Gaming Starfield | Metacritic (Series X): 83, OpenCritic: 86

Volumiza said:
I’ve not done any ship building yet, keep meaning to get involved in that but been happy following the story and doing plenty of exploration for now. Just looking round is cool and I’ve had some genuinely cool moments on some planets.

The mobility and combat are just fine, not quite COD levels but more than good enough to enjoy it.

There’s a lot to enjoy and I haven’t wanted to go into work at all this week, been getting up and playing before work each day. Also I’m loving the soundtrack, keep catching myself whistling the main score :)

It is literally Skyrim 2189 and that’s no bad thing for me, that’s the game I’ve spent more time in than owt else so with that in mind and the fact I love well realised sci fi this is a real winner.

Im also pretty optimistic about its future too. Todd Howard said he’s making a game to last a decade so I’d be really surprised if the game doesn’t change form or expand somewhat over the coming years.

As @Redlambs said, it’s got all the right bits in all the right places. There’s so much good to focus on that the few shortcomings have been easy for me to overlook asnd accept but as an eternal optimist, I think some smart DLC will elevate it even more.
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I meant ship combat!

Today is the day. Or rather tonight, about 11pm probably for me :wenger:
 
Irwin99 said:
What's the consensus? Good game but nothing genre or generation defining? Or something that will last and be remembered very fondly?
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I’m a couple of hours in. It’s definitely not going to be genre defining - that seems clear already. But will post more detailed impressions later.
 
VeevaVee said:
I meant ship combat!

Today is the day. Or rather tonight, about 11pm probably for me :wenger:
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Aah, ok dude, yeah ship combat ain't gonna set your world on fire mate. It's ok for what it is and I suppose it would be an achilles heel if there wasn't so much else to enjoy.

Not long now!
 
Volumiza said:
Aah, ok dude, yeah ship combat ain't gonna set your world on fire mate. It's ok for what it is and I suppose it would be an achilles heel if there wasn't so much else to enjoy.

Not long now!
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I saw a comment that said it’s a lot more enjoyable once your ship is up to speed though. I just want a fancy ship really though to be honest. Unfortunately won’t have much time to play this week or next.
 
VeevaVee said:
I saw a comment that said it’s a lot more enjoyable once your ship is up to speed though. I just want a fancy ship really though to be honest. Unfortunately won’t have much time to play this week or next.
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You can get a legendary mantis ship and space suit as soon as you finish the tutorial. Just Google/tiktok it for instructions.
 
Tried to stay away from any starfield news since early access kicked off but in about an hour I'll be kicking off my save. Can't fecking wait!

Still no idea what build/background to go with :lol: any essential skills to focus on early doors? Or does it not really matter?
 
Nickosaur said:
Tried to stay away from any starfield news since early access kicked off but in about an hour I'll be kicking off my save. Can't fecking wait!

Still no idea what build/background to go with :lol: any essential skills to focus on early doors? Or does it not really matter?
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In no particular order

  • Boost Pack Training - Jet pack ability
  • Persuasion - Better persuasion success
  • Security - Lock Picking
  • Stealth - Sneaking, and sneak attacks
  • Theft - Pick pocketing
  • Targeting Control Systems - The ability to target individual systems on enemy ships so you can deal with them more strategically. Take out the engines and board them.
  • Weight lifting - better carry capacity
  • Ballistic Weapons - more damage
 
About 3 hours in.
Okay, I Just finished the first mission, and brought the artifact to Constellation. Enjoying it so far.
 
Wing Attack Plan R said:
How does this compare to No Man’s Sky?
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Worse in one respect, you can’t take off, land or fly around as freely.

Similar in some respects. Exploring and scanning.

Better in every other respect. Much better.

I love NMS but it’d be hard going back to it after this if it weren’t for the recent VR update for NMS.
 
It seems decent so far but I just can’t really be arsed for it at the same time. I think I’m burnt out from these types of games.

