Outcast: Second Contact

 PlayStation 4
User Score
5.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 32 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 32
  3. Negative: 12 out of 32
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  1. SplitMind
    Jun 27, 2018
    6
    This a remake of a rather old game, and unfortunately the game is actually remade very well but the issues are with the age of the original game shining (or rather tarnishing) through here.

    The controls can be awkward but functional, although the shooting mechanics leave a lot to be desired, and enemies can take far too many hits before going down, and getting ammo can be repetitive.    This a remake of a rather old game, and unfortunately the game is actually remade very well but the issues are with the age of the original game shining (or rather tarnishing) through here.

    The controls can be awkward but functional, although the shooting mechanics leave a lot to be desired, and enemies can take far too many hits before going down, and getting ammo can be repetitive.

    The graphics have been presented very well, but there seems to be some dissonance between staying faithful to the original and trying to modernise the game. A lot of the environments look nice at first, but they eventually become a chore to explore as they can be wide, open areas with little interesting content that gets repetitive quickly.

    The plot and character interactions are where the game shines but again this shows its age with some awkwardly dated dialogue that is not fluid or smooth.

    If you're quite the fan of the original you might enjoy this, but having played the original I can now see problems that were actually present in the original but because it was the late 90s those issues were not noticeable. Compared to PS4 games today however, this game shows its age a lot. The quests can be very mundane.    … Expand
  2. StaticChaser21
    Jul 12, 2020
    9
    I am giving Outcast: Second Contact a 9 because of it's unique story and compelling gameplay. The game has a terrific mix of very deep story telling and satisfying shooting mechanics. Even though I only have around 6 hours of play time in, I am now fully invested into seeing this gem of a remaster through to the end. The shooting mechanics take a bit of getting use to but once you getI am giving Outcast: Second Contact a 9 because of it's unique story and compelling gameplay. The game has a terrific mix of very deep story telling and satisfying shooting mechanics. Even though I only have around 6 hours of play time in, I am now fully invested into seeing this gem of a remaster through to the end. The shooting mechanics take a bit of getting use to but once you get the hang of it its a blast to play. Every NPC is voice acted and there is a ton of dialogue options available that tells a compelling story. The main character you play as has a really cool sense of humor that will make you laugh. The graphics are good and the gameplay is satisfying. If going through portals to see unique worlds meeting tons of NPC's and hearing a grand musical score in a Sci-Fi action RPG is your thing then I strongly recommend this hidden gem.… Expand
  3. rickadasz
    Nov 16, 2017
    9
    Game with an amazing story! The game is beautiful and the engine is ok, only the jumping system is awkward. It's a remake of the original 1999 game, and they have done a good job. Outcast is definitely one of my favourite games of all time. Definitely worth the try!
  4. Turniplord
    Nov 16, 2017
    10
    The team have done a great job with this remaster. The core mechanics and story are all faithful to the original 1999 masterpiece with a few new control mechanisms thrown in.

    There isn't enough room to write my review here - the full one is over on SquareXO - but what I can say is, if you liked the original game or were ever interested in the first ever 3D Open world game - the one that    The team have done a great job with this remaster. The core mechanics and story are all faithful to the original 1999 masterpiece with a few new control mechanisms thrown in.

    There isn't enough room to write my review here - the full one is over on SquareXO - but what I can say is, if you liked the original game or were ever interested in the first ever 3D Open world game - the one that defined the genre, check it out! The more support this dev gets, the more likely we will see a real sequel as well.    … Expand
  5. Agarwel
    Nov 18, 2017
    10
    This game aged surprisingly well.
    Second Contact is basically 1:1 remaster of the old game. So if you played it, here are the differences:
    What is better: Graphics - enviromnents are very nice, characters are really average and animations are bellow average (mostly original) That is worse: Into - there was no budget to recreate intro movie in hd. So there is 2d replacement instead. It    This game aged surprisingly well.
    Second Contact is basically 1:1 remaster of the old game. So if you played it, here are the differences:
    What is better: Graphics - enviromnents are very nice, characters are really average and animations are bellow average (mostly original)
    That is worse: Into - there was no budget to recreate intro movie in hd. So there is 2d replacement instead. It is HD, but it is lacking the charm. I sugest to check even the original on internet. Also searching for small objects can be pain because of all the aditional enviromnent details that are in the view now.
    What is same, but aged well: Story + writing, soundrack, voice acting, basic gameplay. Also the world feels really alive. Much more than any recent Bethesda or other game.
    What is same, but aged poorly: Jumping is really really bad (but not needed so often). And gunplay feels little weird and needs some getting used to.

