I am a big fan of the original Powergrid and consider it my favorite board game, so I bought the Outpost versión with cautious optimism. I think it's a great variation that both feels similar to the original while also feeling different enough to have a fresh, new option in the collection. My first playthrough was full of ridiculous jokes about "the reality" of what our companies were doing with the permanent and seasonal labor market (and where they went after a "shift").
The randomized connection costs and the addition of the technology cards adds a large amount of freshness to the game, and I'll be giving this game a second playthrough very soon.
One sad side note is that my box arrived damaged from Biard Game Bliss, but I'm reviewing the game, not the sender.