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Haze

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,773
Detroit, MI
Yeah, and that's the problem.

It's like the game is designed as a shooter first and RPG later. It feels like I'm playing Borderlands sometimes, especially when I'm outside of civilizations. Even the enemy encounter design is pretty similar, with boxes and buildings to hide, as well as explosives to help you deal with them. Yes, the enemies would chill besides explosives, just like in many other shooters out there. Morever, the quest design in TOW is also pretty close to Borderlands, they're mostly fetch quests. However, TOW excels in writing and actual roleplaying aspects compared to Borderlands.

yeah, I would have traded the admittedly good shooter mechanics of TOW for better role playing.
 

Lo-Volt

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,435
New Yawk City!
New Vegas is great and F4 is fine (I seem to like it more than Era's hive mind) but whether The Outer Worlds is better or worse partially depends on the tone you're looking for.

Fallout as a rule is pretty drab and dreary: it's a satirical post nuclear story and there isn't really a "happily ever after" (and the 3D games besides New Vegas are set on the a East Coast, where things are even worse than on the West). The dark and sometimes bonkers humor of The Outer Worlds is at least balanced by a sort of vibrancy. There's a sense of color, guile and excitement to the world all those characters inhabit, even if they're sometimes amoral and cynical. F4 also has a pretty clunky settlement and home system, so you might or might not really hate it.

That said, the Fallout games are old and sometimes sluggish. They're going to show, especially compared to the smooth technicolor pop of The Outer Worlds.
 

Ballpoint Ren

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
1,425
Canada
It's better in a lot of respects, in particular the way the game allows you to build your character, and exploration. Levelling up is done through a unique skill point system that gives you a lot of freedom in the early game, while valuing how you allocate your points in the mid-late game. It's done in a way that I've never seen any other game do before. Unlike in Fallout, where you screw yourself over for dumping points into Energy Weapons early, every skill has value in every avenue of the game.

As for exploration, it's more concentrated and focused in The Outer Worlds than in Fallout. As much as I loved exploring the wasteland in Fallout New Vegas (ESPECIALLY in the DLC areas), and in Fallout 3 for that matter, there's a monotony that comes with travelling, well, a wasteland. Instead of having one big open world in Outer Worlds, it opts for a number of locales on an assortment of planets that are in areas that are beautiful and not tiresome to explore. What you're missing in the spectacle of wandering a post-apocalyptic nuclear wasteland, you gain in territories and settlements/cities that are rich with character and indentity.
 

TheYanger

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
10,133
Yeah, and that's the problem.

It's like the game is designed as a shooter first and RPG later. It feels like I'm playing Borderlands sometimes, especially when I'm outside of civilizations. Even the enemy encounter design is pretty similar, with boxes and buildings to hide, as well as explosives to help you deal with them. Yes, the enemies would chill besides explosives, just like in many other shooters out there. Morever, the quest design in TOW is also pretty close to Borderlands, they're mostly fetch quests. However, TOW excels in writing and actual roleplaying aspects compared to Borderlands.
The fuck are you talking about. TOW has ACTUAL roleplaying/stats/etc matters when it comes to quests, world design, everything. Fallout 3 and 4 are the games that have literally none of that. Complete trash, Bethesda RPG design is like dropping a bucket of legos on the fucking floor and saying 'here's our rpg' - Obsidian and old Black Isle fallouts are like if you actually fucking built a lego playset and said 'here play in it' instead.
 

eathdemon

Member
Oct 27, 2017
9,607
while I get the comparison to fallout, after playing it, it seems more a evaluation of kotor 2 tbh. I think outer worlds is kinda what kotor would have evolved in too, minus the late stage capitalism stuff, if the series continued.
 

Ra

Rap Genius
Moderator
Oct 27, 2017
12,196
Dark Space
TOW is more Borderlands with dialogue trees. I can't compare a game to Fallout when there is zero sense of discovery or exploration out in the wild.

Saving it's clearly better than FO 3 or 4 is wild exaggeration to me. FO4 with the dialogue tree mod is just better, and 3 is waaayy better. New Vegas shits from great heights and isn't even in the convo.

TOW I still consider a good game though, after saying all of that, it's just closer to Borderlands the Popcorn RPG. Like if Gearbox took a stab at Borderlands the RPG I would've expected exactly this, it's uncanny.
 

