Gaming

Star Wars Outlaws Review

A thief in a galaxy far, far away

Published

August 26, 2024

Star Wars Outlaws bills itself as the first-ever truly open world Star Wars game. Set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, it follows Kay Vess, an emerging scoundrel fighting for scraps and looking for the next big job that will set her up for life.

The game is both ambitious and self-contained. An open world Star Wars game definitely sounds attractive for both casual and dedicated fans of the franchise. It’s a tall task that may not have been possible in previous generations of gaming.

And instead of telling a Jedi story like the most recent and prominent Star Wars games, we step into the shoes of a Han Solo-like character who’s simply trying to survive. Kay Vess has no stake in the struggle between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance. She’s only looking after herself and her trusty companion, Nix, in a world where the odds are stacked against her.

Nails the Original Trilogy vibes

Massive Entertainment, the Ubisoft Studio responsible for this game and other titles like Tom Clancy’s The Division and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, built an intergalactic setting that truly captures the vibes of the original Star Wars Trilogy.

Each location that you will spend significant time in feels dense and lived in. Everything from known locations like the freezing outdoors of Kijimi, the deserts of Tatooine, and the lush greens of Akiva were on point. And even the new location called Toshara screams Star Wars.

Inside these locations you’ll find City Hubs, small towns, and many other spots that are prime for exploration. The City Hubs, in particular, feel exactly like what towns would be like if under the rule of a tyrannical government. At every corner you see people from different walks of life just trying to survive in a world where the Galactic Empire reigns. The term it’s a “dog-eat-dog” world perfectly encapsulates the inhabitants of such a setting with people just trying to get by.

It’s the perfect setting for the story Star Wars Outlaws is trying to tell and also sets up an interesting set of mechanics to keep the gameplay loop engaging.

Reputation System

The Reputation System is the backbone of both the main and side quests of Star Wars Outlaws. It will influence your decision-making in which jobs to tackle, which intel to follow, and which tasks you should prioritize.

It consists of four factions who lord over different sectors in the Galaxy. They’re allowed to operate as such under the watchful eyes of the Galactic Empire. The four factions are:

Pykes
Crimson Dawn
The Hutts
Ashiga Clan

You have five levels of reputation with each faction and always start in the middle which is “Poor”. An “Excellent” reputation in each of the factions will award you gear that has both the aesthetics of the faction as well as buffs unique to each of them.

Getting a “Good” reputation will net you cosmetic items to change up how Kay Vess struts around the galaxy. Other rewards in this reputation level include jobs from the faction’s main brokers. These jobs will net you either Credits or Materials for upgrading the various weapons, gear, and rides in your arsenal. They also increase your reputation in that particular faction.

But it’s not that simple. Oftentimes you’ll be offered jobs that are in direct competition with each faction. This means your reputation between factions will fluctuate throughout the game. Some of these jobs will have you deciding which faction to favor and it will affect the outcome of certain storylines.

“Good” and “Excellent” reputations in these factions will also grant you access to their strongholds in various locations of the galaxy. Access to these strongholds also affect the quests and loot you’re able to collect.

It’s a tough balancing act that has massive consequences in how you progress throughout the game.

Open Galaxy

Instead of being strictly an “Open World” game, Star Wars Outlaws feels more like an “Open Galaxy” game.

To get from one world to another, you have the Trailblazer ship. With it you can jump from world to world as well as traverse deep space. Some jobs will have you collecting stuff and doing battle missions in space while onboard the Trailblazer.

Once you land on one of the planets, your main mode of transport is your Speeder. Your Speeder gets you from different places within a main planet hub. Like the Trailblazer, you’ll also have battle encounters while riding.

Both the Trailblazer and the Speeder can be upgraded throughout the game. Ship and Speeder parts can be collected all throughout main and side quests.

These will improve everything from how they handle as you drive, their firepower, defense, and many more. Some upgrades also include cosmetic changes to make each vehicle feel truly yours even though Kay just stole them to start the game.

Overall, this approach lends itself to being a world that’s built for exploration. It’s through these exploration that you tackle the more moment-to-moment gameplay mechanics.

