So, I'm having a lot of fun with Outer Worlds 2 so far. I don't know how far from the end I am so there may be much more waiting to surprise me.
My only criticisms so far is that I think it was really lazy to make "Scrappers" replace Marauders as the nil-allegiance enemies out in the wilds because like Marauders, they're also drugged up on Adrena-Time. Personally I think Peril on Gorgon from TOW1 is mandatory content (which is unideal I know because it's paid DLC), so if you've done that and resolved it, the Scrappers in the sequel feel like "we couldn't think of anything else" and it kind of undermines Peril on Gorgon. Halcyon has been mentioned at least once in my playthrough having contact with Arcadia so. It's just disappointing, I can't say any more than that. Boring.
On a more general note, I think TOW1 was incredibly special because of how morbidly comedic it was, and the corporate dominance turning human rights into commodity was super gripping and topical to play through. Townies were born and grew up in corporate towns, statements such as "we are mad at our coworker who committed suicide because by killing himself he vandalised company property and now the rest of us on his unit have to pay a fine for damages and his gravesite fees" are completely normal to them.
2 however is not as zany as it's predecessor. There is one corporate entity and the rest of the game is like, religious cultism and war/crusades. I don't care about cult conflict. You just wander around killing extremist zealots who deserve to be killed and that's the end of that. It's just not grabbing me as much as the original premise. It's quite interesting because I remember the developers said they wanted 2 to be grittier than 1 but honestly 1 was grittier AND funnier.
Things like Mental Refreshment sanatoriums are a step in the right direction with maltreatment of people and dystopia society, but it's nowhere near as scary as 1. They wanted 2 to be more than 1 and it actually fails to surpass 1 in my opinion. It's possibly because the problems in 2 are more abstract than 1. Corporate dominance as explored by 1 is real and approaching irl, if we are not careful, so it's a bit more engaging looking into a possible future where people who remember freedom have all died and the present day folks are so indoctrinated they don't realise how fucked they are. In 2 you're running around trying to stop rifts from killing everyone and the available factions are more concerned with solving the equation of the universe. It's not as good imo.
The companions are fun, but Aza and Marisol are just there. They don't feel like valued members of a crew, they're just tagging along for the sake of it. Sub Rosa are supposed to be SubLight equivalents I guess but they don't do as much as SubLight in the story.
There's just. A lot that feels like a downgrade from the previous game.
However, I did say I was enjoying it and I am! I know it doesn't sound like it now but it is enjoyable to play. The locations definitely got upgrades. I love the ACS Undisputed Claim and ACS Free Market. The Art Deco inspiration in the Protectorate areas is gorgeous as well, which is my favourite part about the Outer Worlds franchise being a space game but having old tech and wartime style advertising and propaganda. Niles, Inez and Tristan are amazing, I love them a lot. Niles is incredibly bi like I swear he flirts with Inez, Zebulon AND Tristan. Improved items, perk system, combat, cute animations when you hack and fix shit.
Good game, enjoyable, just my favourite things about 1 aren't very present in this one which sucks a little but I'll get over it, complete it and get all the trophies LOL
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