Trisc

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,485
The Outer Worlds feels to me less like a spiritual sequel to New Vegas, and more like "what if we made Fallout 1 in 2019?" In terms of its politics and themes, The Outer Worlds has more in common with Fallout 1 than it does any other in the Fallout series, especially regarding an emphasis on story above just about everything else. Like FO1, the story is the primary focus, and side quests are kept extremely brief so you focus more on the actual narrative instead of getting caught up in a checklist of diversions. The only thing it's "missing" in regard to Fallout 1 is a time limit to retrieve the chemicals for the colonists abord the Hope, and I'm frankly glad that's not a thing.

Its side quests lack substance and the companions feel very undercooked (if still compelling as characters), but the game is overall still extremely funny and well-written. Pacing is good, and keeping each planet zone relatively small means exploration isn't a drag. I wouldn't be surprised if The Outer Worlds 2 puts a greater emphasis on exploration and discovering weird and elaborate side quest chains (and other bizarre activities) while keeping the story more tangential, like Fallout 2 and New Vegas.

Is it better? No. It's different.
 
Oct 26, 2017
20,440
It has competent gameplay and is competently programmed so it's not similar to the Fallout games

Outer Worlds is very dull though and has few interesting characters, scenes, or consequences.
 

Dark Knight

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
19,248
I'm of the opinion that Outer Worlds' combat is about as good as New Vegas, and I fucking love NV.
 
Oct 27, 2017
12,374
No. New Vegas is still better. So is Fallout 3, to be frank.

It's good, there's a great franchise in there but it needs some expansion through a higher budget and maybe more team members to work on it. Great concept And foundation, though I was surprised at how bland I found a lot of the characters
 

mugurumakensei

Elizabeth, I’m coming to join you!
Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,320
TOW > NV > 4 > 3

3 has more jank than 4 and the story and dialogue is still Bethesda terrible whereas 4 looks nicer and is okay in the jank department

TOW has a decent narrative with great dialogue and little to no jank. NV has the jank of a Bethesda engine game but with much better dialogue and writing
 

Nigel Tufnel

Member
Mar 5, 2019
3,146
Of the games I've played, I'd probably rate them:

Fallout 3
New Vegas
Outer Worlds
Fallout 4
Getting run over by a bus
Fallout 76

I think Outer Worlds has more in common with KotOR2 and Mass Effect than Fallout, though.

I liked Fallout 4, so these are all games I hold in high esteem, though I was disappointed with 4s move away from roleplaying mechanics.
 

Nintendo

Prophet of Regret
Member
Oct 27, 2017
13,352
No. Not even close. All Fallout games are much better than The Outer Worlds.

Exploration, scavenging, customization,..etc. are better and more rewarding in Fallout games.
 

Kraken3dfx

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,943
Denver, CO
I like Outer Worlds a lot, but at the end of the day, I'll still go back to New Vegas for another play thru before it. Both are pretty great though.
 

MrS

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
4,085
Couldn't be any worse than the dreadful Fallout 4, surely? That game is a piece of shit.
 

SupremeWu

Banned
Dec 19, 2017
2,856
depends on what you're looking for. I think it's better than 3 for sure, but you might disagree if "big open world" is something you're looking for.

1>New Vegas>2>Outer Worlds>4>3 is probably how I'd rank it, with a fairly hefty gap between OW and 4.

I know some people hate 3 but saying it's worse than 4 is blasphemous. 4 is putrid.
 

Deleted member 29249

User requested account closure
Banned
Nov 1, 2017
3,634
To me not at all. Exploration is bad, npc either fight or just stand there, gear is shit, character builds are limited just to name a few things. Also really hate the evil space corporations thing.
 

spman2099

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,891
I've never played a fallout game, but for people who have played all of them... Should I just go straight to outer worlds as I won't have time to play more than 1

Better than the 3D ones, but the first two games are genuinely excellent and definitely deserve to be played.

I think it is easily better than any of the Bethesda Fallouts. Easily. Hearing people argue that Fallout 4 is better than The Outer Worlds is like hearing people argue that Bubsy 3D is better than Mario 64.
 

