Starfield

I'm sorry but this game is still really bad even after the last update. There are so many things still broken from launch - like the mission for the ECS Constant and many more. The new "cruise mode" sounds like a great addition until you are forced into using it with no explanation of how to do that. Added creations cause issues that cause you to lose saved items. You still can't fully trust weapon racks and mannequins to store and display your loot. It's sad really.... UPDATE: I pre-purchased Starfield for launch because I love playing these types of games. I played through all the bugs and saw update after update fail to address them and still played. I finished and didn't play again for over a year but then Terran Armada came out and I thought I would give it another try. My comment came from the disappointment of Bethesda's lipstick on a pig approach to this game. Terran Armada didn't really add much (IMHO) but the game immersion breaking bugs are still there almost 3 years later. This is what finally pushed me to post my original review.

This is a very poor game, for the following reasons: 1. Outdated and limited engine. We all know that Bethesda has been using the same engine since Morrowind, and it really shows. So many transitions and loading screens - like, constantly. Janky and jerky movements and animations. Bad facial mapping. Clipping and getting trapped on scenery. Limitations on asset numbers and draw depth. 2. The quests are terrible. Fetch quests (fly here, buy me this, bring it back). Hunt quests. Radiant quests. Repetitive and badly written quests. Nonsensical quests. 3. The NPCs are poor. Constant repeating conversations. They feel lifeless and dull. Unresponsive to world state changes. Poor AI and reactivity in combat and events. Romance is badly done compared to contemporary games. 4. The main plot is *stupid*. Very badly written and very badly planned out. Tying into the New Game Plus mode, which is just dull and so not worth it. The alien tech is a repeat of dragon shouts from Skyrim, and is so poorly implemented - very repetitive and copy/paste. 5. The world design is poor. Why are there dozens of ruins on every damn moon or planet. Nothing is actually empty, there's random AI generated "points of interest" everywhere, even when it makes no sense at all. The main cities are tiny and cramped with ascetics which don't fit the genera. So many things just don't make sense - why doesn't Akila City have *paved streets*?? As someone who spent 2k hours in Morrowind, 4k hours in FO3, 1.5k hrs in Olbivion, etc., etc. this game is just a disappointment. Avoid.

I got the game for free when I bought a new gpu a couple of years back, and I still feel like I overpaid. A lot of it is pretty, so that's nice, but there's not much to say that's positive beyond that. I found the main storyline fairly uninteresting, the side quests were largely unsatisfying, the exploration was boring, the base building was boring, the travel systems and menus were tedious and obnoxious, the combat was nothing special, and most of the companions were deeply unlikable. Spoilers: I got to the point where I had to go do the same boring "puzzle" in the same boring temple that was copy/pasted on a bunch of different planets and I just completely stopped being able to care. It's just really not a good game.

People were way too hard on this game and rode a bandwagon of hate regarding it. It was fun. If you're on the fence about it, try it on a discount. Don't get the DLCs - just buy the base game and /try it/. It's a slower burn but it's a fun one if you enjoy space. edit: I forgot to turn off comments and had some weirdo comment their lack of liking the game on my review, lmao. If you're lookin' at this bud, I just deleted your opinion. ♡ Go write your own review. Also, adjusted my review to praise the game more. Because it deserves it. (:

I played this game as soon as it dropped , but just before it did i bought and played the Mass Effect trilogy for the first time (10/10 btw) . Imagine my surprise when many of the cool things from ME turned up in Starfield except they were not sexy or daring because ME is a game that is Adult in nature set in space with space exploration with a very cool story spread over three huge interlocking games, In Starfield they were sanitised and pretty much designed for 10 yr olds with a weak overarching plot full of holes that you could just ignore anyway. Yes Starfield is a sandbox and not linear like ME but the games are similar in the themes and story and Starfield whilst cool for about 5 or 6 hrs it then drops off a cliff in terms of everything that keeps you engaged in a game .

