The Outer Worlds: An Older Gamer’s Review
A fun game with a pace that suits the non-Fortnite players amongst us.
As a gamer of more than 35 years standing, I’m a little particular about which games I invest time and money in. Two games over the past decade that have been more than worth that investment, are Fallout 4 and Star Wars: The Old Republic. I mention the both of them, as they are story-drive role-playing games that enthralled me in different ways, and The Outer Planets has gotten its claws into me in the same way. Developer Obsidian Entertainment have previously been involved with the Fallout and Star Wars franchises and it shows here in the most positive way. The Outer Worlds combines the best of post-apocalyptic adventure that the Fallout games do so well, and combine it with an engaging story and unique cast of characters that Star Wars can achieve at its best.
The story itself revolves around the lives and schemes of people dominating or surviving on a handful of planets, asteroids and space stations dependent on or owned by corporations. Within that, there’s a main quest line and lots of side quests to keep you occupied. Like a lot of RPGs, there’s the opportunity to gain or lose reputation with factions. And like the better RPGs this does have ramifications for the story and your progression. Interactions with your companions and other characters in the game can be detailed and also humorous — it’s humor of the quirky and sarcastic variety that appeals to cynical old blokes like me. It also shows the depth of thought that’s gone into the game overall. I still remember the bug-ridden experience of my first hours in Fallout 4, and I’m pleased to report that’s not the case with this game. After a dozen or so hours of playing (on a Playstation 4), I’m yet to experience a serious bug, with the odd issue being able to loot corpses the only glitch. Although not as vast as Fallout 4, it still feels like there are lots of areas to explore if you want to do more than follow questlines.
Leisurely wandering around the varied landscapes can be quite fun. Not that The Outer Worlds is a slow game. It’s far from it, but the gameplay and easy save features mean that those of us with less than lightning reflexes can have a hell of a time and feel like we are progressing. Combat is fairly easy to navigate and doesn’t rely on you having lightning-fast reflexes. In fact, one of your character’s abilities is to slow down time so you can check out out your opponents and unleash a volley or two from your weapon before things return to real time. It’s not a new mechanic but one that’s particularly well implemented in this game. I started the game on ‘normal’ difficulty mode and have found it taxing enough to keep me interested without frustrating me too much.
Overall, I’m hooked. I’m told the main story line involves about 30 hours of game play and I for one am excited to experience it. I’m not one for regularly replaying a game, but the story options in this game makes me reconsider than notion. If you want a game that’s interesting to interact with, allows for exploration whilst involving combat that doesn’t require the hand-eye coordination of a 15 year-old, then The Outer Worlds may just be what you’re looking for.
