Starfield was a big swing for Bethesda, but a lot of people don't think it quite hit the ball. Technically, it's fairly sound, it makes a few meaningful improvements to the Bethesda RPG formula, and its world is vast and theoretically rife with opportunities for fun gameplay, but the package just didn't come together for many Starfield players, who feel that it doesn't live up to the gold standard set by the likes of Skyrim.
For what it's worth, Bethesda has heeded at least some of the criticism of its most recent RPG: Starfield has been expanded with well-meaning features like the REV-8, for instance, which addressed a major critique of the game's exploration. But even these more substantial content drops haven't been enough to reinvigorate interest in the game for the aforementioned detractors, and the poor reception of the Shattered Space DLC didn't help matters either. In Starfield's wake, and as Bethesda continues its journey to polish its rougher edges, many have likened it to Cyberpunk 2077, a similarly ambitious, wildly hyped-up RPG that didn't live up to expectations, but improved dramatically with time. However, it's becoming more and more clear that Starfield won't make a Cyberpunk-like comeback, and it may have never even had the chance to.
Starfield Players Bored of Waiting for New Content Should Dive Headfirst Into This Nine-Year-Old Gem
Starfield players looking for something new ought to check out another highly touted game, which offers a variety of similar features and mechanics.
Why Starfield (Probably) Won't Make the Same About-Face as Cyberpunk 2077
Starfield's Problems Run Deeper Than Cyberpunk 2077's
While Cyberpunk 2077's main course wasn't exactly what players expected—highly-touted features like wall-running and car customization were cut from the final product—its biggest issues were technical. It's hard to forget how poorly optimized Cyberpunk was at launch: the game could hardly run on PS4 and Xbox One consoles, and it was riddled with glitches that ranged from hilarious to game-breaking. Things were so bleak that Sony even pulled Cyberpunk 2077 from the PlayStation Store, something that was virtually unheard of for a game of Cyberpunk's caliber.
But the bones of the game were strong, and that's what allowed CD Projekt Red to right the ship. Despite its myriad glitches and performance issues, Cyberpunk 2077 still had a great story, enthralling world, fantastic quest design, and hard-hitting combat sandbox, and all these strengths were merely obfuscated by its shoddy construction. By removing the warts, as it were, CD Project Red was able to bring Cyberpunk's inherent strengths to light; free content drops and the well-crafted Phantom Liberty DLC were just the cherries on top. Starfield launched with bugs and performance issues too, but these were never its biggest problems.
Starfield's 'Problems' Mostly Boil Down to Player Preference
To put it plainly, Starfield can't address its biggest criticisms without being transformed from the ground-up, in a manner that isn't realistic. For example, one of the biggest critiques leveled at the game relates to exploration, which many feel is bland by virtue of Starfield's procedurally generated planets. But this is a central design pillar of Starfield; there's no reasonable way to significantly change exploration without reversing course and making a non-procedurally-generated game. Similarly, players have critiqued the game's world-building as flat, immature, and toothless—-problems that can't be remedied without a total rewrite.
Nearly five years out from its initial launch, Cyberpunk 2077's greatest strengths remain mostly unchanged, because they never needed to change. They were drowned out by bugs and other technical issues, sure, but they were always there. When it comes to Starfield, players who bounced off the game at first probably won't have much of a reason to come back, unless their primary concerns were related to technical problems or relatively minor gripes like the lack of vehicle exploration. It's safe to say that Starfield won't win over too many players via updates or even a DLC, since its most commonly criticized elements aren't matters of technical performance, bugs, or even features, but fundamental tenets of its design.
Starfield
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 85 /100 Critics Rec: 83%
WHERE TO PLAY
Starfield is the first new universe in 25 years from Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4. In this next generation role-playing game set amongst the stars, create any character you want and explore with unparalleled freedom as you embark on an epic journey to answer humanity’s greatest mystery.
The year is 2330. Humanity has ventured beyond our solar system, settling new planets, and living as a spacefaring people. From humble beginnings as a space miner, you will join Constellation – the last group of space explorers seeking rare artifacts throughout the galaxy – and navigate the vast expanse of the Settled Systems in Bethesda Game Studios’ biggest and most ambitious game.
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- yes
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- How Long To Beat
- 20 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- File Size Xbox Series
- 101 GB (September 2023)
