Outer Worlds news - It's amazing.
If someone had told you of the premise and the team involved, long before release, this is exactly how you'd dream it'd turn out. DNA from the original two Fallout games is strong at Obsidian and it shows here - There's as much on-the-nose cynicism and social commentary as there are genuinely human and emotionally driven characters, all rolled up in a sci-fi package that, while not in the canonical late '40s style of a Fallout, is pleasingly distinct and analogue.
Character speccing options - Myriad. If you can't find a build to suit a playstyle or role-play choice here, you're not really interested in the medium.
Quest design - Comprehensive. Multiple ways of completing quests, and none of them feel designed in a box-ticking 'well, a Tech character can do part 3 in a certain way, while 1, 2 and 4 are common to all classes' way. In other words, your choice of skill levelling matters beyond where you'd expect. Charisma, for example, can effect combat with enemies sometimes cowering at your no doubt epic burns. Other skills matter in dialogue, not just speech, which is a thing that New Vegas did well.
Gameplay - It's a first person RPG with a slowdown mechanic. It works fine and certainly no worse than, say Fallout 4's combat. In fact, I prefer Obsidian's mechanic to VATS in some situations, especially once it's specced up a bit.
Looks - Colourful. Gaudy even. I'm into it.
Writing - Best I've seen in a mainstream RPG since, well, since New Vegas.
Performance - Oops. I've played the game on Xbox One S and PC now (thanks, Microsoft's Game Pass Ultimate!) and textures on the base Xbox are a bit muddy with noticeable slowdown in large firefights. The PC performance is especially disappointing as I'm getting stutters every few metres when exploring the world, something my PC should not have problems with. It's not an isolated complaint either, so I'm holding out for a patch soon. There's also no save game sharing between the console and PC versions on Game Pass, something not unexpected but when you see the ease with which Microsoft's in-studio games do this you appreciate how handy it is.
8.5/10
Honestly, I think Bethesda should now stick to Elder Scrolls stuff. The difference between their approach and Obsidian's is stark.
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