DSP

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,120
It's more like a mass effect fallout hybrid than a fallout game. It's closer to Mass Effect if you ask me, it's first person and you loot a lot but beyond that it's not similar to fallout. There is no exploration really, everything is very obviously placed. The focus on party members makes it more closer to Bioware games like Mass Effect imo.
 

dodo

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,994
I know some people hate 3 but saying it's worse than 4 is blasphemous. 4 is putrid.

I think where I come down on it is that while 4's roleplaying elements and writing are absolutely terrible, I at least had more fun playing it as a shooter. The combat was enough of an improvement that I squeezed some entertainment out of shooting bad guys and crafting weapons, even if the writing in between was dogshit. It at least entertained the part of my lizard brain that enjoys looking down the sights and pulling the trigger, y'know?

the problem with 3, especially if the OP is playing it for the first time in 2019, is that it is bad from every angle. The writing is boring--better than 4, but not by much--and the shooter gameplay that was already sort of rough in 2008 is even more miserable now. New Vegas carries that same wobbly gameplay forward, but at least pairs it with a gripping story with so many options that encourage you to actually role play it elevates the experience enough to still recommend.

EDIT- while we're at it, I think The Outer Worlds' roleplaying is more comparable to Fable than Fallout, or even Mass Effect. I don't mean that as an insult! It's a game that offers you the choice between being good and nice, or a mustache-twirling villain.
 
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MerluzaSamus

Member
Dec 3, 2018
1,127
No, you can get away with a lot of stuff too easily, to the point I felt like a mary sue before reaching midgame.
Murder a "Corporate diplomat" with a heavy weapon? Only two guards beside him notice it, the other that are at the door, are none the wiser. Receive a negligible reputation penalty.
Stealing in front of everyone? You can pass it off with a low level charisma check, also, receive another negligible rep penalty.

What's the point of having freedom in a rpg game where there's so little resistance to your whims?

Don't get me wrong, it IS a great rpg, totally better than FO4.
But, it's nowhere near FO: NV.

Edit: Fixed typos
 

LavaBadger

Member
Nov 14, 2017
4,985
Better than new Vegas? Probably not. Better than 3 and 4? Yeah, but that's not a super high bar.
 

SupremeWu

Banned
Dec 19, 2017
2,856
I think where I come down on it is that while 4's roleplaying elements and writing are absolutely terrible, I at least had more fun playing it as a shooter. The combat was enough of an improvement that I squeezed some entertainment out of shooting bad guys and crafting weapons, even if the writing in between was dogshit. It at least entertained the part of my lizard brain that enjoys looking down the sights and pulling the trigger, y'know?

the problem with 3, especially if the OP is playing it for the first time in 2019, is that it is bad from every angle. The writing is boring--better than 4, but not by much--and the shooter gameplay that was already sort of rough in 2008 is even more miserable now. New Vegas carries that same wobbly gameplay forward, but at least pairs it with a gripping story with so many options that encourage you to actually role play it elevates the experience enough to still recommend.

Fair enough, I know 3 had it's problems, I may be over-protective since I'm a DC kid and we don't have nearly enough games set here. I loved running around the capital ruins not even doing much (and the soundtrack may be in my top 5).
 

texhnolyze

Member
Oct 25, 2017
23,144
Indonesia
The fuck are you talking about. TOW has ACTUAL roleplaying/stats/etc matters when it comes to quests, world design, everything. Fallout 3 and 4 are the games that have literally none of that. Complete trash, Bethesda RPG design is like dropping a bucket of legos on the fucking floor and saying 'here's our rpg' - Obsidian and old Black Isle fallouts are like if you actually fucking built a lego playset and said 'here play in it' instead.
Did you read till the end of my post? I'm not saying otherwise.

That said, I think Fallout 3 is still better in this aspect. As Nooblet said in the previous page, Fallout 3 has far more consequences. Saying it literally has none of that is just factually wrong. In fact, the changes and consequences in Fallout 3 felt more direct, as you can see it within the playthrough. If you side with group A to get rid of group B from a city, you can immediately see the changes. People are leaving, and new ones stepping in, it becomes a completely different place. In TOW's Edgewater for example, what's the difference between siding with Tobson or Adelaide? Yes, there are narrative differences, but the city still mostly stays the same.
 

