Star Wars Outlaws from Ubisoft is not another middle-of-the-road cash cow for the franchise. Quite far from that—it’s even lower. If this sounds like this is just Assassin’s Creed or Far Cry with a Star Wars skin, that would, in fact, be a compliment it is wholly undeserving of. Through my four hours of playtime, nothing was terribly bad, but neither was anything very inspiring. This is the sort of game that leaves you less enthusiastic about gaming.
Be warned now: this is going to sound just a touch ranty. If you truly like the game, well good on you. Wished I could say the same for a lot of games I truly love that everyone else hates. But to me, Star Wars Outlaws represents everything that’s wrong with not just Star Wars games, but modern AAA gaming. And I will end up buying it out of a sense of obligation to give it a fair shake of things. But I didn’t pre-order it, and I would not buy it. I would not buy it on sale. Not because this game’s not probably worth $15 on sale for some holiday next year, but it doesn’t seem worth my time from what I’ve witnessed so far.
Video Game Journalists Are Sellouts: Star Wars Outlaws Proves It
Unlike other reviewers, I will not sugarcoat this. This is a lousy game. The rest of them won’t say anything negative because they’re scared that Ubisoft won’t send them games to play on their channel early anymore, or that they won’t get the same sponsorship opportunities, or that all their subscribers will turn on them if this game actually turns out to be good. The result is that you never get true reviews anymore, even when it comes from the YouTuber who says that they are brutally honest.
Some content creators have sold out completely. They’re more concerned about keeping that relationship with big companies like Ubisoft than they are about providing you with a review based on the truth. And that’s the problem with access journalism. Game companies like that give early access to those reviewers, and in return, usually expect them to write fluffy, nice things about the game, which these reviewers are too cowardly to risk future opportunities of this kind.
I’m not here to sell out. You can only bear to play bad games for so long before they start feeling like any other job. Behind those influencers, there are content creators and game journalists who sometimes appear to be playing those games for a living. And some were. So, if you see a video or read a review sponsored by the developers, take it with a huge grain of salt. They don’t pay you to trash their game.
It’s insane how people will sell out for free just to keep getting games early. Ubisoft has so many damn creators wrapped around their fingers, and it is just a suck thing. You know, like they are really selling their soul or something. I mean, to totally turn a blind eye to flaws in a game, really takes no integrity whatsoever. I mean, something’s wrong if a game journalist says Star Wars Outlaws is good without pointing out any flaws.
This game felt empty, like Red Dead Redemption but in space without a soul. While I was playing the game, I met one interesting character, but that person felt like a part-timer in the whole story. Combat was basic at best, though, drawing from Fallout’s VATs and Red Dead Redemption’s Dead Eye, but without the depth or excitement. The game, which ironically goes by the name Outlaws, only arms you with a blaster, and soon enough, the gameplay feels repetitive.
But it’s a sad case when the game tries to imitate something like Red Dead Redemption in space and misses by a long shot. It’s laughable that some have compared it to Ghost of Tsushima. Oh, the only thing Outlaws has in common with those is that it exists on the same plane of entertainment. The graphics, AI, and even gameplay feel so subpar; that there is no sense of immersion or passion.
The AI is lifeless, making the open world feel more like a theme park than a living, breathing universe. Sure, the visuals may wow you for a while, but after a bit, you’ll begin to see that’s all there likely is and the mystique will wear off. The world feels uninteractive, and the missions are bland.
I genuinely hope that Ubisoft can pull something off that could be ten times better than what I am experiencing. This game feels rushed and incomplete. The combat is simplistic, the stealth feels like a joke, and the world feels empty. If this is what they would consider the first open-world Star Wars game, then count me out, really.
Early To Review But Hey, It’s Quadruple-A Ubisoft Game
Call me biased or angry, but ultimately, Star Wars Outlaws is an empty, soulless experience. All it manages to do is present a shallow facsimile of what other, better games have achieved. It smells like a game designed by AI: there’s no real creativity or passion behind it. I would say if you look for a Star Wars game that captures the magic within the universe, this is the one that won’t do it. Save your money and time for something more worthy.