Highlights
- The Outer Worlds 2 has the advantage of taking place in space, allowing for limitless creative possibilities with unique ecosystems and designs.
- The game's new star system and different galaxy provide even more freedom for creative exploration, unlike The Elder Scrolls and Fallout which are limited by their established worlds.
- As a young franchise, The Outer Worlds has room to grow and learn from successful RPG series like Fallout, and its space setting should be used to its full potential to energize creativity.
There is one perk that The Outer Worlds 2 has that could potentially put it above Fallout 5 or The Elder Scrolls 6. Although The Outer Worlds 2 is a part of a much younger franchise than the other games mentioned, it has a few
possibilities that the others lack. Of course, all three games will likely be heavily anticipated by fans until their release, especially since none of them have release dates ironed out yet, giving fens plenty of time to speculate. Even so, there is one area where The Outer Worlds 2 can definitely excel.
The Outer Worlds was developed by famed RPG makers Obsidian Entertainment, previously best known for Fallout: New Vegas. In The Outer Worlds, players travel across various planets and space colonies in a galaxy that is almost entirely controlled by corporate interests. After being awakened from a cryogenic sleep, the protagonist assumes captainship of an abandoned ship that gets staffed with a crew of characters that they meet during their quests across the galaxy. Despite being anonymous at the start of the game, they end up being the deciding factor in the battle that determines the fate of the universe, as well as the board of corporations that controls it. In the sequel, it is a deeper dive into the game's setting that can allow it to shine even brighter.
Outer Space is The Outer Worlds 2's Biggest Advantage
Whatever the developer decides to do with its ideas for The Outer Worlds 2, Obsidian has one undeniable advantage that should serve it well. Because it takes place in space, the team behind the game has the opportunity to let its creativity run wild. The game doesn't need to be held down by the restraints of what could exist on Earth, because any new planet could have its own completely unique ecosystem. The first game already showed how helpful this direction can be with its own designs. The sequel should be able to come up with its own impressive new creations.
There is another step to The Outer Worlds 2's creative potential, with that being The Outer Worlds 2's new star system. Since the game will be taking place in a different galaxy from the first, it isn't even specifically tied down to what players saw in the last game. Any designs for planets or monsters that didn't land can be swapped out and replaced with something new, because players won't be visiting the same areas again. In a way, that offers more possibilities for the game's future. Aside from the basic framework, The Outer Worlds 2 has almost complete freedom in terms of design.
The Elder Scrolls and Fallout don't have the same luxuries that The Outer Worlds 2 will enjoy in this sense. While The Outer Worlds 2 has plenty to explore, other RPGs don't have that same advantage. Fallout is firmly placed in a wasteland version of Earth, with the addition of mutants and robots. Meanwhile, The Elder Scrolls takes place in Tamriel, which, while being a fantastical world with magic and monsters, has some general rules of its own. Fans have a better idea of what to expect from Fallout 5 or The Elder Scrolls 6, which isn't bad, but offers less room for innovation.
As a much younger franchise, The Outer Worlds still has a lot of room to grow, with the series able to expand its identity with the next game. The Outer Worlds 2 can learn from Fallout as well, since that series created a strong formula for action RPGs to learn from. One of the best things that The Outer Worlds 2 has going for it is its outer space setting, which the developers should use to energize their creativity. Space can let players tackle the unknown, and The Outer Worlds 2 should embrace that.
The Outer Worlds 2 is currently in development.