The stream of shooting games plundering the fascinating World War II era of true heroism and villainy is seemingly as relentless as Hitler's campaign for world domination. However, it's time to throw all of your preconceptions out of the window as if they were an armed grenade, because The Outfit is completely different to any WWII shooter you've ever played - and it's brilliant!

If you take a couple of minutes to watch the superb movie intro that plays when you first load up the game (and you really should), the first thing you will realise from the caricature style of the graphics and the ridiculously gung ho, larger than life antics of our American heroes, is that The Outfit is not attempting to take itself even slightly seriously. Rather than taking the gritty, true to life approach of every other WWII shooter before it, The Outfit chooses to leave reality behind and focus on making a game that's arcade in spirit, yet with a compelling mix of strategy. This approach works perfectly, and without being disrespectful to the memories of all the brave men that fought in WWII, because it really is just pure fantasy.

The story focuses on three American soldiers - Tommy Mac, J.D. Tyler and their leader, Deuce, who are waging various military campaigns across the war torn landscape of France in order to drive back the occupying Nazis. The plot is actually quite good, weaving the missions together with numerous cut scenes and an entertaining tale that has a couple of quite unexpected twists to it, twists that actually affect the gameplay later on - I don't want to give anything away, but you'll realise what I mean when you get there, and it's a very novel and unusual idea. The characters are deliberately cheesy and clichéd, while the dialogue is delivered with relish by some great voice actors, who really breathe life into their characters and do a grand job in making the story enjoyable to follow as it unfolds.

The first couple of missions are a gentle introduction to the excellent game mechanics, which are as well conceived as they are implemented, and you'll get through them pretty quickly. With only 13 missions in the single player campaign, I was thinking to myself that the game would be over in a few hours at this rate - how wrong I was! By the third or fourth mission you'll be dying frequently and really having to fight for every inch of ground that you take, as the difficulty curve kicks it up a notch. By the halfway point you'll be exhausted by the intense action of the long missions, each of which features multiple objectives and can easily last an hour or more later on. And once you hit the last few missions, every ounce of your gaming skill will be tested, as things just get tougher and tougher. But this isn't a complaint or a warning - the difficulty curve is one of the best I've come across, rising significantly with each new mission, yet never feeling totally unfair or impossible to overcome. And every self-respecting gamer enjoys a challenge, right?

I've heard a number of people complain that the next generation is just a tired retread of the same old games but with better graphics. Although I'd dispute this (titles like Perfect Dark Zero and Kameo: Elements of Power, among others, really do up the stakes in the gameplay as well as with the graphics), The Outfit is definitely one of those titles to offer plenty of new gameplay features that haven't been widely used before. Sure, it's not entirely original and it's not something that couldn't have been done on Xbox, but there's simply no way it could have been released on Xbox and been as convincing, involved and gorgeous looking as it is. Truly, the graphics are a marvel to behold, and while the far off viewpoint makes everything look quite small, somewhat belying the wonderful quality of the visuals, if you stop to take a look around you'll be very impressed.

The scenery for each of the many varied locations (in fact, I'm hard pressed to think of a WWII shooter set entirely in France that changes as much as The Outfit) is fantastically realised, with tremendously rich and intricate detail to every building, vehicle and tree, while the textures for things as simple as stone and grass really do look lovely. The water effects are gorgeous too, although steer clear of it, because your men can't stay afloat carrying all that heavy weaponry! You'll see some of the nicest looking, most atmospheric skies in this game too - photo realistic stuff. Moving onto the men and again the detail is amazing - authentic looking, beautifully crafted uniforms and intricate facial features, while every gun, artillery emplacement and vehicle not only looks true to the period but is rendered in tremendous detail.

However, this is nothing compared to the magnificent explosions - when you take out an emplacement or vehicle, multiple fiery explosions rip through the metal, scattering debris as the whole thing collapses, only to be completely obliterated by secondary explosions shortly afterwards. When air strikes come down or missiles hit the ground, dirt showers through the air and craters appear. The scenery is fully destructible too - pretty much every building can be demolished from persistent shelling, and this happens gradually, with pieces of masonry being blown away until the whole thing collapses, while fences, stone walls and all but the steel girder barricades can be blown to bits, and many obstacles can be flattened as you drive your tank over them. Throw in the screen shaking effect of the bigger explosions and the wonderful cacophony of battlefield sounds, with gunshots whistling past you, shells booming and men screaming as they die, and the atmosphere for this game really draws you into the experience. The soundtrack is great too - a full orchestra of rousing themes that are largely over the top and full of bravado, but this is perfectly in keeping with the nature of the gameplay and it complements the action very nicely.

