Starfield (Xbox Series X|S)

if you like skyrim and fallout, this is the game for you!

eploration is soo fun, combat is solid, base building and spacecraft are great addons

flight mechanics are a bit clunky at the start but once you get used to it, its no problem

"I'm not used to putting bad reviews on games; I consider myself an easy audience, so most of the time, I enjoy everything. It was especially hard for me to accept that I was not enjoying the game after I pre-ordered it for 99€... But here I am, because I cannot recommend you to buy this game, at least not yet. However, I think this game has a lot of potential, really.

First, let's talk about what I enjoyed:

- I like the character customization.

- I really enjoy the environments.

- The dialogues are interesting.

- The game seems really full.

- It's pretty.

- No bugs for now.

- It's in space. (I like space, lmao)

Now, what can be improved as for now, from least to most important. These are the reasons I cannot recommend this game at this point:

(0.5) Only 4h in, and I cannot hear that level-up/new location discovery music. It's too much.

1) I feel like the controls are overwhelming; it's not really easy and intuitive to do what you want to do.

2) The goals and side quests are unclear. As much as I would like to be involved in what's happening and actually getting to know the places, the people, etc., I find it really hard to actually know what to look for and what you can do. I did not even find the quests tab yet; I know I've accepted a few, but I have no clue where they are. So most of the time, I just followed the main quest, but even in it, I often was wondering "wait, why am I doing this?" or "what's the point." It's not badly written; it's just unclear.

3) Space exploration and spaceship driving. This was really a thing I was looking forward to trying. But for my first experience, it's quite disappointing. Most of the time, you just fast travel to a location; no piloting needed. It's not even an option to just drive to your destination. And this was really disappointing. For example, when moving from Mars to Venus or from Venus to Earth, I would have enjoyed actually piloting there, even if it would take 10 minutes or more. Maybe give an option to fast travel (maybe using the space leap), but not making it necessary. Same thing for landing and takeoff; I would enjoy being able to just go straight to the planet and land myself, even if it's a cutscene for landing pads. Not having to enter a menu, select a target, and click "land" and just be face to face with a loading screen. Same for takeoff; I would enjoy actually having to control the ship when taking off and progressively building height instead of just spawning into space after a push of a button. All of this really made the ship experience look like a fancy fast travel more than an actual means of transportation. Maybe in my 5h of playthrough, I can't really judge, but that's my experience.

4) The immersion. This is really a game-breaker for me. Starfield is the kind of game where I like to role-play as much as possible, especially because it's a solo game (see in (5)), and this is only achievable when having a strong bond with the character and the game. But the amount of loading screens everywhere, almost like in Skyrim, really broke that immersion. I played this right after I finished Cyberpunk 2077, and in this game, you absolutely never run into a loading screen. And that's part of what makes you forget that you're in a video game. I could not get that feeling while playing Starfield. I'm sure it was possible to mask those loading times. When you're in a SAS, maybe make it so the maps load while you wait in it, and the SAS doesn't open until it's loaded. Or maybe use some tech from UE5 (I don't know what engine they used) that makes the terrain load when you're near it. But please, those loading screens are really bothering. It's the first time in years since I've seen that many loading screens in a game, really reminding me of Skyrim. And for planets, you literally have the space travel; you could take all the time needed to load a planet while we're flying toward it since you could extend the space as much as necessary.

5) Multiplayer. Yes, I was expecting this to be a multiplayer game. I didn't want to get spoiled, so I almost read nothing. I can only blame myself. But when I heard about being able to make houses, ships, thousands of planets, and stuff, I really thought this was gonna implement some kind of multiplayer. Being able to make a house with someone, showcasing your cool ship, trading maybe, ship fights, etc... Exploring together. I really thought it was gonna be a thing. I imagined it a bit like No Man's Sky or Destiny. Like it's a solo game, but you can see other people if you meet them.

6) This was maybe the biggest experience-breaking part of my playthrough. The dialogues.

- Our character has no voice. I read it was intended; I understand, but that still breaks the experience for me.

