The release of The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition has been met with disappointment and frustration from players, who have reported significant performance issues with the game. Despite Private Division's promise of a 4K 60fps experience, the remastered version of the 2019 RPG has already earned a "Mostly Negative" rating on Steam, with numerous complaints about massive performance drops and stutters that were not present in the original version.
Reviewers and players have criticized the game's performance issues, with one review stating that "the 'improved' look of the game is not worth massive perf drops and stutters that weren't there before." Another player, who had been playing the original version until downloading the new one, called the remaster a "right pig's ear." The players' frustration is evident in reviews like Akerwood's, who quips that the new edition offers "200% more performance issues."
Even next-gen console players have reported issues with stuttering, despite the expectation that the developers would have focused on creating an optimized experience for these systems. Obsidian, the studio behind the game, has promised a patch to fix these issues, but players are still disappointed by their game experiences.
Players' frustration is compounded by the fact that many have paid for the upgrade, as The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition was not offered for free to players of the original version. The only option for players was to purchase the upgraded version, which turned out to be a worse experience than the original. This move seems to be a complete misunderstanding or total comprehension of the game's anti-corporate satire, where players are forced to pay for a sub-par product.
This issue with remasters is not new. The recent "Definitive editions" of GTA 3, Vice City, and San Andreas were also riddled with issues and remain inferior to the original versions even today. Likewise, the Witcher 3's recent next-gen patch had many problems upon its release, including the accidental addition of vaginas to some of the game's female monsters. Nevertheless, the trend of dodgy remasters is a worrying one, and it would be nice if players were offered the best choice instead of the spacer's choice.
In the end, players are left with a game that is essentially unplayable for many, and they have paid for the privilege of experiencing it. While Obsidian has promised a patch to fix the performance issues, the fact that the game was released in this state is a disappointing reminder of the gaming industry's tendency to prioritize profits over player experiences. Hopefully, the trend of sub-par remasters will not continue, and players can enjoy updated versions of their favourite games without worrying about performance issues.