“All ‘Late to the Party’ mini reviews are my general thoughts on something long after its initial release. These mini reviews are completely spoiler free and are of my own opinion. There is no scoring system used, only what I liked and what I didnt.”
THE OUTER WORLD’S (PS4)
Developer: Obsidian
Publisher: Private Division
Released: October 2019
Platforms: PS4, XBox One, Microsoft Windows & Nintendo Switch
I had been itching to play this for a long time, well since its release back in October 2019 and In August 2020 I finally cleared enough of my backlog to play it.
The trailer gave off the impression of a B-Movie Sci-fi space opera…and it wasn’t wrong. Post release a lot of critics and game journalists suggested that this game would be as if Fallout New Vegas and Mass Effect had a baby with a dash of Bioshock. That statement is something I agree on one hundred percent.
The Outer Worlds is its own game; there are many elements from the Fallout, Mass Effect and Bioshock series . I am a massive fan of both the Mass Effect and Fallout series so I had a sneaky suspicion I would rather like this game.
Right from the initial boot up it is evident that the setting, the aesthetic and the tone -it would be something rather special.
Lost in transit while on a colonist ship bound for the edge of the galaxy; awoken only to find myself ball deep in the midst of a conspiracy to destroy the Halcyon colony. What part will I play, what factions all vying for power should I pledge my allegiance to or am I an unplanned variable in the corporate equation for the colony,
The time now came for me to decide on who the star of my very own Sci Fi space opera would be…
The initial character customisation is fairly basic with some nice touches but it does the job nicely. Decisions, Decisions…would I become a space smuggler and scoundrel that Han Solo would be proud of?…or a complete self absorbed Smeg Head ala Arnold Judas Rimmer?…or do I choose to become the dumbest person in the Galaxy? Although basic, the character customisation is the beauty of this game, you chose your path, your personality and your decisions along the way may change the fate of certain factions.
The stand out thing about The Outer Worlds is the humour, the dialogue, voice acting and jokes are top notch, I often found myself chuckling away at the conversations on screen.
Dialogue choices play a massive part in the developing storylines (much like the previous games mentioned) and can branch out in many directions with subplots. Every action had a consequence so I found myself really thinking about my answer before I chose it.
Another thing that I liked about The Outer Worlds is-although it does not reinvent the wheel, the things that it does do – it does very well indeed.
The Planets and areas you visit vary from beautiful exuberant neon-coloured landscapes to dingy moon-like wastelands and there is a nice variation where one feels similar to another.
The maps are relatively small and not massively oversized like some Role Playing Games (Yes Skyrim…I am looking at you) but still the right size for a bit of exploring and to forage for those precious items. The soundtrack is charming although not quite on par with the sing along classics of Fallout Games but nevertheless it is still entertaining.
The gameplay is satisfying and the combat is fun (except for a distinct lack of grenades which I found surprising and annoying) and is an improvement of Fallout and Mass Effects combat systems.
The main quest line although relatively short is expanded and fleshed out with many side quests and tasks which you would come to expect from a game of this type. There are multiple factions, all of which can offer the player many other quests to gain faction loyalty (be careful who you pledge your allegiance to as some of these are enemies).
There are multiple companions to which you can recruit throughout your journey, each with their own quest path…
And I must say Vicar Max is one of my favourite game companions ever purely based on his dialogue especially in combat!
Summary:
A truly fantastic game which I enjoyed every single minute of, so much so that I decided to replay the game two and a half times to achieve the Platinum trophy and watch different endings based on my choices.
I would definitely recommend this game and it’s a no brainer for any fans of Fallout and Mass Effect, or if you just want a game that helps you forget about the world for a few hours and have a good laugh along the way.
I now can not wait for the recently announced DLC ‘Peril on Gorgon’ expected around September 2020!
What I Liked:
The Humour and dialogue
Simple yet satisfying gameplay
Two full playthroughs and not one glitch or bug
What I did not like:
Load times between areas were criminally long and tedious
No grenades in the game!
Thanks for reading, stay geeky!
Much Love, T-Rex
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