Rishabh Borde
It’s been a bad couple of years for the Fallout franchise. The release of ‘Fallout 76’ in 2018 wasn’t particularly well received due to a litany of launch issues, bugs and a lack of compelling content. Things got even worse this year with the Fallout 1st premium subscription service, with Bethesda drawing significant criticism for their exorbitant pricing scheme on an already unpopular game.
While Fallout struggles, others are looking to replace it as the de facto dystopian science fiction First Person Role Playing experience. One of them is Obsidian Entertainment’s recently released Action Role Playing Game (RPG) ‘The Outer Worlds’. The game has already received rave reviews for its vibrant setting, hypnotic world and compelling multi faceted gameplay. It even won the Game Critics Award for Best Original Game in 2019.
The whispers of a potential sequel have already begun, with Obsidian possibly looking to turn it into a full-blown franchise, much like Fallout. Read on to find out if there will be a ‘The Outer Worlds 2’, and what we could possibly expect from such a game.
What is The Outer Worlds About?
‘The Outer Worlds’ is an Action Role Playing Game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Private Division. You start out by creating your very own custom character with a character creator and are given a basic ship. You then set about in the game world doing quests, killing monsters, meeting NPCs (Non Playable Characters), recruit new companions, unlock new abilities and find better weapons and gear. There is a progression system which allows players to enhance their technical skills in three main categories – Science, Medical and Engineering.
‘The Outer Worlds’ also features a Tactical Time Dilation mechanic which slows downtime and allows you to target specific parts of the enemy for critical debuffs, much like the V.A.T.S system for the Fallout games. Also like Fallout is the game’s branching narrative and dialogue system, which allows you to Role Play as the paragon of good, the harbinger of evil, or somewhere in between.
The storyline and setting of ‘The Outer Worlds’ is a Space Western setting an alternate future which diverged in the year 1901 with the failed assassination of the 25th President of the United States William McKinley. Without Theodore Roosevelt’s restrictions on big business and unchecked capitalism, mega corporations now dominate society, even colonizing distant planets. Your player starts out after being woken from cryosleep by a scientist named Phineas Welles after which you set about exploring the colony of Emerald Vale
What Can We Expect From The Outer Worlds 2?
For all the praise ‘The Outer Worlds’ has received, there were also a few issues that hold the game down from greatness. The limited budget of the game means that the character models are somewhat underwhelming, as are the facial animations and lack of voice acting for the main character.
We can expect ‘The Outer Worlds 2’ to have much improved aesthetics, possibly even motion capped facial animations for more realism. The ship mechanic could also do with some fleshing out, as it currently only functions as a central hub space and a fast travel point for the game’s various areas.
‘The Outer Worlds 2’ is also likely to expand on the game’s creative, but rather limited selection of original weapons, abilities and armor designs. However, the biggest upgrade could be the addition of a Bioware style companion relationship system that can affect the possible outcomes of the game.
The Outer Worlds 2 Developers: Who Could Be Behind It?
‘The Outer Worlds’ is developed by California based American video game developer Obsidian Entertainment. Any possible sequel is also very likely to be developed by Obsidian, However, it is possible that they may partner with another publisher in order to secure greater funding.
Obsidian Entertainment was formed over 15 years ago in 2003 and are known for games such as ‘Neverwinter Nights 2’, ‘Fallout: New Vegas’, ‘South Park: The Stick of Truth’, ‘Pillars of Eternity’ and more.
The project was helmed by Fallout creators Tim Cain and Leonard Boyarsky, so the ingredients for a fantastic ‘The Outer Worlds 2’ are all there.
The Outer Worlds 2 Release Date: When And Where Can I Play It?
‘The Outer World’ came out barely a few weeks ago, so it is hard to say when we will see a potential sequel. Currently, Obsidian is working on ‘Grounded’ which is set to release in early 2020. All things considered, I expect ‘The Outer Worlds 2’ to release sometime in 2022 or later.
We can surely expect ‘The Outer Worlds 2’ to arrive on PC and the next generation PlayStation and Xbox consoles. A Switch release may be a possibility, but Nintendo’s platform may not be beefy enough to handle the sequel’s technical demands.
The Outer Worlds Trailer
While we wait for any official news about ‘The Outer Worlds 2’, you can watch the trailer for ‘The Outer World’ right here:
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