Bricktop

Attempted to circumvent ban with an alt account
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
2,847
It's better in a lot of respects, in particular the way the game allows you to build your character, and exploration. Levelling up is done through a unique skill point system that gives you a lot of freedom in the early game, while valuing how you allocate your points in the mid-late game. It's done in a way that I've never seen any other game do before. Unlike in Fallout, where you screw yourself over for dumping points into Energy Weapons early, every skill has value in every avenue of the game.

Couldn't disagree more. The Outer Worlds character building is awful. Ignore Defense, ignore Leadership, pick between Range and Melee and you can literally max everything else in the game. From the first area forward I could hack, lockpick, engineer, medic, persuade, intimidate, etc, etc everything.

At least in the Fallout games you had to compromise and character build choices had repercussions. I never once felt that in TOW and for the last 10 hours or so I played ran around with 30-40 skill points unused because I didn't need them.

As for exploration, there is no exploration. It's an empty, barren world with nothing worth exploring. Exploration and character development are two of the weakest parts of the fame, and far weaker than any of the Fallout series.
 

dodo

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,994
Fair enough, I know 3 had it's problems, I may be over-protective since I'm a DC kid and we don't have nearly enough games set here. I loved running around the capital ruins not even doing much (and the soundtrack may be in my top 5).

Oh for sure. Honestly even though I'm down on it overall there's still a lot about 3 that I remember fondly. The setting is cool, the intro in the Vault is a strong opening, and there are some standout quests. I just think it missed the point of 1 and 2 quite badly, and New Vegas was a necessary course-correction.
 

Teeth

Member
Nov 4, 2017
3,926
People love it's theme park design where there is always some whacky thing over the next hill.

You say this derisively but I kinda feel like that's why I had a better time playing F3. F3 was often aggressively stupid, but there was differentiated content around a lot of corners. There was possibility that created interest.

Outer Worlds (at least the 8 hours i've played so far) is so incredibly dry. I'm shocked at out mundane the entire thing is. The way things resolve in dialogue is hilariously flat.

"You just destroyed our entire way of life, my soldiers are going to carve you to pieces!"
"(Intimidate 20) If you don't leave, I'm going to shoot you first."
"Ok. But just know that you caused this whole mess. C'mon boys, we're out of here."


"I took too many space drugs and hate everyone. Come another step and we'll blow you away."
"(Persuade 30) Hey, I just want to look around."
"Ok comrade! Keep it above board though!"
"(Lie 20) I was told there's dangerous materials in the back. I'll clean them out."
"Ok! You have full run of that place! What a relief you came when you did!"

lol
 

Hollowism

Member
Dec 25, 2017
63
New Vegas will always be the king. Even though the writing in TOW is better than Fallout 3, I'd still say Fallout 3 is better IMHO. Only played about an hour into F1 and 2, so I can't really say for sure on those games.

EDIT: Forgot to mention Fallout 4. Fallout 4 is a bad RPG, but boy is it fun to just dick around in the world
 
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HK-47

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,573
You say this derisively but I kinda feel like that's why I had a better time playing F3. F3 was often aggressively stupid, but there was differentiated content around a lot of corners. There was possibility that created interest.

Outer Worlds (at least the 8 hours i've played so far) is so incredibly dry. I'm shocked at out mundane the entire thing is. The way things resolve in dialogue is hilariously flat.

"You just destroyed our entire way of life, my soldiers are going to carve you to pieces!"
"(Intimidate 20) If you don't leave, I'm going to shoot you first."
"Ok. But just know that you caused this whole mess. C'mon boys, we're out of here."


"I took too many space drugs and hate everyone. Come another step and we'll blow you away."
"(Persuade 30) Hey, I just want to look around."
"Ok comrade! Keep it above board though!"
"(Lie 20) I was told there's dangerous materials in the back. I'll clean them out."
"Ok! You have full run of that place! What a relief you came when you did!"

lol
That's a small thing. Essays have been written about how bad the checks in 3 are.
 
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Lobster Roll

signature-less, now and forever
Member
Sep 24, 2019
34,261
It's the best of the 3D Fallout-style games to date. I rank it above New Vegas simply because the Mojave Wasteland is the worst setting and backdrop of any 3D RPG I've ever played, and the characters within its world are just as forgettable. New Vegas still ranks higher than all of the other Fallout games from RPG, narrative, and dialogue perspectives.

