User reviews

After five long years of waiting and rampant speculation, Starfield finally released this year on September 6th. Was it worth the wait?

Positives: Starfield has some of Bethesda's best cities out of all of their games, New Atlantis, Akila City, Neon, Paradiso, Cydonia and New Homestead are all extremely interesting areas with tons of side missions to do.

The combat in this game is very easy to get used to and is extremely fun.

The amount of content you get in this game is what you expect when you pay £70/$70. It's truly a testament of how much bethesda love making video games and their passion for them.

Faction quests are also fantastic in this game, the UC Vanguard quest line being my favourite had an incredible movie like story with great action set pieces. The Crimson Fleet storyline was so much fun playing as an undercover agent trying to damage them from within. The Freestar Collective quest line has this awesome mandolorian feel to it as you become a space ranger. The Ryujin Industries quest line is probably the weakest of the bunch but still has great moments as you climb the slippery corporate ladder to get to the top.

Negatives: Starfield feels extremely outdated. Facial animations and controls are very early 2010s and the game just doesn't flow very fluidly. The bethesda "jank" is just unacceptable these days.

The abundance of loading screens is ridiculous, it is so immersion breaking when you have to load everywhere.

Starfield unfortunately suffers from the typical bad bethesda main story. It is extremely uninteresting and the amount of missions that are just fetch quests is ridiculous and time wasting.

The companions in the game are just flat out boring, there are no companions with personalities (except Andreja) everyone is just objectively good and morally righteous, it's so annoying. If you had bad karma in fallout 3, you would attract companions that were also scum bags, why not bring this back?!?

Exploration outside of the main cities is really disappointing. There is absolutely nothing to see and do, no interesting planets or Easter eggs. It makes the game feel so small and artificial.

Lore in this game isn't that interesting either, it's not bad but nowhere near the level of elder scrolls and fallout. It is very generic.

Overall Starfield is a good game that is held down by Bethesda's outdated game design, mediocre writing and old engine. Here's hoping Bethesda listen to a lot of the criticisms for Elder Scrolls VI and Fallout 5.

Never before has a video game been able to give that sense of depth that space as a starfield can give. I'll say it right away for the most demanding, this is not a game that is worth its high expectations but it is so vast, complex and original that it is still worth a high rating and a purchase. Unfortunately, a fluctuating frame rate and 30fps resolution have weakened Starfield to the point of making some define it as a big disappointment, but that's not the case. Bethesda certainly promised something unattainable which was not achieved but the production remains solid, original and well studied, with an exaggerated amount of things to do and secondary missions to discover. Not excellent but certainly excellent, worth trying!

Other than the faces of people (and a few bugs which most games have today unfortunately), this game is absolutely incredible. I'm almost 100 hours in and really feel as i'm just getting into the thick of it. There's is literally so much to do in this game and all of the environments are beautiful. I was a little disappointed when I found out that there wouldn't be as much in space (or "In the Starfield" as they call it in game) but the rest of the game definitely makes up for it. Maybe it's because I have been waiting for a game exactly like this forever, but it's definitely my new favorite game.

I'm a big fan of Bethesda! I've played a lot of their titles. Starfield has quickly become one of my top favorite right behind Fallout: New Vegas. The overall story is extremely well written and the graphics are captivating. Side missions don't feel cheap either. 10/10 experience! The pacing is very good as well. It doesn't feel rushed and you can go at your own pace. Tons of customization and options of build your own ship or outposts. The various planets don't feel extremely familiar. It genuinely feels like a different world each one you explore. I have throughly enjoyed the time I have spent playing this game. I can see myself revisiting it for years to come.

It has been 1 month and 26 days since the release of Starfield, and in that time, I have logged 6 days with a total of 144 hours, give or take.

Now after the debacle of Fallout 76 it was important that Bethesda had a win in a major way for this title, and with all the time I logged I can confidently say it's kinda better?... ya that's what I want to say better.

Oh, Bethesda, Bethesda. What happened to you? Why have you become so lazy and complacent?

I'll start with the good...

The game is pretty and has a lot of interesting things to look at and explore, good questlines (sometiems), and ya, you know there are guns and then space guns... and I can't keep up this charade.