- BUT THE WORST is the fact that every time you talk to someone, the game switches to a cinematic camera look, straight to the person you talked to. And in dialogues with multiple people, it keeps switching back and forth. This was really terrible. Might be personal, but again, breaks my immersion. I will again take the example of Cyberpunk 2077. In this game, when you talk to someone or engage in a dialogue, no matter how important it is, you will ALWAYS have full control of your body and view. Improving a lot of immersion. I didn't know how good it was until I played Starfield today. It really made me look in the settings to see if there was any way to disable it. This just ruins all of my experience. It may seem like nothing. But it's really disturbing. When you're talking to a character, your camera changes, your FOV, the DOF, the position, everything. I can't manage to put words on why it's bad. But trust me it is. It really feels like when you're talking to someone, the game stops, your soul is leaving the body of your character, and you end up in a confession TV show with the person you talked to. As if they were talking to a camera. Really bad experience. I'm usually someone that likes to go deep into dialogues, trying to talk as much as possible with NPCs. But here, I can't; it's really painful. Not smooth at all. I really think a system similar to CP2077 would be perfect and should be implemented.

- Dialogues in a spaceship. This was also terrible. Remember what I was talking about in (3)? Ok, now imagine that in the small time you ARE actually able to drive your ship, you're into a dialogue. It would be really nice if you could talk to your crew while piloting, moving toward the planet. But when you're in a dialogue in your ship, your ship becomes static; you can't move anything, not even your view. Thismade those dialogues more painful than enjoyable. WHY would I stop my ship because you are talking to me? We just did a several light-years travel, so why would we be static, here, just after a 20-second loading screen when we're in front of our target... I don't know. I guess you will make your opinion yourself about that. But it was frustrating.

All of these points make it so I cannot recommend this game for now. It isn't "bad"; it really holds a lot of potential. But, as it is, it really misses the sense of immersion that I'm looking for in this kind of game. I cannot get myself into the game; I cannot go past that barrier of "this is a video game." I really had that weird feeling during my playthrough that I couldn't get immersed. When I played, I just wanted to run to the points asap, which I never felt in any other game. I'm used to liking to take the time to appreciate the views, the places, the people, etc... But here, I just wish for a longer stamina so I can arrive quicker. And that's not normal.

This aside, the game looks good, and I really liked landing in a random place on the moon, going to a random thing that looked interesting in the distance, to figure out that there was someone, and she asked me for help and ended up in a side quest, this is immersive. but yeah, right now I don't think I will be able to play more in those conditions.

Starfield is a game that's simply a joy to play. It's the kind of game that keeps you excited and constantly thinking about when you can return for more. I've poured countless hours into it and am currently at level 335, yet I find it hard to tear myself away from the screen. The game's storyline is not just good; it's captivating, and I was genuinely moved by the ending. The inclusion of a new game+ mode adds an extra layer of replayability that I appreciate.

Now, let's talk about the exploration aspect. I had high hopes of being able to explore planets in a way similar to the game Star Citizen, but unfortunately, Starfield takes a different approach. Instead of freely navigating planets, you'll find yourself using a simple point-and-click travel system. While this might be a bit of a letdown, the silver lining is the exceptional shipbuilding feature. The encounters you experience while in space, especially when you meet "The Valentine," are undeniably enjoyable.

When it comes to combat, it's solid but not groundbreaking. It essentially boils down to standard gunplay, lacking any particularly unique mechanics. However, what adds depth to the gameplay are the new skill objectives you need to complete in order to rank up your skills. This gives you a sense of progression and keeps things engaging. Plus, the powers you acquire throughout the game are incredibly helpful and can change the dynamics of battles in exciting ways.

Character customization is a standout feature of Starfield. The level of detail and options available to tailor your character to your liking is truly impressive. What's even better is how the NPCs in the game react to your chosen character background and traits. It adds a layer of realism and immersion to the game world that's often lacking in other titles.

In conclusion, if you have a fondness for games like Skyrim and Fallout 4, then Starfield should be right up your alley. It's a fresh gaming experience that, from my own personal experience, has been remarkably free of bugs. It offers hours upon hours of entertainment and has the potential to become a classic in its own right. Give it a go; you won't be disappointed.

It feels like a walking simulator as you spend 70% of the game just walking around. There is no clean, nice and independent transition in hyperspace and landing in a SPACE game. This is so ssd from an tripple A game.

Starfield falls flat with repetitive gameplay, lackluster graphics, and uninspiring storytelling. A galactic disappointment.

Starfield, the highly anticipated space exploration game, had the potential to be a stellar experience, but it ultimately falls short in several key areas. While it offers a vast universe to explore, it fails to deliver on the promise of a truly immersive and engaging space adventure.

