Benjamin Major

At first, Star Wars Outlaws didn’t grab me like I expected, and it took at least five hours or several sessions for me to really get into it—even though I’ve been a lifelong Star Wars fan. I initially found it slow to start, but now that I’m about 50 hours in, I fully understand what makes it so enjoyable. The game’s weapon system starts you off fairly weak, but over time, you really build up strength, and with the gear and unlockable upgrades, there’s always something to strive for. The worlds are far bigger and more expansive than I initially thought, with plenty of quests, hidden treasures, and an engaging faction system. Because of that, I’ve been doing a ton of side quests, and surprisingly, I’m really enjoying them. Piloting the ship was challenging at first, and I think it’s one of the less successful aspects of the game. That said, once you level it up, flying becomes a lot smoother and more rewarding. Still, it’s not the game’s strongest feature. I do wish you could steal any vehicle in the game; it would add a more authentic, open-world GTA feel, which I think would enhance the experience. That said, your speeder is fun to upgrade, and it’s a neat mechanic, but I can’t help but feel there’s more potential there. Overall, I’ve been playing Star Wars games since the days when you had to boot them with a command prompt, and I think this is one of the best all-around Star Wars experiences out there. It’s rewarding, does a fantastic job of blending old and new elements, and most importantly, it’s just plain fun to play.

I’m an avid fan of METROID games, as well as the entire genre, and I’m super impressed by this title. I love the mix of new and old abilities, the look of the game, and most of all, the snappiness of the controls. The story is excellent too, with an awesome conclusion. The map is clever and the developers have crafted together an experience that will reward returning players to the franchise, as well as intrigue a younger generation. This game really finds that good balance in expanding on the franchise. Some players will say it is too hard, some say not hard enough, but I think a lot of that depends on how much try to build up your items through exploration. The bosses are all challenging but FAIR since you can dodge pretty much everything. Outside of other METROID titles, this game reminds me of SHADOW COMPLEX, especially considering the controls, pace, environment, stealth and EMMIS, and 2.5 side scrolling platform. The very minor negatives: could do with a little less narrative in the story by ADAM and I would have enjoyed a bit more of the retro music themes interwoven into the score. Perhaps a little more variety in the environments (perhaps an area a little more "outside") would have benefited the experience. Overall this is a triumph!

Honestly I want to buy these guys a beer and try to understand what they were on when they made this. This game is GENIUS. This game is truly a unique experience, which is tough for developers (or story tellers in general) to achieve these days. Without spoiling the game the it pulls from common themes that we all know, but it is such a well balanced blend of action, sci-fi, story telling and pure weirdness that it is easy to get very lost in this title. I have a pretty good 5.1 sound system and this game took full advantage of it which really brought it to life for me; there are times when gunshots, explosions or whatever are happening and I almost wanted to duck for cover. Soundtrack reminds me of Blade Runner 2. This game is an ABSOLUTE must have experience. My only issue was frame rate drops could be a bit rough at times, but I played in on my original PS4. This did not detract from the experience for me. Thank you for making this!