Starfield is the biggest game with the most restrictions I have ever played! Soo many game mechanics and decisions are made in this game purely for the sake of wasting your time!

The story is boring, uninteresting, and dull, and the writing here is just as bad. Admittedly, some questlines were interesting, but everything always just led to "Is that it? Oh, ok." Then this games "ending" is the biggest slap in the face I've felt from a games conclusion. I would give details on it, but to avoid spoilers, all I'll say is completely unsatisfactory.

All this sucks because the game is actually fun. The gunplay, the guns, and the ships. I can't begin to describe how many hours I've spent building and customizing my ship.

But the games' starkingly surprising limitations hold back everything. Also please Bethesda PLEASE dump this engine! It's time to put it to rest.

Yet still, for some inexplicable reason, this game receives high praise and scores! How? Why? The game has the worst ui, maps, and downright stupid enemy npcs.

Character customization is good, but clothing is extremely limiting in variety. There's basically one style and almost no women's apparel. This leads to another complaint: Why is there like no fashion for women in this game? Even when I want to role-play going out with my companion wife, I can't dress her up because there's absolutely no style for women, and that lack of variety led into many of my other role-playing experiences.

Finally, I'll speak about characters. They are ok. They are all just not at all well written. Now if like me you choose to take on a female companion as a wife, then get ready to be criticized for almost every little thing you do or don't do! If you want to be a space pirate, then you'll be hated. Unless I was Mr. Perfect all the time, I would hear about it from Sarah. There is no companion who is like down for anything or everything. It's just another limitation and lack of variety in personalities.

I'm sure there are plenty of other mechanics and systems in this game I'm forgetting to mention, but honestly, I'm tired and a little disappointed to review this any further.

I really wanted to love this game being the massive Bethesda fan I am, but because of the games limitations, restrictions, lack of variety, and subpar writing, it detracts from the experience. Though even after all that, I can not deny the amount of fun I did have, and the game does contain that Bethesda charm, so for that, I can be a bit lenient. But Bethesda, you have used up the last of my good graces. You are better than this. You have done better, and you should do better. So please, please don't screw up Elder Scrolls VI.

Final score: 6/10 3/5

Played on Xbox Series X and PC.

The worst start to the best rpg, rich in detail, things make sense after many hours in a fantastic way, definitely a must see, of course not perfect, but the best of Bethesda standard as there are problems with facial expressions and I imagine they removed many cool things to sell later as DLC that were missed. Also the NPCs are just passable. If it were perfect, maybe it wouldn't be as good as it is, unique environments give an immersion of a unique universe. The bouts seem to reflect different gravities as it feels weird at times, mad satisfying in the end. The fauna is very good as well as the flora which enriches the artistic concept behind the game. In addition to details and interactions that no other game brings, in addition to the power of choice with several different outcomes.

(Based on Patch 1.8.86) Pros

• Art design suitable for the concept of space exploration.

• Exceptional soundtrack quality.

• Large volume of game.

• Fresh new type of new game plus mode.

• Large selections of weapons.

• Significantly improved game engine.

• A procedural generation system that operates more naturally than other games.

Cons

• Boring main quests
• Not a good AI
• An uncertain game concept that is neither a space opera with a rich story nor an adventure where exploration is the main goal.

• Awkward character animation.

• Still bad optimization and frequent stuttering.

Conclusion The game that sparked doubts about the future of Xbox.

The scope and vision cannot be grander. And Starfield indeed looks grand from the first minutes. The various mechanics and systems built into the game, from spaceship building to planetary exploration, are truly amazing, enough to fill multiple decent games.

But that's where the positives end. Starfield produces almost no gel, either in the form of a good story or cohesive world building, to hold its different parts together. The grand scope becomes pointless and bleak when there is no narrative to drive it. The various mechanics do not talk to each other and start to feel redundant very early. The saddest thing is when you push yourself to invest in some of them and they are proven to be redundant by the end of the game.

