Outcast vs. Gothic

Exactly! By todays standards the graphics probably looks really bad - but look at the water, the DOF, the shadows etc... it's amazing what they got running in real-time at the time it was released.. many of those effects are still considered state-of-the-art on hardware these days.

On top of that Outcast is a really great game! It has lots of freedom (you can do many of the realms in whatever order you want) and a quite complex game system where what you do will affect the later game play (for example, consider what will happen if you *do* take the time to help the natives who are currently working in the fields for the bad guys....) I played Outcast last year for the first time, and once I got past the somewhat primitive graphics I got drawn into the game in a way that only happens rarely for me - and when it happens, it's usually a good sign of the quality of the game (IMO).

In other words, without wanting to sound like a commercial - if you can get your hands on the game.. get it! It's worth it!

Corwin said:

I did a quick check today and couldn't see where the game could be bought (here) and I couldn't find any sites for downloading it as abandonware either!! Pity, it sounds intriguing!!

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CDAccess has 54 copies in stock and they ship international. Please leave one for me.

It's actually still AVAILABLE!? I wouldn't have expected that. I don't think that's usual for the game industry. I mean, who gets the money??

Anyway, I think the graphics style gives it its own peculiar feel. I may be blocky, but it is capable of suspending reality maybe even more than modern games. Modern games do not look more realistic; they are more detailed. But in older games, sometimes it's possible to see this entire other world through this "blur"... if it's less accurate, you are more able to imagine what it should be like!

Cormac said:

CDAccess has 54 copies in stock and they ship international. Please leave one for me.

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I might check that out next week. Amazon won't ship games to Australia!!

Cormac said:

CDAccess has 54 copies in stock and they ship international. Please leave one for me.

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Cormac,

I just logged on to post the exact same info, but it looks like you beat me to it.

It would be pretty funny if they suddenly sold a buch of copies this week because of this thread. They're probably sitting under a pile of dust.

$29.95 is a good deal considering how rare that game has become. I think I might have to grab a copy in the next few weeks.

JDR13 said:

Cormac,

I just logged on to post the exact same info, but it looks like you beat me to it.

It would be pretty funny if they suddenly sold a buch of copies this week because of this thread. They're probably sitting under a pile of dust.

$29.95 is a good deal considering how rare that game has become. I think I might have to grab a copy in the next few weeks.

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You know, I actually never bought from them but recently I've been browsing the site and they have some great stuff in stock. Pretty soon I'll get busy with a big order.

JDR13 said:

$29.95 is a good deal considering how rare that game has become. I think I might have to grab a copy in the next few weeks.

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Hmmm... I doubt that Outcast is really all that rare. I remember that it was bundled with hardware a lot. It was also part of some compilations. A quick Google search reveals that it was part of "Play the Games Volume 3". So if you don't absolutely need the new original boxed version then there are other much cheaper options. $29.95 borders on rip-off for such an old game IMHO .

@ Thaurin: The money goes to Atari. Infogrames = Atari.

Moriendor said:

Hmmm... I doubt that Outcast is really all that rare. I remember that it was bundled with hardware a lot. It was also part of some compilations. A quick Google search reveals that it was part of "Play the Games Volume 3". So if you don't absolutely need the new original boxed version then there are other much cheaper options. $29.95 borders on rip-off for such an old game IMHO .
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I didn't mean rare in the sense that they didn't print a lot of copies to begin with.

I mean it's quite hard to find a boxed copy if you're looking to get one now. After searching the web I only found 3 places that claim to have new copies. Besides the aformentioned "CDAccess", there was another store that listed "1" copy left in stock, and another that wanted $59.99 for that title.

Copies should appear on Ebay quite frequently for small money. I wouldn´t pay much for it. The voxel graphics were stylish back then but I don´t dare to imagine how a technology which is pixely by definition looks in 5xx * 4xx on a 19" TFT.

I'm sure it's easy to get a used copy, but I'm very picky when it comes to my pc games and I like to get an unopened box whenever possible.

By the time I take into account conversion rates and postage, the game would cost me over $50!! Not sure if such an old game is worth that much.

here Corwin, i pulled this off the ebay.com.au site. its from the uk so shipping shouldn't be that outrageous.
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/3-PC-GAMES-H...1QQihZ020QQcategoryZ11047QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

its truly a sad day when i now buy things from the uk and i have to pay over 2 us dollars for every pound...