#IGN #Gaming
After an exclusive look at The Outer Worlds 2, this sequel isn’t just aiming to be bigger, it’s gunning to be a better RPG from every angle. Previewed by Michael Higham
#IGN #Gaming
After an exclusive look at The Outer Worlds 2, this sequel isn’t just aiming to be bigger, it’s gunning to be a better RPG from every angle. Previewed by Michael Higham
#IGN #Gaming
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🎮️
GamingTranscript
00:00I remember vividly when I first caught wind of The Outer Worlds back in 2018.
00:04My managing editor at the time talked about his preview and what developer Obsidian was
00:07working on, an original first-person RPG with the makings of a Fallout game.
00:12As someone who still won't shut up about Fallout New Vegas to this day, that was music
00:15to my ears.
00:16It turned out to be one of my favorite games of 2019, but instead of expecting it to be
00:20the next coming of Fallout, I saw it more as a new foundation for Obsidian to work within.
00:25There were certain limitations to what the first Outer Worlds could be in terms of size
00:29and scope, and that much was clear in the several conversations I've had with the development
00:32team when reflecting on it.
00:33But after seeing the sequel in action for the first time, and interviewing key folks at Obsidian,
00:38The Outer Worlds 2 seems like that original vision fully realized.
00:42For all the details I've been able to dig up about revamped gameplay systems and worldbuilding,
00:45the overarching idea is that The Outer Worlds 2 needed to be a deeper RPG where player choice
00:50has more of an impact in nearly all aspects of the experience, and from everything I've
00:54gathered from our months worth of exclusive coverage, this sequel looks like it's stepping
00:57in the right direction.
01:01What I've seen thus far is based on an early build of the game, all of which has been through
01:08hands-off demos, and all the footage you've seen was provided by Obsidian.
01:11So while I haven't played it yet, The Outer Worlds 2 is so far reminding me of some of the
01:15best parts of the studio's long list of RPGs, where unconventional playstyles are viable,
01:20and unpredictable choices and outcomes are intrinsic to the role-playing aspect.
01:24Asking you to roll with the punches, regardless of whether or not it's deemed optimal, and
01:27this manifests in several ways.
01:29Attributes, which were stats that you invested in as you leveled up, have been set aside for
01:37a heavier focus on skills.
01:38A total of 12, including staples like engineering, explosive, guns, hacking, leadership, and more.
01:43They now dictate how your character functions.
01:46While this may seem like further streamlining, the goal is to make sure the points that you
01:50invest in various skills have a more noticeable impact throughout the process of leveling up,
01:54as opposed to the minute effects you'd feel from the old attribute system.
01:58Of course, I can't speak to how this comes to fruition in a full playthrough, but there
02:01are systems in place that feed into the idea that these mechanical decisions can affect
02:05your character in bigger ways.
02:11That leads to perks, of which there will be about 90 to choose from.
02:14There are specific skill levels needed to gain access to certain perks, but these are said
02:18to offer significant changes to what you can do in combat, conversations, exploration, and
02:22more.
02:23One example is a perk that lets you aim, fire, and reload while sprinting and sliding for those
02:27who want to approach enemies with the mentality of a traditional shooter.
02:30Or the serial killer and psychopath perks that grant bonuses for those who try a much more
02:34violent playthrough.
02:35Or the space ranger perk that lets you convert points in your speech skill into damage bonuses
02:39in battle and offering unique dialogue choices.
02:42Dialogue branches may vary based on skills and perks you have, more so than the original,
02:45or your character may pick up on things in the environment they wouldn't have been able
02:48to otherwise, so the results of your build aren't just isolated in combat scenarios.
02:53Those are just a few examples of how these systems feed into specific playstyles with the intention
02:57of rewarding you for the way in which you're specialized.
03:03Then there are traits that stack additional permanent effects that you wouldn't necessarily
03:06get through the perk system.
