The Outer Worlds

 PC
User Score
7.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 2213 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,336 out of 2213
  2. Mixed: 495 out of 2213
  3. Negative: 382 out of 2213

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  1. The_Eleatic
    Jul 5, 2020
    8
    I didn't take to this game, at first. I started playing at launch and, about eight hours in, simply lost interest. The review I wrote at that time is below.

    Nine months later, I've given the game another chance, playing it through from beginning to end. It's more engaging and more satisfying than I had thought. I've come to appreciate that the story is modest in its scope and ambition,    I didn't take to this game, at first. I started playing at launch and, about eight hours in, simply lost interest. The review I wrote at that time is below.

    Nine months later, I've given the game another chance, playing it through from beginning to end. It's more engaging and more satisfying than I had thought. I've come to appreciate that the story is modest in its scope and ambition, entirely self-contained (no sequel-bait here), and reasonably well crafted. I'm just not sure it will linger long in my memory.

    The game mechanics, visual style, and exploration potential of the game are serviceable.

    With this revision, I'm also changing my rating from 5/10 to 8/10. It's a good game, though I don't think it's a great one.
    _____________
    Previous review:

    The best thing I can say about The Outer Worlds is that it is no less than a competently constructed RPG. The very worst I can say is that it is no more than a competently constructed RPG.

    It looks okay, all the various mechanics work as well as they need to, but it somehow fails to engage the imagination. Eight hours in, I'm having trouble finding the motivation to continue.

    There isn't one big reason for this, as far as I can tell, but a number of little things that are pushing me away, preventing any kind of immersion or emotional engagement:

    - the overall look of the game is flat and dull; it's not actually ugly, in that brownish-greenish New Vegas kind of way, just not very interesting;
    - related to this, the landscapes and buildings are small and spare, almost to the point of being simplistic; there's nothing here that calls me to explore, nothing to inspire wonder;
    - the style of the architecture, clothing, and technological devices is cute, but entirely derivative; it comes across as a strange mix of Bioshock Infinite and Firefly; the dining area on the Unreliable is a ringer for the dining area on Serenity, and - with all due respect to the voice-acting talents of Ashly Burch - the character of Parvati is essentially a discount Kaylee;
    - possibly major characters are introduced in off-hand and perfunctory ways, and we're given no reason to really care about them at all;
    - the story is a paint-by-the-numbers corporate-dystopia affair, even more broad and ham-handed in its satire than the Fallout franchise - or even the Borderlands franchise; again, there's little here that's novel or compelling or revelatory;
    - choices do seem to shape the story, but the writing is such that I never feel the weight of them, perhaps again because I'm given so little reason to care what happens to any of these people.

    To weigh in on the inescapable comparison, I found Fallout 4 to be in many ways less competent in its execution than The Outer Worlds, but far, far more engaging. I happily poured hundreds of hours into romping around the Commonwealth, bugs and wonky mechanics and all, but I'll have to grit my teeth to get through 30 hours in the Halcyon Colony.    … Expand
  2. ValentinSvensbe
    Oct 25, 2019
    8
    Runs smoothly on high settings even on older beginner hardware, looks beautiful and I didn't encountered any bugs. That's how a game should be released.

    The stories are as good and complex as expected from obsidian. The gameplay is easy to understand, good to handle and the right amount of complex. The extremely good dialogue is perfectly voiced. The interface clean and intuitive. Sadly,    Runs smoothly on high settings even on older beginner hardware, looks beautiful and I didn't encountered any bugs. That's how a game should be released.

    The stories are as good and complex as expected from obsidian. The gameplay is easy to understand, good to handle and the right amount of complex. The extremely good dialogue is perfectly voiced. The interface clean and intuitive.

    Sadly, the world looks a bit bland and dead. No daily life, no happenings, rearly any movement, no kids and often the same dialogues of by standing npcs. That's why it doesn't feel alive, if you aren't involved in a quest or dialogue.

    All in all its a great, interesting and motivating game.    … Expand
  3. PiotrGracz
    Oct 25, 2019
    10
    When it comes to mechanics, the game resembles games from Bethesda. Everyone wondered before the premiere whether the game would be as good as Fallout New Vegas. I could write to you: The Outer Worlds is even better than New Vegas, better than Fallout 4. It's a real RPG, not an adventure game with RPG elements. Obsidian showed Bethesda how to do role-playing games.
  4. Ryskim
    Oct 26, 2019
    9
    The only reason why I'm not giving it a 10 is the lack of a third person view. Don't take me wrong, the game is amazing as it is, but with the 3rd person view this would be an absolute legendary masterpiece.

