Latest news with #TheOuterWorlds2
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The Outer Worlds 2, the most expensive Xbox game yet
The Outer Worlds 2, from RPG makers Obsidian, will be the first first-party Xbox game to cost $80 (£70). Given that Nintendo Switch 2 games are already priced at least that high, and Sony's own PlayStation 5 games have been pushing towards it for a while, you might not expect this development to ignite a pricing debate among gamers – but it did. The increased cost of video games is a hotly contested topic, given the unsustainably ballooning budgets that most blockbuster games are working with these days. But I can say that The Outer Worlds 2 is a much larger, more in-depth game than the 2019 comedy sci-fi original. If we're going to talk about value, it can certainly be argued that its higher price point is justified. I loved The Outer Worlds, which was jam-packed with the kind of wry, sardonic humour you'd expect from an Obsidian RPG (this is the studio behind Fallout: New Vegas, after all). Its super-saturated space world, populated by colourful flora, bumbling corporations and strange zealots, was a joy to live in for 20 or so hours, though its combat left much to be desired. According to game director Brandon Adler, Obsidian knew The Outer Worlds' gunplay needed improvement even before the game launched, and especially if they developed a sequel. 'We did a full breakdown on Destiny, because we love how that felt,' he says during an interview held after an Outer Worlds 2 demo in Los Angeles. 'We also talked to the Halo folks … They gave us a huge list of stuff and said, 'You guys should target this … you should add that to your weapon configurations.'' Obsidian's research has paid off: not only are there more weapons to play with in The Outer Worlds 2, but they all feel good to fire, and offer a variety of combat options depending upon the encounter (and that's if you want to fight, as a solid stealth approach will let you creep through rooms of foes without a trace). In the original game, I'd simply avoid large-scale combat, or preemptively sigh before getting into a firefight because the gunplay just wasn't enjoyable. That has changed in the sequel – I relished each encounter, giggling manically as I hucked grenades and dropped down from above to take out a target. 'We didn't want small changes. Every weapon feels very different; every weapon has a cool, unique purpose,' Adler says. 'You can even take those weapons and add mods on to them to do all kinds of crazy things.' Sign up to Pushing Buttons Keza MacDonald's weekly look at the world of gaming after newsletter promotion And with an updated game engine (Unreal Engine 5) and the capabilities of current-gen hardware (The Outer Worlds released on the Xbox One), expect The Outer Worlds 2 to feel bigger than before. Entering buildings no longer requires a loading screen that can take players out of the fantasy, for instance. 'Little things like that give a big, immense feel,' Adler says. 'Exploration is probably the thing that's most important to me. I want the players as they're going through this big world to feel like they should go to every nook and cranny and open every door and go behind every little thing, because it's always gonna be a cool, fun thing for them to find.' The Outer Worlds 2 offers a larger world, improved combat and even more customisation options that deepen its role-playing features (such as more perks and flaws for your character, which can drastically change how you play). Though Adler declines to comment on the $80 price tag, it's clear that this sequel justifies itself. The Outer Worlds 2 is released on 29 October for Xbox, PlayStation 5 and PC.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
As The Outer Worlds 2 hits $80, director says "we don't set the prices for our games" and wishes "everybody could play" Obsidian's new RPG
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. In the span of just a few months, $80 games have gone from an all-new idea that nobody liked to a reality that more and more of us would have to deal with, with The Outer Worlds 2 now the first Xbox-published game confirmed to boast the heftier price tag. However, the RPG's director has reiterated that the developers "don't set the prices" for their games. Following on from the Switch 2 and its $80 launch title Mario Kart World, Xbox confirmed in a recent price hike that some of its own "new, first-party games starting this holiday season" would cost the same. The Outer Worlds 2 is our first confirmed example of this, with pre-orders now open ahead of Obsidian's latest RPG launching on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S on October 29 (not what I'd have called the "holiday season," but anyway). Asked about the ongoing $80 price conversations in an interview at Summer Game Fest, attended by GamesRadar+, The Outer Worlds 2 director Brandon Adler reiterates that it's ultimately not a decision made by the people making the game. "We're a game developer. We love to make games. We don't set the prices for our games," he begins. "Like, personally, as a game developer, I wish everybody could play my game, because that's what I want out of this whole thing. But for the reasons and so like, why the $79.99 price point, you'd have to honestly talk to the Xbox folks," he continues, avoiding touching on his "own personal feelings" during the interview. The Outer Worlds 2 likely won't be the only game to hit $80 this year and beyond, but one thing is for sure, fans really don't want Borderlands 4 to be one of them. Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford has been facing a lot of backlash lately after suggesting that "a real fan" would "find a way to make it happen," even if the upcoming looter shooter did cost $80 – something that's not actually been confirmed, it's worth noting. From serial killer to bad knees, The Outer Worlds 2 has some ridiculous perks even by RPG standards, including one that just "makes the game pretty unplayable if you happen to choose that."
