- Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
- Release Date: Sep 6, 2023
- Also On: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X
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Sep 6, 2023Bethesda has finally landed another hit. Starfield is the space RPG epic we’ve been wanting for so long. It has the incredible expansiveness and variance in design of No Man’s Sky mixed with the dialogue depth and creative quests of Fallout or even Mass Effect. The only thing that might bother some people is the heavy reliance on fast travel and that many planets only make sense when you build bases and production facilities there...Bethesda took its time, and rightly so: Starfield is currently the hottest Game of the Year candidate in 2023.
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Aug 31, 2023Starfield is a true system seller. More than a game, it's an epic poem. An extremely rich and generous adventure that surprises you every time and when you least expect it. It is by far the most ambitious Bethesda’s game and one of the boldest games of the last few years. For sure, Starfield will go down in the history of video games.
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Aug 31, 2023Starfield is the ultimate Bethesda game. It takes what people loved about Fallout and Skyrim, and casts it across an enormous galaxy filled with captivating characters.
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Aug 31, 2023Starfield’s vast universe is home to unique planets, factions and characters and offers a wide array of choices. It allows you to become whoever you want to be, and savor both the light and dark sides of the universe the way you want to. Starfield doesn’t only improve on Bethesda’s previous games, but gives birth to an entirely new universe that is the company’s best open-world RPG yet.
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Aug 31, 2023A bold technical marvel that celebrates science and exploration, propelling you into the unknown and letting you forge your own path among the stars. Starfield is Bethesda at its best.
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Aug 31, 2023Starfield is Bethesda's best game in a very long time. Its ambition knows no boundaries, yet it still leans on Bethesda's iconic craftsmanship in RPG building, this time around soaring through the vastness of space. Quality-wise, Starfield is Bethesda's best game since Skyrim. It feels as though this is the game Bethesda has always wanted to create; a deep longing that becomes a majestic journey for all RPG fans to get lost in.
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Aug 31, 2023I wasn't sure if it could be done, but Bethesda has managed to raise the bar for sandbox games even higher.
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Aug 31, 2023Starfield is an expansive and beautifully crafted open world experience full of endless discovery and opportunities.
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Aug 31, 2023I have to hand it to Starfield. It delivered on its promises, and maybe a little more. It hosts a remarkably immersive, player-focused game space, and I am captivated by all elements of its design, even its blemishes, of which there are fewer than expected. It is a game whose components are captivating alone but greater than their sum. Somehow, it crafts a near-infinite space for play, but it leaves more still for players to explore. And it does so in interesting and innovative ways, almost reflecting back on itself as if it were Constellation, whose motto is appropriately “infinitum addendum,” or what we are adding to infinity.
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Aug 31, 2023Starfield is a new beginning. Not only for Bethesda but for Xbox as a whole. With excellent writing, stunning graphics, and thrilling gameplay it makes the galaxy yours to explore, shape, and live in. It is a wondrous tapestry to experience your story in a way that only the best have done before.
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Aug 31, 2023We had to wait a while, but Starfield fully lives up to his sky-high expectations. It is special how Bethesda makes such a huge universe manageable, tells fascinating stories in it and manages to keep your urge to explore intact even after a hundred hours. Starfield is certainly not perfect, but it is a worthy successor to both Fallout and The Elder Scrolls, and much more than that.
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Aug 31, 2023When they are firing on all cylinders, Bethesda games deliver pure video game magic, and Starfield is no exception. Offering an enormous galaxy to explore, a ludicrous wealth of interesting content, well-written characters, and innovative mechanics that push the genre in new directions, Starfield is a (mostly) clean experience at launch that should be experienced by all action/RPG fans. This is a new classic.
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Aug 31, 2023There’s a reason why humankind has found space travel to be so alluring. It’s mysterious, expansive, and comprised of limitless opportunity. Starfield taps into each of those aspects incredibly well. Once you get past the ridiculously complicated and information-heavy tutorial, the game opens up into a loop of players’ own imagination rather than a linear highway most are expecting. Starfield changes the RPG game by adding a slow burn of a main quest alongside a character management system that keeps players’ power in check. It’s nearly perfect, and I can’t wait to spend another chunk of my life playing another excellent Bethesda RPG.
