NEWS
Outcast Reboot HD: A New Kickstarter Venture
In 1999, a title was released that received praise from some major outlets and went completely unnoticed at others entitled Outcast. It was one of the first games to offer full free roaming capabilities in a three dimensional setting, offered very clever AI for it's time. It was sadly also a game that many people missed out on, and the company that made the original went bankrupt before a sequel could ever be released.
While the original company Appeall may be gone, the dream of seeing Outcast's return lives on and Fresh3D Inc has unveiled on Kickstarter their plans to release Outcast Reboot HD with the promise of everything in game being remade to fit today's standards including entire revamps so that the game models look up to par with some of the eye candy games we have today. To pull off such a feat, $600,000 is their initial goal. The question is, is that possible? Games these days that both look astounding and play astounding can cost quite a bit more than $600,000 to develop when all is said and done, so this is very ambitious indeed. Only time will tell if people buy into the Kickstarter, if they are able to recapture everything that was great about the original and more.
Here is an excerpt of the specific goals listed on the Kickstarter page for the project.
Initial goal 600k : Outcast Reboot HD, Windows PC
As a PC gamer you know this platform has always been a center for creativity, openness and innovation. This is the place Outcast was born in, and it is the place we will make this new experience happen first and foremost. Experience Outcast with gorgeous brand-new HD visuals:
All objects, textures, environments and characters entirely remade from scratch in hi-definition.
Targets 1080p @ 60fps, and supports beyond HD
Enhanced adventure:
. Annoying story bugs removed
. Improved HUD
. Improved inventory
. Improved notepad
. Improved dialog interface
New Cutter locomotion, control and animations
New camera control
Xbox and PS4 controller (and other compatible) support on Windows
Stretch goal 750k : Mac/Linux
Our friends on Mac and Linux will now be able to be part of this incredible journey.
But that’s not all ! Everyone please enjoy this new extra content :
Reworked animations for all characters
New facial rig and lipsynch for all characters
Introducing the Oil subquest in Motazaar
. Enjoy a brand new subquest that never got implemented in the original game.
As a PC gamer you know this platform has always been a center for creativity, openness and innovation. This is the place Outcast was born in, and it is the place we will make this new experience happen first and foremost. Experience Outcast with gorgeous brand-new HD visuals:
All objects, textures, environments and characters entirely remade from scratch in hi-definition.
Targets 1080p @ 60fps, and supports beyond HD
Enhanced adventure:
. Annoying story bugs removed
. Improved HUD
. Improved inventory
. Improved notepad
. Improved dialog interface
New Cutter locomotion, control and animations
New camera control
Xbox and PS4 controller (and other compatible) support on Windows
Stretch goal 750k : Mac/Linux
Our friends on Mac and Linux will now be able to be part of this incredible journey.
But that’s not all ! Everyone please enjoy this new extra content :
Reworked animations for all characters
New facial rig and lipsynch for all characters
Introducing the Oil subquest in Motazaar
. Enjoy a brand new subquest that never got implemented in the original game.
There are several other stretch goals as well, including those that pertain to VR support and Next Gen Console support. The list branches on for quite a long time.
They also offered two screenshots, one from the original and one from an early prototype of the reboot.
Original
Early Reboot Image
Also available on their page is a six minute video, which unfortunately does not offer up anything that isn't listed in the overall goals other than some very brief glimpses at early concepts and a look back at the original game. Outcast Reboot HD is an ambitious venture, and it has big shoes to fill. The first hurdle will be to receive the initial $600,000 to make the base dream a reality; but again, will $600,000 be enough to do all they aspire to do? We shall see.