The Outer Worlds 2

There's always a risk in imitating something regarded as a classic: if it offers a template for success, it could just as easily invite unfavourable comparison. Obsidian Entertainment's Fallout: New Vegas has gained that reputation in the 15 years since its release, and while the original The Outer Worlds, led by Fallout creators Tim Cain and Leonard Boyarsky, referenced that series without aping it, the sequel zeroes in on New Vegas as its direct source of inspiration. This explains both why The Outer Worlds 2 is a success and why it can't quite stand tall as a creation with its own identity.

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Like The Outer Worlds, the sequel is set in a delightfully colourful, anachronistic retrofuture, mixing late-1800s social norms, art nouveau and the decay of late-stage capitalism. You are an agent of the Earth Directorate, a kind of space-age Team America, sent to the new star system Arcadia to infiltrate a skip-drive factory run by the fascist Protectorate. After fellow agent Augustine de Vries betrays you and leaves you for dead, you spend a decade floating in cryosleep, before being picked up by an old teammate to seek revenge. The premise is similar to that of New Vegas, in which the Courier is left for dead by gangster Benny and spends the first part of the game trying to get to him. De Vries is more complex than Benny, however: she is a driven, disciplined and brilliant strategist who continues to exert her influence on Arcadia as you try to catch up with her. As a result, the first half of the game spins a tense cat-and-mouse yarn.

It's all the more remarkable because Arcadia is considerably bigger than The Outer Worlds' Halcyon, offering four major planets and a few more modest locations laid out as small, but fully open, maps. Eden, the first significant planet you visit, offers a masterclass in delivering a coherent, consistent playground – every bit as detailed and complex in its lattice of choice and consequence as parts of New Vegas.