It's hard to know how to evaluate a Bethesda game. Critically speaking, they're often riddled with shared flaws that many are quick to point out. However, they also offer an experience that's hard to find elsewhere, and in a way it's the flaws that allow that experience to flourish - where other RPGs are more indepth and engaging, Bethesda games are perfect for zoning out and bumming around an open world, and sometimes that's exactly what I need. I went into this game expecting little more, and that's exactly what I got, so I'm satisfied.
Starfield does feature some improvements over previous Bethesda games, though in some cases it could be seen as damning with faint praise. Dialogue is back after the mess of Fallout 4, character creation is looking better than ever with some actual trait choices, some of the set pieces set a new standard for exciting spectacle, and the NASA-punk setting is quite to my tastes.
The space exploration aspect is somewhat underbaked, but again this is a matter of expectations - I didn't really want a competitor to Elite: Dangerous, nor do I expect Bethesda could pull that off well. I'm glad they stuck to their strengths and most of the game takes place on the ground with the gameplay style I'm familiar with.
There are some issues worth highlighting that stuck out even to my very casual experience. I specced into Laser weapons based on the background that I wanted to go with, and then spent the entire game struggling to find weapon upgrades because so many quests reward either armour or physical weapons. Also, some systems that seem neat, like shipbuilding or outpost construction, are intimidating to get into, and the game never really works to introduce you to them, you just have to either dive in or avoid them. I got through the game fine without engaging with them, once I got a better ship from a sidequest, but it probably would have been cooler if the game did help me do more with them. The major factions outside of the main quest are also quite unappealing - two sets of cops, one megacorp, and raiders. That vastly cut down on the amount of side content I wanted to do, which is a big shame from a timewasting standpoint.
Starfield does feature some improvements over previous Bethesda games, though in some cases it could be seen as damning with faint praise. Dialogue is back after the mess of Fallout 4, character creation is looking better than ever with some actual trait choices, some of the set pieces set a new standard for exciting spectacle, and the NASA-punk setting is quite to my tastes.
The space exploration aspect is somewhat underbaked, but again this is a matter of expectations - I didn't really want a competitor to Elite: Dangerous, nor do I expect Bethesda could pull that off well. I'm glad they stuck to their strengths and most of the game takes place on the ground with the gameplay style I'm familiar with.
There are some issues worth highlighting that stuck out even to my very casual experience. I specced into Laser weapons based on the background that I wanted to go with, and then spent the entire game struggling to find weapon upgrades because so many quests reward either armour or physical weapons. Also, some systems that seem neat, like shipbuilding or outpost construction, are intimidating to get into, and the game never really works to introduce you to them, you just have to either dive in or avoid them. I got through the game fine without engaging with them, once I got a better ship from a sidequest, but it probably would have been cooler if the game did help me do more with them. The major factions outside of the main quest are also quite unappealing - two sets of cops, one megacorp, and raiders. That vastly cut down on the amount of side content I wanted to do, which is a big shame from a timewasting standpoint.