With Bethesda’s continued comical mishandling of the Fallout franchise, most recently being the myriad blunders of Fallout 76 killing any goodwill they had with the fanbase, leave it to Obsidian to release a true Fallout game in almost all but name with The Outer Worlds. Aside from Tim Cain and Leonard Boyarsky, two of the original creators of Fallout, serving as directors for the game, it’s got expansive environments to explore, excellent writing, and a lot of dialog and skill checks that mean your stats actually matter – like the original Fallout games, and Fallout: New Vegas, which Obsidian also developed. In true CRPG fashion, the game even allows you the freedom to solve a great many of the game’s scenarios as you see fit, whether it be through diplomacy, stealth and subterfuge, or good ole’ fashion violence.

I’ve got about 19 hours in so far, and I’d guess I’m anywhere from 1/2 to 2/3 of the way through, and that includes doing every sidequest I’ve been able to discover. If you’re looking for a game to scratch that RPG itch, this one comes highly recommended.

Plus, it’s available on Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass, which I believe can be had for $1 for the first month for either Xbox One or PC, which is how I’m playing it.