Summary
As massive space-faring RPGs,Starfieldand the upcomingThe Outer Worlds 2are bound to have a bit of design overlap. While there areelements ofStarfield’s lore, gameplay fundamentals, art design, and more that differ fromThe Outer Worldsseries, the two games occupy a similar space in the games industry and are thus good candidates for comparison, especially when speculating aboutThe Outer Worlds 2and its technical considerations.
Obsidian Entertainment, a studio that previously worked with Bethesda for the critically acclaimedFallout: New Vegas, releasedThe Outer Worldsin 2019, offering gamers a more lighthearted,Fallout-esque adventure in space. More recently, RPG fans got yet another dose of space bound adventure in the wildly popularStarfield, the latest from Bethesda Game Studios. While countless gamers have been singing the game’s praises, others have criticizedStarfield’s lack of traversal options, easy combat, illusions of choice, and more. However, there is one area of theStarfield’s design that has been consistently mentioned in its critiques, and based on what players experienced inThe Outer Worlds, there’s reason to believe thatThe Outer Worlds 2won’t suffer from the same issue.
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The Outer Worlds 2 Likely Won’t Have as Many Loading Screens as Starfield
Certain aspect ofStarfield’s marketing, such as the focus on widespread planetary exploration and the fact that the game would be next-gen only with an SSD requirement, suggested a seamless system of discovery and movement similar to something likeNo Man’s Sky. When the game eventually released, many players were disappointed to find that exploration inStarfieldis built around fast-travel, switching between various menus, and sitting through many loading screens. This system applies to both interplanetary and intraplanetary exploration, with few buildings and other interior locations being accessible without encountering loading screens. While this hasn’t bothered every player, it has been a point of contention for many, as it breaks up the flow of the game and leads to several small moments of tedium that can add up over the course of a playthrough.
This abundance of loading screens is something thatStarfieldshares with older Bethesda Game Studios titles likeSkyrim, but the same can’t be said for 2019’sThe Outer Worlds. The first game in the series had far fewer loading screens compared toStarfield, despite launching on last-gen consoles and PCs without SSDs.The Outer Worlds 2could beatStarfieldin this area, as it could build upon the technical foundation laid by the first game while leveraging modern gaming hardware to offer a cosmic adventure relatively free from interruptions.
While it’s unclear just how muchThe Outer Worlds 2will rely on loading screens, it seems unlikely that it would fall behind its predecessor. Plenty of games have been leveraging the near-ubiquity of SSDs in consoles and PCs for smoother gaming experiences, andThe Outer Worlds 2will likely attempt to reduce its loading times to compete with other modern open-world games - something thatStarfieldhas arguably not done.
Loading screens aren’t the only subject of criticism when it comes toStarfield’s optimization and performance, but it is certainly a well-trafficked area of discussion. Next-gen gaming is predicated upon a leap in technical performance, and many other games have capitalized on improved modern hardware to deliver relatively seamless gaming experiences. By comparison,Starfielddoesn’t seem to be shown in the best light, as its loading screens are more common than even some games from the previous console generation. IfThe Outer Worlds 2can take better advantage of the technical improvements made in the current console generation, then it has a chance of surpassingStarfieldin the loading screens department.
Starfieldis currently available on PC and Xbox Series X|S.