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Aug 31, 2023I really do love this game. Yes, Bethesda doesn’t match some of its peers in many places, but in part that’s because it’s trying to do everything, all at once. But if you wanted a giant Bethesda RPG set in space with better combat and a whole lot of time to level and build things and explore and find secrets, yeah, this is it. They did it. Enjoy.
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Aug 31, 2023After having triumphed over wastelands and fantasy realms, Bethesda has now set its sights on conquering the cosmos. With Starfield, they present their most ambitious RPG to date, seamlessly blending captivating storytelling, thrilling action, and boundless exploration. While the Creation Engine continues to deliver breathtaking landscapes, it also reveals its constraints when it comes to map size, reminding us of both its strengths and limitations.
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Aug 31, 2023With hundreds of hours of gameplay, various quests to complete, and thousands of planets to survey and explore, Starfield capitalizes on everything that has worked for Bethesda in the past, giving us an experience that feels like a giant leap in greatness.
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Oct 3, 2023Ultimately, Starfield is a very enjoyable game that takes the overall formula that Bethesda established in games like Skyrim and Fallout 4 and expands upon it. It is familiar in the ways that feel comfortable, but the game feels like an exciting new experience. It's unfair to compare it to games like No Man's Sky given the vast difference in scope, but at the same time, I wish that the ways the ships are handled didn't feel so compartmentalized with the reliance upon menu-driven fast-travel. Starfield really tries to be many things all at once, and although there are varying levels of success to that end, the game is a downright joy to play.
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Sep 20, 2023Starfield is an incredibly ambitious game that hits almost every target it is aimed at. If you love space, science, and the undeniable spirit for discovery innate in every human being, you will love this game.
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Aug 31, 2023This game became my Skyrim. Even though I've finished the game and seen a lot of things, there are still a lot of quests I want to do, a lot of planets I want to explore, a lot of people I want to meet. If you like science fiction, I'm almost sure you'll agree with me.
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Aug 31, 2023Starfield delivers an exciting new universe with terrific design, fun quests and interesting characters, capturing almost everything whe love about Bethesda RPGs. It's big and ambitious and often times beautiful, but certainly not perfect: Space travel becomes a bit of a chore after a while, combat between Starships feels undercooked and exploring the huge amount of planets is way less rewarding than we hoped. But if you play it mostly like a Fallout 3 in space and don't expect a fully-fledged space simluator, you are in for a treat.
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Aug 31, 2023Starfield is Bethesda's return to form and the most important Xbox console exclusive since Halo 3. The game tackles its design challenges in a very confident manner: it's never too complicated, yet its not shallow, just the right balance between all of its intertwined systems. We would've loved for it to be more seamless though, and we can't deny moving from one place to another felt slow. Starfield managed to delight and to surprise, even the main story is Bethesda's best one yet. Also, the vistas are hauntingly beautiful. Starfield is not to be missed even for those not too keen on building and customizing, as the core and varied side content are more than enough to satisfy.
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Aug 31, 2023Starfield is a masterpiece that unites the creativity and experience that Bethesda has built up over the years. Even after hundreds of hours of play, there is still fresh content waiting to be discovered. Just as TESV and Fallout 4 still have players making modules and discussing details, I believe that ten years from now, there will still be a large number of players who will be travelling in the universe created by Starfield.
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Aug 31, 2023Starfield is a Bethesda game in every way. If you’re going into it expecting something like No Man’s Sky, you’re going to be disappointed. It’s Skyrim in space, which is exactly what I hoped it would be.
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Aug 31, 2023Bethesda's ambition for Starfield is certainly obvious, but the means to achieve it are not all evenly distributed among its many aspects. There may be disappointment depending on what you expected, so read all the reviews carefully. But you can't blame Starfield for being Starfield, an already incredibly strong and rich new franchise. The flaws don't take anything away from the fun the game provides, and if you want a SF adventure...nope, multiple epic sci-fi adventures, take off for the stars right away.