Llevo más de 400 horas jugadas y he alcanzado el new game+ 6 veces. Sencillamente a la 2ª no tenía ganas de seguir, he seguido por cabezonería de desbloquear trajes espaciales, fíjate que tontería, y porque no tengo ganas de jugar a otra cosa. En el primer NG+ he usado mods para poder recuperar mi nave, porque la pierdes, también todos tus puestos planetarios, recursos y posesiones. Ahora, con la actualización de Free Lanes, han metido un almacén para llevarte hasta un máximo de 200kg de tu inventario. Y empiezo hablando de esto primero para que se entienda mi descontento. A diferencia de otros juegos de Bethesda, donde no había NG+, (Elder Scrolls, F3-4), aquí toda la historia principal gira en torno a empezar un NG+ después de alcanzar el final del juego, y como mínimo, debes de hacerlo una vez para desbloquear todos los logros (incluyendo uno añadido en Free Lanes). El argumento gira en torno a esa mecánica. No hacerlo va en contra del diseño del juego. ¿Y por qué digo todo esto? Pues porque en Skyrim, F4… si empezabas una nueva partida, asumes que empiezas de cero. No hay decepción, no hay ningún premio por empezar ni expectativa por hacerlo. Pero en Starfield, se espera que continúes tu historia en el NG+. El problema de es que Starfield tiene los diálogos más cutres que te puedes echar a la cara, unos NPCs aburridos e insulsos (en serio, parece que les han metido un palo en el culo a todos, parecen escritos con LLM) y un diseño de misiones repetitivo hasta decir basta. ¿Por qué razón ibas a querer volver a jugar todo eso otra vez? Hay algunas misiones y diálogos de facción que están muy bien, pero la mayoría del juego está compuesto de misiones de recadero, de llevar algo del punto A al B o hablar con NPCs en persona porque, aparentemente, no existen ni los móviles ni las radios en Starfield XD Pero lo peor de eso es que tus decisiones no tienen ninguna repercusión para la historia ni para las facciones, ni para los NG+. El final del juego es literalmente el mismo decidas lo que decidas, da lo mismo. Puedes obtener exactamente el mismo final todas y cada una de las veces, da igual lo que hagas. Puedes ser amigo y enemigo de todas las facciones, incluso de facciones que están enfrentadas entre sí. Puedes cometer crímenes y saldar tu cuenta sin ninguna repercusión. Tus compañeros se enfadarán contigo, pero luego te perdonan, aunque hayas cometido un genocidio, te disculpas con tus seguidores y arreglado! XD Y todavía no he hablado de las quejas más frecuentes de la gente: los planetas y el viaje espacial. Si bien Free Lanes ha introducido un sistema de crucero, no es más que otro sistema de carga de niveles. En lugar de viajar directamente a la célula del planeta o estación espacial, viajamos al “mapamundi del sistema” donde controlamos la nave. Pero al llegar un planeta, se activa otra pantalla de carga disimulada con un desenfoque de cámara y entramos en la célula del astro en cuestión, exactamente igual que antes. Los planetas en sí son iguales también, llenos de puntos de interés que son copias 1:1, mismo loot, mismos NPCs. Visto una vez, vistos todos los de ese tipo. Incluso en misiones principales, algunas veces también son los mismos, incluyendo para el objetivo principal alguna instalación que te puedes encontrar libremente fuera de la historia principal, y siempre son iguales en NG+. Ni siquiera la Luna, Marte o la Tierra son realistas, no tienen profundidad ni se asemejan lo más mínimo a la realidad. No hay recreación de sus geografías ni puntos de interés reales. Para ser un juego que va sobre explorar el espacio, haya donde vas, siempre hay estructuras en ruinas o puestos ya habitados. No existe esa sensación de ser el primero en ninguna parte, de descubrimiento. Es una pena por la cantidad de detalles que han metido en estos puntos de interés que formen parte de planetas tan repetitivos y aburridos, sin nada realmente que explorar ni hacer. Nada más que misiones de recadero para NPCs insulsos y sin