TIERS IN RAIN

Despite its campaign drawing to a clearly defined end point, Outriders pitches for greater longevity with its tier system. Laughing in the face of the traditional three or four difficulty options, this game has 15 tiers, each one ramping up enemy toughness, ammo scarcity and, most pertinently, loot-drop rarity. It’s a similar solution to multiple playthroughs as offered by the venerable Diablo III, inviting you to smash through a tier-15 playthrough after your first – and then do it again with a different class. Tiers unlock regularly during your first playthrough, so while you can certainly hunt for the higher loot-rarity levels towards the latter half, starting a New Game Plus at maximum difficulty yields its own rewards.