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Aug 31, 2023Starfield is a fantastic game from Bethesda. There is an awful lot to do and experience in the universe, the freedom you get is extraordinary, it looks stunning, the gameplay is top notch and we could go on and on. There are some bugs here and there, like the NPC's look a bit unnatural, but these are actually small blemishes on an otherwise very good and fun RPG. An absolute must have if you like action RPGs at all.
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Aug 31, 2023Starfield slowly unfurls from the familiar into something wider, wilder, and more ambitious than I expected - even while in some areas it’s quite happy to gently iterate on its predecessors. Todd Howard and his team picked their battles wisely, showing a masterful understanding of a needed balance between vast expansion and restraint. The result is their best game yet.
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Aug 31, 2023Starfield is more than a welcome addition to Bethesda’s family of RPG franchises, it feels like the start of a new era for the studio. Not only is it the developer’s most technically impressive game, but it also delivers a worthwhile narrative that takes some major swings and establishes a sprawling mythos. It has some blemishes here and there, but Starfield proves to be an awesome sci-fi adventure.
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Aug 31, 2023The beauty of Starfield lies in its humanity, and how deeply it cares about the Earth we live on and what we'll do to survive as a race. It's a game about breaking through the final frontier, about appreciating what we have, about the lengths we'll go to advance, and while it has its flaws and missteps, Starfield explores these themes with a sense of earnestness and authenticity that's hard to find in most other titles. And maybe that's all that matters.
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Aug 31, 2023Starfield is the enchantment and wonder of space bottled and fleshed out into something grand and ambitious, thoughtful and attentive, janky at times, often funny, but always charming.
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Aug 31, 2023With an engaging story, well-developed characters and lore, and a huge amount of meaningful content, Starfield is one of Bethesda's finest games and one of the best role-playing games released in the past few years. The lack of seamless exploration and real innovation of the typical gameplay formula from the studio are noteworthy, but those willing to forego these issues will find a reactive and sprawling sci-fi universe to lose themselves in for hundreds, if not thousands, of hours.
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Aug 31, 2023Starfield is a return to form for Bethesda Game Studios. Top-notch storytelling and a compelling narrative will have you eagerly jumping from planet to planet in hopes of discovering the next big mystery. While not without some bugs, the gameplay is among the most polished I've seen from the studio.
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Aug 31, 2023Starfield may not be the seamless and faultless persistent open world some may be craving. Though what it does provide is still certainly worthy of elation. Give the title some time to warm up and you’ll uncover a vastly refined and picturesque journey of otherworldly proportions. A game of size, scope, and quality all wrapped into one—the beauty of discovery is but a warp drive away.
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Aug 31, 2023Starfield is Bethesda’s most polished game yet. It has a ton to do but falls flat on the exploration aspect. Without vehicles, walking around planets is not an efficient way to travel. The story is fantastic however and the game is visually stunning. It’s a unique experience you shouldn’t miss out on.
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Aug 31, 2023Starfield is for cautious and patient explorers, not for those who want it all at once. The incipit of the story is rather bland, the sense of estrangement at the highest levels. But as the fog thins out, all its potential and the free will left to the player are understood and appreciated, who really has a thousand things to do as he wants and when he prefers, perhaps leaving the continuation of a mission to better times (and stats). On the other hand, the slowness of the movements on the ground and the small design defects have their weight and, albeit reluctantly, they must be taken into account in the global assessment, which remains high in anticipation of future developments. Maybe a few more weeks of playtesting would help.
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Sep 5, 2023Starfield is a grand interstellar adventure with exciting pockets of exploration, detailed cities, interesting side quests, memorable characters, competent action, and fun ship building. Despite minor issues, it gracefully blends Bethesda’s trademark gameplay with the wonders of space.
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Aug 31, 2023Starfield is a space opera you can’t ignore, with an incredible amount of content and so much room for emergent situation, even though Bethesda still struggles to let go of some mistakes of the past.