03:08The catch is that if you want to take more positive traits, you have to also select negative
03:12traits, and that's where things can get interesting.
03:14I'm actually curious about how I'd play with something like Dumb, where I'd have to lock
03:18myself out of ever putting points into 5 of the 12 skills.
03:21Or Sickly, where I'd take lower health and toxic resistance.
03:24It seems like a trade-off that could be worth it depending on how I want to build my character.
03:30But if you want to lean more into unconventional mechanics and account for things you usually
03:34wouldn't in other RPGs, enter the new flaws system.
03:37Like in the original, the game is watching your behavior and then offering permanent bonuses
03:41at the cost of a permanent detractor, depending on how you play the game.
03:45However, The Outer Worlds 2 goes deeper on this idea.
03:48You're not just offered a perk point if you take a flaw.
03:51Flaws now have bespoke status effects and conditions that could have major ramifications for how you
03:56play the game moving forward, should you take that flaw.
03:59I only got to see two of them, but they speak to the philosophy behind them.
04:02Sun Gazer offers regenerative health outdoors during the day at the cost of extreme visual lens
04:07flare and reduced accuracy.
04:09And that's activated by staring into the sun multiple times.
04:12Or if you quickly skip through dialogue choices frequently, Foot and Mouth offers a permanent
04:16XP bonus while forcing you to make all future dialogue choices in a 15 second window.
04:21And if that timer runs out, the game will pick for you, which can lead to some unintended consequences.
04:27There's another flaw that'll force you to accept all future flaws no matter what, and
04:30Obsidian hinted at one that will account for those who like to save scum, but that remains
04:35to be seen.
04:36It's bizarre ideas like these that could shake up your playthrough.
04:38Obsidian said there are around 30 flaws in total, and my hope is that the incentives
04:41will be worth the trade-off, and that they're built in a way that won't be easy to circumvent
04:45their effects, which could diminish their impact.
04:52All that said, it's clear that Obsidian put a lot of thought into how to rebuild its
04:55RPG mechanics with the intention of making something that is more reactive and impactful,
04:59or at least purposeful along the progression path.
05:01And with no respec beyond the intro mission, you'll have to build out your character with
05:05a little more care.
05:06Hands-off demos can only tell you so much though, so I'm expecting everything else around the
05:09Outer Worlds 2 to bring out the best in those systems and push me to engage with them
05:13beyond the surface level.
05:18That sounds all well and good, and the brief gameplay sequences I saw were also promising.
05:22While the first game had approachability at the forefront, the Outer Worlds 2 looks like
05:25it's offering more variability with a web of systems that come together for something
05:29a bit more sophisticated.
05:31One example of that?
05:32We now have actual stealth mechanics with a better detection system, proper stealth kills,
05:36and scenarios in which that approach would make sense.
05:39And features such as the damage bar readouts tell you whether or not a stealth attack will
05:42be worth it.
05:43The Enray Scanner is one of the new gadgets you'll use, and this lets you see through
05:47walls and detect cloaked enemies or key objects hidden in the environment, but it'll expand
05:51your mana-like energy.
05:52It's a tool that's conducive to this playstyle, and I'm looking for how this approach can be
05:56sustained throughout the game.
05:57Judging from the brief run of the Enray Facility, for example, I saw snippets of that in action,
06:02which leans into this particular playstyle I prefer.
06:05This level was also ripe for playing it like an immersive sim, and it gives me hints of Deus Ex or
06:09being dishonored, especially with how you navigate the level and find different paths.
06:13I know the DNA of those games will always find their way into first-person RPGs, but it's
06:17something that wasn't quite as present in the first Outer Worlds, and very much apparent
06:21in this sequel.
06:21And while I'm excited for stealth options and wielding the environment to create paths
06:31forward, the punched-up gunplay and addition of gadgets show an improvement in combat approaches
06:36across the board.