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
From serial killer to bad knees, The Outer Worlds 2 has some ridiculous perks even by RPG standards, including one that just "makes the game pretty unplayable if you happen to choose that"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The Outer Worlds 2 is coming this year, October 29, and it's adding a whole host of weird and wonderful perks so that you can roleplay as a serial killer or someone with bad knees. Bad knees is an in-game flaw that actually made me laugh out loud when it was described during the Outer Wilds 2 direct at Summer Game Fest. It allows you to move faster, but the drawback is when you go from crouching to standing, "your knees are gonna make a loud popping noise that makes it so that, well, everyone around you is gonna hear you." If, like me, you're on the wrong side of 30, you likely know at least one person whose knees do this – chances are, that person is you. It's actually a great roleplay quirk for a stealth character. All that crouch walking must play havoc with your joints – Red Dead Redemption 2 actor Roger Clark did say the hardest part of filming for the game was all the squatting: "three days later my thighs were absolutely killing me." One very cool and slightly cruel perk is serial killer. If you choose it, there's a chance every human you kill will drop a heart, which you can collect to get a permanent boost to your health. If you kill a human who "wasn't hostile" to you, there's a 100% chance of the drop. I'm not sure if this means stealth kills guarantee hearts or you have to kill innocent NPCs, but either way, it's an interesting reward for being a murderer, and another great boon for stealth players; if you do get caught, that extra health will stop you getting put down too quickly. The strangest and most unique flaw revealed so far is sungazer. Quite literally what it sounds like, your character just loves to stare at the sun, and that has permanently damaged their vision. The game will look hazy, and ranged weapon spread will be increased by 100%, making you very inaccurate. It "makes the game pretty unplayable if you happen to choose that," says one developer. While you wait for The Outer Worlds 2 to come out, check out all the upcoming Xbox games.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Outer Worlds 2 director says not every RPG is "for every single person," so Obsidian is "not going to make a game for literally everybody" because "it waters down the experience a lot"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. It's no secret that The Outer Worlds 2 stands apart from the RPG genre with its unique story and systems – features that game director Brandon Adler says Obsidian Entertainment wouldn't give up to cater to all flavors of players rather than a niche, because "sometimes you have to pick a lane." Speaking to RPG Site in a recent interview, Adler, whose background includes genre gems like Fallout: New Vegas and Pillars of Eternity, explains what makes The Outer Worlds 2 different than other games more modern players might be familiar with. Between its New Vegas-inspired perk system that lets players "build out really crazy combinations of stuff and get these fun gameplay effects going" and no respec ability, there's a lot. That's right – Obsidian, the company that now proudly stands as Xbox's most prolific studio, won't "allow" fans to respec in The Outer Worlds 2, even if many "love respec" overall. "I personally want the player to understand their choices are permanent – they matter – and then they think more about their choices." With respec enabled, lots of players don't do so (and I, admittedly, tend to be one of them while playing RPGs). "There's a lot of times where you'll see games where they allow infinite respec, and at that point I'm not really role-playing a character, because I'm jumping between – well my guy is a really great assassin that snipes from long range, and then oh, y'know, now I'm going to be a speech person, then respec again, and it's like… for me, it's not wrong that people like to play like that," describes Adler. Not wrong, but not right for The Outer Worlds 2. "Look, if we're going to do The Outer Worlds 2, I want to make sure that the role-playing is really strong," admits the lead. "I want to make sure that you're building your character and really doubling down – making sure that role-playing comes through the whole experience." If that means that the pool of potential players is smaller, Adler says that's all right. Catering to literally everybody just is "not as important" as making the game developers want. "It's probably not a popular thing for me to say," states the director. "But, like, that's just not as important. That doesn't come into the calculus of the cool, fun game I want to make." The lead says developers "want to respect people's time, and for me in a role-playing game, this is respecting somebody's time." In an RPG like The Outer Worlds 2, it's all about the decisions a player makes and how much they matter throughout the game. "Saying your choices matter, so take that seriously – and we're going to respect that by making sure that we give you cool reactivity for those choices that you're making," explains Adler, "that's respecting your time." It may not be for everyone, but it'll certainly be for someone. "You've got to be clear with people early on what the experience they're getting is. If that's not for them, that's understandable." The director concludes by reaffirming his points: "We hope that we can convince you that it is – but I'm also not going to make a game for literally everybody because then I feel it waters down the experience a lot. I mean, yeah – we want to make a game that people want to continue playing for a long time, obviously. But I'll tell you, not every game is for every single person. Sometimes you have to pick a lane." That you to know more about one of the most exciting new games yet? Check out our The Outer Worlds 2 preview to read our thoughts on the RPG sequel.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Outer Worlds 2 has over 90 perks, but you can't respec your character because your "choices are permanent" and the RPG's director wants to make sure "you're building your character and really doubling down"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The Outer Worlds 2's director has explained why the upcoming RPG has ditched the ability to respec your stats, and it's all in service of the role-play. Obsidian's latest RPG had its grand unveiling at the Xbox Game Showcase 2025 and the Outer Worlds 2 Direct that followed, and while it has some of the most unique perks on the RPG market, with the likes of bad knees being part of the apparently 90+ perks. It's also being unique by ditching one of the genre's most beloved mechanics. In The Outer Worlds 2, you'll be unable to respec your characters, meaning you'll need to think carefully about where you want your points to go before doing it. The Outer Worlds 2 director Brandon Adler spoke to RPGSite and explained the decision, saying, "Lots of people love respec… that is definitely one way you can go about things. I personally want the player to understand their choices are permanent – they matter – and then they think more about their choices." While the first Outer Worlds game did allow you to respec, Adler didn't work on that game, so his presence is definitely being felt with the sequel. Adler explains, "There's a lot of times where you'll see games where they allow infinite respec, and at that point I'm not really role-playing a character, because I'm jumping between – 'well my guy is a really great assassin that snipes from long range', and then oh, y'know, 'now I'm going to be a speech person.'" He adds, "For me, it's not wrong that people like to play like that… I want to make sure that the role-playing is really strong. "I want to make sure that you're building your character and really doubling down – making sure that role-playing comes through the whole experience." The Outer Worlds 2 director says not every RPG is "for every single person," so Obsidian is "not going to make a game for literally everybody" because "it waters down the experience a lot."