    I love the universe, the skills and perks, the weapons, the characters, the music... everything in this game is impregnated with that magical touch that only Obsidian can have. Last    The only reason why I'm not giving it a 10 is the lack of a third person view. Don't take me wrong, the game is amazing as it is, but with the 3rd person view this would be an absolute legendary masterpiece.

    I love the universe, the skills and perks, the weapons, the characters, the music... everything in this game is impregnated with that magical touch that only Obsidian can have. Last time I felt so nice when playing a space RPG was with KOTOR 2.

    Thank you, Obsidian, you really met my expectations. Not fully, but I forgive you for the lack of 3rd person because the game is so good.    … Expand
  5. BathroomSync
    Oct 28, 2019
    9
    The Outer Worlds definitely lives up to its spiritual predecessor, Fallout: New Vegas in many ways. Player influence on the world around them is immense, there are too many interesting characters to count, and the writing is excellent.
    The Outer Worlds was announced and came out at a perfect time, a time when confidence in Bethesda's Fallout franchise was at an all-time low and long-time    The Outer Worlds definitely lives up to its spiritual predecessor, Fallout: New Vegas in many ways. Player influence on the world around them is immense, there are too many interesting characters to count, and the writing is excellent.
    The Outer Worlds was announced and came out at a perfect time, a time when confidence in Bethesda's Fallout franchise was at an all-time low and long-time fans of the series desperately desired a worthy replacement.
    I really do hope The Outer Worlds launches a franchise, because we need a new Fallout.    … Expand
  6. SpleenSplitta
    Oct 25, 2019
    10
    10/10 Pure Perfection, it's Fallout but better with a bit of Bioshock. Congratulations Obsidian great work! GOTY CONTENDER.
  7. UltiDK
    Nov 9, 2019
    8
    PROS:
    Different setting and story, many dialogue options and multiple ways to tacke the objective, great gunplay for an RPG, the Fallout game we needed.

    CONS:
    Graphics aren't as good as other newer titles, main story is a bit short.
  8. mattyiceboy
    Oct 25, 2019
    10
    Not flashy, but made with soul for the fans. If you miss when Bethesda made good games, this one is for you.
  9. SMOKE911
    Oct 25, 2019
    10
    This was long over due. Game is great, full of story and adventure. I am so happy i get tears when I think about how long its been since we got a really good game to play. I actually like interacting with NCPs and asking questions, to figure out if I can persuade them or get more information out of them. The overall map is small, but I think that's what makes is so great. It is not anThis was long over due. Game is great, full of story and adventure. I am so happy i get tears when I think about how long its been since we got a really good game to play. I actually like interacting with NCPs and asking questions, to figure out if I can persuade them or get more information out of them. The overall map is small, but I think that's what makes is so great. It is not an empty world where you have to travel boring terrain and go far distances for quests. Best of all, you don't have to spend $60 to play the game. All you need is a Xbox subscription… Expand
  10. Fair344
    Oct 25, 2019
    10
    This is what I wanted from Bethesda for Fallout 4. True RPG fans are going to love this game.
    Also after 5 hours of gameplay I have yet to encounter a bug or crash to desktop. Well done, Obsidian!
  11. kbx
    Jul 21, 2022
    8
    I had a great time playing this. Very good game. I will compare it to Fallout 4. F4 has a better graphics, guns and visually better world overall, but TOW has better story, much better dialogues and many choices that affect ending etc.
  12. Moeinh77
    Feb 15, 2023
    9
    Amazing game, very entertaining. The possibilities are endless, I don't know how they have included so much content in the game with so much variation in dialogues and events. The cartooni graphics is kinda interesting as well and the world is very colorful which I really prefer to a grey world like fallout's. Totally worth spending time in it.
  13. borla
    Feb 6, 2022
    8
    Pretty good game, with nice graphics and good characters. I highly recommend this game if you like fall out new vegas.
  14. StarkAgentos
    May 18, 2022
    10
    Прошёл игру часов за 5 на концовку, в которой ГГ спас Финеаса. Крутая РПГ с красивой графикой, тонной юмора, интересным сюжетом, классной стрельбой и харизматичными персонажами.
  15. MoratoryMold249
    Jun 12, 2022
    9
    Отлично прописанные диалоги, интересная вселенная, интересный сюжет.
  16. nfs7379
    Aug 30, 2022
    8
    8/10........................................................................................
  17. palombo
    Jul 26, 2022
    9
    Loved the ambient and NPCs. Would very much recommend and look forward to playing part 2!
  18. DarthDerivativ
    Sep 2, 2022
    8
    Astounding game which shows that Obsidian is still rock-solid when it comes to writing, atmosphere, and an all-around delightful experience when it comes to a campaign.
  19. M_Singular
    Nov 14, 2022
    9
    I completely understand the low and average scores. I really do. I mean... this is a game that feels like ti was developed in a time capsule or something. The people at Obsidian seem to have ignored every game that has come out in the past decade or so and released in 2020 what feels like a game that would have already felt kind of old in 2010. Yet I can't help but love it, because this isI completely understand the low and average scores. I really do. I mean... this is a game that feels like ti was developed in a time capsule or something. The people at Obsidian seem to have ignored every game that has come out in the past decade or so and released in 2020 what feels like a game that would have already felt kind of old in 2010. Yet I can't help but love it, because this is a game that's right up my alley.