Neither one handle particularly well especially in the beginning. The Trailblazer parts feel like a modern graphics version of one of the arcade mini games found in city hubs. Not sure how space exploration should feel like and while this is functional, it’s mostly forgettable.

The Speeder would have also been great if the battle encounters were handled better. The only way to deal with enemies pursuing you is through “bullet-time” shots that aren’t always available. Most of the time we just resorted to speeding and maneuvering from them to escape.

Gathering Intel, Stealth, Combat, and Traversal

The different variety of quests in Star Wars Outlaws are all contained in the Journal. On it you’ll find the Main Story Quests and sub-quests, Intel for treasures scattered throughout the different locations in the game, Expert Contracts, Job Contracts, and more.

Each Journal entry is a quest. Many of the intel you gather by eavesdropping on the people around City Hubs and Towns lead to treasure. Meanwhile the contracts are jobs that earn you credits and reputation on each faction.

You can choose to track whichever journal entry or quest you like. It all depends on what you want to prioritize. It’s a great way of managing the open-world aspect of the game instead of just waypoints on a map – which still exists, by the way, but you’ll only find myself consulting the map when you feel like you’re pressed for time to complete certain quests.

Intel threads, quests

Many of the quests in Star Wars Outlaws feel like actual story threads. Some will have you jumping around a hub area while others have you going hyperdrive from one world to another.

There’s also enough variety here to keep you busy. Some quests can be strictly stealth where any time you get caught, you can’t go all guns blazing to finish it off. It’s an automatic mission failure. There’s a surprisingly hefty amount of stealth sections in the game and they can be pretty challenging.

But as you progress and upgrade your skills and gear, some of these quests become easier to deal with. Missions where you raid certain locations to steal items offer the most tense moments.

Uncharted in a Galaxy far, far away

Some sections of the game are very reminiscent of the Uncharted franchise. There are missions both in maid and side quests where you’ll do a fair bit of platforming. This includes a lot of jumping, swinging with your grappling hook, and hanging from yellow-marked areas.

The gunplay will also remind you of Uncharted. It’s a standard cover, dodge, and shoot affair. It does offer some variety with you needing to change between blaster-types for certain opponents. It’s nothing too difficult nor strategic like say changing stances in more action-focused games. But there’s a fair bit of change-up to keep the blaster fights interesting.

You can even pick-up enemy weapons to use against them. The catch is you can’t use them for too long and you often have to drop them once you go into some platforming sections.

Presentation, mini games, and more

In many parts of the game, Star Wars Outlaws definitely nails the Star Wars vibe. Everything from the City Hubs to its inhabitants, and even its atmosphere and music is undeniably Star Wars. Technically speaking, though, things stand on hollow ground..

Perhaps this is the challenge of developing for multiple platforms, but the graphical presentation of the game feels shaky in a lot of the non-main story sections of the game. They’re not terrible, but they’re certainly not stellar either. It’s a good thing the game has plenty of good voice acting performances to carry some of the jankier facial animations.

This not being a graphical marvel shouldn’t take away from the amount of effort that was put into all the details of each area to make it feel truly Star Wars. Mini-games like the arcades, the race betting, and even the Sabacc game show how much passion was put into making this a true part of the Star Wars franchise.

Is Star Wars Outlaws your GameMatch?

Star Wars Outlaws nails the vibes of the original trilogy films it’s set in despite being technically shaky in some parts. The Open World game is founded on the Reputation System that helps tie together the main and side quests. The moment-to-moment gameplay isn’t revolutionary but there should be enough here to keep you engaged.

When you hit a wall in one quest or intel thread, it’s easy to jump to a different one and you might even find that completing one leads to a breakthrough into another. They aren’t exactly seamlessly interconnected, but they do feel grounded in the world that Massive Entertainment established from the get go.

The world-building of Star Wars as a franchise is fascinating. It’s given birth to a myriad of stories that can be told in its universe. As a story, Star Wars Outlaws feels just one of many. But as an interactive experience, it’s one that has a chance to be remembered fondly even in just the quieter corners of the franchise’s galaxy.