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Oct 5, 2023Starfield represents the first big Bethesda entry as an Xbox exclusive (better late than never), and it's a good one. While it is not completely ‘’bug free’’, the developers put a lot of work and passion into it. It might not be the most unique RPG ever, but it still offers an unforgettable experience backed with Bethesda's long history and expertise.
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Sep 23, 2023Offering a vast universe filled with well-written and diverse stories Starfield is certainly a highly enjoyable game. Be that as it may, it comes along with certain shortcomings which more than anything stress out the need of Bethesda to (finally) invest in a new game engine.
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Sep 7, 2023Compared to Bethesda's previous works, there seems no major innovations have implemented, and the empty space and perplexing UI can be stumbling blocks. Even though, it is true that the game does offer various sources of enjoyment as an entirely new universe. Once you get past the somewhat uninspiring initial stories, you might discover yourself playing the game without realizing how time flies.
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Sep 6, 2023Starfield is a mammoth and enveloping title, which in some ways represents the absolute pinnacle of Bethesda's production. In fact, in terms of quality and sizing, the playful narrative baggage of the work is a cut above the previous role-playing adventures of the US team, from which, however, the title also inherits some of its less convincing features. Aftermaths that certainly have something to do with the structure of a universe as broad as it is fragmentary, which due to its structural characteristics ends up weakening the call for exploration, which has always been one of the main ingredients of the Bethesda formula. Net of its limitations, however, the stellar epic proves to be an extraordinary crossroads of memorable stories and adventures, pieces of a proposal that is at times all-encompassing, capable of offering dozens - if not hundreds - of hours of entertainment.
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Aug 31, 2023Bethesda delivered a surprisingly complete game that should appeal to many different people. All these well-known gameplay solutions done in the space made me want more, and I definitely will beat Starfield one more time. And then one more.
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Aug 31, 2023Titanic, massive… adjectives fail to describe the immensity of Starfield. Shining like a sun, Bethesda's software is indeed the Skyrim in space that SF enthusiasts hope for. Admittedly, by not revolutionizing any mechanics specific to the genre, the software can be seen as a small nebulous step for the C-RPG. But it's a giant leap for great video game adventures, even if some features lack depth. Gigantic, captivating in its missions, full of things to do and discover, Starfield is an undeniable success. With its original New Game +, it will enchant you for countless hours.
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Aug 31, 2023Though Starfield is an ambitious sci-fi adventure that's incredibly fun, beautifully nostalgic, and will age like fine wine, there are several fundamental decisions that Bethesda sticks to that makes Starfield feel like it's stuck in 2011... for better and worse. Ultimately though, Starfield is yet another Bethesda classic.
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Aug 31, 2023Starfield is a game that you'll play for long hours, you'll be frustrated by the limitations from time to time, but for the most part you'll enjoy it just as big as the game itself.
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Sep 10, 2023Maybe not the ultimate sci-fi game we were hoping for before launch, but Starfield has a lot to offer to both sci-fi fans and fans of Bethesda's games.
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Aug 31, 2023A space adventure that is graphically breathtaking in places, the story of which surprises, but some Bethesda strengths are unusually difficult to get going. Sci-fi fans should still take a look.
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Aug 31, 2023Greater than Starfield's ambitions is only the RPG's wasted potential. It still is a fun space trip, though.
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LEVEL (Czech Republic)Jan 22, 2024I fell in love with Starfield. It's my cup of sci-fi and I can't wait to spend the next thirty, fifty, maybe seventy hours here. I enjoy the exploration, the shootouts, the art style, the ship building, and the diverse worlds. I gratefully acknowledge the good optimization and the absence of major bugs. But I can't overlook the flaws. There are bad animations, ugly faces and repetitive moments.[Issue#329]
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Oct 10, 2023How good Starfield is depends on how much you’re willing to forgive it. Skyrim developer’s new RPG caters to a specific audience and although you can feel at every step that the eons-old “Bethesda game” formula is wearing out, Starfield can still be an extremely addictive experience.
