So from what I gather this is a solid but not great game?
I think so. It’s a good game but not a great game. Not that it’s the only measure but you can even tell from the mixed critical reception.
Matter of taste. Unlike BG3 i find myself forcing to play it a bit too often. There are too many menus and loading screens to go through because you have to fast travel everywhere if you dont want to make it more of a slog. There is definitely a fallout in space vibe without it being campy but i think im around 45 hours in and soon wrapping up the main the story. Im hoping there is lots of quality content left, but so far a lot of the main and side quests feel a bit half baked. Still i recommend it. 8/10 from me so far. Its not a massive masterpiece but its worth playing unless you dislike the Bethesda formula.
I mean,
everything is a matter of taste. But based on my time (40 hours) with it so far, good but not great sums it up well. The main things from an overall perspective would be:
- Starfield does a lot of things competently but nothing exceptionally. When I play great games I find myself feeling fulfilled after every session. There are moments that are riveting, stirring etc that you remember well past the experience but also in general it leaves a strong impression with each interaction. With Starfield my experience, whilst a net positive, is mostly like a flat line - I’m liking it, I think, but I can’t say there’s anything that leaves me feeling like I’m experiencing anything brilliant.
- On the above, I think the fault mostly lies with the core design of the game rather than any poor decisions. When people say it’s a Bethesda ass Bethesda game, while for some that’s the formula they love, adore and don’t want to change, I personally think it’s one that’s gone stale and steeped too deeply in the past. It’s in the way the characters move, the manner in which the dialogue is delivered, the strength of the writing and the formula of the quest loop. I genuinely believe that if Skyrim released as it was today, it would merely be a goodish game by today’s standards and I had a blast with Skyrim back in the day. This is like a remake of Skyrim except set in space and not as interesting / ahead of its time. Enough has been said about the exploration and fast travel already.
- Having said that, it does indeed have good parts - I’m enjoying the faction quests which feel so much more meaningful that the main campaign. And as earlier said - I like the first person shooting mechanics which combined with the jetpack / zero G, make for a fun time which is a huge improvement over their previous games so kudos to them for evolving on this front. I do wish they gave some more options for combat - the stealth is there but effectively not given how spaces are built. But you can’t have it all.
Still lots to play though!
