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I can't stop salivating over all of the RPG ingredients that were on display in The Outer Worlds 2 Direct on Sunday. From the upcoming adventure's many skills and perks to its knee-popping flaws and faction-based companions, everything smacks of Obsidian Entertainment in the best way – with all kinds of options that will allow us to shape our Earth Directorate agent and their journey. While it already threatens to hold my role-playing heart in a vice grip, hearing that the sequel will bring with it a wealth of improvements to weapons and gunplay has drawn the biggest sigh of relief from me.
As much as I enjoyed my time as the Stranger in The Outer Worlds back in 2019, I didn't overly enjoy the combat. It often felt as if it played second fiddle to the game's dialogue choices, worldbuilding, and companions, which I think are the RPG's biggest strengths. It was always a bit of a shame, though, because the concept behind many of the weapons in the sci-fi universe were just downright fun, and tapped directly into the fantasy of Obsidian's off-beat, corporate dystopian world.
But with a disconnect between the designs of the guns and how satisfying they actually were to use, shots never really were as punchy as I wanted them to be, and I never got too invested in that side of the game. But with Obsidian setting out to "improve gunplay in every way", and a host of unique weapons that have the sci-fi nerd in me utterly amped, all the stars seem to be aligning for the sequel.
Science fiction
With an extensive look at some of the weapons in The Outer Worlds 2, what gameplay director Matt Singh had to say about the overhaul to gunplay was music to my ears: "We focused on improving the feel of each weapon, the way a weapon snaps into ADS [aiming], the way the recoils feel when firing, and how impactful our sound effects really sell the weapon's fantasy".
With improvements to every facet of a gun, right down to adding a "unique reload animation" to give weapons more character, it promises to be such a step up from the first game. Given that I already loved conceptual designs of the weaponry in the original, the mention of revamping the "feel of each weapon" is what makes me most hopeful that the sequel will not only allow me to enjoy combat this time around, but also really sell me on the fantasy of fighting in the future.
I want the weapons to be as satisfying to fire as they sound, with my shots making a tangible impact or connecting with some gusto – "feel" really is the operative word here. From everything Singh highlighted, I get the impression that the follow-up will make my wishes come true, and I'm already looking forward to seeing how each weapon handles for myself.
With The Outer Worlds 2 set to bring us to a new star system in a setting infused with science fiction zaniness, the weapons have so much potential for drawing us into the universe. We got to see a handful of unique weapons we'll get to play around with, with Obsidian's playful creativity on full display, and I'm hopeful the improvements will really let us make the most of the "increased variety of weapons" and "new weapon types".
From the Boarst Blaster that fires out tumors that explode like grenades, to the Rookie's Reward that will improve the more you use it (and even fire out a confetti fanfare each time it levels up); we can even fire out ad drones to distract enemies with slogans and jingles using a Pop-Up gun. Heck, even some very neat science weapons from the first game are returning with some much needed upgrades, including the Shrink Ray. Instead of shrinking enemies down for a short period of time, they'll stay shrunk, and you can essentially squish them like a bug. I mean, who doesn't want to do that?
Not to mention the very rad looking Spectrum Dancer Saber, which is a new melee sword-like weapon that has you attack to a musical beat and stack up bonuses with each hit you land in time. These are exactly the kinds of wacky inventions I want from the wonderfully weird sci-fi setting, and I cannot wait to get my hands on them. With so many inventive designs, I have every hope they'll be as fun to use as they appear to be.
I absolutely know Obsidian can deliver in the weapon department, with Fallout: New Vegas, and more recently, Avowed, being stellar examples of RPGs with fulfilling and enjoyable combat systems. The Outer Worlds already laid down some solid foundations that just need some refining, and the Direct, coupled with the fact that Obsidian sought out advice from the developer behind Halo to get the gunplay right in the sequel, has my sense of anticipation skyrocketing. Sure, the proof will be in the Shrink Ray-sized pudding as to how satisfying combat will feel this time around, but with all of the improvements and role-playing goodness in store, the October 29 release date can't come soon enough.
See what's ahead from the studio in our roundup of upcoming Obsidian games.
