Starfielddoes not begin well.
Clunky as it sounds, absolutely none of this stuff is a problem.
Typically that expanse is something of a showpiece.
This is what Bethesda does best, basically - and as you could probably tell, I love it.
I suspect that’s also the reason for many of the game’s more major snags.
Star-rim, Space-blivion, Fallout 2330.
That would be mostly but not entirely accurate.
The effect is an entire universe of playthings.
In line with Bethesda tradition again, those sidequests are where Starfield is at its absolute best.
Again, the Bethesda formula is plain here - quite remarkably plain in fact.
In Starfield there are two main regional factions (Bethesdalovesfactions) with tense relations after a not-too-distant war.
There’s a system of bounties, jail, and fines.
Though going by the number of additional fetch-quests, that may be a little generous).
The great Bethesda RPGs are about exploration and discovery.
Maybe that doesn’t work.
“Doing” generally applies to ticking things off.
Starfield has loads of doing.
Starfield doesn’t have it.
In Starfield the planets aren’t entire regions, they’re fixed cities with random land around them.
There’s no route from one planet or system to the next.
In Starfield, instead, you fast travel everywhere.
In the literal sense, I rarely have the faintest idea where I am in this game.
Spoken to the farmer or shopkeeper or whatever?
Blam, another whip through the buttons and you’re back.
Even putting the metaphysical sense of displacement aside, there’s also a quite literal one to wrestle with.
The exploration that you do embark on meanwhile is a dirge.
Discovery meanwhile - the other half of exploration - is also handled differently here.
Bethesda RPGs always do this a bit - heard about the Grey Fox?
And this stuff, crucially, is ultimately found bygetting out there on foot.
There are, unfortunately, also just a lot of quite strange decisions in Starfield.
No sign of governing attributes like the Bethesda RPGs of old.
The little issues go on.
A kind of playableNeil deGrasse Tyson tweet.
Look what it can do!
Technology for technology’s sake, or scale for the sake of scale, is a trap.
Starfield’s problem is its lack of one.