Looting drives me mad as well, I just couldn’t care less about half the crap you pick up but don’t want to miss out on useful items. It’s so difficult to focus on what you are picking up.
 
It sounds like the NG+ might be 'defining'. Looks an awesome way to approach it.
 
Also, I find it incredibly stupid that on fullscreen I have to play at 1440p because that's my monitor's native resolution. How dumb is that?

I've seen there is a mod to fix this but still :lol:
 
Anyone bought the DLSS mods? I saw some of the videos on the increased framerates etc after.
 
God it really feels 30fps on the Xbox. It’s also really glarey or blurry or something even with film grain and motion blur off. It’s weird.
 
Oh god, I'm now deep in this. Roaming around, trying to complete surveys on pointless planets, trying to find the last critter in some crap forest, walking around desert moons for hour/s. I'm stupid.
Also spent a good hour and a half trying to edit my ship/figure out how ship building works, to add a cargo hull. Not sure if I've finished more than two quests today.

I have to get back on track.
 
I'm going to spend far too much time on this in the next few months :lol:

Spent way too much time on Kreet. Flew to another part and found something
even scarier than a Deathclaw... the terromorph?! It roared and jumped about 20 feet in the air so I got the feck out of there without even trying to fight it
Arrived in New Atlantis and completed the first mission. I'm finding the game brilliant already tbh and it hasn't even begun to open up.
 
Played about 3 hours and god there is so much to learn/take in its quite daunting.

Loving the fact it has quite an Interstellar vibe at times. I freaked a little when I had to fock with this thing and it looked like the movie.
 
Massive Spanner said:
God it really feels 30fps on the Xbox. It’s also really glarey or blurry or something even with film grain and motion blur off. It’s weird.
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First thing I do on most games is turn shit like motion blur all the way down, but ended up turning it back up cause of the 30fps. It helps, though obviously nowhere near a substitute for 60.

Only had blur or glare issues in a few poorly lit areas. But when it happens it's wank and I just move on quickly.
 
Berbaclass said:
Played about 3 hours and god there is so much to learn/take in its quite daunting.

Loving the fact it has quite an Interstellar vibe at times. I freaked a little when I had to fock with this thing and it looked like the movie.
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I think they've absolutely nailed the aesthetic and vibe. The art style hits great especially with the awesome music / sound design.
 
Massive Spanner said:
God it really feels 30fps on the Xbox. It’s also really glarey or blurry or something even with film grain and motion blur off. It’s weird.
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Yes it’s quite a challenge to deal with. AAA titles like this simply should not be 30fps. Feels like you’re playing something last gen.
 
Alock1 said:
You can get a legendary mantis ship and space suit as soon as you finish the tutorial. Just Google/tiktok it for instructions.
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What counts as finishing the tutorial? I’m already knee deep in side missions in New Atlantis and have several jobs :lol:
 
VeevaVee said:
What counts as finishing the tutorial? I’m already knee deep in side missions in New Atlantis and have several jobs :lol:
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Some advice I took was stick with the storyline till
you have your crew
before getting lost in side mission as this introduces you to the systems and locations that will make everything else easier.

I didn’t act on that advice initially but once I got to that stage it seemed sound.

Evrythings so tempting though innit?:)
 
Im so happy im playing this on pc so i could use the cheat to set my max carry weight to 50000.
 
Yeah I stopped playing this and went back for another BG3 run.

Sorry but the game is lifeless. Just a loading screen simulator with poor watered down RPG mechanics, no real sense of impactful choices and the customary poor Bethesda writing. I just don't know how they'd spend so long developing a space game without refining a core mechanic - space exploration. Even the dodgy unity asset flip indie games on Steam do a better job of planetary exploration than this.

Maybe I've been spoiled by BG3 and the immersive exploration in Star Citizen (yes its a glorified tech demo I know), but this was a massive let down. Should have known to trust my instincts on anything modern Bethesda and Todd Howard vomits out these days.

