Fans of The Expanse and Mass Effect will be very pleased to try The Expanse: Osiris Reborn beta (available to play now for people who bought the Miller’s Pack or Collector’s Edition of the game). It's a spacey cover shooter at heart, but between the bullets there are long dialogue options to wade through, endless boxes and lockers to turn over for crafting resources, and enough skills, choices and options to keep you busy. There's also a decent level of actual consequence to what you say and do - as one of my playthroughs didn't end with a friend being executed and hundreds of people dead, and one of them did. Basically, it sucks if you were in my 'just be rude and shoot everyone' run.
Set against the TV show and book's backdrop of space travelling, politics and encroaching ancient alien infestations, The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is currently a game where no one bit it is amazing but there's enough OK stuff to make for a decent piece of sci-fi action overall (and this beta is to help gather feedback and hone the experience ahead of its release next year). Combat, for example, can feel a little weightless at times - with some basic enemy AI prone to panicking in cramped fighting areas - but with an ally to control, and different abilities, gadgets, or contextual attacks to unleash, it's still enjoyable. Especially when you can slow the action right down via an 'Active Pause' to look for opportunities, direct attacks and pick options from a radial menu.