The game was reviewed on a PlayStation 5. The Review Code was provided by the publisher.

Gaming

Here are all the big trailers from The Game Awards 2025

We got the return of Leon Kennedy and a new Control game.

Published

December 12, 2025

Luigi Leonardo

As expected by everyone, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 took center stage during The Game Awards 2025, bagging a staggering number of awards. But, of course, the annual show isn’t just about recognition; it’s also about trailers previewing the future of the games industry.

In case you missed the greatest gaming show of the year, here are the biggest trailers from The Game Awards 2025:

Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic

The Game Awards 2025 started off with a blockbuster announcement for Star Wars fans. Developed by Arcanaut Studios, Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic is a successor to the widely renowned Knights of the Old Republic.

Divinity

The next major trailer pulled no stops. In arguably one of the most gruesome cinematics to ever grace The Game Awards, Larian Studios previewed its next game, simply titled Divinity. It’s a continuation of their iconic series before they released the award-winning Baldur’s Gate 3.

4:LOOP

When PlayStation produces a game, you know it’s going to be good. When you also have J.J. Abrams working on it, you’d better stand up and take notice. 4:LOOP presents a roguelike shooter where you save the world by dying over and over.

ONTOS

ONTOS is the spiritual successor to SOMA. And yes, that’s the voice of Stellan Skarsgård. The game will have players discover the truth behind their father, only to find things much stranger than expected.

Resident Evil Requiem

Capcom announced Resident Evil Requiem a while back now, albeit shrouded in mystery. Now, we know why they didn’t showcase much about the game. In its second trailer, Requiem has revealed that… Leon Kennedy is back! And he’ll be a playable character along with Grace Ashcroft.

CONTROL Resonant

Alan Wake 2 was a bright spot during its respective Game Awards. Now, it’s time for Remedy Entertainment to return to its second series, CONTROL. This time, the main character is Dylan Faden, Jesse’s brother. And this time, the inhabitants looks like they’ve gone out of the Federal Bureau of Control.

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis

Lara Croft is back! This time, the tomb-raiding hero is going back in time, all the way back to her 1996 debut. Legacy of Atlantis completely remakes her debut game in Unreal Engine 5. It’s an amazing reimagining with modern visuals.

Oh, and the hype doesn’t stop there. Tomb Raider: Catalyst has also been announced for 2027, which includes a brand-new story.

Orbitals

Exclusive to Switch 2, Orbitals presents a co-op adventure set in a sci-fi world and lovingly animated with retro anime visuals. It also has a retro-themed soundtrack.

Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred

For the first time ever, a Diablo entry gets a second expansion. This time, the ongoing Diablo IV will get an update that brings back the ferocious Mephisto. It will also feature the return of the Crusader as a playable class.

Star Wars: Galactic Racer

Fate of the Old Republic isn’t the only Star Wars title announced during The Game Awards. Star Wards: Galactic Racer brings the excitement of podracing to modern gamers.

Phantom Blade Zero

Chinese ARPGs are so in right now. Still riding the hype of Black Myth: Wukong, Phantom Blade Zero imagines the world of Xia, a paragon of Chinese heroism. It features a sweeping cast of characters, weapons, abilities, and enemies.

Gaming

Expedition 33 cleans house at The Game Awards: full list of winners

Clair Obscur bagged a total of 9 awards.

Published

December 12, 2025

Luigi Leonardo

We’re finally in a gamer’s favorite season. Besides all the sales, discounts, and newly bought consoles, December always plays host to the highly awaited Game Awards. Hosted by Geoff Keighley, the event gives recognition to the gaming world’s most prolific titles of the year.

As expected this year, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 cleaned house, bagging 9 wins out of a record-breaking 12 nominations. This includes the coveted Game of the Year award.

But Expedition 33‘s haul of awards isn’t the whole story. Other titles were recognized as well. And though it’s easy to say “lol E33 got everything,” it’s time to give those other games some recognition. Here is the full list of winners for The Game Awards 2025.