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Sep 22, 2023Starfield is truly impressive, and when it allows you to breathe and live out your fate in the stars, it’s a consistently compelling journey. However, the main story and the central mystery act as a black hole, threatening, but never quite succeeding to drag it down into complete oblivion.
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Sep 14, 2023To some, Starfield may feel like more of the same in space. To others, that’ll be exactly what they’re looking for. When you give it time to breathe, the game shows you its strengths and invites you to play the way you wish. Not all of its features work out but most do, and the control you have over your journey makes it an excellent trip all the same.
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Sep 14, 2023Starfield is quite the epic ride! This game immerses you in an enthralling odyssey filled with unexpected twists, always keeping you on your toes as you chase down new missions. Nevertheless, the experience is marred by technical and performance issues, the presence of procedurally generated planets, and the reliance on fast travel, all of which tend to dilute the overall sense of exploration.
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Sep 13, 2023Overall, Starfield is fine. It's a Frankenstein's monster of other sci-fi games and references, and it doesn't do any of those things better than existing products. The battle? Cyberpunk 2077 is smoother. Mining and geological exploration? This is all No Man's Sky. Controlling the ship? FTL still reigns. RPG story? Can't compare to Outer Worlds. But even after all this, the game is good and will keep players engaged for a long, long while.
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Sep 6, 2023Starfield promises so much, but comes up short of perfection. Despite lacking the thoroughness of Bethesda’s prior open-world games, a wealth of gripping stories and role-playing potential will likely keep players hooked for years.
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Sep 4, 2023Even though I like Starfield more than Fallout 4, it's just 'the next one of these', instead of the big new beginning that some might have hoped for. If that's not enough for you, I understand. In the end, however, I have to say that these old bones are still robust enough to carry heaps of fun through this fresh and technically as well as visually appealing scenario. Here's hoping for a 'Starfield: New Vega' from Obsidian.
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Aug 31, 2023After nearly two weeks with Starfield, the feeling is that there is still plenty to see and do. An epic space adventure in every way that will suck you into a black hole of entertainment. The game has its problems – especially in the weak main campaign – but you'll definitely have other things to do.
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Aug 31, 2023Starfield is not greater than the sum of its parts. If you add all its misshapen, under-developed pieces together, you get kind of a ramshackle kitbash, with a few extra bits left over. Some of those pieces are cleverly crafted and engaging, representing a developer at the peak of its power, though they often get lost in Starfield’s sprawling scope. What remains is often enjoyable, but often frustrating. There’s no denying this cosmic behemoth is special, but with a more focused vision, and some extra narrative daring, Starfield could’ve been something truly incredible.
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Aug 31, 2023In the end, the overall package is a gripping experience for fans of the genre. The studio has taken everything they’ve learned over the last decade and created something special. Even with its shortcomings, Starfield is a memorable experience through-and-through.
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Aug 31, 2023Starfield is a true space adventure that only Bethesda can deliver. It's an experience catered to the fans of large expansive RPG narratives, but this one takes it a step further to stretch across an entire universe. There are minor systems and menus that cause confusion, and the lack of real tutorials paired with a flimsy opening holds back the opening hours. Still, the experience is undeniably memorable, and the writing for NPCs makes up the best moments. Although the many systems can be overwhelming, this is a game full of discovery for all who play.
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Aug 31, 2023Starfield is a Bethesda RPG in every sense of the word. It offers a large, rich and intriguing world, filled with sidequests and a mysterious main story. The possibility to enter your spaceship and explore the galaxy and fight space pirates is really fun. It has however a few strange bugs, the graphics can change a lot and firefights miss something extra. We’re certain though that RPG fans can easily spend hundreds of hours in Starfield.
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Aug 31, 2023My opinion of Starfield is overall high despite what my many criticisms might suggest. It's a Bethesda RPG, and even Bethesda's middling options blow competitors out of the water when it comes to choice and freedom, so Starfield was always going to be a success. Whether it's enough of a success to uplift Xbox and make someone buy a new console is another discussion, but Starfield itself is perfectly competent and – dare I say it – fun, and even the most frustrating moments were unable to deter me from wanting more.
