The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition

The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition is the quintessential The Outer Worlds experience that I’ve wanted all along for my PS5. With the immense graphical upgrades, Halcyon and the rest of the galaxy look better than ever and visually immerse players in stunning spacescapes while you attempt to navigate a universe that’s effectively ruled by corporate overlords. For new players who are also PS5 owners, the Spacer’s Choice Edition is a no-brainer given the additional QoL upgrades and the DLC packaged together. However, those who’ve faithfully done their time in supporting Obsidian and Private Division’s franchise from the get go may feel like they’ve been left in the space dust because of the lack of cross-generation save transfers.

The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition proves to be the perfect version for those who haven't been able to enjoy the game and its expansions previously. There's not much to appeal for those who want to return to this universe beyond the expected visual and technical improvements, although there are notable performance issues that would still need attention.

For sheer memorable and engaging gameplay, I recommend The Outer Worlds. It was an absolute delight to play back in 2019, and it still holds up as one of my all-time favorite gaming experiences. I am pleased with the graphical upgrades and enhancements from The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition. Although, with less new content and more new bugs, it should have been a free upgrade for returning players.

The Outer Worlds is an awesome game, so it’s nice to have the option to enjoy it with all the amenities of a new generation of hardware. While the performance is a bit iffy, the visuals really pop, and the updated character models add to your immersion in this imaginative space adventure. It’s no surprise we’ve got a second one on the way, and now you can get ready for the sequel on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S in style.

While maybe not essential if you've already seen everything there is to see in the game, The Spacer's Choice Edition of The Outer Worlds is a worthy upgrade for players jumping in for the first time or wanting to explore new choices and outcomes in a second or third playthrough. It's a bit of a shaky upgrade in parts, but the overall package is decent value and the core game is still bloody excellent.

Though savagely undercut by performance issues, The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice still remains a stellar RPG and a muscular content offering despite its technical problems. Nonetheless, the unstable framerate coupled with frame pacing issues results in the tarnishing of the definitive version of The Outer Worlds that really should have been so much polished than it is here.

The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition is the best way to experience your adventure on Halcyon. For new players who haven’t touched the game, there’s a good time to be had. A solid storyline, fun combat, and freely building your character's proficiencies. For veterans, the only real draws are increased character customisation and a better looking Halcyon. Even then, it's unlikely that there would be much to do after completing the game. It’s not the strong draw to bring you back that it could have been.

I’d probably recommend the original release, which is available at a much cheaper price across all platforms, and then maybe pick up the DLC on the side, instead of opting for this new Spacer’s Choice Edition. Ideally additional patches will get this version of the game to where it needs to be, but out of the gate this is not a version of The Outer Worlds I would recommend picking up.

Despite all of the areas that The Outer Worlds could do better, it is still an enjoyable experience. Companions and the relative density of the game make the day-to-day quests by and large engaging, while the inclusion of the DLC goes a long way to raising up the interest in the setting. However, outside of it there is little to recommend Halcyon as a place to explore, particularly as players get assaulted by familiar foes more than necessary. The Outer Worlds sets a solid, if unspectacular, base that has plenty of room to improve.

The Outer Worlds is an excellent game, but the Spacer's Choice Edition remaster doesn't live up to it. Sure, it can look nicer with more prevalent reflections and changes to the lighting, but it can also be really rather dark, and performance on PS5 is far from perfect. You're better off sticking with the original release via backward compatibility.

The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition wishes to be the definitive edition of this planet-trotting RPG, but a buffet of problems ranging from minuscule visual upgrades to performance issues make it anything but.