The “beat em up” genre has fallen out of favor with many gamers nowadays. The idea of having your heroes or heroines exploring different worlds while kicking the crap out of everyone who got in your way has been scrutinized by the gaming media as being  bland, uninteresting, and not offering much else for gamers. Yet, back in the early nineties, with such classic games as Final Fight, Streets of Rage, Double Dragon, Golden Axe, the Turtles Series (especially Turtles in Time) this was one of the genres that was fun to play.  It was a simple idea, yet it still provided you with hours of entertainment. So if you yearn to play another beat em up game to remind yourself of some of those older titles, look no further than Outrage.

In Outrage, you control one of three characters - Admir the construction worker, Habib a Colonial marine, and Anna a Russian Vodka Smuggler. Not exactly, the most conventional jobs you would see, but hey, this is a beat em up game, so all the details do not always have to make sense. The story of the game is not clearly outlined in the actual game itself, however the game does come with a manual, which describes the story in much greater detail.  It is also more interesting to read, than for me to pick which parts to write about.

You will travel across many different areas (either alone, or with a friend) to reach your goal, the Spaceport. Your characters are all fighters, and they have to use force rather than speech to get their problems solved. Along the way, you will encounter different creatures who wish to stop your journey, as most evil creatures tend to do. Nevertheless, you do have other ways to beat up on your enemies.  You have your own standing special move, as well as four other special moves to lay the smack down on anyone who dares get in your way.

Outrage is just a simple and easy to pick up beat em up game, that's all there is to it. The ability to play with a friend is a welcome addition, and is really a necessary for these types of games. Beating up hordes of enemies can be fun alone, but if you have a friend to help you out, it is just a more enjoyable experience.

There are quite a lot of levels to see on your journey to the spaceport. There is no shortage of variety when it comes to the different levels you will see, from a subway to a sewer. The areas are diverse, containing, of course, the well placed box or trashcan, and the oh so loveable piece of food to help heal your life.

The music in the game is all right generally.  There is only one track per level, but there is variety.  It’s just that you will have to hear the same track over and over until you beat the level.  It would have been nice if the track changed instead of repeating, but that’s a small concern.

One area of the game that will generate some controversy is the graphics. The graphics are blocky and most of the character models are of a low-resolution quality. Still, the graphics are just a small concern about the game as a whole.  If you look past it, you still have an excellent game to try.

In conclusion, if you are looking for a beat em up game or simply an action game full of beating up the bad guys, then Outrage is the game for you.