Starfield

One of my favorite BGS games. Nothing like exploring the universe in a future that feels not too far off from where humanity is at the moment. Great gun play and the trait system makes roleplaying my character much more satisfying. The inclusion of Free Lanes and POIs just makes space exploration all the better. UC Vanguard, Crimson Fleet and so many side quests are stand outs. Or even just standing on a moon orbiting a gas giant. In awe of its beauty. If you like space, and like BGS games, you'll find a very interesting take on the formula here. Highly recommend. Supra et Ultra!

if you enjoy having fun this is the game for you!

Took a very long time for me to come up with a review. It still feels like a poor review, as there is so much that one could cover in this game. Anyways, here goes after 500+ hours of it. [b]Starfield is probably among the most polarizing games I've ever played. A game I absolutely love, and then regularly hate.[/b] I can go through a wave of wanting to trash-talk it, to periods of seeing all the positives in it. [u]It is full of stark contrasts; from moments of pure awe, to moments of utter frustration.[/u] What do I mean by that? Regardless how one thinks of the game, it cannot be denied that Bethesda has clearly put so much time and love into Starfield. This is clearly visible in the attention to detail in many aspects of the game, from the layout of the solar systems, to graphical detail like showing the gravity wells of suns and planets, the magnetosphere of the objects, the time differences different planets will have depending on their orbit speed, relative to their own sun. They make use of real theories for travel, energy sources, materials we could find, ship materials, etc... [b]This is by far one of the most enjoyable games I've ever played that works hand-in-hand with my (casual) passion for astronomy and my love for things that feel more based in science, like Star Trek.[/b] Visually, being able to land on a moon and see the planet it orbits in all its size and glory, just wow! Starfield is unequalled in the moments of pure astronomical awe I've felt in most forms of entertainement. [u]This alone makes me feel an incredibly strong positive bias towards the game, letting me get through the moments of frustration it also offers.[/u] Landing on Titan, a brownish-orange moon of Saturn, with the accurate representation of the hazy blueish colour of the atmosphere reflecting its strong helium content... ...it was a jaw-dropping moment for me. Something no other game has ever offered up in quite the same way. [b]In contrast,[/b] there are times I've felt they really dropped the ball here. As an example, landing on our moon was utterly disappointing. The surface looks nothing like that of our actual moon. They instead let it fill with the generic large rocks everywhere. Our moon is more of a sand-like smooth surface with smaller hand-sized pebbles strewn about. Why drop the ball on the actual rock we know best in our own solar system!? Some other moon sin other systems actually have that smooth surface our own moon should have! [b]The next area that makes this game unique to me is the overall aesthetic. Particularly the ships, the cockpits, the ship interiors and many of the spacesuits.[/b] Bethesda really nailed a look that feels so grounded, realistic and believable. I absolutely love how they gave us these cockpits that feel tactile, with knobs and buttons, instead of going that fantasy sci-fi way of holographic and super high-tech stuff. [b]NASA-Punk[/b], a term coined because of Starfield; [u]well deserved and right on the button![/u] Can't express how much I love the fact we have different ship manufacturers that all have their unique flair and look. Nova Galactic and HopeTech being my absolute favourites. But, just really enjoying all of them and how you can really build ships around a particular theme; cargo hauler, nasa-like, rounded soviet retro futuristic, aggressive with plenty of angular details, etc... So many hours spent in the ship building process, coming up with my own looks and themes. Sometimes based off popular sci-fi I enjoy (Star Trek, Event Horizon, Firefly, etc...) and sometimes just based off a design for the RP I am going through (deep space research vessel, cargo hauling, scout, etc...). [b]In contrast,[/b] while they give us these incredible habs with interiors that really feel awesome, detailed and lived-in, they have one of the most crude ship building tools. Do you know how frustrating it gets to come up with a design you really enjoy, to walking into your ship, discovering it has become a maze of ladders? Even when you start learning some little tricks to reduce the random ladder placement, compact builds are just utterly frustrating, as you cannot confidently stack a module. With no way to dictate where ladders will be, you are left with a system that has its own logic and isn't clear. Bethesda gives you these modules, but doesn't give you the tools to properly build. Or, spending a couple hours on a ship, to then be greeted with a message that you've reached the module limit... but, there is no indication anywhere as to what the module limit is. Also, will never understand why they absolutely refuse more freedom in the facing of many modules, especially the decorative pieces. Why a piece can be rotated, but another can't? It's just frustrating. [b]I really enjoy the slower pace Starfield offers.[/b] The fact gunfights are sometimes few and far in between means that when they do happen, they feel exciting and special. I find it impressive how Bethesda has gone from games like Morrowind/Fallout 3 to how good the shooting feels in Starfield. It hands-down beats so many dedicated shooters out there! It's just another addition into the level of immersion provided in these larger-then-life games. But, why do laser weapons behave like ballistic weapons? Why do lasers have spread and kick? Early on, I had noticed how in zero-g when you shoot, you get lots of kickback that moves you backwards. Super cool attention to detail, right? Well, I figured laser weapons shouldn't behave like that. Well, for some reason, laser weapons kick you back just as much. Another great upgrade over their previous games is how we can finally tweak difficulty to our liking. I have really enjoyed playing with the more forgiving survival options, like food, slow healing, infections and all the debuffs. In contrast, some of these systems feel unfinished at times. Landing on a planet, you know what kind of suit to wear by looking at the magnetosphere, atmosphere, etc... But, while I can scan entire planets from orbit, I have absolutely no way of knowing what meteorological conditions are in effect where I landed? Our watch cannot tells us how long our suit protection is good for? Starfield sits among my favourite games. It is unique, fascinating and can offer jaw-dropping moments. But, it feels unfinished. The building systems feel barebones and unfinished. The companions have a great presence and feel like they should have so much more to them, but feel unfinished and superficial. The space combat feels limited, while also enjoyable. Scanning planets on the ground gets so tedious. Perks often feeling like they are there to reduce the tedium, instead of providing you with something unique. I could go on with plenty more examples of these types of contrasts; from cities to settlements, companions, quests, random encounters & hidden lore, there are moments of pure awe! And then, moments you feel like uninstalling the game right then and there because it sometimes feels like Bethesda doesn't respect your time. [h3]Starfield is a game of contrasts. Either you find the things that win you over, or you end up totally hating it![/h3]

Great game

great open world play

Its totally just ok great time killer, shame my save data is gone