Outcast 1.1 is now available on GOG.com and Steam, offering an updated version of this classic action/adventure game that comes as a surprise following a failed kickstart (thanks Kotaku). The Steam release notes just list a few fixes, but GOG.com has more details:

About: Outcast 1.1 has been recompiled from the original source code and improved to run smoothly on today's computers. The main improvements compared to the original version are: multithreaded voxel renderer for higher performances, software bilinear filtering on polygonal meshes, part of the HUD redesigned to match higher resolutions, new high-resolution sky paintings, new launcher, native support of xbox gamepad, user-friendly controller configuration, a lot of bugs fixed and improved stability.

Please note: Outcast Classic remains available for download as a bonus goodie.

As part of a covert experiment, the US military deployed a probe designed to prove the existence of a parallel universe hidden from our own. Although the probe successfully entered the alternate universe and reached a planet called Adelpha, its first crucial data transmission is mysteriously cut short.

The probe's unexpected demise triggers a disastrous chain of events resulting in the creation of a black hole, one that threatens to destroy the Earth. Unless the missing probe can somehow be found and repaired, planet Earth itself is doomed.

• Vast and diverse continents to explore, inhabited by thousands of living creatures
• An excellent mix of action and adventure, well-designed combat and complete freedom of movement
• One of the best games of 1999 with a memorable and believable storyline set in the not-so-distant future