06:37The aforementioned sprint-slide firing perk, along with the returning tactical time dilation,
06:42looks to be a deadly combo in a firefight.
06:44But some wild unique weapons, like the crank-powered sniper rifle called the Planet Killer, or the advertisement-blasting
06:49pop gun that'll distract enemies, widen your toolset.
06:53When all hell breaks loose though, the triple barrel shotgun will probably be an old reliable
06:57in my playthrough, and I'm sure I'll be saving those rare shots I'll find for this
07:01game's version of the BFG in the toughest fights.
07:05With Obsidian saying they look to games like Destiny in terms of reworking their gunplay,
07:09I think it's a net positive for how the game feels on a moment-to-moment basis.
07:12There's an emphasis on better mobility, smarter enemy behavior, and varied enemy types, along
07:17with that wider, more creative arsenal.
07:19But there's also no more level scaling, and so there's been more consideration in how
07:23difficulty works in The Outer Worlds too, with tiered enemies and static levels for encounters
07:27across the game.
07:28Letting encounters be designed with more intent, especially with where designers want to funnel
07:32players and create friction.
07:34It's the more intimate details of level design that excite me though, and seeing interiors like
07:42the Zyranium lab be noticeably bigger and intricate with multiple paths, has me thinking about
07:46gameplay possibilities.
07:48But it's the large open zones that are also a key point in this sequel.
07:51I've said in previous coverage that bigger doesn't always mean better, and Obsidian is
07:54aware of that.
07:55So The Outer Worlds 2 has an emphasis on density and rewarding players who poke around its areas
08:00with more side stories and useful loot in a way that the first game just couldn't do.
08:04Points of interest out in the distance are built intentionally and are said to be placed for a reason, and draw
08:09players to those locations and discover quests off the beaten path.
08:12Now this is all based on a brief walkthrough of Golden Ridge, which is the only open zone
08:16I saw and the one you're seeing here.
08:18It does seem like there's a lot more going on at the ground level, and I hope that this
08:21design philosophy extends to the rest of The Outer Worlds 2's open regions.
08:25Lastly, Obsidian wasn't ready to share many details on story or companions, but game director
08:32Brandon Adler hinted at a world-changing event happening early on when landing on Golden Ridge,
08:36and that's supposed to be indicative of the types of narrative swings that they're going for.
08:40Creative director Leonard Boyarsky, who was one of the original Fallout developers, spoke
08:44to how the team is thinking about The Outer Worlds 2's story, and he mentioned being sharper
08:48with its humorous tone, while going deeper on its commentary about how corporations and
08:52those in power will exert and abuse their power on those seen below them.
08:56It seems a major factor in conveying these themes will be through factions, the Protectorate,
09:00the Order of the Ascendant, Auntie's Choice, which is a merger between Auntie Cleo and Spacer's
09:04Choice from the first game. While companions are optional, it appears there'll be an important
09:08lens through which you navigate and understand the world. Boyarsky also emphasized the intention
09:13of making a story that can stand the test of time with its dissection of the human condition,
09:17rather than being a direct reflection of the times in which it was made. And that's largely
09:21been the philosophy that guided the old Fallout games, including New Vegas.
09:29Overall, I get the impression that Obsidian is trying to avoid homogeneity in its gameplay systems,
09:33and build worlds with questlines and encounters that tease out the varied options you have this
09:38time around. You can have complex and creative systems to toy with, but ultimately it's a means
09:42for engaging with the captivating stories tucked within where we have a distinct role to play.
09:46If the original Outer Worlds was Obsidian setting up the framework,
09:49my hope is that this sequel is the full potential of the series coming together.
09:53And that's something we'll have to see when The Outer Worlds 2 comes out later this year.
09:57Get ready for an adventure!
09:59If you missed any of my interviews throughout this month-long IGN first, be sure to check all of
10:03them out. And of course, if you want to keep up with everything coming from The Outer Worlds 2,
10:07stay locked in with IGN.