    If you did not played this game before, just do yourself favour and buy it. It is awesome story based action adventure (with slight hints of rpg mechanics - it just works in reverse. You are not getting stronger, but enemies weaker. Result is the same). It has great story, living world and deep lore that is worth exploring. I would dare to say, that in 1999 this game was what Witcher 3 was in 2015.    … Expand
  6. BTScorpion
    Dec 5, 2018
    8
    As a background I played this on PC back when it came out. Then again in the early 2000's when I got a reasonable PC to play it on. Now I have just finished it again on my PS4.

    It has aged surprisingly well. Graphics: These have been updated to take account of developments and are good. It has a definite retro feel to the maps with the 'squared' landscapes but I love minecraft so    As a background I played this on PC back when it came out. Then again in the early 2000's when I got a reasonable PC to play it on. Now I have just finished it again on my PS4.

    It has aged surprisingly well.

    Graphics: These have been updated to take account of developments and are good. It has a definite retro feel to the maps with the 'squared' landscapes but I love minecraft so found this quaint.

    Soundtrack and effects: The soundtrack has been updated and is great as it always was. Great sounding effects. Walking around the various towns and villages you get great snippets of the Aldepha lives. The weapon noises are all great and Sci Fi sounding where they should be.

    Plot: Still holds up even after 18+ years. The sub-missions are surprisingly very good. They still are original and interesting and are based of the inhabitants and their local issues. Only a couple of them get a bit tiresome as they are go talk to this person and then hop across lands to talk to other person. Most of them are still great.

    Controls: Here is where the weakness lies. It certainly does harken back to olden times in its use of inventory and weapon selection. Taking you out of the game - but not pausing it - to choose things. I also found that the game wasn't paused if I went out of the game. It could really use some form of weapon wheel and/or quick item selection. Weapon aiming on the PS4 has a helpful lock on ability to cope for not having a mouse. This was definitely handy as the combat was not very smooth without it.

    Conclusion: I finished the game within a could of days with a 98%/96% finish score. I would recommend anyone who has played this in the past and enjoyed it to try it again. If you've never tried it just remember its a 1999 game with a 2017 skin. Strongly recommend.    … Expand
  7. Simosonic
    Sep 29, 2022
    6
    Overall pretty good game, didn't play more than 7 hour, since I had a game breaking bug, that deleted all my save. The gameplay is decent, the story is good and the graphics are ok. But there are some really bad bugs in the game. Giving this game a 6 cause i picked it up for 2 bucks, but it's absolutely not worth the full price, pick it up if you want a nostalgic adventure, on sale.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
61

Mixed or average reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 16
  3. Negative: 1 out of 16
  1. The Games Machine
    Dec 1, 2017
    75
    Outcast Second Contact is a good remake, but not for everyone. Despite some old-school mechanics could prevent someone from enjoying the game (gunplay and matted animations are the two main defendants), Outcast is still imbued with good exploration and an entertaining plot. Give it a chance.
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  2. God is a Geek
    Nov 29, 2017
    65
    Outcast: Second Contact is a classic adventure wrapped up in shiny new clothes, but which maintains everything it was born with underneath, for better or worse.
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  3. PlaySense
    Nov 28, 2017
    30
    Once upon a time Outcast was a pioneer. Unfortunately, if Second Contact proves anything, it's that sometimes you should just leave the past alone.
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