Summary
Space exploration has always been a popular theme in mainstream media, with theStar WarsandStar Trekseries forming some of the most profitable and iconic bodies of work ever made. Successful concepts in movies typically translate into video games, and over the years, franchises have crafted unique adaptations of what it means to traverse through the endless atmosphere.The Outer Worldsis one of the best-received space-themed games in the modern gaming era, as Obsidian thrilled fans with a first-person view of turmoil in the Halcyon colony. WithThe Outer Worlds 2coming in the wake ofStarfield’s performance, the sequel has a lot to learn from the Bethesda title to impress its fan base.
Since Obsidian gave fans a preview of what to expect fromThe Outer Worlds 2with an official trailer, updates of the title’s developmental journey have been few and far between. The developer has elected to keep its cards close to its chest, but the silence hasn’t stopped fans from speculating about potential improvements from the first installment. AfterStarfieldburst onto the scene with a bang back in September, Bethesda has laid down a marker for all space games to emulate, andThe Outer Worlds 2can not afford to disappoint with an experience that doesn’t measure up. Every game has the good, the bad, and the ugly, and fans will be hoping Obsidian can useStarfield’s elements as a guide on what to implement and avoid.
RELATED:The Outer Worlds 2 Has Starfield Beat in One Way
Starfield Has a Few Pitfalls The Outer Worlds 2 Needs to Avoid
Before launch,Starfieldwas a polarizing topic in the gaming industry, with previews generating hate trains and fan fare simultaneously. Despite the many positives for Bethesda in the weeks since its debut, there are some things players dislike aboutStarfieldthatThe Outer Worlds 2would be wise to avoid. For starters, fast travel and its complementary loading screens were greeted with some ire by players, as the space-faring elements fans expected were almost non-existent. Space exploration wasStarfield’s big draw, and since landing or takeoff isn’t possible at the moment, continuous flow state gameplay is missing.
The Outer Worlds, despite launching on last-gen consoles, featured far fewer loading screens in contrast. In light ofStarfield’s criticism, the logical progression for Obsidian is to cut down even more on the load screens or at least menus inThe Outer Worlds 2and let players experience space in all its glory. Thelack of land transportation is another drawback forStarfield, as Todd Howard claimed it would negatively impact the exploration pacing.The Outer Worldsalso lacked land vehicles, and judging from the reaction toStarfield’s omission,The Outer Worlds 2might want to backtrack and include the mechanism in its gameplay if it can make it fun.
UI design hasn’t been a strong point of Bethesda, as players have often resorted to using mods to compensate in itsFalloutandThe Elder Scrollsgames.Starfieldcontinues the developer’s struggles in this regard, and the cluttered inventory system is a headache to navigate when looking for items. The oversight is a pronounced pain point, andThe Outer Worldshad similar problems with its inventory management, although not in the proportions ofStarfieldwhere a great deal of time is spent sorting through its menus.
Avoiding Bethesda’s characteristic UI issues is vital toThe Outer Worlds 2’s success, and gamers are hoping for a smoother run in the title. It’s not solely negative lessons Obsidian has to pay attention to, asStarfieldstill gets so many things rightdespite its glaring gaps.
The title has been hailed for its engaging storytelling—somethingThe Outer Worldsreceived similar praise for with its satiric approach. Fans are expecting the humor and classic sci-fi tropes to return in the sequel, distinguishing itself with a focused story instead ofStarfield’s exploratory pull. However, to avoid the Bethesda title’s pitfalls,The Outer Worlds 2has to learn from the tiny details of its mistakes.
