Loadout

I wouldn’t plan a treadmill workout around Loadout, because its whole pitch is building ridiculous guns for multiplayer matches and the servers that made those matches possible are gone. That’s a very specific problem, and it gets in the way of everything else.

Gameplay

The weapon building sounds like the part that could have made Loadout fun to talk about with a friend, because you get to put together a massive range of strange weapons instead of picking from a short, sensible list. I like the idea of a shooter where experimenting with a gun is part of the point, though “billions of combinations” is the kind of promise that makes me wonder how many of them I’d actually want to use once someone was shooting back. Probably fewer than the number on the store page.

The problem is that Loadout is a multiplayer shooter, and it isn’t available to play through its original service anymore. I can talk about the premise, but I can’t honestly tell you that the matches feel good, that the weapon combinations stay interesting, or that the game gives you enough time to figure things out. Those are the parts that would decide whether I wanted to keep playing. They’re also the parts I can’t verify now.

I think the custom weapon idea has a real advantage for exercise gaming, at least on paper, because you have a reason to pay attention that isn’t just waiting for a story scene to finish. But an idea only gets you so far when the game itself isn’t accessible, and I’m not going to make up a lively match report to pretend otherwise. I have enough trouble remembering what I was doing when I walk into a room.

There’s also a difference between a free game that gives you a reason to try it and a free game you can actually start playing today. Loadout was free to play, which would have made it easy to recommend as a low cost experiment, but that matters a lot less when the multiplayer service is no longer there. The pitch sounds like it had personality. You can’t get much exercise from a pitch.

Category Score: 0 out of 3

Treadmill and Bike Compatibility

A live shooter could keep your attention during a workout, but Loadout’s multiplayer focus would make me cautious even if the servers were still running. Aiming and reacting while your body is moving is a different job from playing on the couch, and I’d expect the loose thumb movements from a treadmill or bike to make precise shooting harder. Maybe that’s manageable for somebody who’s played a lot of shooters while exercising. I wouldn’t count on it.

On a treadmill, I’d be concerned about the moment when a match asks for quick corrections at the same time your steps are bouncing your hands around. You could lower the treadmill speed and treat the game as the focus, but then you’re mostly standing on a moving belt while trying to win a multiplayer match, which is not really the balance I want from this kind of setup. I don’t know how forgiving Loadout’s aiming felt, and I can’t check now.

A bike might sound more promising because your upper body can stay steadier, but you’d still have to aim, move and respond in real time. I’d want a relaxed mode where you could take your time, or a way to avoid making other players depend on your reactions, and the store description doesn’t tell me whether Loadout offered that. The reality is that the game’s not playable now, so none of those adjustments get you into a match.

Controller support is not something I can confirm, and I wouldn’t assume it from the store page. More importantly, no controller or treadmill setting fixes the server issue. If you already own it, I’d skip planning a workout around it and pick a game you can actually launch.

Category Score: 0 out of 3

Computer Requirements

The minimum requirements are very modest, including older graphics hardware and Intel HD 3000, so this wasn’t a game that called for a high end computer on paper. I’d look at whether your computer can connect to a working game service before worrying about the graphics card. That’s the part that matters now.

Category Score: 3 out of 3

Conclusion and Score

Skip Loadout as a workout game today. The weapon building sounds like a fun idea, but if you want something to play while moving, choose a multiplayer shooter with active servers instead.

Overall Score: 1 out of 3