The Outer Worlds is the latest from Obsidian, and its last as an independent developer after being bought up by Microsoft. It’s a throwback to the studio’s earlier days and a showcase of its modern strengths, presenting a vast open-world RPG set in the far reaches of space.

According to GameSpot’s The Outer Worlds review, the pervasive comparisons to the Fallout series are apt, but that’s not a bad thing. “It is, surprisingly, the best possible version of a Fallout game–a potent distillation of what made that series so beloved in the first place,” wrote Edmond Tran. Indeed, the critical consensus appears to be that the game captures similarly multi-layered and flexible RPG systems well.

Several outlets have published reviews for The Outer Worlds, and we’ve gathered a range of them below. For an even broader view, check out GameSpot’s sister site Metacritic. If will be included with Xbox Game Pass on PC and Xbox One. If you’re planning on playing, check out when it will unlock in your area.

• Game: The Outer Worlds
• Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One
• Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
• Release date: October 25
• Price: $60 / £50 / $68 AUD

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GameSpot — 9/10

“I finished The Outer Worlds wanting more, eager to jump back into the world to see extra things. It’s not a short game, but it’s one packed with such a steady stream of wonderful characters to meet, interesting places to explore, and meaningful, multi-layered quests to solve, that it didn’t feel like there was any room to get tired of it. I wanted to rewind the clock and do everything in a completely different way. The Outer Worlds is consistently compelling throughout, and it’s a superb example of how to promote traditional RPG sensibilities in a sharp, modern experience.” — Edmond Tran [Full review]

We Got This Covered — 5/5

“In all, The Outer Worlds is an unmitigated success. Naturally, recapturing the magic that made New Vegas such a beloved classic was never going to be an easy task, but the Californian studio has surprisingly pulled it off with aplomb once again. War never changes? I politely have to disagree. When Obsidian is at the helm, changes happen for the better, and that couldn’t make me happier.” — Dylan Chaundy [Full review]

Game Informer — 9.25/10

“Even if the larger beats don’t always land, The Outer Worlds shines with a constant stream of small, bright moments. An amusing interaction with a clueless guard. A sugary corporate jingle. A brutal sneak attack. A solution to a problem you are sure won’t work, but it does. The team at Obsidian excels at encouraging creative experimentation within its responsive and absurd setting, ensuring that every visit to Halcyon is full of delightful surprises.” — Joe Juba [Full review]

Destructoid — 9/10

“Despite some nominal issues that might be easier for some to hand-wave than others, Obsidian has out-Fallouted recent Fallout efforts. The Outer Worlds is more limited from a size standpoint compared to a lot of other open world adventures, but it makes up for it in charm and a succinct vision without much bloat.” — Chris Carter [Full review]

GamesRadar — 4/5

“The Outer Worlds marks Obsidian operating at the top of its game, and a strong foundation for a new franchise that seems destined for greatness.” — Alex Avard [Full review]

Gaming Trend — 65/100

“For better or worse, The Outer Worlds is a perfectly middle-of-the-road open-world RPG. It doesn’t take any big risks, but that also keeps it from falling on its face. Despite some great writing, the game doesn’t have much to say about the corporate dystopia it establishes, ultimately playing it too safe to justify the premise. Obsidian’s expertise with the genre makes The Outer Worlds a competent RPG, if not an especially interesting one.” — Brian Lawver [Full review]

The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-outer-worlds-review-roundup/1100-6470761/

Patrice Désilets is best known for creating the Assassin’s Creed series, having served as creative director on Assassin’s Creed, Assassin’s Creed 2, and Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood. He left Ubisoft in 2010 before founding Panache Digital Games in 2014, and he’s sorry for all those radio towers.

In a Q&A panel with Destructoid at EGLX, one attendee asked Désilets if he’s still considered “The Assassin’s Creed guy,” to which the creative director responded, “I dunno man! Honestly, I don’t know. A little bit! If you’re going to spend years on something I hope that happens.”

