The Outer Worlds (2019)

This was a good game. I expected more though. For the last 7 hours or so, I kinda wanted to just be done with it, even though by this type of game's standard, it's pretty short.

One things that sort of bothered me was the tone of the story. It was just steeped in sarcasm to a point where it didn't really feel 'grounded' at all, at any point. I know that's weird of me to say, given the creators behind this, not to mention that that's probably exactly what they were shooting for with the story. But for some reason, it just felt like it missed its mark. You can have this sort of sarcasm and overt commentary on larger themes, but it seemed to me that's all this game had, which in turn made me care less for the characters.

I honestly got this because I read it's fairly short and I just wanted something new to play while waiting for the new Animal Crossing. I expected it to be a good waste of time but nothing to write home about. Instead, I was surprisingly impressed and completely sucked in.

First off, Outer Worlds gets props for being an RPG where you actually get to role-play. I suck at FPS games, so I loved the idea that I could create a character who sucked at combat abut could still get through the game by using other kinds of skills. In fact, that's exactly what I did. Although there were times where combat skills would have been nice, it never made me regret my choice. In fact, I think someone could have made a completely opposite character and felt the same way.

The game also gives you the ability to make decisions which matter. So many games with choices don't actually mean anything until the final choice where you get a "good" or "bad" ending. Not here. The path you set has consequences, and while there are overarching good and bad paths, you can end up with a mixed result. Between this and the previous point, the game has a high replay-ability which I didn't expect.

My only grievance with the game is that it is very short. I know that's why I played it in the first place, but even after completing every side quest I could find, I estimate I only played about 30 hours. Plus, if you go about just doing quests, you won't even necessarily see every area of the game. Then, there's the fact that some quests seem to have something missing. Almost all can be completed in multiple ways, but there are a few that can only be done one way. It almost seems like the game developers just didn't finish making the quest, like there should have been other choices or methods available to you they just didn't put in. Between all those things, there's an incompleteness that becomes apparent.

Still, this game was super fun. I think any fan of action, FPS, or RPG games will get a kick out of these, even it's a short one.

I really enjoyed Daggerfall and eventually, I spent so much time in Morrowind it would be embarrassing to mention. So I have been playing this sort of open-world thing for a very long time.

This is interesting in it obviously does not have the resources of a proper one-of-those so the scale and scope had to compromise in a variety of ways. It is not a large map but a series of Mass Effect style "planets". This allows a change of scenery and a sense of magnitude while just being a bunch of maps.

For me, there are too many useless and vestigial bits that connect it to the massively single-player games it comes before. The ammo is simplified and you cannot pick up everything and there is lingering tedium to how it does so much but never goes... that far.

Story-wise, it is another of those broadly """progressive""" plots that moment-to-moment shows its "maybe both sides" sort of centrism that really says nothing at all. Too self-aware for nihlism but too cynical to be profound. I guess it is part of having a binary choice system but it never really allows you to take a firm stance... unless you just kill everyone and not engage with the text.

It is fine.

Played it on xbox game pass for pc. 3,5/5 my actual rating. The title sums up my feelings for this game. First of, I had fun playing this game, i'd definitely recommend it to rpg lovers. However im going to point out what i didn't like about it.

The gameplay and combat could've been better. More variety of enemies, monsters, weapons, lack of grenades, AI sometimes behaving stupid. I would also like another one playable planet/map. Story was good but kind of predictable, i'd like it a little bit longer and more twists in it. The sidequests were meh, some of them were good but the others not so. And that's all about it. Obsidian are surely on a good track with this one.