I conclude my Starfield journey at around 120 hours. And that's about 60 more hours than it deserved. I found myself sleepwalking through large swathes of Starfield's barren universe - ultimately an exercise in truly mindless entertainment. So in that respect, I enjoyed most of my time with the game, as unremarkable as it was.
But there are certainly reasons why Starfield will go down as my least played and least enjoyed BGS release. Most egregious is the destruction of their greatest quality - the wonder of exploration. And how ironically painful that the main quest places you on a team of adventurers with exploration as their North Star. That's Constellation, and their ranks are filled with the most joyless companions anywhere in the Milky Way. Along with them, you'll navigate the stars, searching for space's secrets. The problem - there aren't many secrets.
There was a sinking feeling as I realized 95% of the universe was empty or repeated content. Points of interest lack any interest at all. Fauna and flora will quickly become repetitively familiar. Your mode of travel is mostly menu-based. This is in stark contrast to BGS' prior titles that invited you to organically stumble across exciting and unique content. Starfield's design interrupts this flow at every turn.
That said, Starfield does have its share of unique content - mostly in the form of cities. These are usually of decent size and activity. I wasn't particularly impressed with any of these major hubs, though. You'll often gather up plenty of quests and work as you wander these cities - some engaging, but most not. The faction quests will offer the biggest storylines Starfield has to offer, and are worth seeking out.
But as I explore these storylines and am introduced to the state of the universe 200 years in the future, I am depressed at the lack of imagination. Bethesda's vision for the future is indeed drab and really not much different from our present existence. Most confusing is people apparently don't have communication systems, as we are demanded to travel half-way across the galaxy just to deliver 1 line of dialogue.
Starfield is not the next step for BGS. It has aspects of the Bethesda charm and will certainly comfort anyone looking for that particular feeling. But now I'm most excited for development of Elder Scrolls VI to finally begin development in earnest.
But there are certainly reasons why Starfield will go down as my least played and least enjoyed BGS release. Most egregious is the destruction of their greatest quality - the wonder of exploration. And how ironically painful that the main quest places you on a team of adventurers with exploration as their North Star. That's Constellation, and their ranks are filled with the most joyless companions anywhere in the Milky Way. Along with them, you'll navigate the stars, searching for space's secrets. The problem - there aren't many secrets.
There was a sinking feeling as I realized 95% of the universe was empty or repeated content. Points of interest lack any interest at all. Fauna and flora will quickly become repetitively familiar. Your mode of travel is mostly menu-based. This is in stark contrast to BGS' prior titles that invited you to organically stumble across exciting and unique content. Starfield's design interrupts this flow at every turn.
That said, Starfield does have its share of unique content - mostly in the form of cities. These are usually of decent size and activity. I wasn't particularly impressed with any of these major hubs, though. You'll often gather up plenty of quests and work as you wander these cities - some engaging, but most not. The faction quests will offer the biggest storylines Starfield has to offer, and are worth seeking out.
But as I explore these storylines and am introduced to the state of the universe 200 years in the future, I am depressed at the lack of imagination. Bethesda's vision for the future is indeed drab and really not much different from our present existence. Most confusing is people apparently don't have communication systems, as we are demanded to travel half-way across the galaxy just to deliver 1 line of dialogue.
Starfield is not the next step for BGS. It has aspects of the Bethesda charm and will certainly comfort anyone looking for that particular feeling. But now I'm most excited for development of Elder Scrolls VI to finally begin development in earnest.