THE OUTER WORLDS.

The projects of the Obsidian Entertainment studio, which includes some of the most iconic names in RPG history like Fallout New Vegas, KOTOR 2, Pillars of Eternity have always been appreciated for their elaborate world and plot. So, when the studio, who despite wanting to work on a new Fallout game, but having long lost the right to work on the franchise, offered the world their new project - The Outer Worlds , boy I was excited. In fact, after Fallout 76 was botched big time, I was even more excited to play a game that looked like a cross between the Fallout & Mass Effect Series. Imagine my surprise & disgust when the game had an exclusive release on Epic store & made players like me wait for a whole year to get their hands on the new(?) tittle on Steam. So. with that in mind, the big question is is it worth the wait?And does the game live up to the expectations & deliver what it promised to do? lets find out.

In the beginning, The Outer Worlds looks and plays like a cross between Fallout 4 and Mass Effect. The plot of the plot is painfully familiar, where you wake up from cryo-stasis(F4) & then go on to explore the different planetary systems & colonies(ME) to save your fellow passengers & maybe the world. However the similarities end there. The amount of choices & outcomes that the game offers from the very beginning is something not seen in many tittles of similar nature. For example, at the very beginning, you can turn in the very person who thawed you out of stasis to the authorities for a good reward. This will not fundamentally change the plot, but the story will sparkle with new colors. Or, if you decide to work against a certain faction, a lot of quests will simply disappear due to the changes that occur in the particular region due to your actions. This kind of freedom is a welcoming sight & guarantees multiple playthroughs to find out about the world from different perspectives.

The world of The Outer Worlds is worked out to the smallest detail. the world is ruled by corporations that own all the resources on the planet. They keep the inhabitants of the colony in tight-knit gloves: in factories - sixteen-hour shifts and a meager salary, for dissent - exile and death. The game world, is actually full of quotes and references to dystopias like the works of George Orwell. It is not surprising that the main villains in the game were precisely the capitalists: the developers from Obsidian themselves more than once became hostages of corporations-publishers and released raw games against their will. It's kinda ironic in a way to say the least.

Visually, the game world is very similar to a hybrid of BioShock Infinite and No Man's Sky : retro-futurism and vibrant space landscapes at every corner. From lush jungles to asteroids to futuristic cities, the game has it all. However, all those bright colors & aesthetics may not be for everyone & can be a serious turn off for some. On the other hand, the game is optimized quite nicely & even a mid range card like the 1060 delivers great visuals at 1080p with most, if not all the bells & whistles turned on.

The gameplay mechanics of The Outer Worlds is somewhat unique. While, it follows the standard RPG formula of gaining experience to level up & earning perks & skill points, it also introduces a new mechanic called 'Phobia', where you can get debuffs on your characters in exchange for additional perk points. For example, early in the game, my character got the 'Robophobia' which translates to lower damage to robots & lowering of certain attributes while in the presence of automatons, hostile or docile. However, this feature is completely optional & the player can ignore them if they chose to. Other than that the game also offers quite a diverse group of companions, from the lesbian & shy engineer to a cleaning robot repurposed for combat.However, while they are a diverse group & each comes with a backstory & set of quests, some companions are simply better than the others, both in usability & writing of characters. There is also a mode called TTD, which is similar to bullet time that allows the protagonist to dish out some serious damage to the opponents or move out of a sticky situation if need be.

Now, the biggest gripe of all that I have with the game is that its too short. The main quest can be completed in under 10 hrs(yes that's not a typo) & the game locations or hubs are too few & too small. In fact, the new expansion doesn't add much to the already short game. Also, most of the quests require you to go back & forth from one location to another which becomes boring after a while. Similarly, the enemy types are also too few & lacks variation. Also, unlike Mass Effect or Obsidian's own KOTOR 2, the protagonist ship is simply a ship to travel between worlds & get a rest & nothing more. There are no scripted or random interactions between the player & the companions or encounters between them. Even though the ship features an quirky AI, its nothing like EDI from the Mass Effect series & feels like a forced addition to introduce some variety.

Another gripe that I have felt is the Science weapons(aka special unique weapons)present in the game. While they are powerful & offer unique effects, the weapons themselves scale with the science attribute of the character's rap sheet & a non science background character will have little to no use of them. What's the point in having special equipment if only a niche subset can use them? Makes no sense to me.


Conclusion : The Outer Worlds has everything for RPG lovers: a universe written down to the smallest detail, a well-developed role-playing system, excellent dialogues and freedom of choice. However, the short campaign & lack of exploration is a serious downside to an otherwise great game. Is it worth full price? No. Grab it on a discount or a sale & you'll get your money's worth. However for casual players or people new to the genre, there are better games like Fallout NV or Fallout 4 that offers a better bang for bucks.

My Ratings : 8/10(7.5 for new players)


PS : Buying the Non-Mandatory Corporate-Sponsored Bundle is not recommended. It's better to wait for the expansion pass price to drop or see if the second expansions adds significant value to the product. For now, my personal verdict is that both the game & it's expansion pass are overpriced & should not be bought unless you literally have nothing better to do or must play the game immediately or can't wait any longer.

