4/5 ★ – billyjepma's review of The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition.

After a somewhat rocky (i.e., pretty generic) opening, this really won me over. The main story is fine, but pales in comparison to the strength of the writing found in almost every area of the game. The worldbuilding, satire, comedy, and side quests are some I’ve the best I’ve seen in an RPG like this in years. The gameplay is very much a Fallout clone, but it gets the job done and manages to find its own identity in the remarkably compact and rewarding level designs. Exploration is addicting, with maps that appear small but prove otherwise as soon as you start going off the beaten path and see just how densely layered each open environment is. It feels like a lived in world, and I was consistently impressed with how much was packed into each map. You could probably finish the game in 20-30 hours if you wanted to, but I spent at least double that before I rolled credits because of how thoroughly compelled I was to complete every side quest and leave no stone unturned. My only real disappointment, outside of the overly familiar gameplay, is how forgettable 80% of your party members are. They’re fine, overall, but their stories and dynamic with each other and your character is light, and don’t ultimately lead to much. I hope the sequel (which I’m know very eagerly anticipating) can buff up the character work. Also, the two DLCs included in the Spacer’s Choice edition are fucking terrific. There’s a ton of content in them both, and the plots for both were arguably way better and more compelling than the main game. They’re a big part of why I spent as many hours with the game as I did, since they’re nearly double the amount of material you can explore and experience. Good ass game! So glad I finally picked it up.