Despite how many games Obsidian Entertainment is working on (Grounded and Avowed), it is also going into development with The Outer Worlds 2, which was unveiled at the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase 2021.
We don’t know much about The Outer Worlds 2 yet, but if you’ve played the original game and correlate that with what the developers are saying about this title, you can get a few ideas about what it is and isn’t about.
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Now, here’s everything we know so far about The Outer Worlds 2, from the release date and story to the gameplay and villains that might appear.
The Outer Worlds 2 release date
There’s no release date, and according to the teaser trailer, there might not be one for a while. However, we do know that The Outer Worlds 2 will be available day one on Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass.
The Outer Worlds 2 will be exclusive to the Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.
The Outer Worlds 2 story
“New solar system, new crew, same Outer Worlds,” is the tagline that Obsidian is pushing for The Outer Worlds 2. I’m a bit relieved, especially since The Outer Worlds 2 had a definitive ending. However, I have my concerns about the “same Outer Worlds.”
Is Obsidian being cheeky or do they actually mean it’ll be the same concept? Even though Spacer’s Choice is the mascot of the series, I would rather not see that company or any other company from the original game show up in The Outer Worlds 2. Depending on your choices in The Outer Worlds, you can run the entire colony on your own and remove The Board from power entirely.
Additionally, we know that the colony in Outer Worlds is the only Earth colony that exists, at least during our time. Connection to Earth has since been disconnected. It is entirely possible that the people of Earth had to leave and set up another colony in a different solar system. However, that would mean that this new solar system wouldn’t be affected by the same culture as Halcyon (the original colony). We also better not see any marauders in The Outer Worlds 2. If you’ve played Peril on Gorgon and you’ve made the right choices, you know exactly what I mean.
What I want most from The Outer Worlds 2 is original ideas and not a copy-and-paste structure from the original, especially if it makes the player feel like their choices in the original didn’t make any impact. I’m okay with fighting corruption in the new colony, but I don’t want to fight the same corruption. Give me a break, I did it once already.
I am excited about the prospect of an entirely new crew. I hope that Obsidian comes around and makes potential romance connections between the captain and the crew.
The Outer Worlds 2 gameplay
The Outer Worlds 2 needs an overhaul in gameplay to make it feel more like a first-person shooter as opposed to a Fallout clone. You know you’re playing a Fallout shooter when you’re clunkily walking around and jankily trying to shoot your enemies.
I want The Outer Worlds 2 to go from Fallout stiff to Destiny smooth. You can say a lot about Destiny, but the gameplay is really smooth for a first-person shooter.
I played the original game on easy, which I almost never do for games, because I didn’t like the combat and I just wanted to burn through the story. I played a charismatic character because I loved initiating dialogue. I hope that The Outer Worlds 2 comes up with creative new dialogue and new gameplay mechanics that make it feel fresh.
The Outer Worlds 2 PC requirements
The Outer Worlds 2 was announced only a year after the launch of The Outer Worlds, so I can’t imagine that the specs are going to change drastically. In that case, we’ll use the original title for comparison.
For the recommended specs, the original required an Intel Core i7-7700K or AMD Ryzen 5 1600 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB or AMD Radeon RX 470 GPU. Considering that the best cheap gaming laptops can run laps around that, you should be good for The Outer Worlds 2 with an RTX 3060 GPU.
Outlook
I am hyped for The Outer Worlds 2, but I hope that they give the game enough time in the oven to develop before putting it out there, especially since Obsidian has a lot on their plate. Getting the announcement of The Outer Worlds 2 so early was a shock for a lot of people, especially since it came a couple of months after the last DLC of the original had launched. Stay tuned for more news and updates as The Outer Worlds 2 develops.