Bethesda seems to think that just because it's the first universe in 20 years for Bethesda (it's Bethesda!), players will just stick around for hundreds and hundreds of hours until they eventually truly appreciate all that's built within this grand scope. That's hubris. I felt a tinge of nostalgia I completed the game. Then I immediately deleted it and all my saves. What a disappointment.

If you enjoy games like Skyrim and Fallout then you will enjoy Starfield. This game is NOT a Space simulator so don't expect to play have the game piloting your ship. Personally I prefer this but I have seen people not happy that this is the case. There is countless quests to go through. The main quests feel like only a small percentage of stories to go through. You can enjoy playing through all the different faction missions (Sort of like guilds in Skyrim) and sidequests. Building a ship is fun but I am not the artistic type so I just use the one you get from completing a set of sidequests.

This game starts off fun but continues to get more fun as you play through.

Sadly the creation engine really does feel stretched to its limits in this game and I hope Bethesda does some serious work under the hood for Elder Scrolls VI. Its not a bad game to play but certain parts could be improved.

Like entering certain buildings requires a loading screen (Like in skyrim). If GTA V can make this seamless then I don't see why a game 10 years newer cant.

Hit boxes or aiming are frustrating at times. You clearly have your sites lined up for the bullet to not hit the enemy.

Sometimes youll reload but because the animation wasn't complete even thou it looked finished it will cancel your reload but not restart so youll be running with a gun with 0 bullets in the chamber. Would be nice if it atleast started the reload again.

Everything and I mean everything is locked behind skill points. Some stuff makes sense but others just felt like it was there to boast a bigger skill tree. Like why is a boost pack a skill point? Boost pack upgrades yh but to use one???

Other then this I have been enjoying the game. I hope Bethesda officially adds DLSS, I found an un-official way to use it but this should just be a feature. And hopefully they make some optimizations aswell. The game randomly stutters for no reason. I also had it crash a couple times or completely glitch out. A few bugs on PC but nothing that made you wanna stop playing. If anything watching an enemy sling across the map upon death never gets old.

Starfield is a jack-of-all-trades and a master of none. It desperately needs an editor to cut through all the idealistic but useless features to remind the developers that quality always trumps quantity. A rich world and fantastic side quests clash with an uninspired main quest and a plethora of performance issues that render the game's push for exploration anything but. It's a mix of the studio's Skyrim with the genre-defining Mass Effect series, but never quite satisfies those itches and leaves the player thinking of stronger experiences. I ran into a plethora of issues from glitches to outright crashes, spent an inordinate amount of time troubleshooting issues I shouldn't be worried about on console, and doing my best to accept that Bethesda doesn't seem to care to learn from lessons that have hurt them for decades.

While Starfield seems stuck between generations and intentions, it's still fun (frustrating fun, sure, but fun nonetheless). Its side quests shine and its crisp combat only gets better the more skills you unlock. Character creation and crafting your journey are both solid in design and execution, and the game does reward your investment. With all my criticism, I am excited for the universe's future and the undoubted refinements to come, but quality control needs a firmer, more moderate hand.

This is an amazing game. I am 30+ hours in and I feel that I bearly scratched the surface. I have actually come to question what the main story line is as I am following at least two that could both qualify The detailed and believable live world and lore brings this world on par with previous best games like Skyrim and Fallout 4. Also the simplicity of the skill tree and the options of not doing settlements, crafting and shipbuilding is amazing. The the game is playable regardless if you opt in or out of these options is amazing. Apart from a dialogue AI that quickly learns to autoskip for persons like me and that give a short summary and options I absolutely love the game. The fast travel is amazing cutting away so much potentially wasted time (and life - being 53 remaining time alive is important :-)

Bought early access for this game, and got to say I am not disappointed with my experience so far! Great characters, main story line and supporting story lines as well. Surprisingly not a bad launch, like I was suspecting. There has been little to no glitches, with just a few cosmetic, funny ones. Everything so far has been an honor to play, feels like the outer worlds a little but more realistic and definitely more immense. You can definitely tell this is a Bethesda game, so many different worlds, so different from each other, like Akila City vs Neon, totally different, one representing Fallout style, the other cyberpunk a little bit. Been playing on Xbox Series X, and haven't had the game crash once, but my fiancé playing on pc, has had multiple issues, with crashing specifically, maybe they'll fix it, hopefully, but for me, a great experience so far, and can't wait to see where it takes me (25 hours into it so far) I am honestly surprised it doesn't carry better reviews, 10 out 10 would recommend, and deserves at least a 9/10 rating in my opinion, but because I'm having an amazing experience so far I'm giving it a 10 (: If you like fallout, Skyrim, you should give it a shot!