I'm glad there are some enjoying this, but I find myself still looking for something to properly scratch that space itch. Looks like I'll still have to desperately hope someone slaps some sense into Chris Roberts and they actually make Star Citizen playable within a decade :wenger:
 
So I’m about 12 hours into this and I have to say that it’s pretty disappointing. My initial thoughts are as below:

Pros:
- The combat is easily the best from any Bethesda game and has shooting has a nice punch to it. Enjoying all the combat encounters thus far.
- The lip synching technology used is quite nice
- Soundtrack is strong and fits with the theme very well
- The attention to detail in the smaller spaces is good

The Cons:
- Barring combat, it’s the same old tired Bethesda formula that hasn’t evolved with the times. I mean it just has no personality whatsoever - it just doesnt excite me, induce fear, make me smile - I’m just essentially playing. It’s not bad of course, there’s a lot of aspects it does very competently but in the end there’s no magic at all.
- For example, as I feared the writing is still just so bland. It’s just like line after line of what you’d expect from a game from 15-20 years back. In fact I’m just shocked at how drab the narrative is for this first 12 hours I’ve played. I think at this point Bethesda just don’t know how to create meaningful and impactful story beats / moments. Even the few big revelations I’ve experienced - many other talented developers would manage to make it hit but with Bethesda it seems to fall flat.
- I tried Ori and the Will of the Wisps and it had me absolutely delighted and glued for those two hours. Here for 12 hours I feel very little.
- Then there’s the visuals and fps. Sometimes with indoors I’m highly impressed by the work put into the smallest of assets yet nothing seems to come together well. That first big city you go should feel spectacular but again it feels more Outer Worlds 2.0 than something next gen. Also for a game like this 30FPS just hurts the experience so much.
- Then there’s the space exploration or lack thereof which has been criticised heavily. I mean as someone who loves the genre - without actual exploration you lose the wonder, mystery and thrill of adventure that simply fast travelling cannot achieve. It’s more Fallout in space than a true space adventure / odyssey.

Having said all of the above, it’s just early impressions. I’ve heard that the side content is good at that things pick up after 12 hours so lots to see and take in. One issue for me so that I subconsciously compare this to Cyberpunk which is a game that I adore and there’s night and day in my experience between the two.

Berbaclass said:
I wonder if there are things like massive black holes etc.

That would be cool.
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If you really love space exploration stuff like that then just play Outer Wilds.

Kaos said:
Sorry but the game is lifeless. Just a loading screen simulator with poor watered down RPG mechanics, no real sense of impactful choices and the customary poor Bethesda writing. I just don't know how they'd spend so long develo
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Exactly
 
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Kaos said:
Yeah I stopped playing this and went back for another BG3 run.

Sorry but the game is lifeless. Just a loading screen simulator with poor watered down RPG mechanics, no real sense of impactful choices and the customary poor Bethesda writing. I just don't know how they'd spend so long developing a space game without refining a core mechanic - space exploration. Even the dodgy unity asset flip indie games on Steam do a better job of planetary exploration than this.

Maybe I've been spoiled by BG3 and the immersive exploration in Star Citizen (yes its a glorified tech demo I know), but this was a massive let down. Should have known to trust my instincts on anything modern Bethesda and Todd Howard vomits out these days.

I'm glad there are some enjoying this, but I find myself still looking for something to properly scratch that space itch. Looks like I'll still have to desperately hope someone slaps some sense into Chris Roberts and they actually make Star Citizen playable within a decade :wenger:
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I'm enjoying it, but I agree there's some flaws with it. I read about the writing being better, and maybe the core story is better but the writing itself is as bad as the other Bethesda games. They don't try and hide it either like in the first mission

We're a new miner is being shown around, blasts 5 rocks and then is sent to go to pickup an artifact 10 minutes after starting the job. Picking up the artifact means we lose consciousness for a while and then after a short fight we're treating our boss like we've known them for years and thanking them for everything they've done in our time together (which is essentially nothing apart from harm the character).
 
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