Done with Outer Worlds now, too. Really appreciate all the QoL improvements for the sequel, but that core of wandering round with your pals, fixing (or causing) problems for various flavours of zealous sociopath is rock solid.
I'm not as interested in another go at it as I am with the sequel, though—probably because my experiences in OW2 made me much more deliberate in my character choices so there's less of a sense of "should have done that differently".
I have, of course, immediately restarted the sequel with the intent of a heavily speech-focused build and a strong anti-corporate approach, so we'll set how that plays out.
Play
Hot on the heels of finishing off Outer Worlds 2, I've immediately gone back to The Outer Worlds, which seems much larger than its reputation had led me to believe. There are at least two planets on the system map I've not even unlocked yet, and I've not been a slouch about missions. It's not quite as good as the sequel, mechanically—there are so many quality-of-life improvements in the UI alone—but the world and the characters are top-notch.
There's a game preview (read: early access build) of Whiskerwoods on the PC GamePass which had seemed right up my Timberborn-loving street, but it's a little clunkier and more opaque in its systems and I'm struggling a bit to juggle all its demands.
Want
Really curious to see a price point for the Gabecube to either tip me over into an impulse purchase or laugh heartily and write off the idea of ever getting one.
Credits rolled on Outer Worlds 2. That was a fun time!
There's no New Game Plus, which is a little disappointing but given I'd hit the max level cap several missions before the point-of-no-return I don't know what I'd get out of it. If I was to replay it (which, honestly, I might) I'd probably focus a bit more on specific areas rather than the jack-of-all-skills approach I took this time—and probably be a bit more principled than trying to make peace at all costs.
While I'm curious about the λbox (most of my PC gaming is on the lower-end of the graphics spectrum anyway, so the lesser graphical oomph isn't a dealbreaker, depending on price, obviously), I am very intrigued by the controller. The first-version Steam Controller was an interesting curiosity but ultimately a failure and not that nice to use. I'm guessing that their Steam Deck experience has taught them a lot about improving the button layout and the general feel of the thing. And if it means I can play Timberborn on the sofa, even streaming onto the Steam Machine I still have, then I'm in.
It's pretty frustrating to see this Ghost in the Shell RPG Kickstarter running away with all that money based solely on brand recognition. Skimming the quickstart, I'm not sure that Forged in the Dark really needed a crunchier combat layer and some of the terminology and phrasing is a bit clunky/confusing, but it does feel a little closer to finished than the same publisher's licensed Cowboy Bebop game.
aniki