One of the most glaring issues with Starfield is its technical performance. The game is plagued with numerous bugs, glitches, and crashes, which severely detract from the overall experience. Players have reported issues ranging from game-breaking crashes to graphical anomalies that break immersion. Bethesda, known for their open-world games, should have ironed out these technical issues before release.

The graphics in Starfield are also a letdown. Given the game's long development cycle and the power of modern gaming hardware, many expected cutting-edge visuals. Unfortunately, the game's graphics are underwhelming, with uninspiring textures and character models that lack detail. The environments, while diverse, often feel bland and repetitive.

Moreover, the storytelling in Starfield leaves much to be desired. Bethesda is renowned for its rich and immersive worlds, but Starfield's narrative falls flat. The main story lacks depth and fails to make players truly care about the characters or the overarching plot. The dialogue options, while numerous, often lead to inconsequential outcomes, making choices feel inconsequential.

The game's side quests also suffer from a lack of meaningful engagement. Many of them feel like filler content rather than compelling adventures. The absence of memorable side characters or questlines further diminishes the game's replayability.

In terms of gameplay, Starfield offers a mix of space exploration, first-person shooting, and role-playing elements. While this blend could have been intriguing, it feels disjointed and lacks cohesion. The space exploration aspect is marred by tedious resource management and uninspired planetary exploration. Ship customization, which could have been a highlight, feels shallow and limited in scope.

The combat in Starfield is serviceable but fails to stand out in a crowded field of sci-fi shooters. It lacks the fluidity and depth seen in other titles, making it feel like an afterthought rather than a core aspect of the gameplay experience.

If you enjoy space-themed games, you're sure to find this one appealing. There's a wealth of quests to embark on, and with the added bonus of a new game plus feature, you can continue your journey even further.

I just started playing, what is this haha I got to the space flight tutorial... space flight is soooooo BAD, it is not even funny... I kept exiting my seat, there is no strafing that i could tell, movement is pretty slow... meh i just alt+F4ed and i dont think i will pick it up again...

Maybe i will try it later but first impressions... bad, just bad. Not sure if i can get a refund here, i will try

The game was fixed and it's really fun.

The game is boring, The story is boring, Ship building have too much restrictions AND HOLLY COW THE GAME IS NOT OPTIMISED! I paid this game 62 euros and didn't played it for more than 14 hours, this game is a shame and shouldn't be sold for that price. I have been waiting for years and I want to throw up at how bad it is. Peace out.

It's a typical Bethesda game. If you liked Skyrim and Fallout: New Vegas, you will like Starfield, for sure. For newcomers to the genre, It's definitely an acquired taste. A lot of people complain about the graphics, but I think they are in typical Bethesda style. The gameplay is engaging, but the sheer scale of the game, at first, feels very overwhelming. Took me 6 hours just to get out of the main city of New Atlantis.

the games has no depth for example the story is really blunt and not interesting,the game doesnt have fun to fight alien creatures like no mans sky has for example,all the creatures do nothing,the planets are mostly empty with nothing to do and even the ones with life on them you have nothing to do,there are some outposts but they are copy pasted in every planet

I was honestly very pleasantly surprised by this. I went in with quite low expecations, since playing it on Gamepass when it came out. My pc could not handle it then but seems to run just fine now.

If you like Skyrim, Fallout or any of those types of games then this is for you!

Nope, very poopy and a constant reminder that the game was made on the same engine as skyrim, very clunky and no mobility on planets.

A boring mix of The elder Scrolls and Fallout in one game. The NPCs are boring, the storyline is boring, the music is boring, the combat is boring, the exploration is boring. I am a big fan of The Elder Scrolls series and the Fallout series, and this game is a bad mix of the two. Bethesda claims that Starfield is something brand new. It isn't. They just took two successful games of theirs and mixed them in a very lazy fashion. I remember well how I could sit all day long and play Morrowind, Oblivion or skyrim,or Fallout 3, and still wanting more. Now I play one mission in starfield and I am bored. I need a break to continue. It is so hard for me to believe that it took them so many years, as they claim, to develop this game, because there is nothing exciting about it. Such great expectations from this game, and such great disappointments.

i love the music, the graphics, the ship mechanics. it's a much needed refresher RPG game. however it's not a GOTY and it's not the generational game we were waiting for. it lacks storyline gravitas. and it lacks many basic exploration games mechanics for example "Surface maps" are missing from cities and planets