GAME OF THE YEAR

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach (Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Donkey Kong Bananza (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
Hades II (Supergiant Games)
Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (Warhorse Studios/Deep Silver)

BEST GAME DIRECTION

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach (Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Hades II (Supergiant Games)
Split Fiction (Hazelight Studios/EA)

BEST NARRATIVE

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach (Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (Warhorse Studios/Deep Silver)
Silent Hill f (NeoBards Entertainment/KONAMI)

BEST ART DIRECTION

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach (Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Hades II (Supergiant Games)
Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)

BEST SCORE AND MUSIC

Christopher Larkin, Hollow Knight: Silksong
Darren Korb, Hades II
Lorien Testard, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Toma Otowa, Ghost of Yōtei
Woodkid and Ludvig Forssell, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach

BEST AUDIO DESIGN

Battlefield 6 (Battlefield Studios/EA)
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Silent Hill f (NeoBards Entertainment/KONAMI)

BEST PERFORMANCE

Ben Starr, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Charlie Cox, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Erika Ishii, Ghost of Yōtei
Jennifer English, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Konatsu Kato, Silent Hill f
Troy Baker, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

INNOVATION IN ACCESSIBILITY

Assassin’s Creed Shadows (Ubisoft)
Atomfall (Rebellion)
Doom: The Dark Ages (id Software/Bethesda Softworks)
EA Sports FC 26 (EA Canada/EA Romania/EA)
South of Midnight (Compulsion Games/Xbox Game Studios)

GAMES FOR IMPACT

Consume Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia/AP Thomson/Hexacutable)
Despelote (Julián Cordero/Sebastián Valbuena/Panic)
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage (Don’t Nod Montreal/Don’t Nod)
South of Midnight (Compulsion Games/Xbox Game Studios)
Wanderstop (Ivy Road/Annapurna Interactive)

BEST ONGOING

Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix)
Fortnite (Epic Games)
Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Marvel Rivals (NetEase Games)
No Man’s Sky (Hello Games)

BEST COMMUNITY SUPPORT

Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)
Final Fantasy XIV (Square Enix)
Fortnite (Epic Games)
Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
No Man’s Sky (Hello Games)

BEST INDEPENDENT GAME

Absolum (Guard Crush Games/Supamonks/Dotemu)
Ball x Pit (Kenny Sun/Devolver Digital)
Blue Prince (Dogubomb/Raw Fury)
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
Hades II (Supergiant Games)
Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)

BEST DEBUT INDIE GAME

Blue Prince (Dogubomb/Raw Fury)
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
Despelote (Julián Cordero/Sebastián Valbuena/Panic)
Dispatch (AdHoc Studio)
Megabonk (Vedinad)

BEST MOBILE GAME

Destiny: Rising (NetEase Games)
Persona 5: The Phantom X (Black Wings Game Studio/Sega)
Sonic Rumble (Rovio Entertainment/Sega)
Umamusume: Pretty Derby (Cygames Inc.)
Wuthering Waves (Kuro Games)

BEST VR/AR

Alien: Rogue Incursion (Survios)
Arken Age (VitruviusVR)
Ghost Town (Fireproof Games)
Marvel’s Deadpool VR (Twisted Pixel Games/Oculus Studios)
The Midnight Walk (MoonHood/Fast Travel Games)

BEST ACTION

Battlefield 6 (Battlefield Studios/EA)
Doom: The Dark Ages (id Software/Bethesda Softworks)
Hades II (Supergiant Games)
Ninja Gaiden 4 (Platinum Games/Team Ninja/Xbox Game Studios)
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance (Lizardcube/Sega)

BEST ACTION/ADVENTURE

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (Kojima Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch Productions/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (MachineGames/Bethesda Softworks)
Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry)
Split Fiction (Hazelight Studios/EA)

BEST RPG

Avowed (Obsidian Entertainment/Xbox Game Studios)
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive)
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (Warhorse Studios/Deep SIlver)
The Outer Worlds 2 (Obsidian Entertainment/Xbox Game Studios)
Monster Hunter Wilds (Capcom)

BEST FIGHTING

2XKO (Riot Games)
Capcom Fighting Collection 2 (Capcom)
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves (SNK Corporation)
Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection (Digital Eclipse/Atari)
Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio/Sega)

