The Outer Worlds 2 is officially on its way, and fans of Obsidian Entertainment's style are already looking forward to what the new game may have in store. The first game was a pretty big hit with fans of Obsidian's most popular venture, Fallout: New Vegas, and it demonstrated a general gameplay tone that has become synonymous with the likes of The Elder Scrolls and Fallout as a whole. It even did all of this while giving players a pretty original story, full of parodies on capitalism and witty humor. The Outer Worlds' inspirations were clear from the very start, but that didn't stop it from feeling like a fresh take on the RPG genre.
Obsidian is likely to do a lot of new things with The Outer Worlds 2 now that it has the full support of Microsoft on its side, which should make for a sequel that heavily expands on the first game's foundation. If the upcoming game is going to continue taking inspiration from other games, there are plenty of other features from The Elder Scrolls and Fallout to choose from. While some features would likely fit with The Outer Worlds 2 better than others, there's one in particular that would be deceptively simple. That one feature would be the option to play The Outer Worlds 2 in third-person.
How Elder Scrolls And Fallout Use Third-Person
While it may seem like a routine feature to those that are familiar with The Elder Scrolls or Fallout, giving players the option to switch between first and third-person is not something that is very widely available in most games. Whether or not a game gets put in one perspective or another is decided by a plethora of different factors, from gameplay mechanics to how developers want players to experience the story. It's only been recently that games like Grand Theft Auto 5 or Red Dead Redemption 2 have given players the option to choose, and even then it's often clear that the game was developed with one perspective in mind.
The Elder Scrolls and Fallout make the option between first and third-person so compelling because both manage to be effective ways to play the game. There aren't many more hiccups with one perspective versus the other, and it gives player the choice to experience the game as they wish. It adds a layer of variety to each playthrough, as gamers are given the option to explore as close or far away to their character as they want. It makes the role-playing experience that much more dynamic, and is part of the reason why The Elder Scrolls and Fallout have such immersive worlds.
How Third Person Can Affect The Outer Worlds 2's Gameplay
The gameplay in The Outer Worlds didn't exactly reinvent the wheel, but it wasn't the most boring thing in the world either. It was largely reflective of the first-person RPGs that made Obsidian popular in the first place with New Vegas, and there weren't any major flaws other than it being a bit repetitive. That being said, many gamers expect some kind of evolution with sequels in terms of what new gameplay features are brought to the table, and a third-person mode could be just what The Outer Worlds 2 needs.
One of the primary benefits of having a third-person mode is that combat becomes much more dynamic. Over-the-shoulder views allow players to see some kind of panorama around their character, and it can help with seeing exactly how enemies are situated during a firefight. It makes taking cover a bit more forgiving, as players can see when enemies are closing in on their position, and it just overall lends itself to a greater amount of strategy in battle. While The Outer Worlds was clearly demonstrating a more classic first-person RPG feel with its gameplay, adding a third-person mode to the sequel would greatly modernize its gameplay.
How Third-Person Can Affect The Outer World 2's Story
Third-person mode can change up gameplay in a big way, but it can also have just as strong of an affect on how the story a game's story is perceived. The Outer Worlds put players in a strictly first-person perspective throughout all of its cutscenes and major story moments, which worked well enough with the moral decisions that had to be made. Adding a third-person mode however, could greatly alter how the story is perceived, which could be a welcome change to some players.
As far as most first-person RPGs are concerned, the perspective can help players feel like they are truly in control of their own character. They see everything through their character's eyes, so the character's motivations are also the player's motivations. For some players that want more escapism however, a third-person perspective can allow for a stronger sense of role-playing. Because of the third-person perspective, it becomes less of a matter of, "These are my decisions", and more "These are my character's decisions". A layer of detachment from the real-world is created, and it could help immerse players into The Outer Worlds 2's galaxy even more than the first game.
With how early in development The Outer Worlds 2 is, it's hard to say whether or not Obsidian will experiment with bringing a third-person mode into the game. It'c certainly become one of the more popular options for action-RPGs nowadays, and with the added support of Microsoft this time around, it might be more possible than with the first game. The Outer Worlds really gave players something special in the way of a unique RPG experience, so fans can only hope that the sequel will keep to the core of its success while also being bold enough to innovate with new features.
The Outer Worlds 2 is currently in development.