Star Wars Outlaws vs. Starfield: Why Handcrafted Worlds Win

The hype train for Ubisoft's Star Wars Outlaws is officially rolling full speed ahead. Everyone's talking about this fresh open-world adventure starring Kay Vess, the scoundrel with big heist dreams, and her adorable little partner-in-crime, Nix. We're promised space dogfights, ground vehicle chaos, stealthy takedowns, and conversations that actually matter with branching choices. But the real kicker? The devs just dropped a bombshell: every single planet you visit is gonna be handcrafted, not some computer-generated afterthought. Think two or three zones from Assassin's Creed Odyssey per planet, but each one packed with purpose and personality. Now that's a galaxy far, far away worth exploring.

Let's be real for a sec. This is a direct shot across the bow of games like Starfield. You know, the ones that brag about having a thousand planets. A thousand! But honestly... who has the time? Or the desire? If most of those worlds are just procedurally generated tiles wrapped around a rock, what's the point besides checking a box on a cosmic scavenger hunt? It feels huge, sure, but huge can also be... kinda boring. 🥱 For a lot of players, exploration isn't about the empty space; it's about the life in that space. We want to meet weird alien cultures, get tangled in their drama, and see the crazy stuff they've built. We crave stories, not just scenery. Gimme that Knights of the Old Republic vibe any day over a million empty moons.

And that's exactly where Star Wars Outlaws seems to be planting its flag. The creative director straight-up said it: every explorable area is made by the studio. No algorithms, just artists and designers pouring love into every corner. What does that mean for us players?

• More Specific Design: Every city, every cantina, every hidden smuggler's den feels unique and intentional.

• Richer Interactivity: The world reacts to you. It's not just a pretty backdrop.

• Meaningful Content: Less wandering aimlessly, more actually doing cool Star Wars-y stuff.

Sure, the map might not be the biggest in the galaxy, but who cares? A smaller, denser, more vibrant world beats a vast, empty one every single time. For story-driven games, scope really isn't everything. Sometimes, less is more, and quality trumps quantity every time.

Honestly, the whole "bigger is better" trend in gaming is getting a bit out of hand, don't you think? 🤔 Development costs are soaring, crunch is rampant, and games get delayed for years... all to add more empty plains or copy-pasted outposts. We, as players, sometimes fuel this fire by demanding endless content. But when you stop and think about it, what makes a game truly memorable? It's rarely the sheer size. It's the moments, the characters, the places that feel alive.

I'd much rather spend my credits in a world that was crafted for my enjoyment—a world that feels lived-in and detailed—than one that was built just to hit some arbitrary size metric on a spreadsheet. A handcrafted planet with a story to tell will always feel more "open" and "alive" than a generated one you forget five minutes after leaving. Here's hoping Star Wars Outlaws delivers on that promise and reminds everyone that in a galaxy of infinite possibilities, the best ones are made by hand.