Review - The Outer Worlds 2... Electric Boogaloo

 

Images courtesy of Obsidian Entertainment

As many of you have probably noticed with my other reviews, I don't tend to stick with the latest and greatest games that have released. I don't get paid to critique, so my thoughts and scribbles are purely my own and I usually start jotting them down after finishing a game I got on a PSN sale or for "free" via PS Plus Extra. As I don't have an XBox or GamePass... I had to pay full price for The Outer Worlds 2 and happily did so because I love Obsidian and the first one is one of my favorite games in the last decade.

    The Outer Worlds 2 puts us in the shoes of an Earth Directorate agent right off the bat. We have a mission to carry out in the colonized system of Arcadia, and that entails working with fellow Directorate hero Augustine De Vries. Within the first couple minutes of the briefing, one can tell that something is off with De Vries. She appears somewhat reluctant, yet resolute, in what is about to happen. During the mission she betrays you and the rest of your team, leaving them all dead or dying while you careen through space in a cryogenic pod for an indefinite amount of time. Luckily for Arcadia, that indefinite amount of time actually amounts to ten years. Picked up by Niles, the rookie agent from that opening mission, we discover that Arcadia has gone to hell in the interim. We have to find De Vries to bring her to justice, and there are rifts opening up all over the system threatening the collapse of the entire universe. Meanwhile, the original ultra-fascist caretakers of the system called the Protectorate have been in a constant shootout with the newly invading force of Auntie's Choice and the religious faction Order of the Ascendant.

    It's a lot to take in.

The Good

Sometimes it may seem like there's a little too much to absorb, but Obsidian does a good job at easing bits and pieces of the story together so nothing ever comes across as convoluted. There may be a lot to tackle in Arcadia, yes, but there certainly was in Halcyon during the first game's crazy story.

    The narrative is definitely a strong point in TOW2's favor. The ten-year jump gives some of the gravity of De Vries's actions time to percolate, and it also gives some clarity as to why Auntie's Choice has become such a domineering force in the sales industry. This last part actually could fall into one of the weaker components, but I'll get there when I get there. Overall, the story is good. It falls a bit short of the story for the original, but I can't base my entire judgment off of that.

    Visually the game is simply amazing. The faces of the characters, the texture of their clothing, and the explosions happening all around them... oh my. Nothing was spared in ensuring that TOW2 looked incredible. My only qualm was the quick cutaways from some of the cinematics that could have been expanded. For example, when traveling to a new planet it will show the Incognito (our commander's ship) traveling through space for a few brief seconds as it gets close to the new destination. Then that's it. Two decades ago Obsidian did cinematics in Knights of the Old Republic 2 that had a bit more oomph as we traversed the galaxy. I suppose I wanted to see some more of that. I would trade some of the budget for the gimmicked out "Commander Zane and Buddy" bit that we saw in the game's introduction for scenes that would hold more relevance to our true commander's journey.

    Audio-wise things are done well, with nothing really standing out. The score is good, but not quite as great as the original's. The voice acting is good, but no performances are going to end up taking home any Game Awards. That's never been what The Outer Worlds is about, though. If you're looking for groundbreaking performances, you'll need to look at something more like Banishers.

    Gameplay is another boon for TOW2. The fluidity of this sequel definitely shows itself to be a plus, especially in comparison with the first. Combat is better and there are more options than simply slowing time, although die-hards might just stick with the Time Dilation device. In addition to that, we have more options in how we access things throughout the map. Can't lockpick? Blow the door. Can't hack? Pickpocket a scientist and get their keycard. There are a number of ways to get through any obstacle, and Obsidian paid close attention to the details in ensuring that anything and everything could be done to achieve those ends. They also granted us a 3rd person view as a sort of bonus, although I will admit that its clunkiness makes it come off as the afterthought that it absolutely is.

The Bad

The Outer Worlds 2 doesn't necessarily do anything bad. I just want to clarify that before I delve in here. 

    Nothing is bad, but some things may be a little less-than stellar.

    I think that the main issue I ran into with the game might have been coming off the amazing experience I just had with the original. The characters are better in The Outer Worlds, to put it bluntly. No one in 2 is all that memorable and when you pair them up with their TOW counterparts... they pale in comparison. Aza vs Ellie? Ellie all day. Parvati vs. Ines? Not even a contest. Ines is annoying within three minutes of your introduction. Hell, even the robot in 1 is funnier than 2's. SAM beats out Val and "gets the stains out of the competition" in the process.

The propaganda is alive and well in The Outer Worlds 2

    The lore of the Outer Worlds universe is something that gives character and likability to the entire franchise. It's fun. It never takes itself too seriously because it's bludgeoning us over the head with pseudo-science that it knows is ridiculous followed by a fart joke two minutes later. I think the issue that comes about in 2 lies in the fact that some of that lore was cut a bit short. Don't get me wrong, the game is long enough. The final 5 hours actually overstay their welcome just a little bit. But where's Rizzo's? Where's Boarst's? Where are the bars for my reputation with different groups so I can see how I stand with the non-committed outliers vs. the corporate slugs at the top? Well, Obsidian decided to essentially do away with all those separate entities by wrapping them up in the plot-convenience of Auntie's Choice. Auntie Cleo bought and merged everything competing against it in the original game to have one corporate entity that sells Boarst, "Fizzos," and even some Moon-Man junk under their overarching label. This falls in line with the theme of capitalism's overreach, but I felt like it took away from some of the lore these competing megacorps had before.

The Glory

There's quite a bit of good to unpack there with that bad. Keep that in mind as you go over some of the talking points I've made. Could things have been better? Sure. But overall you're looking at a quality game that truly knows what it is and what it's setting out to do from start to finish. Entertain. It does that well, even pulling in some fun Easter Eggs from Amazon's Secret Level. I know some things might have come across as harsh, but I will say that The Outer Worlds 2 is still great. It's absolutely still worth your time. Could it wait for a sale before you play it? That part I leave to you.

8/10

Glorious

To check out my thoughts on more serious ventures into sci-fi, check out my reviews on Cyberpunk or Rogue Trader.