Bad news for Starfield.
Microsoft and Bethesda carefully chose who to send review codes to, which might have been why the original bevvy of reviews were so glowing. Now that more reviews are filtering in from outlets that started playing at launch, the picture is a bit more grim.
Recently I shared the most outrageously harsh review the game has received: Jim Stephanie Sterling called it a “shallow ocean.”
Today, I share a somewhat less damning piece but one that still calls out Bethesda’s space RPG for its dated graphics, mechanics and overall design. The review, from Metro’s David Jenkins, gives it just 3 out of 5 stars (or 6/10, 60% etc.)
Jenkins writes:
Despite all the many problems, we wouldn’t discourage anyone from giving Starfield a go on Game Pass, where you don’t have to pay any additional fee for it. There’s absolutely no depth to the game, and zero invention, but even with the bugs there’s nothing ruinous in terms of either the game design or mechanics (although the lack of a ground map does beggar belief).
Starfield isn’t a broken game, it’s just a dull one. Exploring the unknown depths of space is one of the most exciting concepts possible for a video game and yet Starfield has managed to make it all seem so unexciting and repetitive. Rather than reaching for the stars this lets a golden opportunity, to make the definitive space adventure, slip through its fingers.
Let’s not stop at this one review, however. One of my favorite YouTubers, Dunkey, has yet another hilarious take on Starfield, in which he lets “gamers” do the reviewing for him. Check it out:
I laughed out loud several times during this video, mostly whenever Dunkey would shoot an innocent NPC in the face. That never gets old! The faces also—truly the stuff of nightmares!
I’m still working my way through Starfield, and I suppose the verb I just chose does a lot of heavy lifting. I’m not having the best time. It’s not bad, by any means, but it’s also just . . . not that good, either. I mean, just watch this No Man’s Sky video. This is what I thought we’d get in Starfield at a bare minimum—just the ability to fly around in a spaceship above various planets! Why is that not an option? Why???
What do you think of Starfield so far? Let me know on Twitter or Facebook.
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