sentido. Es una pena que el sistema de combate sea el mejor que ha hecho Bethesda nunca (porque literalmente es una copia de Fallout 76 y a su vez es una copia de Fallout 4), que tenga un extenso editor de naves espaciales, pero que realmente no la uses nada más que para ir de punto A a B y disparar a ratos, que haya un universo entero lleno de posibilidades y que esas posibilidades estén generadas por un algoritmo procedural en lugar de tener una docena de planetas hechos a mano y con intención. Hablando del combate, es muy fácil. He jugado en la dificultad más alta y aunque al principio ha sido un poco difícil contra enemigos de más nivel, después ha sido un completo paseo. La dificultad se basa en hacer a los enemigos esponjas de balas, ya que su IA es muy básica y su capacidad de daño baja incluso en extremo. Se limitan a quedarse delante de tus narices y esconderse en esquinas. Salen huyendo en cuanto les haces un poco de daño y dejan que les dispares como quieras. No voy a entrar en detalles sobre una mecánica concreta por no hacer spoiler, pero esa mecánica no tiene ninguna utilidad porque puedes eliminar a los enemigos fácilmente con armas. Y ahí lo dejo. En cuanto a los gráficos y el sonido, el juego es bonito con los gráficos a tope, todo hay que decirlo, tengo unas capturas de pantalla muy chulas, pero de guapo no se come. Y la música pues… Inon Zur hizo lo que pudo, pero esto no es Fallout. Hay algunos temas que parecen sacados de una cueva de F4 o el metro de F3. Luego hay otros temas que sí, evocan más al espacio exterior, pero cuando el tema principal podría ser la pantalla de título del próximo Fallout, entonces te das cuenta de que Inon Zur o no sabe hacer otro tipo de música o sencillamente en Bethesda estaban conformes con volver a hacer más música de Fallout para una franquicia nueva. Starfield es un juego con dilemas filosóficos muy interesantes, con diálogos a veces conmovedores pero que falla en su conjunto por la cantidad de paja y contenido insulso que lo rellena todo. Los personajes con palos metidos por el culo y que te tratan de forma ridícula, con una diplomacia que te hace creer que el guion lo generó un LLM. He acabado literalmente hasta las pelotas de hablar con personajes en este RPGy eso es un crimen para el género. Es por todo ello que no veo posibilidad de querer emprender o continuar la historia en NG+, porque no hay quien aguante las misiones, los personajes ni los diálogos. He conseguido llegar al final porque me gusta muchísimo la exloración espacial, los shooters, los RPGs y los juegos de Bethesda en general. Pero como tal, Starfield es mediocre en cada uno de los sentidos. Y ahora vamos a la parte que concierne a Microsoft y Bethesda. Microsoft ha despedido a miles de personas, (y lo sigue haciendo), afectando también a estudios externos. Ha ocasionado una autentica debacle en la industria y todo para seguir invirtiendo dinero en la p ia slop. Bethesda fue comprada por Microsoft en 2019 y se nota. Todo el contenido generado proceduralmente en Starfield es signo de ello. Además de esto, decir que han sido muy rastreros al bloquear los mods en Starfield para incentivar el uso de creaciones de pago. Tienes que pasar por varios pasos para poder usar mods externos, pero al final la comunidad se ha saltado las restricciones impuestas por Bethesda. Y lo peor es que si mis circunstancias personales no hubiesen sido las que eran en el momento que lo compré, probablemente no habría jugado Starfield nunca. Pero no voy a basar mi recomendación en mi vida personal ni en cómo me ha ayudado a pensar o ver las cosas con perspectiva, porque eso es algo intrínseco de cada uno y no tiene absolutamente nada que ver con el juego de forma objetiva. Espero que esto te sirva para tomar tu decisión sobre pillar o no este juego, sabiendo que como simulador espacial es malo, como RPG mediocre y como juego de Bethesda no le llega a la suela a Skyrim, estando más a la altura de Fallout 76 que otra cosa.