THE OUTER WORLDS. The projects of the Obsidian Entertainment studio, which includes some of the most iconic names in RPG history like Fallout New Vegas, KOTOR 2, Pillars of Eternity have always been appreciated for their elaborate world and plot. So, when the studio, who despite wanting to work on a new Fallout game, but having long lost the right to work on the franchise, offered the world their new project - The Outer Worlds , boy I was excited. In fact, after Fallout 76 was botched big time, I was even more excited to play a game that looked like a cross between the Fallout & Mass Effect Series. Imagine my surprise & disgust when the game had an exclusive release on Epic store & made players like me wait for a whole year to get their hands on the new(?) tittle on Steam. So. with that in mind, the big question is is it worth the wait?And does the game live up to the expectations & deliver what it promised to do? lets find out. In the beginning, The Outer Worlds looks and plays like a cross between Fallout 4 and Mass Effect. The plot of the plot is painfully familiar, where you wake up from cryo-stasis(F4) & then go on to explore the different planetary systems & colonies(ME) to save your fellow passengers & maybe the world. However the similarities end there. The amount of choices & outcomes that the game offers from the very beginning is something not seen in many tittles of similar nature. For example, at the very beginning, you can turn in the very person who thawed you out of stasis to the authorities for a good reward. This will not fundamentally change the plot, but the story will sparkle with new colors. Or, if you decide to work against a certain faction, a lot of quests will simply disappear due to the changes that occur in the particular region due to your actions. This kind of freedom is a welcoming sight & guarantees multiple playthroughs to find out about the world from different perspectives. The world of The Outer Worlds is worked out to the smallest detail. the world is ruled by corporations that own all the resources on the planet. They keep the inhabitants of the colony in tight-knit gloves: in factories - sixteen-hour shifts and a meager salary, for dissent - exile and death. The game world, is actually full of quotes and references to dystopias like the works of George Orwell. It is not surprising that the main villains in the game were precisely the capitalists: the developers from Obsidian themselves more than once became hostages of corporations-publishers and released raw games against their will. It's kinda ironic in a way to say the least. Visually, the game world is very similar to a hybrid of BioShock Infinite and No Man's Sky : retro-futurism and vibrant space landscapes at every corner. From lush jungles to asteroids to futuristic cities, the game has it all. However, all those bright colors & aesthetics may not be for everyone & can be a serious turn off for some. On the other hand, the game is optimized quite nicely & even a mid range card like the 1060 delivers great visuals at 1080p with most, if not all the bells & whistles turned on. The gameplay mechanics of The Outer Worlds is somewhat unique. While, it follows the standard RPG formula of gaining experience to level up & earning perks & skill points, it also introduces a new mechanic called 'Phobia', where you can get debuffs on your characters in exchange for additional perk points. For example, early in the game, my character got the 'Robophobia' which translates to lower damage to robots & lowering of certain attributes while in the presence of automatons, hostile or docile. However, this feature is completely optional & the player can ignore them if they chose to. Other than that the game also offers quite a diverse group of companions, from the lesbian & shy engineer to a cleaning robot repurposed for combat.However, while they are a diverse group & each comes with a backstory & set of quests, some companions are simply better than the others, both in usability & writing of characters. There is also a mode called TTD, which is similar to bullet time that allows the protagonist to dish out some serious damage to the opponents or move out of a sticky situation if need be. Now, the biggest gripe of all that I have with the game is that its too short. The main quest can be completed in under 10 hrs(yes that's not a typo) & the game locations or hubs are too few & too small. In fact, the new expansion doesn't add much to the already short game. Also, most of the quests require you to go back & forth from one location to another which becomes boring after a while. Similarly, the enemy types are also too few & lacks variation. Also, unlike Mass Effect or Obsidian's own KOTOR 2, the protagonist ship is simply a ship to travel between worlds & get a rest & nothing more. There are no scripted or random interactions between the player & the companions or encounters between them. Even though the ship features an quirky AI, its nothing like EDI from the Mass Effect series & feels like a forced addition to introduce some variety. Another gripe that I have felt is the Science weapons(aka special unique weapons)present in the game. While they are powerful & offer unique effects, the weapons themselves scale with the science attribute of the character's rap sheet & a non science background character will have little to no use of them. What's the point in having special equipment if only a niche subset can use them? Makes no sense to me. Conclusion : The Outer Worlds has everything for RPG lovers: a universe written down to the smallest detail, a well-developed role-playing system, excellent dialogues and freedom of choice. However, the short campaign & lack of exploration is a serious downside to an otherwise great game. Is it worth full price? No. Grab it on a discount or a sale & you'll get your money's worth. However for casual players or people new to the genre, there are better games like Fallout NV or Fallout 4 that offers a better bang for bucks. My Ratings : 8/10(7.5 for new players) PS : Buying the Non-Mandatory Corporate-Sponsored Bundle is not recommended. It's better to wait for the expansion pass price to drop or see if the second expansions adds significant value to the product. For now, my personal verdict is that both the game & it's expansion pass are overpriced & should not be bought unless you literally have nothing better to do or must play the game immediately or can't wait any longer.