The Outer Worlds is undeniably a superb action RPG. While far from perfect, it suffers the most from the constant (and unfair) comparison with Fallout: New Vegas which it doesn't intend to be a successor to.
This game is exactly what I was looking for: a streamlined Fallout-like experience with a good story, great world-building, gorgeous places to visit, lots of quests to do and interesting characters to meet (and sometimes kill). It's never the most important feature of a game but the graphics are outstanding. Landing on Terra 2 for the first time and looking up will put a smile on your face. The attention to details, from the scientists' consoles to the vegetation is superb. Everything in this game looks just right. The main quest and the side quests are very good too and allow quality role-play as choices really matter. Another remarkable aspect is the humour, especially in the dialogues. Whoever wrote them should get a free shipload of gourmet saltuna as they made me chuckle more than once. I also really liked the companions and their stories, though I tended to team up with the same pair for most of the game. The combat is fine but it's definitely not the core of the game. Finally, exploration is okay too but there is not much to see or find off the beaten paths.
The game is a bit too easy on normal so you might want to crank up the difficulty to hard pretty quickly. There's also a lack balance between weapon wear and ammo. By the end of the game, I had more than 5k rounds for each weapon type (there's ammo literally everywhere, even in the toilets) but I had to repair my weapons whenever I had the chance as they degrade very quickly with use. I was also swimming in money (I never had to save up for anything) and hoarded medical supplies just for the sake of it. Maybe the problem is not so obvious on hard difficulty.
First, I highly advise using the minimal HUD mod from Nexus and tweaking to your liking. I love to immerse myself in games of this genre but the floating quest markers and that compass with enemies shown on it were very distracting. Having to look things up on the map and figuring out where the enemies are is so much better! I also experienced a few CTDs and disabling the Steam overlay fixed the problem. Finally, my opinion above is also valid for Peril on Gorgon which is an excellent expansion. I can't wait to play Murder On Eridanos due for release in a few weeks!
This review on Steam if you want to mark it as helpful.
I’d like to play this game, but all the negative reviews and comparisons made me think it might be worth to wait for a bit. :(. Might need to reconsider
It’s included in the Xbox game pass so you could try it this way. Have you played and liked Fallout 3/NV/4? Mass Effect? Borderlands? If you have, you will surely like this one too.
I’m glad when I find other people who enjoyed Outer Worlds. Sure it’s not perfect, it’s not New Vegas either (and it didn’t pretend it would be, people just make up huge expectations in their heads and then complain that it’s not what they thought it would be) but it was pretty damn enjoyable. I’ll definitely play a sequel if/when they make one.
Thanks for the review, upvoted! If the game is a bit too easy on normal then it’s probably just right for me. ;-) I suck at aiming and always waste tons of ammo.
Thanks. You can change the difficulty setting at any time so it’s quite easy to find the right one for you. Regarding aiming, one of the core features is the capacity to slow time :) but just like in F.E.A.R., it’s more gratifying to only use it when necessary.