The view is third person, but not quite from directly behind your man either - it's quite far back and a little overhead, giving you a great view of the battlefield, and even more so when in vehicles. You can click the right thumbstick in to zoom in a little (or a lot when you get hold of a sniper rifle later in the campaign) but this makes it feel like you're hardly moving, so it will only be something you use to sneakily pick off enemies from a distance, normally from behind cover. Don't get me wrong, it's a handy and often vital feature, but it's not something you'll use much while charging across open ground, or assaulting an enemy stronghold up close.

Of the three characters you can choose from, Tommy Mac is equipped with a machine gun and flamethrower, which can cook Nazis with its billowing fire, while J.D. has a rifle for getting headshots from a respectable distance and a shotgun for close range work, and finally Deuce has a rocket launcher and a lethally powerful pistol as back up - don't write off this pistol though, as it packs a real wallop and can take out enemies with only a couple of shots. Whoever you pick, you also get four standard soldiers accompanying you and their weapons vary depending on your lead character - a couple might have rifles, or one might even have a rocket launcher. With each character having only two weapons and no option to switch as you go, who you choose becomes a strategic decision that significantly affects your approach to the gameplay. Each character has their own stats for health, stamina (for a limited period of running), speed and purchasing power, meaning that bringing in reinforcements or repairing things is cheaper for some than others. Then there's the special command for troops - assault vehicles, use tear gas on emplacements or melee attack infantry. Throw in a type of grenade unique to each of our three heroes, and you'll see that the variety packed in here is admirable, and it gives you plenty of options when it comes to taking on the various mission objectives.

Throwing reality out of the window altogether, each character can take a hell of a lot of shots, sometimes even a rocket or grenade impact very nearby, without dying. Your health bar also regenerates over time, so there's no need to worry about med kits and there's no real penalty for dying - you simply respawn at the checkpoint of your choice. You see, as you move through each level you capture what are called strategic objectives, which are basically just a series of respawn points. However, there are three objectives that are absolutely crucial to your progress in any given level, and they're also one of the biggest elements that makes this game so much fun to play - the Radio Tower, Armoury and Motor Pool. Each of these three locations gives you access to vital reinforcements in your Destruction on Demand menu.

At any point, and without pausing the action, so you'll need to find cover when you do this, you can call up the Destruction on Demand menu with a push of a button and select from a range of options - call in more infantry if some or all of your accompanying men have died, get a machine gun turret in, an Anti-Tank or AA gun, a Halftrack (you know, the truck with a tank tread at the back), a 4x4 (jeep), a tank, or even an air strike. However, your options are limited until you've captured those three locations I mentioned earlier. Air and artillery strikes aren't available without the radio tower in your command, only basic machine gun and cannon emplacements can be called down until you have the armoury under control and capturing the motor pool gives you access to several tanks, as well as heavier duty halftracks and jeeps. Each DoD option has multiple types, like a jeep with a machine gun or a bazooka, a standard tank with a cannon, one with a flamethrower and later on one with a massive multi rocket mounting, and so on. More powerful types are unlocked as you progress in the game, some by just finishing the mission and others by getting medals, which I'll come back to shortly.

With all these options available, the gameplay really comes into its own and offers bags of variety. You move through enemy territory capturing an objective, defending it from attack by putting down emplacements (which you can man yourself or leave to the very intelligent and effective AI), then you move onto the next, getting better and better hardware as you can afford it. Of course you have limited currency, called Field Units, which are earned when you complete mission objectives, capture locations and kill enemies, be they infantry, emplacements or vehicles. How you do this is entirely up to you - you can snipe infantry from afar and put down emplacements to combat enemy emplacements, or charge in with a tank, or somewhere in between. It's tricky to pull off, but if you get close enough you can even board enemy vehicles - there's nothing as satisfying as taking over a Nazi tank and using it to lay waste to their own armoured cars and infantry! The options are endless, the gameplay is fast, frantic and intense and it really does feel like you're in a war zone. However, the lack of serious overtones that most war games have, combined with gameplay based as much around capturing locations as killing Nazis and the proliferation of weaponry and vehicles with which to accomplish this, all adds up to a tremendously entertaining and addictive experience.

