- 6 hours ago
Obsidian's sequel RPG is bigger and better than the first game in every respect. Every world feels curated, exploration is always purposeful and rewarding with a story and character that's yours to shape.
Review by Heather Wald
Video by James Daly and Hal Dimond
Review by Heather Wald
Video by James Daly and Hal Dimond
Category
🎮️
GamingTranscript
00:00Within the first hour of The Outer Worlds 2, a gut feeling takes hold that tells me this
00:05is going to be exactly the kind of RPG experience I'm always looking for. I'm talking about a
00:11role-playing adventure that not only allows me to shape my character from the get-go by putting a
00:16myriad of choices at my fingertips, but one that also, more crucially, reacts to each and every
00:22decision I make. The feeling initially takes root in the character creator suite, as I deliberate
00:31over a wealth of options to bring my very own Earth Directorate agent to life, who's tasked
00:36with keeping corporations and the powers that be in check. Putting together their look, assigning
00:41their background, choosing their characteristic traits, I deliberate over the two skills I want to
00:46invest in to start out with. Should I prioritise silver tongue in my way through space by choosing
00:51speech? Or maybe I can go all in on being a root into in Gunslinger by assigning a point to guns?
00:57It truly feels like filling out an RPG character sheet, and developer Obsidian is more than willing
01:03to immediately step into the role of Game Master, as within moments of beginning my The Outer Worlds 2
01:08journey, my chosen background at once feeds into the opening, with my traits and skills opening up
01:14approaches and responses throughout my questline. Then, during my very first conversation with Niles,
01:20a starry-eyed new recruit assigned to assist me in my initial mission to look into some mysterious
01:25rifts, my RPG-loving heart begins to swell when I select my first dialogue response.
01:30This will be remembered appears on screen, signifying my soon-to-be companion is taking my words on board.
01:37It's not until later that the impact of my advice rears its head, but the simple fact that it does tells me
01:43that my presence in this world has an effect, and it's just the kind of feedback I sorely crave.
01:48Some 60 hours later, I'm happy to report that my gut feeling proved to be completely accurate,
01:54bigger in scope in every regard, with the level of depth needed to back it up. The Outer Worlds 2
02:00affords you the freedom to shape every step of your adventure in the Arcadia colony, in what is
02:05essentially one of the most memorable RPGs Obsidian has created since Fallout New Vegas.
02:14Obsidian's mantra of play your way is baked into the DNA of the Outer Worlds 2.
02:20All of these systems allow you to tailor your experience, from the skills, perks and flaws you
02:25can choose, to the responses you pick and the weapons you wield, right down to the gadgets you
02:30discover and opt to use. The studio gives you absolute freedom to decide who you want
02:35to be, and how you want to approach every scenario. My chosen gambler background and witty trait,
02:40for example, offer up unique dialogue options that can sometimes swing things in my favour,
02:45and I love how it adds to the sense of roleplay, imbuing my character with sensibilities and values.
02:50My two starting skills, lockpick and speech on the other hand, allow me to access areas otherwise
02:55closed off, or influence others with my gift of the gap. On the flip side, I can also see how my
03:00decision not to invest in other skills or backgrounds has blocked off certain advantages
03:05or opportunities, like using hack to dig into a terminal, or being unable to read a chalkboard
03:10filled with mysterious equations that someone with a professor background could easily make sense of.
03:15The amount of freedom and choice is impressive, but more importantly, the paths open and close
03:20to me clearly signal that the way I've chosen to shape my character, even very early on, actually
03:27matters, tangibly affecting the way I'm able to engage with the story and progress through quests.
03:32You can invest in any skill as you level up, which then determine which perks you can unlock for each,
03:38bonus abilities that stem from each discipline. The many perks can be great boons to your chosen
03:43playstyle, and your desired way of roleplaying, opening up further ways to interact with the world
03:48in and out of combat. Invest in the engineering skill, for example, and you can get a perk that lets you
03:53hack and mess with auto mechanicals, the Outer Worlds 2's name for armoured mechs, or put points
03:58into speech for that classic perk that lowers the price of vendors. Each skill and perk is clearly
04:04visible in the menu too, meaning it's a breeze to plan out my goals to match the playstyle I want to
04:10stick to, or to be swayed by a juicy looking bonus and change my tactic. Empowering me to make decisions
04:16to shape my approach helps me roleplay, and as someone who counts the likes of Dragon Age, Mass Effect,
04:21and Baldur's Gate 3 among my best RPGs, I feel right at home with the Outer Worlds 2.
04:27Floors, on the other hand, offer extra buffs which are always countered with negative effects,
04:32offered to you like RPG bait on a hook by reacting to your roleplaying habits. Choosing to cultivate and
04:38accept these flaws can work to your advantage, but it's entirely up to you to decide if you want to
04:43take on any at all. While some highlight humorous and highly relatable hindrances, others can drastically
04:49alter the way you experience and play the game, offering up new avenues to tailor your experience,
04:54and bring an added level of challenge should you want it. Opting for stealth is always my preferred
04:59approach when it's offered, and since the Outer Worlds 2 has a dedicated stealth skill and perks
05:04to enhance it, I jumped at the chance to give my character a sneaky build. Not only does this RPG
05:09improve its enemy detection system to make my stealthy approach far more satisfying to execute,
05:14but flaws crop up based on my stealthy habits that can improve my cloak and dagger prowess,
05:19or make life more difficult. Thanks to my constant crouching stance, I'm offered the option to have
05:24bad knees, which makes my movements far louder and more easily detectable whenever I get down low,
05:30something I don't take on. While my careful approach in combat to take enemies unawares inspires the
05:35easily startled flaw, which I did accept, which lowers my footstep volume and the NPC awareness
05:41detection rate, but if I'm caught by an investigating enemy, my damage resistance and evasion is
05:46ignored for 8 seconds. After all, nobody's perfect, and I appreciate that you can give your character
05:52added dimension this way, even if it is to their detriment. Likewise, the huge arsenal of the
05:57weapons you can discover and get your hands on allows you to decide how you want to go up against
06:02enemies. Want to feed into the sci-fi fantasy of this corporate dystopian futuristic universe with
06:07wacky science weapons? You can do that. Fancy stabbing your foes in the back as you sneak up behind them?
