| The Outsider | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Frontier Developments |
| Designer(s) | David Braben |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows,[1] PlayStation 3, Xbox 360[2] |
| Release date(s) | On hold[3] |
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, Multiplayer |
| Media/distribution | Blu-ray Disc, DVD |
The Outsider is a "techno thriller"[4] video game for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 that will feature storylines that change based on the player's actions. It is currently under development by David Braben's Frontier Developments. The release date has not officially been announced.[5] In January 2011, David Braben confirmed that development on The Outsider had ceased,[3] but the game had not been cancelled.[6]
Contents |
The Outsider is set in a crowded city based on present-day Washington, D.C. and its surrounding areas, including the CIA Headquarters at Langley, Virginia, Andrews Air Force Base, and Newport News Naval Dockyard. The player controls a CIA officer named Jameson, who can use various hand-to-hand combat styles and weapons. The game's opening sequence depicts the character wrongly becoming a fugitive, and leaves the player to decide how to continue.[2]
Frontier Developments has been focusing on new game-play elements that are now possible on the current generation of video game consoles. Several key proprietary technologies, which Frontier has been developing for some time, make their debut in The Outsider and bring the sort of freedom of action first seen in Elite up to date.[7]
The developers claim that the game abandons the traditional, prescriptive, mostly linear story of current generation games, and replaces it by simulating characters’ motivations and aims. This gives the player genuine freedom to change the story outcomes. Frontier Developments says that each player will get a unique experience rather than simply switching between ‘good’ or ‘evil’.[8] In an interview with the Gametheoryshow, Braben said that it is this level of freedom that will demonstrate what it is to be a "next-gen" video game.[9]
A new animation system is being developed for the game with the aim of giving a more realistic feel as it is adaptive and less scripted than typical animations.[5]