TOW is a fantastic marriage of all of the best aspects of the games to date. The narrative is excellent, the tone & atmosphere is equal parts desperation, bleakness, and humorous. The writing (specifically, the dialogue options and VA) are multiple tiers above the other 3D Fallout-style games. The combat is snappy, responsive, and fun, and includes a little VATS-like mechanic that doesn't grind the combat to a complete halt. Companions are the best of the bunch for side quests, conversations, and combat.

There are also some QOL changes that the game truly benefits from. Let's be honest, the whole "bobby pin mechanic" is straight out of 2009 and needs to go. It's dreadfully boring to play the same, mindless mini game where ironically, you can bypass every single lock in the game if you have enough pins and patience. I like the hard gates on locks and just "hold E and you're done". Thank the Law they removed that and the mindless hacking mini game too.

I will concede that the game looks and feels like an A or AA game, though. Otherwise, it stands clearly above the other Fallout-style games and I cannot wait to see what the sequel looks like with that AAA budget.
 

TheYanger

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
10,133
TOW is more Borderlands with dialogue trees. I can't compare a game to Fallout when there is zero sense of discovery or exploration out in the wild.

Saving it's clearly better than FO 3 or 4 is wild exaggeration to me. FO4 with the dialogue tree mod is just better, and 3 is waaayy better. New Vegas shits from great heights and isn't even in the convo.

TOW I still consider a good game though, after saying all of that, it's just closer to Borderlands the Popcorn RPG. Like if Gearbox took a stab at Borderlands the RPG I would've expected exactly this, it's uncanny.
Ironic, I'd consider Fallout 3 and 4 closer to Borderlands - meaningless gunplay with no semblance of roleplaying whatsoever. Your choices mean nothing in Fallout and are written to be COMICALLY simple. You shoot your way through every situation, and your choices amount to "BLOW UP THE TOWN" and "SAVE THEM FROM THE OBVIOUS EVIL GUY" which is fucking pathetic. It spat in the face of Fallout and what it meant to roleplaying back then, and it still does. Having a giant map full of literally nothing interesting or curated is trash, the fact that people accept it as rpg design is kind of sad.
 

ninnanuam

Member
Nov 24, 2017
1,956
I like the Outer Worlds but its way more like a FPS Mass Effect in structure than it is like a Fallout.
 

phant0m

Member
Oct 29, 2017
3,361
I like it better because it's not as big. I don't have time to trudge through 40 hour games anymore.

Refinement over abundance.
 

Doskoi Panda

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 27, 2017
14,895
"You just destroyed our entire way of life, my soldiers are going to carve you to pieces!"
"(Intimidate 20) If you don't leave, I'm going to shoot you first."
"Ok. But just know that you caused this whole mess. C'mon boys, we're out of here."
fwiw this is how that exact exchange would play out in a typical playthrough of Fallout 3 or 4

"You just destroyed our entire way of life, my soldiers are going to carve you to pieces!"
(Speech, 45%) "If you don't leave, I'm going to shoot you first."
"Fuck you, and the brahmin you rode in on!" *shootout begins*

>esc
>reload the quicksave

"You just destroyed our entire way of life, my soldiers are going to carve you to pieces!"
(Speech, 45%) "If you don't leave, I'm going to shoot you first."
"Fuck you, and the brahmin you rode in on!" *shootout begins*

>esc
>reload the quicksave

"You just destroyed our entire way of life, my soldiers are going to carve you to pieces!"
(Speech, 45%) "If you don't leave, I'm going to shoot you first."
(Success!) "Whoa now, let's not get hasty..."

>quicksave
 

Deleted member 7130

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
7,685
I didn't think Outer Worlds was a bad game but I personally couldn't finish it. Not to my taste aesthetically - both visually and stylistically in the writing. This was the defecto game where I can just say Obsidian does not make games that align with my style.

Again, it's not to say it's bad, we're just incompatible.
 

LossAversion

The Merchant of ERA
Member
Oct 28, 2017
10,656
It's great and it's obviously similar in structure to the 3D Fallout games but it doesn't really replace the feeling of wandering around a post-apocalyptic America with a 50's/60's aesthetic.