Why The Outer Worlds 2 Is A Better RPG Than A Shooter

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After a six-year wait, The Outer Worlds 2 has arrived, and it’s a significant improvement over the first game. Visually, it’s more polished, the opening is more impactful, and players now have the option of a third-person perspective. Overall, it’s a fantastic sequel that builds on the original without straying too far from what made it great.

Even though The Outer Worlds 2 is a solid game, its shooting mechanics aren’t as refined as those in other RPGs like Destiny 2 or Borderlands 4. This game excels as an RPG, not a shooter, so players shouldn’t worry about needing expert aiming skills to enjoy Obsidian’s new release.

Creating Your Character

Establishing The Life Of An Earth Directorate Officer

In The Outer Worlds 2, all players begin as an officer with the Earth Directorate, acting as a sort of space law enforcement. Like many large role-playing games, you’ll have extensive options to customize your character’s appearance – everything from facial features and body type to adding cybernetic enhancements.

In The Outer Worlds 2, you’ll be able to choose skills and traits when you begin playing, and gain more perks as you progress. While many shooting games let you customize things, RPG fans especially enjoy detailed character creation, even if it takes a significant amount of time.

The Dialogue System

Let’s Talk About Text, Baby

While gunfights are inevitable in The Outer Worlds 2, the game isn’t focused on shooting. What really sets it apart is the deep and engaging dialogue system. You can easily spend hours talking to characters, starting quests, and even completing some without ever firing a weapon. It’s a game where conversation is just as important – and sometimes more important – than combat.

Compared to the first game, character choices in The Outer Worlds 2 – like Skills and Backgrounds – truly impact conversations. It feels natural that a character’s personality or expertise, whether they’re a rebel or a scholar, would influence how they speak and approach situations. Even skills like hacking can help resolve conflicts through dialogue, making conversations feel more interactive and meaningful – almost like another way to overcome obstacles.

The Hunt For Materials

A Slower Pace

Players of action games usually want fast-paced excitement, but the recently shown dialogue from The Outer Worlds 2 suggests this RPG will be a slower experience. Expect to spend a significant amount of time searching homes and ruins for useful items and materials, and even checking the bodies of fallen enemies for loot.

Navigating menus takes time, which isn’t always enjoyable, but it’s common in role-playing games. The Outer Worlds 2 is a well-made game that allows players to advance as quickly or slowly as they like. While you could rush through and play it like a shooter, you’d be hindering yourself, as character stats are important – more so than in a game like Call of Duty.

Your Squad Matters

Be My Companion

A key part of playing RPGs is building a team, and The Outer Worlds 2 offers a variety of companions to help you. You’ll begin with Niles and Val, and later gain access to characters like Inez, and many more. These companions will fight alongside you automatically, but you can also trigger their unique special attacks whenever you want.

Many shooting games, like Call of Duty, Battlefield, and Tom Clancy titles, focus heavily on managing teams. But The Outer Worlds 2 takes a different approach. While there’s still gunplay, it’s not about overwhelming firefights. Instead, your companions are unique characters with their own personalities and skills – they’re much more than just nameless soldiers.

The Gadgets

Space Is Weird

In addition to powers gained from companions, the game features unique gadgets and weapons that go beyond typical shooting games. Like the first game, it’s more similar to the Ratchet & Clank series than mainstream shooters. One early example is a gadget that lets players control time – slowing it down for precise shots, or what counts as a perfect shot within The Outer Worlds 2.

The game features powerful weapons, including some that can completely dissolve enemies, and unique ‘science weapons’ that do things like shrink opponents. Unlike most shooters where precise aiming is crucial, these gadgets and unusual weapons allow for a more forgiving playstyle, reducing the need for pinpoint accuracy.

The Shooter Downsides

From Feel To Cover

So, those are the good things about The Outer Worlds 2 – it’s a solid RPG overall. Now, let’s talk about the shooting, which isn’t quite as good as in many other RPGs. No matter what weapon you use, aiming down the sights doesn’t feel as responsive or quick as it does in most shooting games.

While the shooting in The Outer Worlds 2 is improved over the first game – with features like craftable ammo and more durable guns – it still lacks the exciting, fast-paced feel of many shooter games. It functions well enough, but it’s more of a necessary tool for progressing than a truly enjoyable experience on its own.

Movement Is Not Fluid

Destiny 2 This Is Not

While the shooting mechanics are decent, movement in The Outer Worlds 2 feels a little rigid, whether you’re playing in first or third person. Though shooters aren’t always known for smooth movement, many games manage to make shooting feel as good as how the character moves.

Games like Destiny 2 successfully blend role-playing elements into action, a formula also seen in Bungie’s Halo, which was influential in making console shooters feel great to play. The Outer Worlds 2 features a cool sliding mechanic, but otherwise doesn’t stand out significantly among other RPGs or shooters.

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2025-11-03 03:05