- Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
- Release Date: Sep 6, 2023
- Also On: PC, PlayStation 5
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Sep 8, 2023If you’re the kind of person who thinks videogames peaked with Fallout 3's launch version and they’ve required neither evolution nor improvement since, this game is absolutely for you. If you believe Bethesda doesn’t need to exhibit growth as an artistic outlet and hasn’t had to change a thing about the way it’s made games since 2008, I can safely say you’ll adore Starfield because it’s all that a Bethesda game has always been... and literally nothing more...Starfield is a shallow ocean, hiding its lack of creative ambition behind the physical size of a universe that’s minuscule where it counts...In short, it's everything a fan of these games could love.
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Aug 31, 2023People who loved the last Fallout games will love Starfield for sure. This is a great RPG open world game with plenty of things to do and it’s also really good in everything Bethesda usually does right, even if it's disappointing on the things that they tried to innovate like planet exploration and starship handling and combat. [Recommended]
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Aug 31, 2023Bethesda took its formula for RPGs, perfected over the years with the Fallout and Elder Scrolls series, and deployed it on a scale grander than I have ever seen. I spent 36 hours playing Starfield on an Xbox Series X and completed more than 100 missions, side activities and other jobs. I feel like I barely scratched the surface of the game...It's one of the best games Bethesda has ever developed and easily one of the best games of the year.
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Sep 28, 2023In Starfield, many might see a time-tested, signature charm. Others might see a time-worn, laborious monotony. These are fair perspectives. A game this large is hard to distill into one set of strengths or one set of weaknesses. As in other Bethesda games before it, you’ll likely have to make your own fun here, but in giving us not just a swath of post-apocalyptic terrain or a fantasy realm but an entire galaxy to explore this time, Starfield makes all the flaws and shortcomings of its patchwork world all the more glaring.
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Aug 31, 2023With Starfield, Bethesda has put all of its efforts into exploring the dark, vast corners of outer space. In the process, it has drained a lot of the humanity I was hoping to find in its wake. In trying to do everything, Starfield obfuscates its most compelling mysteries.
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Aug 31, 2023Starfield aims to be Bethesda Game Studios' magnum opus: it's compelling, entertaining and familiar: it feels like spending time with a longtime friend. This also means that it is inherently old in its structure and in how its universe reacts to the player. It's a shame that it comes with some unforgivable sins, like how dull the planet explorations is, but you will spend tons of hours in the game nonetheless. [Review in Progress]
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Aug 31, 2023Skyrim was basically a once-in-a-lifetime video game—a zeitgeist-capturing single-player RPG that eventually made its way to multiple game systems across multiple generations. It seems unfair to the breadth of this video game to determine (even after more than two dozen hours of play) if Starfield will live up to that. But it’s impossible to deny that there’s something special here. Maybe something that speaks to humanity’s fascination with space travel? Or maybe not. Starfield may or may not be the most important video game ever made, but it is Skyrim in space, and that’s awesome. [30+ hour impressions]
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Aug 31, 2023Put this all together, and you have a game that doesn’t fundamentally change the formula that Bethesda has built its reputation on. Starfield is another huge experience with an almost overwhelming amount of things to do and see, coupled with some great character development, role-playing features, and so-so action. But it also smooths over many of the rough edges that have defined past releases from the studio while introducing a new theme and narrative that match the grand ambitions that Bethesda has always strived for. War never changes — but it’s a lot more thrilling in space.
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Sep 6, 2023Skyrim and Fallout 4 had a space baby and named it Starfield. As with every child, there’s the hope that it will better its parents as it grows into adulthood, and from the time spent with Starfield, I’d say it’s right up there with Bethesda’s best. I’ve certainly enjoyed what I’ve seen so far and the new setting, but there’s just no getting away from the fact that it has its mother’s eyes and its dad’s nose. [Review in Progress]
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Aug 31, 2023Let us cut to the chase: we were over the moon with Starfield. The number of available quests is remarkable, but the writing’s quality is what truly amazed us. Bethesda has delivered a masterful experience here by intelligently guiding us through the multiple narratives as we discover and explore the universe they have created for us. Even after +100 hours, one can still find a way to keep busy whilst feeling the same exhilarating sensations of the adventure’s kickstart. The expected journey is there, and the space adventure is almost limitless. Unfortunately, exploring on our own is not as exciting as we had hoped. In our opinion, the promises of freedom are only half-fulfilled: yes, one can travel and roam the galaxy, and yes, some rich adventures can be experienced, but space and planetary exploration are barely on a par with games like No Man’s Sky or Elite Dangerous. It all depends on what you are expecting for that point, which is definitely there, but sadly lacks depth and possibilities. Starfield encompasses and combines all the studio’s know-how on a highly ambitious game that delivers a stellar experience, but one that needs to be accepted for what it is.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 3,626 out of 6232
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Mixed: 488 out of 6232
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Negative: 2,118 out of 6232
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Sep 7, 2023
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Sep 7, 2023
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Sep 7, 2023