    Fallout: New Vegas is probably my favourite RPG of all time. And Mass Effect is probably my favourite trilogy of all time. So a game that combines the two is something I'm going to like no matter what, and if you spice the whole thing with a bit of Firefly flavour? Man... I'm going to LOVE IT. And that's what this is, basically.

    So yeah, I get why some may have felt disapointed by it. Why maybe some people wanted something... I don't know, more modern, more flashy, deeper, more complex or whatever. I totally do. It's understandable. But I can't lie, man, I just liked this a lot.    … Expand
  20. Closeremperor16
    Oct 30, 2019
    8
    Solid game with fun mechanics. The maps are not huge but are densely packed with stuff to do. The skills again are nothing new but are really well implemented. Manipulating the world based on the skills you have is fun. Combat isn't super difficult but it is fun. All in all its a solid game with good writing and lots of old school role playing systems to mess about with. Its fun if notSolid game with fun mechanics. The maps are not huge but are densely packed with stuff to do. The skills again are nothing new but are really well implemented. Manipulating the world based on the skills you have is fun. Combat isn't super difficult but it is fun. All in all its a solid game with good writing and lots of old school role playing systems to mess about with. Its fun if not genre defining and thats good enough for me. Graphics are a bit spotty though. Some of its great but the draw distance on enviroments isnt great.… Expand
  21. OMGCatTreatz
    Oct 29, 2019
    8
    It took about thirty minutes from hearing "Fallout-like game from the team that made New Vegas and Pillars of Eternity" to discovering it was on the Epic Games platform, then still saying "Shut up and take my money".

    The game is your standard FPS romp with the ability to tactically slow down time to some degree in combat for a few seconds, which is explained in game as a side-effect    It took about thirty minutes from hearing "Fallout-like game from the team that made New Vegas and Pillars of Eternity" to discovering it was on the Epic Games platform, then still saying "Shut up and take my money".

    The game is your standard FPS romp with the ability to tactically slow down time to some degree in combat for a few seconds, which is explained in game as a side-effect from being thawed out after decades of cryo-sleep. This is set against a heavily-corporate-themed space western. (In this sole regard it is like Borderlands, ramped up. It works.) Over the course of the adventure, you'll experience other VERY not-quite-Fallout aspects. There's a companion system which lets you carry a couple of bullet sponges with you wherever you go. They all have backstories you can help them resolve for extra xp. There's stats, a perk system, inventory to juggle, locks to pick, machines to hack, and many, many conversations to blunder through morally ambiguous choices with dialogue trees. Let's be honest, there is nothing "ground breaking" about this game, but there are some interesting design choices.

    In a curious repudiation of the current trend to have giant massive sandboxes with points of interest to discover and explore, there are instead smaller maps that are dense with content. Over the course of the game you visit more than a half dozen or so planets, moons, and stellar entities, but all of the play areas are only as big as they need to be to present the content you are expected to complete. One of the later maps is a very small sub-section of a city-- but nearly every other door leads to an encounter or is used in some side-quest or another. In short, there's a lot less frittering about the landscape in aimless wandering and more working on quests themselves.

    Keeping true to its roots, you can also avoid a lot of pain simply by having adequate non-combat skills: being able to lie, persuade, and intimidate is just as useful as having a maximized weapon skill. Enemies can be avoided with enough stealth and hacking and lock-picking allows you to subvert otherwise harrowing encounters.

    Consequently, since the game cuts out a lot of the fat, it's a significantly shorter run-through. I'm about 16 hours into the game itself, having completed 90% of the side-quests and optional missions I found. I've just passed "The Point of No Return", so I'm now up against what is presumably the last mission. The shortness works in its favor though, as if it were much longer, one would be prone to complain about the lack of monster, weapon, and armor diversity. You could level up to 30, but at 27 I've run into very few problems where a lack of skill points were preventing me from attempting something critical: you can bolster your skills via armor modifications and what companions you have tagging along.

