The Outer Worlds: First Impressions (PS4)

I picked this one up recently for multiple reasons: A friend whose opinion I value recommended it and because it was a tremendous value during some sort of sale that happened in the not too distant past.

It has been sitting in my library gathering dust for at least a month but after I gave up on Doom because it is too difficult for me I figured it was time to move on.

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While I didn't keep a log of the chat I recall my friend saying that this game is a lot like New Vegas but set in a futuristic world. Since New Vegas is one of the only 1st person perspective RPG's that I have actually completed in recent years I couldn't think of any reason why I wouldn't like this game and thus far I have mostly been very satisfied. The flaws that I find in the game are rather nitpicky of me but then again, I have a particular set of standards for all games that infuriated me (probably irrationally so) if games deviate from this.

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It is worth noting that the similarities between this game and New Vegas should be expected because they are both made by Obsidian Entertainment and isn't just some sort of copycat game. The interface is similar and although the humor is toned down a bit compared to New Vegas it is still there and this was a very welcome addition in my mind.

One thing that I really enjoy about any RPG is to have autonomous companions that come along with you and fight with you. Even though their AI leaves something to be desired and they die on a regular basis, often quite early in combat, they certainly give you an edge in battles, especially since the 1st person perspective often puts me (perhaps you) in a situation where I am being struck by some enemy right next to me that I am not even aware is there.

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_{I don't know how many times I have been scoping someone in the distance only to lower my weapon and see one of these guys chopping my arms off}

Each of the individual maps that you go to are pretty damn big and then you have the added bonus of needing to travel from planet to planet. Much like in other games like New Vegas or even Skyrim you are in many situations not restricted from traveling to areas that you are nowhere near ready for and you get your ass handed to you in the first encounter. This is easily side-stepped by simply following the main quest line and just taking side quests in the same area that you currently find yourself in. If a quest demands that you go to some distant planet that you have never been to before, there is a better-than-average chance that this is "one hit kill" land that you have no business being in.

The adventure is part of the fun.

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Something that I don't normally like in games is large amounts of dialogue and The Outer Worlds has a MASSIVE amount of this. Thankfully, the devs were able to actually make this interesting by making your stats a factor in these conversations. If you leveled up your personality skills you can convince people of things that wouldn't be an option for you otherwise. I correctly guessed that this was going to be a major factor in the game during the character creation screen because personality points counted the same as melee and ranged skills. This worked to my benefit as I was able to convince people I encountered to do things that had I not invested in these skills, wouldn't have been an option for me.

I am only about 10 hours into the game and so far I really like it

That isn't to say that I like everything about it though and this is a "problem" that I do to myself in this game, New Vegas, and I also did it in Skyrim.

There are so many item types in the game that you quickly stop being discerning about what you pick up. The next thing you know you are totally bogged down with items that you never use and honestly, I don't think I ever will. I would be willing to bet that other, more grizzled players have a method of using all of these perks that last for 2 seconds but I am not quick enough on the draw to make that happen. Perhaps it was easier on a keyboard rather than a controller but for me to switch to an adrenaline buff that lasts 2 seconds, by the time I manage to get my healing buff back as my hotkey item, the 2 seconds are likely already over.

This wide array of things that you can pick up also results in me getting encumbered on a regular basis

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I realize that this is my own damn fault but there is so much looting that takes place in this game that I frequently find myself just hitting "take all" in order to speed things along. Sure, you can go and sell these things in a town or at some vending machines, but this is where my biggest gripe with the game comes into play

The load times man! The load times!

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While these are entertaining the first 112 times you see it they quickly become a real pain in the backside and something I have very little tolerance for in gaming is downtime. There is sooooooo much loading that takes place in this game! I understand that it isn't possible to load an entire planet into memory but sometimes simply traveling from outside to a town, regardless of how big or small said town is, results in a several minute load screen. This is particularly annoying when a mission that you are working on necessitates the coming and going from a particular town multiple times.

I suppose the alternative would be for them to include some repetitive animation to shield the loading and yes, I realize we are limited by the computing power of the PS4 (or whatever machine you are playing it on) but this doesn't mean I have to like it. I think it is probably a good idea if you are going to play this game that you actually be working on something else at the same time or drink a ton of water so that bathroom breaks are a necessary part of the process. Water is meant to be good for you I'm told anyway so ok, maybe I'll do that.

There are other annoying aspects of the game that are realistic like weapons and armor breaking down over time and honestly, I could do without that as well. Because of this, you spend an awful lot of time looking in your inventory rather than running around and killing stuff.

Perhaps I am being too picky here and if I don't want deteriorating weapons and armor I could always go back to playing Doom. My disdain towards that titles is something I'll write about later.

Have you played The Outer Worlds?

If so, let's talk about it!