Despite all the bugs and glitches that marred its original launch, Fallout: New Vegas is often cited as a gold standard for RPGs thanks in large part to an in-depth faction system that makes your choices feel meaningful. Obsidian has repeatedly cited its work on New Vegas as a big influence on The Outer Worlds 2, and it seems the faction system in particular are a big part of the reason why.
In fact, game director Brandon Adler campaigned for New Vegas-style factions to be implemented in The Outer Worlds 2, according to an interview in Game Informer issue 372. "In terms of an RPG, I like to be able to interact with the different factions and just kind of explore them top to bottom," Adler says. "Like, I want to learn all about them, really, because it gives me their own personal worldview as to what's going on. It just adds really great context."
One of the key things that made New Vegas's factions so memorable is that they all tied very directly into the main story, and each group's plot gave you a different perspective on the world while allowing you to make your mark on it. The details here are a little light for fear of unleashing spoilers, but it sounds like The Outer Worlds 2 is very much built in the same mold. You'll need to lock yourself into a faction – or a resolutely independent path – by the time the end comes around.
"One of our core goals is we want the game to react to your choices, and we want you to have to deal with the fallout from your choices and the reactivity from your choices," according to creative director Leonard Boyarsky. "And if you choose to side with one faction against the other, we wanted that to be a very definite thing. We wanted it to be like, 'Okay, you're choosing not to do this other faction’s content, not to side with them on the battlefield.'"
The devs previously told us that the "shorthand" for The Outer Worlds 2 "is New Vegas in space," and it's starting to become more and more clear exactly what that comparison means. Obsidian has certainly earned the right to call back to its old work – here's hoping the studio can truly recapture the magic of the glory days.
