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During my first playthrough of the original Outer Worlds, I was quickly hooked by its irreverent, Fallout-esque type of wit. The game featured engaging exchanges, personal journals, and advertising displays that depicted a corporate dystopia that was simultaneously dark and amusing. My primary concern approaching the follow-up was that this installment – through no fault on its part – wouldn't be as humorous compared to the first.

Certainly, conditions weren't ideal. Yet society definitely felt somewhat less damaged at that time. This universe showed a bleak future that didn't hit too close to home, and nonetheless succeeded to be at once heartwarming and uproarious. I commenced the sequel feeling quite confident that this installment wouldn't be able to achieve this a second time, but I'm pleased to report that I was incorrect. The Outer Worlds 2 is as laughter-provoking as the title that preceded it, and additionally brings fresh concepts rather than simply reusing identical material comparable to an overused corporate jingle.

Evolving Characters

The majority of the game characters gamers met in the initial release had been beaten down by the deeds of business corporations such as the in-game corporation, and were acutely conscious of how much their lives sucked. The Outer Worlds 2 progresses matters in a different direction, presenting individuals who are brainwashed (sometimes figuratively, frequently actually). Many of these characters aren't conscious of how extremely screwed up their conditions are, or that there may exist choices to an existence spent under the boot of a huge company or restricted by the doctrines of a demanding cult.

This second installment explores types of corporate control that are more deceptive than merely maintaining the masses poor. Various personalities have been indoctrinated into the sort of excessively zealous "grindset mindset" discourse you might encounter on online profiles that claim to disclose the secret of achievement if you pay an expensive course, or put money into a dubious blockchain project. Furthermore, the release's corporate propaganda has developed.

Current Topics

There are still numerous unmotivational posters throughout facilities warning about deducting staff compensation who dare to contemplate requesting leave, but furthermore exist allusions to multi-level marketing methods, including a staff guide that proudly declares, "Unfamiliar individuals are simply patrons you still need to meet!" Being a person who developed within a direct sales family, I immediately burst out in amusement when I saw this reference, because it's a phrase I have regularly listened to stated precisely by individuals in lower positions of these systems.

Fortunately, The Outer Worlds 2 is as comedic and sarcastic as the initial release.

This sequel furthermore explores the situation various individuals experience regarding occupation, political matters, and even personal purchases: Being forced to pick the lesser of multiple bad options. During efforts to decide whether to assist a dangerous corporate entity or a dangerous religious group within the title, I found myself siding with the devil I know: An established business organization that is terrible (though just utilizes promotion to brainwash its subjects), rather than the faith organization, which is equally bad, but employs a horrible approach called "cognitive reset" to maintain its followers obedient.

Questionable Employers

Furthermore, the characters you represent could fail to be reliable. In the role of an space operative, your assignment includes trying to reestablish control to this outpost subsequent to a forceful company buyout, and you will quickly find that the two the attackers and the residents subscribe to distinct (though equally awful) beliefs. However, a rapid review of the messages on your vessel's computer reveal that this agency isn't exactly the galaxy's most moral authority either, as demonstrated by a reply to an emergency signal that tells the sender it will take "three to five business years" for a response to their communication. (That time frame is approximately the time it takes for numerous individuals to contact a human help desk employee over the phone currently.)

Familiar Situations

Many moments in this sequel are painfully relatable, but it's a cathartic sort of relatability, and this title achieves equilibrium between its bleak societal vision with humor that's authentically amusing while avoiding out of place. One major theme is the quick commencement of decline that appears to occur in the wake of large company takeovers. Employees on both sides of The Outer Worlds 2's significant consolidation see their quality of life decline as a result, while the CEOs at the top of the structure are, of course, collecting profits rapidly.

Well, at minimum I understand where I stand.

Comparable to the initial release, this sequel is naturally humorous, but additionally doesn't hesitate to get serious. At one point, while traveling around the game's first discoverable location, I discovered a deceased individual with a message nearby. This message showed that this individual (who was aligned with the brainwashing religious faction) had been killed in an event while trying to hunt down and dispatch her significant other. This loved one had apparently defected from their group, and the deceased character was incensed at her significant other's {traitorous