    If I had to do it over again (and I probably will at some point), I'd run it in hard mode. "Normal" was just a bit too easy. Ammo was always plentiful and I never felt as though I was particularly strapped for anything. As a result I never delved into the tinkering system to modify weapons, rarely used any weapon/armor enhancements, and never saw a need to use any of the endless piles of consumables that was dumped on me at every turn.

    But it is fun? Yes. Where it shines is in the humor, the voice acting, the speedy combat. There's hidden secrets to explore and the trademark humor is spot on. Is it worth $60? No. I'd recommend it in the $30-$40 price point, but I have no regrets supporting this studio.    … Expand
  22. HelloMyDarling
    Nov 4, 2019
    8
    would rate 7.5 if i could
    review in short: its good, worth playing. But not fantastic, could be improved with DLC.
    Review in long: a lot of people seem to be suffering from nostalgia blindness when they compare it to FO3 and FNV (one of which involved a plot line about a villain called "the antagonizer"), both those games had a bigger company behind them and had an established    would rate 7.5 if i could
    review in short: its good, worth playing. But not fantastic, could be improved with DLC.

    Review in long: a lot of people seem to be suffering from nostalgia blindness when they compare it to FO3 and FNV (one of which involved a plot line about a villain called "the antagonizer"), both those games had a bigger company behind them and had an established narrative and setting to work with so of course something new is not going to have as solid a base to build its story on and also... some of their stories were dumb and boy howdy were some of those quests tedious....cough cough sunset sarsaparilla star caps cough cough cappy in a haystack

    on the subject of the story, its fun, quirky, very anti corporate and generally enjoyable and player dialogues never not been fun and you are usually given a good variety of choices. NPC usually aren't as fleshed out as they could be unless they're involved in a main quest and even then not always, but sometimes simplicity is better than over-complicating things and they're usually good enough to be entertaining or interesting. companions generally have pretty good story and motivation for their actions and all their side quests are fun and interesting.

    environments are generally good but the buildings in some of the colonies can be a bit samey.... but this is explained and makes sense narrative wise and most main story areas and buildings show enough variety to be fun and interesting

    Big criticism is the lack of enemy variety, two-three types of dude in "armour" with various colour pallet changes and four or five types of wildlife....

    Guns and melee are alright, the variety isn't huge but it still provides enough to be fun and suit a range of play styles and are generally fun to use. and the mods can be pretty fun but i wish there was a greater variety
    Best part: tinkering, you can spend money to upgrade stuff so if you add an expensive mod the gun can remain useful for longer
    Worst part: breaking down guns means you break down mods, like early on when you're poor this is a real bugger.... especially because you find much better guns on the regular.

    Armour choice is pretty lackluster at least in appearance, but its modding options allow for a great deal of playlist customisation due to their variety and the number equip-able

