Rebel Galaxy Outlaw stream shows off 3 hours of space shenanigans

If last year's hour-long walkthrough of Rebel Galaxy Outlaw is too distant a memory for you, Double Damage's Travis Baldree hopped back into the cockpit for a three-hour livestream recently, showing off a meaty chunk of the dogfighting space sim. Get your fill of seedy space bars and ship combat above.

It's an extended look at some of the things we've already seen in the previous stream and a few things we haven't, with Baldree cruising around the galaxy, picking up missions, blowing up pirates and customising his ship.

The combat is shaping up nicely and looks quite a bit different from both its predecessor and space sims like Elite Dangerous. The auto pursuit feature was once again on display, which is a flight assist system that ensures you will always have an enemy on your screen in a fight.

"The goal is to get rid of the constant, never-ending turning battles in old space sims," explained Baldree. I love Elite, but I do get a bit dizzy. I have no idea how people stomach these games in VR. The optional system—you can turn it off—means you can focus on just blowing stuff up instead of covering the cockpit in vomit. And those explosions look immensely satisfying.

While it looks like you'll mostly be flying across the galaxy alone, you can make pals with various characters who can also be called on to help you in a scrap. It's an expanded version of the first game's mercenary system, but they're a bit more like RPG companions, complete with banter and personal missions.

Between missions, you can hang out on space stations, upgrading your ship or buying a new one, making new buddies and hanging out in bars. The latter is where you'll find the mini-games. We've already seen Juno play pool, but there are old arcade cabinets to waste time on, too. When you've got all the majesty of space in front of you, why not play an '80s shooter?

Baldree answered questions on weapons, travel, guilds and lots of granular stuff, so if you've got any yourself, there's a good chance you'll find an answer in the stream.

Rebel Galaxy Outlaw is due out this year, exclusively on the Epic Games Store at first.

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.