This game has problems. I won't deny it, but, it definitely got bashed more than it deserved. The bethesda charm is there from the start as long as you have the eyes to see it. Even in the opening sequence, when you first start the game things are layed out for you. The setting, the two big factions, how they operate. The big wow moment isnt when you step outside, its not seeing the light, its when you see the ship. Its when it lands and that star wars promise is on full display. Its when you step inside and you look around. When you find Barretts slates, see his character as first portrayed. And its when you look in the captains locker and you are told how to play the game. All summarized in a poem. This game is about exploration. Trying new things, making planets your own home. Everything else is flavoring. Draw your own conclusions, you might dissagree, but dont knock it till you try it. Bethesda definitely put their heart into this game. The scope is just so large its hard to see it.

This game is the equivalent of having an unemployed son in his mid-20's who still lives at home; you want to be supportive of them, but they never do anything. I check on this game every 4-5 months for anything, and I can feel my hairline recede by 2 cm each time I check. -- There are about 2 solid questlines in this game, ignoring the main story.

I've always been a fan of outer space games, so I'm glad Bethesda chose to make one. It had a rocky start, sure...but IMO, they've done good things with DLC and now Creations. The modding scene is also very good as with most Bethesda titles, and Nexus Mods is the place to go for those who want to go that route.

[h1]A soulless monument to wasted potential[/h1] [i]Disclaimer: I played it from a shared library. I don’t own the game myself.[/i] I tried to like this game. I really did. Even though I played Skyrim more like a fantasy sim than an actual RPG and Fallout 4 as a settlement builder sim, I enjoyed them both. So I thought I would enjoy Starfield as well. I tried to ignore the negative reviews and to try it with an open mind. I kept playing. Every level I told myself “Maybe [i]now[/i] it would get fun and interesting.” It never did. [h2]The Good:[/h2] 1. The sense of exploration is actually great… to a certain extent. I loved the planet hopping and watching how humanity tried to colonize different planets with different environments and how they face such different challenges everywhere. It makes you appreciate how vast and varied the galaxy is. It reminded me of Mass Effect and the Outer Worlds. But this feeling doesn't last. More on that later. 2. The level progression is a step in the right direction for Bethesda, in my opinion. Instead of it being fully usage-based like Elder Scrolls or fully experience-based like Fallout, they have tried a mix. You earn skill points via experience like traditional RPGs but you can’t use them until you have completed certain challenges relevant to that skill. This method stops ‘cheesing’ the difficulty (like spamming Illusion spells to level up) but also maintains the idea that you need to use a particular skill to get better at it. And that’s it. These are the only two good things I had to say about the game. [h2]The Bad:[/h2] 1. The game is procedurally generated hell. Remember how I wrote about how good exploration feels? It does, really. [i]However[/i], those carefully constructed locations are few and far between. I can understand why. We can’t expect Bethesda to hand-craft hundreds of different such locations. And so Bethesda approaches it differently from games like No Man’s Sky where [i]everything[/i] is generated. As a result, when you step out of such well-designed cities and start getting into random ‘civilian outposts’ or ‘abandoned facilities’ with nameless citizens and enemies, the contrast feels very jarring. The immersion breaks. 2. Space travel is boring as hell. Unlike No Man’s Sky, you can’t actually fly from planet to planet seamlessly. You can’t even land or launch manually. It’s all loading screens! And it’s largely pointless. Once you reach a destination, you can skip your ship entirely and just fast travel to it. The only times the ship has any relevance is during fights with enemy spaceships. Even then the controls are very clunky. 3. I’ve played an incredible amount of RPGs in my life, and so I’ve gotten used to good writing, interesting twists, incredible character depth. So when Starfield kept giving me simple fetch quests one after another, I was confused. Every time I thought, maybe [i]this time[/i] it would be something interesting and unexpected. But I was waiting for something that doesn’t exist. Most of the quests (maybe 80% or more of what I did) are fetch quests- go there, do this menial task. You’ll be asked to deliver letters, birthday gifts, dinner plates, boots, and so on. I don’t mind the occasional fetch quests. They are a staple of the genre after all, but there are very few actually interesting quests in this game. It also doesn't help at all that most of the quests are radiant, i.e. they are procedurally generated. 