The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition

The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition is an enhanced version of the action RPG from Obsidian Entertainment, which in 2019 showed how a satirical corporate space dream could be turned inside out. The player wakes from a hundred years of cryosleep aboard a colonization ship to discover that the entire Halcyon system is controlled by rival megacorporations indifferent to the fate of ordinary people. Planetary exploration, dialogue trees with real consequences, and the option to resolve quests through diplomacy, sabotage, or brute force give the game the signature freedom of choice that Obsidian had already refined with Fallout: New Vegas. A crew of eccentric companions, each carrying their own mini-story and moral dilemma, makes the journey across Halcyon just as much a social experience as an action one.

On Xbox Series X and S, the Spacer's Choice Edition brings reworked lighting, higher resolution, and a more stable frame rate, letting the colorful, almost cartoon-styled environments stand out far better than in the original version. The combat system, combining shooting with tactical time slowdown, remains simple but functional, and the game's main draw — sarcastic dialogue and characterful companions — works just as well as it did at launch. The music and sound design underscore the ironic tone with which the game comments on late-stage capitalism, and even small conversations with side characters often conceal surprisingly sharp social satire.

At launch, the game earned praise mainly for its writing and atmosphere, although critics faulted it for its smaller scope compared to big open-world RPGs. Today that length is viewed more as an advantage — The Outer Worlds can be finished in a reasonable amount of time while still delivering a complete, self-contained story, without the player getting lost in dozens of hours of filler content. On Xbox Series, the remastered edition is the most convenient way to enjoy the game, and for fans of RPGs that emphasize choice and writing, it remains a strong experience even years later.

Why play it: The shorter length that critics faulted at launch will now be appreciated by anyone who wants to finish a self-contained story in a reasonable amount of time without dozens of hours of filler content, and the remastered edition is the most convenient way to do it.