From anticipated sequels like Borderlands 3 to re-releases such as Dragon Quest XI on Switch, this fall has been stacked with meaty RPGs. We would argue that there might have been too many since September, so much so, we are still trying to get caught up. The point is that while time-consuming, we are in RPG heaven right now and there is one more contender up for bat: The Outer Worlds.
This is a brand new open-world RPG from Obsidian Entertainment. While Microsoft now owns them, the game is still available on PS4. No matter what is someone's system of choice, The Outer Worlds is guaranteed a good time. That said, we do have a few complaints as well.
10 Best: Fallout Plus Mass Effect
Fallout 4 was good, but disappointing as well and let’s not even talk about Fallout 76. For those hoping for a game more like New Vegas, The Outer Worlds is that plus a dash of Mass Effect.
Each planet is a mini open-world filled with familiar quests and random oddities to explore. There is even a galaxy map and crewmembers aboard one’s vessel to interact with. It is the best of both worlds.
9 Worst: Modest Budget
On the bad side, The Outer Worlds also looks like it came from last-gen when both New Vegas and Mass Effect were thriving. That is to say, this will not wow anyone in the graphics department.
That’s not to say the game is not without beauty or cool designs. It’s just one of those things to mention for those that really care about cutting edge technology because this is a game without it.
8 Best: Genuinely Funny
The Outer Worlds is everything Borderlands 3 wanted to be in terms of its humor. Unfortunately, the latter tries too hard to be quirky with a tinge of bloodthirsty jokes aimed at social media.
The writing in The Outer Worlds is right at home with other Obsidian Entertainment classics like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II. They are master storytellers weaving in comedy with thought-provoking scenarios. While it won’t bust any guts, it is certainly charming in its attempts at humor, especially with its advertisements.
7 Worst: Stoic Talking Animations
Unfortunately, the acting isn’t quite up to snuff, even though the voice work is excellent. Conversely, the character animations are stoic during conversations. Sometimes a character may look off-screen to another character before it slowly cuts back.
That’s as action-packed as it gets. The directing is just not on par with what we have come to expect in 2019 for video games. On top of that, the character models don’t look that fetching either as one could guess based on our remarks about the graphics.
6 Best: Weapon Variety
While the graphics may not push any boundaries on the Xbox One or PS4, we have to admit the weapon designs and variety are fantastic. There are numerous amounts of rifles, pistols, and shotguns all with different ammo types.
On top of that, there are specialty weapons, or Science Weapons, like the Shrink Ray that are rare and overpowered. If one likes melee kills more than ranged combat, there are plenty of those weapons as well. One of the coolest ones is an honest-to-goodness scythe.
5 Worst: Equipment Deterioration
Having a vast amount of weapons is great and all, but unfortunately the gameplay is average at best. That’s the one thing that has always held Obsidian Entertainment back. They tell great narratives, but never have any visceral feedback from weapons.
Furthermore, the presence of weapon and armor deterioration is far from welcome. That kind of mechanic is overused in 2019, as it typically just amount to a lot of busywork. Can we abolish this idea at some point, please?
4 Best: Companions
Companions are better utilized in this game compared to any of the Fallout titles. Players have more control over their actions from picking their skills and equipment to how they actually fit in with the story.
They are there and present much like the crew members aboard the Normandy in Mass Effect. The menu screen that pops up before venturing off for a mission even looks like it came out of that game. It is blatant but glorious.
3 Worst: Voiceless Captain
The one part of the story that does not fit is that our player character is yet another voiceless dummy. Sure, he or she can make dialogue choices that will affect the plotline, but not hearing them say anything vocally is jarring.
It comes with the type of video game this is, but to bring it up yet again, Mass Effect and other RPGs like it have proven playable character can have a voice while still allowing for players to contribute their own opinions through choices.
2 Best: Xbox Game Pass
For those unaware, The Outer Worlds is currently available on the Xbox One Game Pass program. If one has Game Pass in any form they can download the game and play it as much as they want.
The only real catch is that it needs a connection to stay active, but if one already downloaded it then there shouldn't really be a problem, right? PS4 users are out of luck; with that said, we think The Outer Worlds is worth $60 wholeheartedly.
1 Worst: Picking Up Items
Managing items in the menus can be a hassle, but that comes with the territory. It's not really an issue compared to how one actually has to grab items. Searching for loot through a corpse or from a chest is as easy as holding down the gather button.
What we really found troubling was having to manually click through items scattered across desks, chairs, floors, and so on. Items that were hard to see through poor lighting were just tedious to click through. This complaint is small potatoes in the grand scheme of things, but annoying regardless.