4. It’s not just quests, the writing overall feels very mechanical and inconsistent, even by Bethesda’s standards. In Skyrim, I actually cared about some NPCs. Hadvar was my bro. I loved the quaint little village of Riverwood and its simple inhabitants. Granted that in Fallout 4 I did not care about my son, but I would have gone to war over Codsworth. In Starfield, the characters are incredibly generic and their personality has the depth of a tissue paper. They feel as soulless as the game. I myself never felt any sort of connection with any of them. Even the companions felt forced, drab, and out of place. 5. My biggest gripe is probably with the inventory and the outpost systems. Usually I love inventory limit in video games. I enjoy managing the weight of items and making decisions about what to carry and what to leave behind. But Starfield takes that to an extreme. The sheer variety of resources you find in this game dwarfs Skyrim or Fallout 4, and they weigh [i]a lot[/i]. Even if you are not a hoarder, you will definitely struggle to carry the important things, and you will spend a lot of time encumbered. And why would you want to carry so much? That brings me to my next point. 6. Like I said, I did not much like Fallout 4 as an RPG, but I loved it as a settlement building simulator. The thrill you got from taking over an abandoned or vulnerable facility and turning it into a powerhouse was unparalleled. It also helped that you could give poor wasteland survivors a shelter and a purpose in your bases. The building system was simple and yet, elegant. In Starfield, however, it is neither. You can’t drop your resources at the workbench anymore. You have to build storages and warehouses, which have very little space and fill up way too fast. You also can’t build simple caravan routes between your outposts. You have to create cargo links which can [i]only[/i] carry specific resources at a time. And since the resources weigh so much, by the time I finished one outpost, I was feeling too exhausted to even think about another one. It's unnecessarily complex, tedious, and serves no purpose. I think it’s specifically this element that finally made me quit the game. 7. The cultural differences between the main factions are also very badly written. And there is no originality. It feels like Bethesda just copies them from different pop culture elements. The United Colonies feels more like Star Trek, the Freestar Collective is a poor copy of Firefly, and Neon is a generic cyberpunk city (more like a small town). I get that they wanted each faction to feel unique, but they are so different that at times it feels difficult to accept that they are part of the lore of the same game. 8. There is absolutely no reason for Starfield (or any Microsoft game) to cost as much as it does, not when the money is not going to the game devs and is just profit for the corporation who are going to fire the devs anyway. [h2]The Average:[/h2] 1. The music is not bad, it’s not great. It’s fine. It doesn’t fill me with awe, neither does it feel epic in any sense. But otherwise it fits the setting. 2. Unlike many others I don’t mind the lack of advanced alien cultures. The Outer Worlds did a good job at world building without them, but Starfield failed to make their world interesting enough to make up for that. 3. Like the rest of the game, the combay is excruciatingly mediocre. You might enjoy it for a few hours. There is a nice variety of guns that can be upgraded, but it all gets repititive rather fast. It also doesn't help that the special powers are rather lacklustre and there are no interesting features to invest in like VATS or Mass Effect's bionic powers. [h3]Conclusion[/h3] If you want the experience of casually travelling throughout the galaxy, or if you, like me, have read the Expanse recently and wanted a taste of space, Starfield is fine. Just don’t expect a good RPG. It is an overpriced mess and a severe downgrade from all past Bethesda titles. Bethesda has been moving towards radiant quests since Skyrim. They are not fun. They encourage lazy writing, and their only purpose seems to be lengthening the game. They add absolutely nothing to the lore or the narrative. To those who like good writing in RPGs, it's a slap in the face. And despite heavy criticism against them, Bethesda seems to be doubling down on them. So Starfield doesn't make me hopeful for the next Bethesda game at all. Final verdict: 05 / 10