A Journey Through the Stars, But Missing the Spark

Starfield arrived with a lot of excitement. As Bethesda's first major new franchise in years, it had a lot to live up to, especially following the beloved Fallout and Elder Scrolls series. This game promises to be a massive single-player experience without any transactions, live service, or co-op play. On paper, it sounds like it should be a hit. Unfortunately, while it has its moments, it doesn't quite reach the heights of its predecessors.

The game does have a decent story. You'll meet various NPCs and factions as you navigate a well-crafted universe. There's a solid amount of lore, plus numerous enemy factions and alien creatures to discover and combat. You can even engage in space combat with your own customizable ship, which feels like a fun addition. There are cities, settlements, spaceports, mines, and factories to explore, alongside a range of weapons and an extensive skill tree that offers some interesting gameplay choices. The way your decisions can impact your relationships with NPCs is a nice touch too.

So, if all this sounds good, what's the issue? For me, it's the thrill of exploration that's missing. In games like Skyrim and Fallout, I felt a constant urge to explore the world because you never knew what might be around the next corner. Sadly, Starfield isn't the same. The game is filled with loading screens, which really breaks the flow. Instead of wandering freely from one place to another, you find yourself hopping into a ship, flying into space, landing on a planet, exiting the ship, and then searching for your destination. Each little journey comes with multiple loading screens, and quick travel feels like it defeats the purpose of exploring the vast universe.

Another frustrating aspect is how some side missions play out. After joining various factions, some tasks feel utterly pointless. There was this one mission where I had to fetch a cup of coffee for someone in charge. Three loading screens just to serve a hot beverage? It honestly takes away from the experience when you're doing chores in a vast space setting.

On the brighter side, the shooting mechanics are a solid improvement for a Bethesda game. The guns feel enjoyable to use, though I often found myself confused about ammo types. With so many fictional calibers, it's tough to keep track. There are also a few familiar firearms from Earth, which at least help you know what you're dealing with.

Ultimately, Starfield isn't a bad game. It has some good elements, and there are certainly fun experiences to be had. However, given the massive expectations, especially from a studio like Bethesda that has given us classics like Skyrim and Fallout, it feels like it falls short of being their best work yet.

**Rating: 7/10**

I love this game as an older player it is a nice paced game no rushing all over the place you can take your time looking around. A game that alot to do and with a great story. Love the side missions and the over all feel of this game. I love exploring the whole of the planets. Best game this year with out a doubt!

The visuals are amazing the movement is smooth and easy to control.

It does remind me of Mass effect which I've played and throughly enjoyed.

That's why I know this game is gonna be a hit and I'm already addicted to completing this game as it is wonderful. Well done to all at Bethesda for a great game.

Lots of NASA lore, but not fully implemented. Great Zero Gravity battles. Great concept, Great characters, moderate quests.

Flaws, limited repetitive dialogue, still buggy, they say there are over a 100 uninhabited planets, but trust me they are all inhabited. When you land there are always 4 bases within one mile of you.

You should be dead from the get go, because the spacesuit has no gloves, and just how can you breath in toxic gases in a hermetically sealed space suit.

As you advance, the vendors still have the same credits.

It hard to sell a 200k+ spaceship when the vendors only have 72k. Of sell a 12k plus gun to a vendor with only 11k (Trade Authority)

Other than that it is fun to play (played for 3 months Lvl 113)

Jist what I wanted from Bethesda. Back on form. A few small criticisms but nothing they can't fix in a patch. Map fixes, inventory fixes, etc.