The single player campaign also features two medal opportunities in each level - some are presented to you, others you have to find for yourself. These generally fall into categories of either defending Allied infantry, emplacements or equipment, or destroying Nazi equipment, be they fuel barrels, searchlights or even submarines. I haven't mentioned game achievements much in my Xbox 360 reviews, but every game has 1000 achievement points to divide up into game objectives, and The Outfit uses its quota so well that they deserve a mention. Each medal opportunity successfully completed rewards you not only with a nice shiny medal, but with achievement points as well - rather than just being given the points for finishing a mission, as these medals are optional and not always obvious. You also get new and better weapons for your men and on DoD for getting the medals too, so the incentive is strong.

However, as great as the single player is, it's the online gameplay that ends up surprisingly being The Outfit's strongest element. When you're playing single player, you wonder how well the gameplay mechanics will translate online, but they come over beautifully. Being that you have locations to capture and you can call in your own artillery and infantry, the number of players is limited to six in a game (eight in Deathmatch), but this is more than enough, because in reality there can be dozens of AI players in the game too, manning emplacements or following the other players around. Of course, the real human players are the biggest threat and need to be prioritised, but don't underestimate the power of an AI soldier in an AA gun or Anti-Tank cannon - they will take you out in no time!

There are a couple of modes included, timed games of straight Deathmatch and Destruction, the latter of which sees the person with the highest score winning, rather than the most kills, but by far the best mode is Strategic Victory, where the Allies face off against the Nazis, with one, two or three players per team, depending on the type you pick. Each team starts with a number of points and whichever team holds the majority of the strategic objectives (standard respawn points or the motor pool, radio tower and armoury) causes the other team's points to begin decreasing, and the first one to hit zero loses. These battles can be brilliantly frantic and intense, because ownership of the locations that give you access to the heavier weaponry is absolutely crucial, although of course you're limited to what you can buy until you've killed some enemy troops and earned some points, so the balance of strategy and tactics elevates this mode far above your standard shooter, or even a capture the flag/king of the hill game.

Competition online is fierce, and I've gotten my arse well and truly destroyed a few times, although I've done the destroying plenty too! In this mode you can have up to three human players per team and it really is fantastic fun. It's also vital to use communications and engage in tactics, whether deciding to split up to capture and hold multiple objectives or team up for an all-out assault on a fortified enemy position. Add to this multiplayer modes in split screen and system link, with a co-op mode for the entire single player campaign available locally and on Xbox Live, and you've got a comprehensive coverage of the multiplayer game. To be quite honest, I've not been this addicted to a game online since Halo 2 came out - I've been forgetting to eat, staying up most of the night and dashing to the loo while the next match gathers its players and loads up, which is truly the sign of an addictive game!

There isn't much to criticise in The Outfit, just a couple of little niggles that can annoy. The targeting system can take a little getting used to, and weapons aren't always completely accurate, although this is deliberate and authentic to the time period. Crouching and standing still increases your accuracy greatly, but also makes you a much easier target! Melee attacking online is very annoying, as the first person to get close and hit the green button when the prompt for melee attacking appears gets a guaranteed kill. It's most frustrating! The vehicle handling is quite unwieldy too - I'm still yet to feel entirely comfortable with it, although I'm definitely adept at using a tank, but it's the old patting your head and rubbing your stomach syndrome, in that it just doesn't feel natural. There is some slowdown at times too, and I'm talking about the offline game - admittedly the graphics are amazing and there has to be a lot happening on screen, but it's there from time to time. Still, none of these minor issues detract from the fun much.

The Outfit is without doubt the most original WWII shooter to date. Throwing convention to the wind, its unusual light-heated approach to the era combined with the gameplay mechanics of capturing strategic objectives and calling in a variety of infantry and artillery reinforcements makes for a highly refreshing and very entertaining experience. Wrapped up with gorgeous presentation all round, with sumptuous 360 visuals and booming, atmospheric sound and music, the gameplay never fails to be anything less than engaging and enjoyable, both throughout the single player campaign and in the fantastic and fully online multiplayer modes. Despite the proliferation of great new titles coming out in the current wave of 360 games, you owe it to yourself not to overlook The Outfit.

Reviewed by Geoff Holland for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).