Starfield Review
Starfield Review
Starfield Review Score Explanation
Overall.
Starfield is a good and (largely) bug-free looter-shooter crossed with space exploration. Despite being built on the aging Gamebryo engine, which they’ve used since the days of Elder Scrolls: Morrowind, Bethesda has managed to create its first (largely) bug-free experience in years. However, it has its flaws. You explore space through menus, the weapon damage needs to be tweaked, and the character models leave a lot to be desired. It being open to the modding community will likely be this game’s saving grace, just as it was with previous Bethesda titles, so watch out for mods that will make it a better experience.
Story.
Though the main quest itself has a weak hook, it’s all the side content that will really draw you in. The game is replete with tidbits of lore in the form of books, computers, and even a guided in-game tour. The design of the different towns and cities found throughout the Settled Systems also oozes with worldbuilding.
Gameplay.
Starfield has been drawing comparisons to Fallout 4 online, and for good reason - it plays like Fallout 4, but set in space. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though. The gunplay is great. The damage output of some firearms, however, can be unrealistic, taking away some of the immersion. Imagine emptying 50 bullets into one normal guy, in a spacesuit no less, and still not killing him. Fallout 4-style crafting is also present, alongside a perks system reminiscent of Skyrim’s. Unfortunately, the space exploration part leaves much to be desired. You are not exploring space, but rather a series of menus.
Visuals.
Playing on the Xbox Series S, which is supposed to have lower visual fidelity, I was surprised with how detailed the game still was when it comes to models, decals, shadows, and lighting. Though there are specific areas that have a weird color filter, like in previous BethSoft titles like Fallout, the game looks good from a technical standpoint. That being said, I can't help but find the "NASA-punk" aesthetic a bit underwhelming. It lacks originality and feels too similar to other space exploration games, such as Star Citizen, that have already explored similar themes (and pulled it off somewhat better).
Audio.
The soundtrack is rather forgettable. Even after playing for four hours, not a single track has managed to leave an impression on me. The weapon sounds are passable, and the voice acting is decent enough. Overall, though, there's nothing particularly remarkable about Starfield’s audio so far.
Value for Money.
We’re giving this aspect of Starfield a rather high score because this game, just like any other Bethesda game, will have high levels of modability. Looking at what the modding community has done with Skyrim, wWe can count on them to likewise modding community to expand Starfield’sthe game’s features, graphics, and maybe even breathe new life into certain aspects where the gameStarfield is lacking (especially space exploration). Buying Starfield now means getting a game that you’ll be able to play and revisit for quite some time. will be playing for quite some time. If there’s one thing Bethesda is good at, it’s That’s because building moddable sandboxes is what Bethesda is good at.
Starfield First Impressions
Pros of Starfield
Things Starfield Got Right So Far
Solid Looter Shooter Gameplay
Good Shipbuilding and Dogfighting Mechanics
Great Foundation for Mods in the Future
Solid Looter Shooter Gameplay
Starfield’s gunplay mechanics and shooting are pretty decent. People were right to compare this game with Fallout 4 because you will see the similarities immediately. Shoot your enemies, give them critical hits by firing at their heads, and loot their bodies for gear. It’s a simple gameplay loop that can still get me going even after playing a lot of other Bethesda games in the past.
The places where these gunfights also take place are rather varied. So far, we’ve got a derelict space station, a mining outpost in the middle of a deserted planet, and a planetside science outpost. I even got to board an enemy spaceship after I damaged it enough. The enemies themselves look intimidating enough. So far, I’ve faced off against mercs and space pirates, but if I were to go up against United Colonies marines and robots, I’d definitely kill them for their nice-looking space suits.
As for the looting aspect, it’s making me happy. There’s a lot of stuff to steal- er, "acquire" throughout the Settled Systems, and the reason why I even explore the universe of this game is because I have a near-pathological desire to take every single unsecured book, sandwich, first aid kit, and ammo box I come across. So much to steal, and so little time to sell all of your loot…
Good Shipbuilding and Dogfighting Mechanics
The space exploration mechanic itself is a whole ‘nother can of worms I’ll complain about later. But for what it’s worth, the shipbuilding and dogfighting mechanics are really solid in this game. The ships handle well, and there’s this mechanic where you have to prioritize which subsystem of your ship you will be routing power to. You can kill almost all the subsystems except the engine to remain stealthy in space, or divert max power to shields and weapons to deal as much damage to the enemy as possible.
What’s also nice is that all the different ship parts you can buy at ports have different stats, different looks, and different manufacturers. From what I’ve seen, the customizability of your ship could even reach levels comparable to that of the Armored Core games. You have so many options to take in this game when it comes to customizing your ship, and I can’t wait to design my own ship once I have enough credits.
Great Foundation for Mods in the Future
Starfield is officially announced to have modding support coming. And so just like so many other Bethesda games, the modding community will definitely bail out Todd Howard and Co and improve it for free over the next decade or so. This SHOULD be a bad thing, as games shouldn’t rely on modders to make it more enjoyable. But honestly,it’s great that Starfield seems to have the makings of a great foundation for game modding over the coming decade.
I can already imagine the kind of mods that will come out, especially once official modding support for the game comes out. I’m talking about seamless exploration between planets, more weapons, damage tweaks, better-looking character models, and the works. If there’s one thing Bethesda games are great at, it’s giving players a sandbox where they can slap on all the mods they want and tailor it to their preferences. And what’s more, it won’t be limited to PC, as many other moddable games tend to be; mods will be availab;e for Xbox as well.