I'm 10 hours in in one sitting and can't wait to jump back in tomorrow! I haven't played more than an hour or two of a game at a time for years. Last time I sank such a solid amount of time in one playtime was Skyrim. With this I'm excited to get up at the crack of dawn on the weekend before the wife wakes up to sink some time in. This is a slow burn. Take your time. Don't rush it. That's not what Bethesda games are. They are meant to be worlds you get lost in for years!!

I'm a big Bethesda whore so I knew what I was getting into with this one and enjoyed what I could of it. What I absolutely expected and tried to ignore were the constant bugs and glitches Bethesda has become known for from the Elder Scrolls days of olde. From soft locked missions where entities do not appear that are supposed to in order to progress the mission to not being able to complete a mission because the planet I was on started rioting on their own because I attacked someone by accident, it's a bit of a mess. Thankfully though the main story missions weren't buggy and I was able to see it thru to completion. Alas what I did rather enjoy was the wanderlust the game portrayed. Countless star systems to explore, interesting dialogue choices with numerous outcomes. The ability to persuade, bribe and manipulate your way in and out of scenarios. And even the dogfights, while stiff as they were at times, felt cool and a definite broader direction for Bethesda made open world games. It was basically Fallout/Skyrim in space and that's fine. A fresh yet familiar feeling all the more while having the freedom to pretty much progress and do as you please. The graphics looked crisp but it's too bad the performance was choppy and framerate suffered at times in the larger open world areas. And even while there's hundreds of planets to explore, most outside of a handful feel desolate and bland. I guess they could only do so much before exhausting creative designs of more and more worlds. The combat is pretty much Fallout gunplay with utilizing your various medical items to cure ailments caused by the places you visit like super cold worlds you may get frostbite whereas others may have a thin atmosphere and you may contract radiation poisoning. Your spacesuits that you obtain do help repel these specific afflictions as well but only for a time. The story itself is just okay and ends in a way that reminds me of the Interstellar movie a bit. I put about 50+ hours into it before I decided to call it quits and I felt I had my fill by then. Overall, if you're a fan of the Fallout and Elder Scrolls games like myself and are interested in playing that style of game whilst in a different setting that is pretty ambitious but in the end comes up a bit short in regards to other aspects like world building and still needing a digital exterminator for the amount of damn bugs present, then give this one a shot.

Starfield, the "final frontier" where no developer dared to finish, in other terms, Starfield is a rush job project that needs one year to bake in the oven in which ends up being an average game. I don't know how to tell you if you're going to like it or not, some people likes it and others don't, if you like it, cool. In my case i will tell you my point where ever since i was a kid i followed all sorts of media containing SciFi stuff, and im sometimes biased on it, but i will tell you what is good about the game first in which im around 100 hours.

Graphics and sound are great, not the best but like other space games you will receive your share of eye candy exploring the cosmos. The game at least gives you a lot of stuff to do even so half of the quests can be somewhat repetitive or just average but one thing for sure some side quests are way better than most of the main quest of the campaign. And combat mechanics meaning as in you, you will find it familiar like in other first \ third person shooter from bethesda.

Now to the somewhat bad part, yes... the game is riddled with bugs, as each player have seen its share and most of them have different scenarios in what bugs they have witnessed, more or less.

The Combat AI for the NPC's specially in ground combat are bad and way to easy, along the game you have to set the difficulty up to very hard to even recieve some challenge but at least space is more challenging until you get the hang of it in which space battles are ok, not much to say in that part... but returning to the ground combat aspect, as in my play-through , when i had the means to travel, i was traveling systems and combating NPC's 30 or more levels higher than me and i always managed to get the upper-hand in which the only good part of me being level 15 and the NPC level 50 or beyond was good to farm them for better items and i manage to get better weapons in which made easier to kill hostiles through out the main quest, and up to a point where being a low level i managed to go to the planet where the last mission is at, fun but the best way to get out of it was that, to ramdom stuff and finish the game whenever you wanted.

