess, it’s more akin to the Division. You won’t be flying above the battlefield or jumping over enemies. Instead, the jump button is replaced with a run-to-cover button and the crouch button is replaced with a tactical roll. It’s certainly different compared to most shooters, but not at all awful. If you like Division’s gun play, I’m sure you’ll like this. I’d say it’s more mobile than that, but not mobile enough that you’ll be zooming past enemies. At least, not with my class, which brings me to my next section. [b][u]Abilities[/u][/b] There are 4 classes you can choose from: •Pyromancer, a mid-range fire wielder that specializes in AoE abilities •Trickster, the assassin of the group that can teleport and slow down time •Devastator, the tank that can absorb bullets and charge into battle •Technomancer, the support class that can place down turrets and occasionally heal allies I chose Technomancer for this gig, which is considered a support class, but can do well on its own. In the game, you can’t heal through items or potions, so you have to keep shooting to survive. Technomancer emphasizes this fact by only allowing you to heal by hurting enemies. Its abilities greatly synergize with this mechanic. You can place turrets down that can distract enemies, debuff them and even heal yourself while you sit back and watch. Really enjoying Techno right now. There’s even a skill tree that can change how you play. You could make Pyro a tank and Techno a poisonous god. Sadly, the demo only allows you to reach level 7, so I can’t say much about builds or progression. [b][u]Story[/u][/b] The story itself is... decent. It’s not the most creative or deep storyline ever, but it certainly keeps my attention. Although I prefer Destiny’s lore, story and world, Outriders definitely has me intrigued. When you start the game, it feels like the world is something out of Anthem, but a few minutes in, it turns a complete 180 and becomes an apocalyptic chaos pit you’d see in Borderlands, minus the comedy. Characters aren’t too bad. The main cast is charming enough to make me care about what happens to them at the very least. I also like how they introduced one character to make it seem like they’re the main antagonist, but in reality, they’re the anti-hero trying to do the more reasonable thing and lead you to your full potential. What throws me off is your own character. When you start, you can customize their appearance, name and abilities, but they already have their own backstory and personality. They even make their own choices and dialogue at times when it feels like you get to choose. The only dialogue options are optional questions you can ask if you want to know more about the characters or lore. It’s weird because I’m so used to either getting to customize your whole character, or none of it at all. [u][b]Open World & Encounters[/b][/u] I expected the game to be an open world experience, but I was wrong. It doesn’t really feel like an open world you’d see in Destiny or Anthem. The travel layout is more like what you would see in Warframe level designs where you’re mostly in hallways or tight spaces unless you’re in enemy arenas. I’m pretty sure this changes with the Rift Town area, but as far as I’ve seen, the main area feels small. The enemies themselves are fairly average. They can be threatening at times, but aren’t too dangerous. The bosses, however, are pretty challenging and even fun at times. They really keep you on your toes and force you to keep moving when they fling abilities at you. I also like the idea of World Tiers. It allows you to progressively play at harder difficulties if you really want more loot, but you can also choose to stay on easy mode if you want. [b][u]Gripes & Worries[/u][/b] One of the problems I have are the loading screens. I wouldn’t say they are as long or frequent as Anthem, but they are definitely noticeable. It gets annoying when you’re getting invested into a cutscene only for it to end in 20 seconds, then take 10 seconds to load just to transition to a slightly longer cutscene. The character screen transition isn’t as snappy as games such as Destiny. It cuts to a black screen, takes about 5 seconds, then shows you the menu. It’s minor, but it really makes the game feel off and slow. Then there is replay ability. Again, I’m sure Rift Town is the endgame area, but as far as I’ve seen, the only replay ability is replaying side quests at different world tiers. I’m sure there’s going to be more in the full game, but something just makes me worry about it. [b][u]TLDR[/u][/b] •Gunplay is akin to Division •Abilities are unique for every class and ability progression will be diverse •Story is average •It’s not a real open-world game (as far as I’ve seen) •Bosses are challenging, but I can see the bullet sponge mechanic in them •World Tiers are an interesting idea •Loading screens can be a turn-off I’ll probably update this when I play more, but for now, I’ll give what I’ve seen in the demo a 7.5/10