

Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Release date: 23 October
Format: Xbox Series X/S (tested), PC, PS5
Game engine: Unreal Engine 5
The first Outer Worlds always felt like it couldn’t quite decide who it wanted to be. It borrowed the swagger of Fallout and the tone of BioShock, but it never stamped its own name on the frontier. It looked good, it played fine, but it never sang to its own tune. The Outer Worlds 2 fixes that, kind of. This is the sequel that finds its voice, both visually and narratively, but still relies on tried and trusted ideas to underpin its world. It’s more confident, more chaotic, and far more fun, but not completely new.