A Hectic, Bloody Mess... In a Good Way! (Loadout Review)

xXBChaceXx

|-Game News, Reviews, and Rants-|

A Hectic, Bloody Mess (In a Good Way)

      Imagine if there was a game that you could create, customize, and uniquely name your very own weapon of destruction. Imagine a game where it’s okay to be naked, and ruthlessly t-bagging your opponent, or a fat chick, named Helga, twerkin’ it SUMO STYLE, in nothing but a thong over your bloody corpse. Billions of weapon combinations, catered to fit your wildest imagination. Well, such a game does exist, where Borderlands meets Team Fortress, in a refreshing, arena-style shooter. This game is Loadout, the fast-paced, over the top action packed bloody frenzy, filled with comedic, almost cartoonish violence that keeps you coming back for more.

Best of all, it’s free to play.

            Weapon crafting is the core of Loadout, and the interface makes creating the perfect weapon for every situation as hassle-free as possible. Do you want a Gatling gun that shoots flames bullets? You can make it happen. To begin, you select from 4 base weapon-types, Rifle, Beam, Rocket, or Pulse. Each of these gives a different set of customizable options, and suit different types of play styles. After selecting your base weapon, you build up from that, adding stocks, triggers, scopes, barrels, magazines, and even elemental damage, such as Tesla (Electricity that arcs to nearby enemies) and Flame (I’m sure you can already guess what this does). Give your weapon a name, (Like ‘The Ownage’), set it to a load out, and it’s ready to shoot. Each and every choice you make changes a weapons stats, which all are revealed to you in a small window as you make your changes. Want more long range damage? Change your barrel to a sniper, more stability as you shoot? Change the stock to increase weapon stability. Everything and anything is possible with Loadout’s weapon crafting system. All of these attachments within the system are purchased via Blutes, which is an in-game currency earned through leveling up, match bonuses, and your win-of-the-day. Blutes cannot be purchased, so no need to worry, Loadout is far from a pay-to-win game.

            The outfitter is Loadout’s character customization, where you are given three base character models to make your own. Customization is, unfortunately, limited unless you acquire Spacebux via the in game store, which can be a bit pricey, depending on your gaming budget. Anything from hair styles, facial hair, shirts, pants, boots, even a bare, naked character, are all available for purchase. Taunts, such as Gangam Style, Golf Clap, and others, are also purchasable. You are given a basic set of cosmetic items, and, if you purchase a starter pack, receive additional Spacebux to help you make a character that fits your personality. Do you want to be completely naked, bearing it all to your enemy? You can do that. Or, you can go the serious route, and go full commando, instilling fear in your enemies. It’s your choice.

            In game, Loadout is as hectic as you would believe it to be, with varying sized maps to fit different combat scenarios. Each and every match starts out with two teams of four players, scattered around each other, with a timer counting to ‘0’. Once that happens, players scramble to kill each other, or barrel roll from the barrage of inevitable rocket fire, bound to blow someone in half. After the initial mayhem, the match ensues, or ‘blood bath’ if you will. Player deaths are plentiful, and have a multitude of animations worthy of each death. Blow off someone’s head, electrocute them, or set them on fire, each are oh-so satisfying, and usually end with the enemy player flipping you off (Yes, that actually happens.) Your weapon will dish out death like no other. Thankfully, there are health packs, and dodge rolls, to keep your character alive during the intense 4v4 gun battles. Sticking together, and working together, is the key to victory (Much like it is in other shooters). Keep your teammates alive with weapons designed to heal, granted allies a 150% health boost, or give them adrenaline, increasing their speed and damage.

 Most of the game modes in Load out are nuances to classic shooters, with their own twists, and are separated into Casual and Competitive. Death Snatch is a team deathmatch variant, similarly to Call of Duty’s Kill Confirmed where, once a kill has been made, it must be confirmed via a Blutonium vial that is dropped upon death. If a vial is picked up, 100 points are added to the scoreboard, if it is denied, no points are awarded.  Jackhammer is a capture the flag variant, where the main objective is to steal the opposing team’s hammer, and bring it back to base. Along the way, each enemy you kill, up to a cap, awards you an addition 100 points each upon successful capture. Oh! And, the hammer is also a brutal melee weapon that smashes you in half. So, steal the hammer, kill people, and score. It’s simple. Blitz is a king of the hill game mode, where the objective is to capture the set point, and be the first to reach the score limit. The more players within the zone, the faster it captures. Also, taunting within the capture zone speeds up the process. Extraction is the fourth and final casual game mode, and Loadout’s most unique experience. Each time is assigned a collector, and the collector’s objective is to gather unrefined Blutonium ore to deposit. Each deposit nets the team points. If a collector is a killed, a new collector is randomly selected. First team to the score limit wins.

            Loadout’s sole competitive game mode is called Annihilation, which combines elements of Death Snatch, Jackhammer, and Blitz, into an all-in-one hardcore game mode. Cap Blutonium vials, cap the hammer, and cap the points. The first team to reach a team score of 10,000 lowers the enemy shields, so you, the player, can blow up their drop ship.

            Edge of Reality’s Loadout is what I’ve been missing about shooters. The fluid gameplay, hectic gun battles, and endless customization options will keep you coming back for more.

VERDICT: 9/10 A bloody, action-packed, and fun-filled shooting spree.