Star Wars Outlaws

Overly Dramatic Review in One Sentence

A spare desert of diverse gameplay that attempts to pull on heartstrings that are not there because a one time gesture after a lifetime of crap doesn't fix everything.

The Actual Review

Game time = 37 hours 59 minutes (I completed the whole game and got almost 90% of the game complete)

Gameplay

This has to be one of the most boring, but games to play after the first 5 hours. If you watch the bonus content at the end of Episode 2 - The Skywalker Saga from the Epic Screen Time Podcast where my friend and were talking about this game, you will here and learn very quickly that this game only has 2 bad guys. One with a shield and one without a shield. The shield doesn't even cover the entire body so you can still get headshots which makes them lower the shield. It is dumb.

That is the beginning of issues with combat. Even playing on not the easiest difficulty the bad guys take 3–5 hits to kill and the only way you won't win is because they just run an infinite supply of bad guys. This is especially true in the Imperial bases. The last issue with fighting is the issue of fighting while on a speeder. The bad guys can shoot while driving, but you can't unless you use a special move that requires you to do "tricks."

The Imperial base infinite supply of terribly aimed Stormtroopers also brings up the next point. When in any of the factions base areas, which is a primary part of the game as you need reputation with each of the syndicates to complete missions, you are supposed to sneak around. However, this mechanism is horribly made and the NPCs are either eagle eyed or blind. They can see you so far away no matter how dark it is, but they can't see you right next to them. There is no way to press against any wall and unless you hit someone over the back, which weirdly kills them instead of knocking them out, you can't silently take anyone out. So as it will inevitably happen you will get seen, and then you are in the fight. No matter if an alarm goes off, or you shoot one person, you will lose points with that faction. How a distress message with your name goes out when everyone is dead, I don't know. So you must be perfect or plan on doing a lot of missions to recover your faction points.

I almost forgot to mention that fact that this is the first open world Star Wars game. Ubisoft and Massive, whose other open world games include one of my favorites The Division which is an open world full of life and character and PEOPLE AND THINGS!! This open world is massively open with no wildlife and wide open spaces. There are hints of others things around, but that is about it. My friend mentioned that Ubisoft's worlds are typically overwhelming, but this is just the complete opposite direction and that is 100% accurate. This was a failure of an open world where they should have focused on the story spanning a single large city like Division 1 and 2 where they could have made it rich and diverse and exciting.

Graphics and Sound

I think this is one of its strongest points. The sound design is stolen licensed from the Star Wars movies and therefore, it is amazing. The worlds do look beautiful. The character designs are excellent and the movement between cutscenes and the real game are pretty seamless.

Story and Characters

The characters are exceptional like Nix and ND-5, decent like Kay, or absolutely dreadful and singularly dimensional like all the other characters.

Let me start by saying that I will be providing spoilers for the story as it is a major reason for my rating and without that context it would feel that I am just making scores up. For 90% of the game, the story is what keeps you playing (if you only play the story and don't try and 100% each planet). You learn pretty early the basics of the characters in your group and why they matter, but more importantly you learn that your mother is absolute piece of work that was good to be away from you. Then in the final act, she is the "best slicer in the galaxy" and you have to deal with her. Then, when you get betrayed, which was an obvious plot point as it happens over and over to the naive character that you are, she steps in to dissuade the betrayer to not kill you. After that, you realize that she had a tracking device on you for your entire life and that is enough for you to forgive her for leaving you and leaving you in JAIL. Hell no.

I would be remiss if I didn't talk more about Nix. Nix and ND-5 saved me from walking away from the game multiple times. ND-5 just an old solider who is trapped and Nix being the perfect companion to the game. From picking items up for you items off the ground, being playful, and being able to customize what he is wearing is just a solid piece of design and love in to what is your ride or die. My wife loved coming into the room to see the new headwear for Nix or to see the silly Easter Eggs like when you point your gun at Nix and he plays dead.

My Rating

This game had so much potential that it could have been good. With beautiful scenery, sound design, and some great NPC companion-esq characters it could have easily been a 30 hours heist game. Ubisoft's and Massive's ambition was just outweighed by wanting to do quantity rather than quality.

Once I started actually playing the story line straight, it was a very enjoyable game. Especially since the story is MAYBE 10 hours. What kills the story is what I mentioned above about this forced emotional beat about "Oh my Mom loved by and left to protect me" while forcing you to be a criminal your entire early life. She also left you in jail and within a couple of minutes of seeing her, you forgive her. It's absurd. Then the game gets even worse since you fight 0, nada, zilch, goose egg, of the main bad guys. One gets killed by his brother, the other by the droid you save, which you don't fight you just run away from. These two things majorly ruined what could have been a great story. With the gameplay being absolutely repetitive to the up tenth degree, this game is only "Worth a playthrough" if you want to play a Star Wars game that has space flight and fights as well as just to be in some of the old planets and some new ones. But that is it.

Parental Rating

My mom would be ok with this game. There is no blood and the violence is all at a distance without real evidence that anyone did anything other than play "Cops and Robbers" with cap guns outside. There is no language, other than the continued usage of "Dank Farrik" and no sex.

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