My Outer Worlds Saga Continues

[renegadefolkhero]

I have a very sordid purchasing history with this game, which I love more than almost anything. I just picked up the Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition. For those of you keeping track at home, this is the 3rd time I've purchased the base game, the 2nd time on PC. This time I got it from GOG. Playing with 2 second load times has been really sweet.

This 5th playthrough will follow the adventures of Corpo Esquire, a kleptomaniac fake lawyer who lies about literally everything and will be doing a true board run with the lowest body count possible (people can't bribe you if they're dead!). As some of you may recall, I attempted to do a board run back with Sexymann Corporate only to find my failure to keep Reed Thompson in power at Edgewater meant Sexymann would have to nuke the entire town, and he couldn't bear to do it. I fell in love with Akande so this was very sad. I shall remedy it this time. This will be a 100% completionist Board run. The notes probably won't be interesting unless you've played a bajillion times.

Speaking of playing a bajillion times... I wasn't sure if I'd really get into this run, since I abandoned my dumb run a while back, but it's been really enjoyable so far.

You're not supposed to have Vicar Max in your party until you get the book and leave for the Groundbreaker, but I wanted him in my party in the Vale so I did a speedy requisition of those items and got the ship up and running, then doubled back to finish all the sidequests and quest conversation trees. Max isn't supposed to be in the party at this point so he has no speaking lines except his timed banters with Pavarti, but I enjoyed having him along. I noticed a LOT of dead marauders that I didn't personally kill when I returned. Players will return to Emerald Vale for a companion quest, so maybe there's a flag that nukes some of them.

One of my other goals was to investigate every nook and cranny of the maps. The Outer Worlds is a silly game that lets you do lots of silly things, so sometimes there's a real HUH moment when they don't actually let you do something. For example, when I realized there was a balcony with an interior-leading door above the general store, I became VERY committed to trying to get up there because that would provide a way to break into the shop without having to kill anyone. And you can't! There are a few boxes stacked up that makes it look like maybe-maybe, but you can't. No back entrance, no way onto the roof, nothing.

I've gotten so used to weaving between the marauder patrols and camp at the very start of the game I've never actually explored that area thoroughly before. The shoreline is cool, albeit with minimal loot. I found a few wildlife dens and cleared them out. I triggered an amusing banter from Pavarti when we traveled along the river. The entire Emerald Vale countryside is a cautionary tale on the dangers of being outside the walls; the only people with any sort of survival rate are the deserters at the botanical lab and the marauders living in larger groups (until I show up, of course). All the other residents outside the walls are dead. Many of the marauders in small camps are also dead. All the wild canid packs are actively eating human remains. The primals may not actually eat humans, but they certainly kill them; every primal nest had dismembered corpses. Monarch is The Scary Wildlife Planet (tm), but Terra 2 isn't exactly a picnic.

There are items like Bred Noodles, which are consumables you can pick up, and then there are things like Bred Crumbs which are environmental decorations that cannot be interacted with but have similar packaging ("Don't tell anyone our crunch secret! Seriously, don't tell anyone! Trust us!"). Most of the printed papers and letters you find are illegible environmental decorations, but I was fascinated by an envelope sealed with wax that I found in one of the buildings.

I think we can all agree Zoe sucks, but her ambient chatter with the marauders is funny. I'm pretty sure the only reason she's alive is because she's hanging with Guillaume Antrim's crew, and Antrim is presumably "with it" enough not to kill her on sight, and isn't ruthless enough to simply kill her to loot the remaining Adrena-Time from her corpse. Zoe doesn't register the quest complete until you talk to her, so even after you kill all the marauders she will still converse with them as though they're alive.

Beefs:

• I still feel like not being able to engage in conversation with at least 1 of the 3 bounties is a missed opportunity. Doc Maybell doesn't even aggro until you get RIGHT ON TOP OF HER.
• I've complained about this before, but the game has way too many consumables. I intended to pick more of these up and actually use them, but I usually have to read through several descriptions and figure out what does what and IDK man.
• Despite telling no one my real name, I received 2 emails addressing me directly. Get your shit together Obsidian. I take my roleplaying very seriously.
• This game needs a flashlight. I actually had to crank my gamma up to see at night (D:)

Comments

[fereldanwench]

I have very fond memories of your Sexymann Corporate journaling, and I look forward to your Board-Approved playthrough notes!

I decided to more or less replay my OG captain--I was kind of surprised by how much I had forgotten about the story. I did two full, damn near 100% completion runs over 2019 and 2020, but the memory just ain't what it used to be, I guess. It's kind of nice, though, getting delighted all over again by, well, just about everything. Husbando keeps stopping by my office asking what the hell I'm laughing at, and I'm like IT'S THIS FUCKING GAME, DUDE. (Side note: He's never been able to finish it because he's also had a million issues trying to get it to run. Both the Epic Store and Game Pass ones gave him trouble.)

You're not supposed to have Vicar Max in your party until you get the book and leave for the Groundbreaker, but I wanted him in my party in the Vale so I did a speedy requisition of those items and got the ship up and running, then doubled back to finish all the sidequests and quest conversation trees. Max isn't supposed to be in the party at this point so he has no speaking lines except his timed banters with Pavarti, but I enjoyed having him along.

I DID THIS TOO lmao

Well, I didn't speed through it too much because I wanted the outcome where you put Adelaide in charge of Edgewater, which isn't exactly a quick resolution (I think you can just steal Edgewater's power thingy right out of their plant, IIRC? Which is probably the quickest), but I skipped most of the side quests so I could get one Maximillian Desoto in my party ASAP. I'm still futzing around on the Groundbreaker right now and haven't returned to the Vale yet.

I've complained about this before, but the game has way too many consumables. I intended to pick more of these up and actually use them, but I usually have to read through several descriptions and figure out what does what and IDK man.

I was actually excited about coming back to a game with consumables that are interesting, lmao. Cyberpunk has about the same amount, but they only do about half as many things--It's basically just like increases to health and stamina, so having consumables that can actually provide some fun gameplay adjustments is a welcome change (like my cap is a smoker and a sniper, and I love that the cig products give a focus boost to aiming). It is an excessive amount, though.

This game needs a flashlight. I actually had to crank my gamma up to see at night (D:)

WHY IS IT SO FUCKING DARK THO SERIOUSLY I've been tinkering with Reshade trying to increase the shadows, but some indoor areas are still damn near pitch black.

[renegadefolkhero]

It's kind of nice, though, getting delighted all over again by, well, just about everything.

YES! I have enjoyed the dialogue and voice acting so much, and it's been long enough that I forgot a lot of details. The constable may be one of the funniest people in Edgewater, but nearly every conversation has some kind of zinger in it.

I tried to steal Edgewater's power regulator and got a nice little zap for my trouble. Reed warns you about that, lol.

[fereldanwench]

Constable Reyes' "if this is a setup to a joke, you should know I've never found anything funny in my life" line gets me good every time.

I tried to steal Edgewater's power regulator and got a nice little zap for my trouble. Reed warns you about that, lol.

That's right! God, I really have forgotten a lot about this game, lmao. I have a vague recollection of doing that before, too.

I wrapped up the first round of Groundbreaker quests this weekend, and recruited Felix and made him do his little speech to join your space crew and/or outlaw gang, which is just the most precious thing int he world. And Udom thinking he's in some slow-burn adventure romancer serial with Hawthorne fdjkghdfjkg The fuckin emails he sends him? Incredible. The winky faces ended me.