06:12Opt for a handy dagger or a very cool plasma infused blade. But it wouldn't be space-age sci-fi
06:17without some similarly futuristic weapons. And across melee and gunplay, Obsidian has improved in small
06:22steps and giant leaps to improve on the far less satisfying combat of the first game. Top that off with
06:28a selection of discoverable gadgets, from one that turns corpses into goop to hide the evidence of your
06:33kill from nearby enemies, to a time dilation device that acts a bit like Red Dead Redemption's Deadeye.
06:38Everyone I've come across has proven to be useful in some way. There's so much to suit your playstyle,
06:44and I'm already thinking about the tantalizing promise of further replays.
06:50While the weapons and character systems present plenty of fodder to try out new approaches and
06:54different builds, The Outer Worlds 2 is absolutely packed full of narrative choices, both big and small.
07:01From major decisions that can alter the course of the main quest line, complete with drastic
07:05consequences, to smaller ones in side quests, your presence and actions have a direct impact
07:11on shaping the story and even your companions. Exploration can play a factor in these choices as
07:16well. Poke around in a world's key locations and you may uncover secrets that you can put to use later.
07:22Intriguing question marks in a conversation often point to something you've overlooked.
07:26My mind is always ablaze with possibilities whenever I spy that telltale sign. Maybe I
07:31missed a terminal, or a conversation with a particular NPC, or an object that could have
07:35opened up new paths. The fact that even the discoveries I've made and the dialogue options
07:40can reflect how I've chosen to play or make progress in the world, speaks to the kind of
07:45choice and consequence that I want from an RPG. This is my own personal adventure, and all the more
07:51memorable for it. My discoveries actually having weight also makes every world I get to explore
07:56feel curated. With each location I come across having some kind of purpose behind it. Maybe I
08:01find a new weapon, or chance upon a new task or side quest. Whatever it may be, whenever I take the
08:07time to explore off the beaten path in the open zones of a planet, it never feels like I'm wasting my time,
08:12because I'm always rewarded for the effort in some way. Even the collectibles afford useful additional
08:17perks, which makes time put into finding them worthwhile. The only slight downside is that
08:23navigation isn't always easy, with markers that aren't always intuitive. On a few occasions,
08:28I'd spy a structure on my map I'd not yet been to, and after setting down a custom marker,
08:33I'd set off in the seemingly right direction, only to find I was either on the wrong side of my desired
08:38destination, or that my path to it was blocked by the terrain. It would then be up to me to loop my
08:43way around and figure out a path that would actually let me reach it. And while Obsidian has once again
08:49grown in ambition to deliver much larger worlds this time around, it never feels like you're just
08:54traipsing through empty space. Everything is there for a reason, with thought put behind everything you
09:00can see and explore. And that's true not just of the worlds you can explore, but every part of the
09:05outer worlds too. Everything feels purposeful, with a level of attention to detail that makes it all
09:10too easy to get swept up in my Earth Directorate's agents out of this world story in this sci-fi
09:16universe. This is only elevated all the more thanks to the excellent writing that brings the worlds,
09:22characters, and questlines to life. Infusive humour that had me genuinely laughing out loud on more
09:27occasions than I can count, there are so many moments I won't soon forget. Companions have similarly
09:33been brought to life with the same level of care, acting as gateways into the factions of the world.
09:38They each have their own distinctive personalities and stories to tell. Also feeding into the combat
09:43with skillsets you can upgrade which can fully complement your own fighting style, such as Azza's
09:48stealthy abilities, or Niall's engineering know-how. You can have two of them in your party at any one
09:53time, and the banter they can share while you're out and about is a constant highlight. By the end of
09:58the adventure, all I wanted was more time with each and every one of them, which says it all.
10:03The Outer Worlds 2 is peak obsidian in every possible way, and as a lifelong RPG fan it has
10:10exactly the kind of feedback and breadth of choice I constantly crave. Don't stress the sequel number
10:16either, you can easily enjoy this as a newcomer, and this is so improved I'd recommend that you do.
10:21The Outer Worlds 2 is a stunning sci-fi adventure, and it feels like the RPG studio can finally deliver on
10:27decades of ambition with it. This game shoots for the stars, and lands you, the player, firmly among them.
10:36We give The Outer Worlds 2 4.5 stars out of 5.
10:41So, will you be playing The Outer Worlds 2? Does this sound like the RPG you've been looking for?
10:46Or are you still on the fence? Let us know, and stick with GamesRadar for the biggest and best games around.
10:57So, are you still on the best and best games in peace? This is It's sixties.
11:02Mr.
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