Cons of Starfield
Things That Starfield Can Improve
You Explore Space Through a Bunch of Menus
Game’s "NASA-punk" Aesthetic Feels Dry and Generic
Weapon Damage Still Needs to be Tweaked
You Explore Space Through a Bunch of Menus
The biggest gripe I have with Starfield so far is the space exploration. For a "Space RPG," you don’t really get to explore space with your ship all that much. Any meaningful space travel in Starfield is done via the fast travel menu. You heard that right - fast travel is the only method of exploring space. You use a menu to travel to a star system or a specific planet, and then a cutscene plays of your ship flying out into space.
No, you can’t fly between planets because the space you get teleported into is basically a skybox. That planet in the distance you want to land on? Sorry, but you can’t actually land on it with your ship; you have to access the fast travel menu again and land that way. Planets are more like wallpapers than actual entities. If you went into this game looking for a prettier No Man’s Sky or an actually playable version of Star Citizen, you will be disappointed.
To be fair to Starfield, it does have a sense of scale when it actually wants to give it to you. I still remember flying through a debris field to reach a derelict space station orbiting Luna - the Moon of the now-abandoned Earth. Once I was close enough, I docked and entered the station after one quick loading screen. The illusion that I was on a space station floating in outer space was not broken.
But man, the implementation of the travel in this game is just so terrible. If they were going to go with this route, at the very least, Bethesda could’ve given us access to the system-wide/inter-planetary fast-travel menu on the ship only through one specific console and can only otherwise fast-travel planetside. Then, when we fly off into space, instead of a cutscene and a loading screen, just have that cutscene play from the player’s perspective, maybe add a warp animation, and then have the game load while that plays out? It would’ve been more immersive, if nothing else.
Game’s "NASA-punk" Aesthetic Feels Dry and Generic
Another gripe I have with Starfield is the design aspect. Say what you will about Star Citizen (personally, I’m not convinced it’ll come out anytime soon), but at least it knows how to make a well-designed space aesthetic. It’s much grittier, yet also more mature and sleeker at the same time.
Starfield’s "NASA-punk" aesthetic, in contrast, is so dry and flat. I got to New Atlantis and, boy, did I feel like I was going into the 1939 "World of Tomorrow" exhibition rather than a believable settlement that happened to have this kind of design sensibility. Like how that exhibitionevent presented ideas of the future from a 1930s perspective, Starfield has a very retro, almost 1980s perspective on what the future would look like. Nothing wrong with that per se, but Bethesda handled it rather poorly with how flat, dry, and grossly antiquated it all looks. I’ll admit, it feels believable in some places (like the interiors of The Lodge), but otherwise, the game’s aesthetic isn’t doing anything for me.
Weapon Damage Still Needs to be Tweaked
You’d think that most people would die after taking 50 bullets to the chest, even if they’re wearing futuristic armored space suits. Right? Well, Starfield would say that you’re wrong. The gunplay itself may be good, but the damage output of guns in this game is wild. I’m beginning to think that the damage of your gun scales with your level, which shouldn’t be the case because a bullet will kill someone regardless of whether or not the gun that fired it is handled by a professional or a complete rookie.
Now, if we’re talking about guns being less accurate if you’re still at a low level, that would be much more believable. It’s such a shame the damage output of your guns can be sketchy in this game because everything else is fine.
Starfield Story Plot
Starfield is set in the year 2330 in a fictional area of space called the Settled Systems, a region far out in the cosmos that has supported many thriving colonies. There, the player assumes the role of a worker from Argus Extractors, an interstellar mining company. After a routine mission, he chances upon a mysterious Artifact. He also meets with members of the Starfield Constellation faction, a group of explorers who study the Artifacts and the secrets that they hold.
Starfield's story expands as new lore is ushered in. The new lore sheds some more backstory on the two major factions, the United Colonies and the Freestar Collective, as well as the "Constellation" faction players who will eventually be a part of the game proper.
Humanity first reached Mars in 2050, and by 2100, human settlements in space had been established. By 2156, humanity had expanded its reach to Alpha Centauri, leading to the rise of the United Colonies (UC) three years later. New Atlantis, one of the major settlements in Starfield, was established and became the UC’s official capital. By 2189, the Cheyenne and Volii systems formed the Freestar Collective. Cheyenne is home to Akila City, the Collective's capital, and another major location in Starfield.
Tensions between the two major factions would come to a head in 2196, after the United Colonies put a space station in the independent Nation system, sparking the Nation War. The conflict ended in 2216, giving rise to the term "Settled Systems." But the lingering tensions between the UC and the Freestar Collective would soon boil over again nearly a hundred years later, resulting in the Colony War.
Despite the doom and gloom, however, in 2275 the Constellation group was established to continue the exploration of space beyond the Settled Systems and answer the age-old question, "What is out there?".
Who Should Play Starfield?
Starfield is Recommended if You Enjoy:
• Fallout 4
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
If you’re a big fan of Bethesda’s games, then Starfield is an expansion of the mechanics that they’ve already polished over the last decade or so, but with the addition of space travel (of sorts). Also, it’s the game to get if you’re looking for a new game to mod into oblivion (no pun intended). Just give the modding community time to mature.
It’s hard to recommend this game to people who like playing space simulators because this is not exactly a space simulator game. It doesn’t simulate space at all, actually. The spaceship is a glorified fast-travel hub.