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Aug 31, 2023Overall, Starfield leans heavily on Bethesda’s expertise with past titles, magnified tenfold due to the sheer size, scale, and scope, yet equally hampered by the same facets. While there are a lot of things you can do as you venture forth and boldly go into the unknown, exploration can feel unrewarding as most planets feel empty. Nevertheless, once you’re done with various faction quests and the main story, there’s New Game+ to look forward to, as well as community-made mods in the future.
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Sep 12, 2023I have enjoyed Starfield and will continue to do so as I clock up the hours, completing my huge list of unfinished quests. But I also enjoyed the various instalments of Fallout, and Starfield feels very much like a Fallout game with a space skin and with space combat. But even then, the space combat can be somewhat diminished with the Fast Travel option. The Fast Travel also reduces the exploration that players often find enjoyable in grand scale RPGs such as this. Starfield does have its minor issues, but it does plenty of things right. The combat is smooth and satisfying, the crafting enables players to improve their equipment in a relatively easy way and the game’s soundtrack is superb, ultimately setting the tone for an enjoyable experience that has you scouring the galaxy for a series of artifacts.
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Jan 28, 2024There's a lot of flaws in space in Starfield. But that does not prevent me from exploring our galaxy again and again.
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Aug 31, 2023Starfield shares plenty of DNA with Skyrim and Fallout 4, but ultimately falls short of both.
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Aug 31, 2023Despite the gripes I’ve mentioned above, I’ve still found it startlingly easy to fall deep into Starfield’s (just-short-of-literal) galaxy of pure content. That fractal quest design pattern makes it very compelling to stretch out a play session for “just one more jump” until you look up and suddenly it’s three hours past when you planned to sleep...I’m not sure if that loop will be strong enough to push me up to and past the 150-hour mark. One thing is clear, though; if we have to wait another eight years for a Fallout 4-scale single-player adventure from Bethesda Game Studios, Starfield has enough raw content to keep a certain type of space-fiction-obsessed player plugging away for a good chunk of that wait.: ["a few dozen hours" impressions]
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Sep 10, 2023In summary, I'd say there's good news and bad news with Starfield on PC. The quality of the game is clear and unlike, say, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, we're not seeing disruptive problems that ruin the experience. However, there's clearly work to do. The options menu isn't descriptive enough or helps the user in any way in tailoring the game to their hardware. Basic features like field of view control, HDR, gamma and contrast controls need to be added, as well as official DLSS and XeSS support...Tackling the disproportionately poor Nvidia and Intel performance also needs to addressed, while there's the sense that the game isn't properly tuned for the major CPU architectures used in today's PCs. Optimised settings clearly yields large performance dividends though, suggesting some degree of scalability, while the DLSS mod is a must for RTX users and can help both performance and image quality for Nvidia owners - but let's hope to see some genuine improvements from Bethesda in Starfield's first major update. [Digital Foundry]
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Sep 6, 2023While a lot of Starfield's familiar Bethesda cruft is outdated and often boring in the early game, the story, quest, characters, and interactions all get better the more you play. That doesn't mean you can ignore the awkward traversal and janky bugs, but it is questionable how damaging those elements are to the experience after 250 hours in Todd Howard's space epic. [Quick Look]
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Sep 6, 2023It's a genuinely impressive space game that hides its best bits, not in way that asks you to track things down but in a way that asks you to grid search in case you miss anything memorable. The more memorable bits themselves feel like they get cut off too soon, and the fun bits are kneecapped by the limitations inherent in making a game this size. Ambition does not have to mean making something literally larger than anyone else, and you don't have to build an entire universe to make a game last 130 hours. In fact, I'd rather you didn't.
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Aug 31, 2023If you enjoy Bethesda Game Studios' games, and more importantly love exploration and space, I think you should prepare to experience your new obsession with Starfield. I'm looking forward to spending more time with it, and seeing how it improves over time on both Steam Deck and Xbox Series X. [Review in Progress]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 2,635 out of 5711
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Mixed: 612 out of 5711
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Negative: 2,464 out of 5711
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Sep 7, 2023
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