    Overall its a good game with a really fun story and some nice characters.... but it needs a some polish in order to really shine as brightly as its lineage and in time will likely do so    … Expand
  23. Avoltech
    Mar 25, 2020
    8
    The game was really good, but I felt it didn't take enough risks. Many of the choices aren't quite as substantial as they may seem. If you're into fully completing a game, you can easily do that, but a debatable complaint that I may mention is that the game doesn't give you a high enough level cap to fully exploit the skills set in the game. A lot of the armor and weapons are tooThe game was really good, but I felt it didn't take enough risks. Many of the choices aren't quite as substantial as they may seem. If you're into fully completing a game, you can easily do that, but a debatable complaint that I may mention is that the game doesn't give you a high enough level cap to fully exploit the skills set in the game. A lot of the armor and weapons are too repetitive, and it's almost as if the developers were too scared to take a chance, or maybe the development of the game was rushed. The only reason I'm giving this game an above average score is because if you are into story, this game definitely will give you one that will keep you at the edge of your seat.… Expand
  24. S3XU4LH34L1NG
    Aug 5, 2022
    8
    + original storyline
    + cool weapon designs
    + pretty good facial animations / dialoge
    + loads of choices for problem solving
    - small worlds
    - basic rpg elements
    - loading screens...
    definitely not as good as fallout nv / 3 but at least its original
  25. dosjkafnfdaspjn
    Jan 29, 2022
    10
    100% awesome game give it a try if you enjoyed FALLOUT NEW VEGAS. Masterpiece.
  26. coltonious
    Oct 25, 2019
    10
    In the hour or so that i've played this game so far, i've come to love it more than most games i've ever played. It is literally just space fallout, and takes what obsidian has worked on in the past and enhances it. Lovable characters and dialogue with a beautiful world makes immersion insanely easy. I have yet to come across a factor in the game that I do not yet love. I can tell thatIn the hour or so that i've played this game so far, i've come to love it more than most games i've ever played. It is literally just space fallout, and takes what obsidian has worked on in the past and enhances it. Lovable characters and dialogue with a beautiful world makes immersion insanely easy. I have yet to come across a factor in the game that I do not yet love. I can tell that this game is going to be high up on my favorite games list for the rest of time. This game should be an indicator to bethesda on how to actually make a fallout game. This will probably take the cake on my game of the year award nomination.… Expand
  27. dracorogue
    Oct 26, 2019
    9
    I've been a fan of Fallout since game 1, been a fan of all the Fallouts except for 76. This game is not Fallout, it is a unique game. To me it does not feel like a Fallout game. It is something much more. Outer Worlds is taking ideas from all over the place (fallouts 1-4, Kotor, Tons of Firefly, a little bioshock and borderlands) and they bring it together in a genre bending game that isI've been a fan of Fallout since game 1, been a fan of all the Fallouts except for 76. This game is not Fallout, it is a unique game. To me it does not feel like a Fallout game. It is something much more. Outer Worlds is taking ideas from all over the place (fallouts 1-4, Kotor, Tons of Firefly, a little bioshock and borderlands) and they bring it together in a genre bending game that is greater than the sum of its parts. The dialogue (in my opinion) is intricate and unmatched in any game. The feel of the game while playing is so very much like Firelfly, that this could almost be called a Firefly simulator . If you like a great story with true choice, and you liked the show firefly this is a must have.… Expand
  28. BenJopleck
    Oct 25, 2019
    8
    Simple , talented , classic rpg like, Obsidian style. As expected fallout in space we’ve got.
  29. bwh31
    Nov 7, 2019
    8
    This is a great RPG. The people who are rating it so low obviously were expecting something else other than a "Role Playing" game. It has great dialog, great characters, an interesting world and plot, and multiple ways to play through the game. It's weakest point is probably the gun play, but even that is pretty polished. If you enjoyed old school Bethesda before they got money hungry,This is a great RPG. The people who are rating it so low obviously were expecting something else other than a "Role Playing" game. It has great dialog, great characters, an interesting world and plot, and multiple ways to play through the game. It's weakest point is probably the gun play, but even that is pretty polished. If you enjoyed old school Bethesda before they got money hungry, then you will enjoy this. Between New Vegas, the Pillars games, and now The Outer Worlds, Obsidian has become my favorite studio. Edit - After playing for a few more days I am dropping from a 10 to an 8. This is because I am just having a hard time staying "into it". In Fallout I always had a sense of wonder and mystery and couldn't wait to explore the wasteland.....some of that is lost in the Outer Worlds. Still a really solid game, just not deserving of the 10 I had originally had it pegged at.… Expand
  30. FoxDog
    Oct 25, 2019
    10
    This is game that was developed with love and passion. It has everything i am looking for in a RPG. The charter creation is top notch, dialog & character development is flushed out and the game play/gun play is engaging and fun. Anyone who loved FO NewVegas will love this game.
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Awards & Rankings

42
#42 Best PC Game of 2019
7
#7 Most Discussed PC Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 30
  3. Negative: 0 out of 30
  1. Cubed3
    Nov 16, 2020
    70
    The problem with this isn't that it is a bad game (far from it), but the fact that it failed to reach its true potential… or maybe the expectations were simply too high, because there's nothing here that anyone can point to and say that it is terrible. Sadly, there's almost nothing that's great either, apart from the role-playing element and the quality of writing. The gunplay? Ok. The exploration? Decent. The plot? Fine. The dominant feeling here is of a game that is good enough so that you won't hate it, but also not as good for it to be the flawless classic that it could definitely be - but again, that's probably those darn high expectations speaking, because flaws or no flaws, The Outer Worlds shouldn't be missing from any RPG collection.
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  2. GameCritics
    Dec 9, 2019
    85
    An excellent effort from Obsidian, and though The Outer Worlds doesn’t surpass its predecessors by offering a world worth visiting over and over, the adventure it presents is more than worth the time spent.
    Read full review
  3. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Dec 6, 2019
    84
    Usually, a planet has just one or two settlements and a bit of wildlands to explore. But that’s for the best – instead of exploring miles of filler content, Outer Worlds keeps you moving from planet to planet, from one tense situation to another. [Issue#241, p.34]
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