Loadout

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Loadout (video game)
Developer(s)	Edge of Reality
Publisher(s)	Edge of Reality
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4
Release	Microsoft Windows January 31, 2014 PlayStation 4 December 16, 2014
Genre(s)	Third-person shooter
Mode(s)	Multiplayer

Loadout was a free-to-play multiplayer third-person shooter developed by Edge of Reality, originally released on Steam for Microsoft Windows then co-published a special PlayStation 4 version with P-40 Online Entertainment (a ClusterTech company), Loadout focused on arcade-style multiplayer firefights across a variety of modes and uses an over-the-top cartoon gore and wealth of character customization options. Players could alter the appearance of their in-game avatar as well as the properties of their weapons at the cost of some premium in-game currency.^[1]

Edge of Reality has since discontinued development of the game.^[2][3] On Jan 23, 2018, CE-Asia (in collaboration with P-40) published the game on PlayStation 4 in several Asian countries as a paid "Premium Edition".^[4] Other game servers were sunset on May 24, 2018, due to the inability to provide compliance with the onset of the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation.^[5] On September 26, 2020, Loadout Premium's servers were shut down due to inability to afford the server cost, leaving no servers of the game available, however a fan project is currently attempting to revive the game.^[6]

Gameplay[]

There were five types of game modes: Death Snatch, Blitz, Jackhammer, Annihilation, and Extraction, most of which were based around collecting Blutonium, a fictional element.^[7]

Death Snatch

Upon killing an enemy player, the dead player will drop a vial of Blutonium which can be grabbed to add to team score.

Extraction

Extraction is a game mode in which the first team to win is the one to collect the most Blutonium, an object in the game that rewards one team with points. A player who is designated as the Collector has to travel around, picking up Blutonium and depositing it in the provided baskets, gaining points. The Collectors are chosen randomly from the currently alive players.

Blitz

The map is dotted with poles and one will be designated as a control point. Teams will compete for control of the point, as standing near it slowly raises a team-colored pair of boxers, as well as taking down the enemy's boxers. When the boxers reach the top of the flag, the point is captured and it is added to the team score.

Jackhammer

Jackhammer is a gamemode similar to Capture the Flag, except the player can kill people with the flag. The goal is to take the enemy's hammer and return it to the player's base. When the enemy's hammer is in control, the player can smash people with it, killing them instantly. Each hammer has 5 smashes per capture. Capturing the hammer will add to the team score.

Annihilation

Annihilation is a game mode that combines elements from other game modes. The goal is to get a team score of 10,000. Several things can add to the team score. Players drop Blutonium vials on death, similar to Death Snatch. The vials can be picked up to gain team score points. As well, there are two control points which can be captured to gain a temporary damage buff, and adding to the team score, similar to Blitz. There is also a Jackhammer, which can be captured and used to kill people. Adding to the team score will give the player a growing supply of personal Blutonium, which can be used to purchase upgrades for their character. There are three types of upgrades. The first is attack, which buff the amount of damage dealt, the second is Tank, which adds the amount of damage able to withstand, and Health, which increases the healing the player can give to others and adds to the effectiveness of health packs. Once a team has reached 10,000 points, the team must take the enemy's hammer back to their base, and charge it. Then, the team must take the hammer back to the enemy's base, and smash it inside the base, destroying it, finally winning the match.

Domination

Domination is a game mode where the player captures points, and each team starts at 0 points. 20 points are awarded when a point is captured and 5 per second while the point is captured. Each team must capture the points once it is captured by the other team. If there is a red arrow under the point at the top of the screen, the other team is capping the point.

Campaign

In the campaign, up to four players can play cooperatively through missions which are divided into about 5 or 6 "chapters", each mission with its own goal. Many of the missions have to do with killing aliens known as "Kroads" in the game. Each mission will reward the player with some kind of loot, such as loot crates, Blutonium, Spacebux, and other things.

Reception[]

Loadout received mixed to positive critic reviews (72 on Metacritic ^[16]), 4 out of 5 stars (51,800 player reviews) on PlayStation 4, and "Very Positive" (35,986 player reviews) on Steam.

The Escapist gave Loadout an 80 and wrote this bottom line in their review: "A surprisingly well crafted multiplayer shooter full of options, amusing cartoon violence, and rock solid action. That Loadout does all this, and provides a respectably balanced free-to-play ecosystem, is encouraging to see."^[15]

Hardcore Gamer gave the game a 4 out of 5 and wrote this closing comments: "It didn’t take me long to realize that Loadout wasn’t an ordinary shooter. It’s an amalgamation of sorts, melding comedy, cartoon violence and competitive multiplayer seamlessly. Edge of Reality seems to be well aware of the genres oversaturation, and contribute very little to the nimiety of mediocrity. Shooters may be all the craze now, but Loadout doesn’t take the challenge of being different sitting down — it stands, with a severed head and a badass rifle. There are few online-only experiences that offer such dynamic gameplay without developing some sort of genre-identity crisis. Hell, the fast-paced matches, alarmingly meaty weapon customization system, and visual hilarity are but a few of the features that make Loadout worth its weight in dismembered limbs. So why wait? There’s simply no better time to kill your friends than the present. Although the game modes may not be innovative, innovation doesn’t always spell fun, and that’s something Loadout has by the explosive crate-full."^[14]

PC Gamer gave the game a 77 and said in their review "Loadout's gun customization and well executed twists on shooter staples make it a free-to-play game that doesn't feel like a compromise."^[17]

IGN gave Loadout a 69 but stated in their review: "Loadout attempts to compete with Team Fortress 2 at its own game, and it performs admirably thanks to great weapon customization options, strong map design, and a generous free-to-play setup that charges mostly for cosmetics. But the matchmaking system is straight-up broken, leading to frequent frustrating mismatches, and its four maps aren’t enough to keep me around for long."^[18]

References[]