Now, lets talks about the Scifi elements of the game, yes, there is, cant complain, but is mostly generic, yes there is space exploration to the limits of the game, space battles, and Dragonborn slash Spaceborn powers, yeah, its a reskin of the temples where you get super powers in skyrim. But overall, another game falls in to the generic, uninspired scifi writing that is plaguing many games in which the slap some artifacts and wala, you got a "grand" secrets of the universe. The powers are useless in which I only gathered three of them since they don't really help you and later on I finished the game, and acquiring them just falls flat, you get to this temple, activate the rings by touching to energy particles, repeat until you acquire them and you're spawned back outside, and done.

And now to the ugly, the story but at least the story is average in which the scifi elements do suffer like i described before, but what brings it down is the dialogues, they are bad, they are awful and this is Bethesda once again setting one dude according to the credits to write the entire game but there are moments where it doesn't fit to the current situation, sometimes you are just a child, stupid , flirting/romance is all over the place, and there is this part when you meet for the first time one of the main antagonist, the hunter, and escape to the lodge, you literally become a little kid, when you arrive to the base, your dialogue sounds like you're running to your parents crying because some other kid in the neighborhood hit you.

Bethesda standards are in the ground in this one, to think and it looks like many of the old staff don't work with them any more, in which puts the next elder scrolls at risk to receive mediocre content specially in the story department, we saw quality drop in fallout 4 even so is still famous on things you can do outside of the main content of the game in which they tried to exploit the sand box part and do a bad job with fallout 76 in which they tried to do the cash grab at first with the "sandbox" experience in an empty map until they had to actually gather everyone and finish the game and once more they do that in starfield.

Starfield is everything I was hoping for. I've got about 100 hours in it right now, and I'm sure I'll get many more in. The game is essentially Skyrim in space, which is exactly what I wanted. Some people seem to be disappointed by that fact, and I honestly don't know why. They seem to have gone in expecting something else, without any indication why.

Bugs wise, I've only had one major one, and even then it wasn't really "major". Certainly compared to Elder Scrolls games, it's bug-free.

If you like Skyrim, you'll probably like this. But if you go into it expecting GTA 6, as some people seem to have done, you'll be disappointed.

I'll start by pointing an accusatory finger at the reviewers giving gigantic reviews with 10/10. You are clearly shills so your "review" was clearly paid for. You are the filth oof the world. Go find a real job.

My experience of this game has been VERY negative. The level of jank is something we have come to expect from Bugthesda. But given Todd have his usual hollow brag about how much they had refined the game then how many more years did they need to fix the rest of the jank that remained. On to my next comment ...

Travel ...

Loading ...

Yeah, loading screens. That's basically all this game is most of the time. It is a incredibly UNrefined experience. You literally fast travel almost everywhere, especially in space. This has been such a disconnect for the experience. You can literally do most of your travel from the Map menu and don't even need to board your ship, take off, or fly from system to system. Just find your destination, hit Travel and arrove. Wow Todd, WOW!! SMH.

Loading screen ...

I'm sure many people have heard about the absolutely infuriating NPCs. Not only do they fall out of your ship sometimes but they also disappear through walls, floors and vanish completely. But, the most infuriating thing they do, is interior you DURING COMBAT to discuss their feelings or something that happened in their past. OMG Sarah just STFU and shoot!

Loading screen ...

Space combat is infantile. If you have played Elite Dangerous and play this you'll probably throw up in your mouth. It's pathetic, it really is.

Loading screen ...

Travel on a planet is so damn boring! Everything is so far away and so generic or boring when you get there. Probably my favourite thing to do when I land on a planet is wait for the obligatory ship that lands nearby and go and steal t. It literally happens every time.

Loading screen ...

I got the Mantis early on and several Eclipse and Crimson fleet ships. But it combat just feels so childish and inelegant that I'd rather not bother. There's no tactical finesse to it at all. Plus shields never seem to recharge. It's just dumb.

Loading screen ...

One of the first things I did was remove the carrying limit, something I do with all Bethesda games. So I can now carry 1 million tonnes of items. Haha.

Loading screen ...

Mods. I have installed so many already. You need to. It's basically essential to get the game to work well. Space UI, Inventory, texture packs, etc. This just feels like the hassle I had to go through with Skyrim and the Fallout games to make them look and work better. Bethesda should just give up. They suck at games. They just don't realise it.

Loading screen ... OMG loading screens!!!!!