BEST FAMILY

Donkey Kong Bananza (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
LEGO Party! (SMG Studio/Fictions)
LEGO Voyagers (Light Brick Studios/Annapurna Interactive)
Mario Kart World (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds (Sonic Team/Sega)
Split Fiction (Hazelight Studios/EA)

BEST SIM/STRATEGY

The Alters (11 Bit Studios)
FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles (Square Enix)
Jurassic World Evolution 3 (Frontier Developments)
Sid Meier’s Civilization VII (Firaxis Games/2K)
Tempest Rising (Slipgate Ironworks/3D Realms)
Two Point Museum (Two Point Studios/Sega)

BEST SPORTS/RACING

EA Sports FC 26 (EA Canada/EA Romania/EA)
F1 25 (Codemasters/EA)
Mario Kart World (Nintendo EPD/Nintendo)
Rematch (Sloclap/Kepler Interactive)
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds (Sonic Team/Sega)

BEST MULTIPLAYER

Arc Raiders (Embark Studios)
Battlefield 6 (Electronic Arts)
Elden Ring Nightreign (FromSoftware/Bandai Namco Entertainment)
Peak (Aggro Crab/Landfall)
Split Fiction (Hazelight/EA)

BEST ADAPTATION

A Minecraft Movie (Legendary Pictures/Mojang/Warner Bros)
Devil May Cry (Studio Mir/Capcom/Netflix)
The Last of Us: Season 2 (HBO/PlayStation Productions)
Splinter Cell: Deathwatch (FOST Studio/Ubisoft/Netflix)
Until Dawn (Screen Gems/PlayStation Productions)

MOST ANTICIPATED GAME

007 First Light (IO Interactive)
Grand Theft Auto VI (Rockstar Games)
Marvel’s Wolverine (Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Resident Evil Requiem (Capcom)
The Witcher IV (CD Projekt Red)

CONTENT CREATOR OF THE YEAR

Caedrel
Kai Cenat
MoistCr1TiKaL
Sakura Miko
The Burnt Peanut

BEST ESPORTS GAME

Counter-Strike 2 (Valve)
DOTA 2 (Valve)
League of Legends (Riot)
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (Moonton)
Valorant (Riot)

BEST ESPORTS ATHLETE

brawk – Brock Somerhalder (Valorant)
Chovy – Jeong Ji-hoon (League of Legends)
f0rsakeN – Jason Susanto (Valorant)
Kakeru – Kakeru Watanabe (Street Fighter)
MenaRD – Saul Leonardo (Street Fighter)
Zyw0o – Mathieu Herbaut (Counter-Strike 2)

BEST ESPORTS TEAM

Gen.G – League of Legends
NRG – Valorant
Team Falcons – DOTA 2
Team Liquid PH – Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
Team Vitality – Counter-Strike 2

Gaming

Genshin Impact, Duolingo partner for limited-time quest

Win various rewards by going on a 3-day streak

Published

December 9, 2025

GadgetMatch

Genshin Impact has partnered with Duolingo for a limited-time 3-Day Streak Quest in the Duolingo app.

The collaboration between the popular open-world RPG and the educational app features Teyvat’s travel companion Paimon.

Genshin Impact characters Tighnari and Cyno also make an appearance, as well as Duolingo’s beloved green owl Duo.

From December 8 to 27, players and learners from select regions can unlock the “Genshin Impact Quest” in any course on the Duolingo app.

Users who complete learning exercises for three straight days with receive the following in-game rewards:

Custom avatar “Diligent Study”
Themed namecard “Celebration: Dream Reader”
Unique Sumeru-style dish “Spiced Fried Chicken” and recipe
Collectible in-app statue of Paimon and Duo
Primogems

The reward redemption code can be claimed from the “Shop” page in the Duolingo app before December 30 and redeemed on the title before January 31.

To make the challenges more exciting, all four characters will show up on each quest to cheer on learners.

The collaboration follows the recently released Genshin Impact Version Luna III, which introduced Durin, a new 5-Star Pyro character with dual battle forms. There is also a new story chapter set in Nod-Krai.