The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition Review

The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition launched earlier this month from Obsidian Entertainment, Private Division, and Virtuos. Compiling the base game and both of its excellent DLCs, Peril on Gorgon and Murder on Eridanos, we get a fantastic package that optimizes the game for current-gen consoles.

There’s a catch, though! Since this is a full package with included DLC, players will have to cough up enough dough for a full-priced release. Looking for a current-gen upgrade? Well, you’ll have to shell out for that too. We’ll get to these later!

For now, what has changed since The Outer Worlds dropped back in 2019? Read on fellow spacefarer and see the difference!

*Disclaimer – we played and reviewed the game on a patched version and not the original release.

A Current-gen Face Lift

The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition, coming from someone who has played it relatively recently, would definitely see and feel the difference from its previous iteration. After previously playing the Xbox One version on a Series X, the mark of it being a last-gen release was undeniable, despite the reduced loading times.

Visually, The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition looks great! The overhauled lighting and environments make the visuals pop out. Whereas the visuals of the previous version were an improvement from another familiar Obsidian game, Fallout: New Vegas, it obviously looks flat by the Spacer’s Choice standards, especially when comparing lighter and darker environments.

Abandoned space stations feel a lot more claustrophobic, with the darker areas jumping out and more noticeable. It’s no Dead Space Remake, but you can definitely feel the incoming danger with the improved lighting. Similarly, you’re better immersed on the planets that you explore each with its unique dynamic atmosphere, making each planet a different experience.

I played the game in performance mode on the PS5, and there are noticeable differences compared to the last-gen version. The movement is crisp with little or no motion blur when engaging enemies and the fights are definitely more fluid compared to the original.

Gunplay has also been improved in The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition. Whereas in the original, it felt average, the crisp movement does add to the action of the game. When you begin to bring your companions into the mix, combat becomes quite more frenetic. I enjoyed the combat more this time around, prompting me to build my character more as a fighter rather than a silver-tongued devil.

Being a true current-gen version, load times in The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition has definitely been improved. In my experience, load times were almost eliminated, and while load screens still separated exterior and interior locales, fast travel is far less arduous. As a direct result, gameplay momentum isn’t interrupted without making long trips on foot.

An Open-world Triumph

The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition preserves its excellent story and character development. The increased level cap allows you more learned skills to improve on your character not just specializing in one particular build, but also allows you to be more than just a gun-toting spaceman or a sly and charismatic talker.

I still hold my opinion that The Outer Worlds really improves upon the RNG-based challenge screens. Your skills do the heavy lifting, bypassing some of the more annoying open-world tropes such as lockpicking, and there are also different ways for you to succeed on a challenge, and not one character build is an advantage over the other. This certainly allows for character diversity, not just limiting your play style to the consensus of the internet.

Side quests remain meaningful in the game, where you get to discover more about the current planet or character with its ironic comedy. It’s not just a way to pad the game with meaningless stories and more loot and a way to grind character levels, but it really does enhance the overall experience.

The Fallout formula this game is based on tends to drag the main questline far too long that you’ll find yourself lost in the open world, and while that’s a good thing for some players, especially core fans of Obsidian’s work, the game does allow players to simply power through the main storyline should they choose to just see the credits roll.

Players who already own the base game and the DLCs can upgrade to the current-gen version at a reduced price of $9.99, which feels like a kick to the teeth. While a second playthrough is much appreciated with the improved quality-of-life features, the ten-dollar cover feels a little too steep.

New players would probably get the best out of this experience, being able to see the game at its best for the first time. That said, mileage may vary, and we are very much aware of the lingering issues like performance drops and similar complaints, there’s no doubt that this edition will indeed be the best way to play the game once the patches start rolling in.

What We Liked

• Improved quality of life and performance warrants a second (or third) playthrough.
• Improved visuals allow for better immersion.
• Increased level cap to improve your current build.

What We Didn’t Like

• $9.99 upgrade price for current owners.
• Lingering issues that may vary from player to player

Verdict: Wait for it…

The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition is the ultimate way to experience The Outer Worlds, both as a first-time player or someone that’s re-discovering the game. The added quality-of-life features such as improved performance and load times don’t interrupt momentum and allow you to experience the game at its absolute best.

The storyline and meaningful content are preserved and improved with an increased level cap and all the DLCs available for you to peruse. Immerse yourself in the world with its next-gen visuals, lighting, and dynamic weather this time around.

That said, there are concrete issues still plaguing The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition as of writing, so it remains to be seen when these can be addressed. Despite all of the good things that can be said, it is hard to fully recommend a purchase right now until the issues have been resolved.

*The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition was reviewed on a PS5 with a review code provided by the publisher.