It’s easy to see the similarities between The Outer Worlds and Obsidian Entertainment’s previous title, Fallout: New Vegas. There is a strong narrative focus, dialogue is as important as the choices you make, they’re shooters and so forth. But, if one thing stood out in the presentation, it’s that these things are far from a problem.
Without actually seeing all the branching paths or at least having a frame of reference for what could potentially happen, it’s hard to really the importance of your choices. That being said, a common theme is opportunity cost and living your adventure.
I say opportunity cost, because there are a number of paths that rely this or that skill at whatever level to progress down it. Supposedly this will sometimes result in whole missions being lost, with the one showcased offering some interesting alternatives.
To complete the assigned task of dealing with a non-compliant rival, players can choose a number of ways to accomplish it. Maybe you want to avoid his headquarters and visit the sewer, something you can do through lock picking, or simply go in guns a blazing. The choice is yours and that really defined what was shown.
Narrative options weren’t the only things showcased. Since The Outer Worlds hopes to be fairly accessible, things like slowdown mechanics were added. Players can also take certain allies out and use their advantages to boost their own traits to overcome certain restrictions.
From there, combat looked engaging, tactical and all around exciting. Enough to pique my interest but not enough to rival some other existing games. With the Oct. 25, 2019 release fast approaching, we will likely see much more of it and can gauge how accurate this is.