Those early Assassin’s Creed games popularised the concept of the climbable viewpoint, whereby you would reveal parts of the game map by scaling towers and syncronising the view. Other open-world Ubisoft games quickly adopted the mechanic, most notably the Far Cry series, and it made its way into a plethora of other games, including The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

“Breath of the Wild, wow!” Désilets exclaimed. “That was a game where you could do anything, once you finished the first half-hour or so. Now, you’re going to just climb towers and unfog the rest of the map. Sorry…it’s my fault…”

Désilets latest game–and Panache Digital Games’ first–still features plenty of climbing, although there are no radio towers to be found. Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey puts you in the primitive body of an early hominid 10 million years in the past, with the goal of ensuring your lineage continues through to two million BC, when our ancestors’ evolution transitioned from ape-like beings into a more human species.

Jordan Ramée handled GameSpot’s Ancestor’s review, saying “Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey lingers for far too long on its most toilsome aspects. The game does reward initial experimentation, but then asks you to repeat processes over and over again without any means of securing your legacy. It’s an absolute grind to reach the closest that Ancestors has to an endgame goal–survive for eight million years–and one costly mistake, whether the game’s or your own, can erase everything you’ve accomplished.

“What small satisfaction the game does provide is consistently ruined by violent predators, though the threat does lessen once you make it far enough into the neurological network’s expansive skill and perk tree. But as it stands, investing in Ancestors’ journey demands too much effort for too little reward.”

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/assassins-creed-creator-is-sorry-about-all-those-r/1100-6470759/

One of the new game reveals at Microsoft’s E3 2018 briefing was for a new skateboarding game called Session. The game was released on Steam Early Access earlier this year, but the Xbox One version has now been delayed to a later point in 2019.

In a Facebook post, developer Creature Studios said the team needs “more time” to finish the Xbox One port. The game is now slated for release in late November or early December.

“We know this sucks and we totally understand as we know you have been waiting to play the game on console for a while now,” the studio said. “We know it’s not great news to hear, but it’s not particularly fun to announce either, especially for a small studio like ours.”

“It is never easy to make such decisions as we know it can have an impact on several levels, so these decisions are never taken lightly,” the studio added. “We thank you for your understanding and hope you will stick around for the Xbox One release!”

Session was originally slated for launch on Xbox One’s Early Access-style Game Preview program in October. For more, check out GameSpot’s recent impressions piece, “In A World Without Skate 4, Session Makes Me Feel Better.”

Session was originally funded on Kickstarter, bringing in some CA$ 163,716, which was more than double its funding target. The game has a unique control setup where each stick represents one of your feet. Unlike the Tony Hawk or Skate franchises, there is no scoring system and the game has a day/night cycle.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-skateboarding-game-session-delayed-we-kno/1100-6470757/

Ubisoft’s 2013 western Call of Juarez: Gunslinger is headed to Nintendo Switch, it seems. The Entertainment Software Rating Board has published a rating for a Switch version, which seemingly confirms that the game is headed to Nintendo’s hybrid console.

On top of that, developer Techland has begun to sent out viral marketing for the game to some media outlets. VG247 reports that it received a western-themed postcard showing an old-timey character playing Call of Juarez on the Switch. An official reveal is scheduled for high noon PT on Thursday, October 24, so it won’t be long until all of this is confirmed.

In 2018, Techland bought back bought back the rights to Call of Juarez from Ubisoft. The company hasn’t said anything about bringing the series back to life, but a teaser released in October 2018 suggests the studio has more plans. Gunslinger was the fourth entry in the series, preceded by Call of Juarez, Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, and Call of Juarez: The Cartel (which was the only game in the series to take place in modern times).

If Gunslinger does indeed come to Switch, it will be among the first westerns on Nintendo’s platform. Nawia Games released Western 1849 Reloaded, an arcade-style shooter, was released in August 2018 for $8 USD. A comedy adventure role-playing game called West of Loathing was also released for Switch in 2018.

Keep checking back with GameSpot for more on new games for Nintendo Switch.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-switch-is-getting-the-2013-western-call-o/1100-6470752/