Starfield, for me, more than any other game I've played, is the embodiment of what I would define an RPG as, and the best I've played yet. Even more impressive is that they also managed to include very satisfying and polished game mechanics and flow, on top of the great characters, story, and RPG mechanics.

Skill checks, background checks, trait checks, faction affiliation checks, companion interjection opportunities, persuasion checks, item checks, knowledge checks, Starfield has them all and more for dialogue and the environment, and they come up more often in Starfield than they do in any other game I've played. Sometimes characters will call back to something you've told them previously, or will call you out for something you did, or even for what you're wearing. There are so many opportunities to express your character the way you want, and far more often than not you'll be able to deal with a situation in the way you want. It's rare that I encounter a quest or situation that I could not resolve to my satisfaction. There are even "secret" unmarked alternative ways to complete quests that you can do if you pay attention and seek them out.

Moment to moment gameplay is smooth and enjoyable. The guns look awesome and are supremely satisfying to shoot. Enemies are responsive and fun to fight. Loot stayed fresh and interesting well into level 70. Jetpacking and mantling around is always great, and true 0G environments are rare, but a real treat. This game does first and third person shooting better than most dedicated FPSs.

I was surprised by how good ship combat was too. I'd say it's actually better than some dedicated ship combat games. It's even more satisfying when you are using a ship you built yourself. Ship building being another thing that surprised me with how fun it was (although the lack of manual control over door/ladder placement can be annoying). Disabling enemy ships, boarding them, killing the crew, and commandeering the ship so I can sell it for a profit is incredible fun.

The game also features a unique NG+ mechanic, which lets you carry over your character's level, skills, experience, and "more". This is my favorite NG+ of any game I've played, and it does things in a very different and interesting way. I'd like to say more, but I shouldn't for spoiler's sake.


It should be noted that exploration has changed from previous Bethesda titles. Previously, you could reliably head in a random direction, and find something interesting, or at least new. But because Starfield allows for total freedom of exploration on realistically scaled planets, relying on procedurally placed, hand crafted POIs is obviously an unavoidable necessity. That means that if you try playing Starfield like a Fallout or TES game, and just set down on a random planet and head in a random direction, you'll pretty quickly end up seeing repeated POIs. There's more hand crafted content in Starfield than in any previous Bethesda game, but unlike previous games, if you want to see it, you'll just have to do the quests or rely on the map markers that show up when you enter a solar system, rather than your own exploration, for the most part at least. It's not really a good or bad change; it's just a different way of doing it that you have to keep in mind going in.


There are only two things that I'm not entirely satisfied with.

The main quest is a little underwhelming. It's okay overall, and it certainly has its high points, but there are also some low points and it leaves some questions unanswered that I felt like were important to explain. Still, all the faction quest were great, and there are tons of fantastic side quests, so I'm not too bothered.

Main companion variety is a little lacking. There are lots of named companions who can be recruited from bars, or even from quests, and have their own stories and affinity trackers. But only the 4 "main companions" (who are all from Constellation), have a quest and romance paths. They're all great, but they're also somewhat likeminded, for entirely logical reasons. I don’t have any complaints about them, but I do think there should have been other "main" or "full" companions outside of Constellation who represented a wider variety of viewpoints/personalities.


I've seen this game be subjected to a lot of other criticisms, but so very little of it makes any sense, or stands up to even an iota of logical dissection. So much of it is contradictory, self inflicted, exaggerated well past the point of mere hyperbole, or clearly in bad faith. It seems to me that most complaints come from people who either WANT to hate the game, or were expecting something completely different from what Starfield is, or ever claimed to be. If every game were subjected to the same degree of scrutiny, or critiques based on the same "logic", literally every game ever made would be considered terrible.

I've also seen complaints about bugs, but over the course 300+ hours, I've at most experienced a small handful of minor cosmetic bugs, and a grand total of 3 crashes. You can decide for yourself if that sounds like a lot or a little, but know that those stats make this game one of the most polished and stable AAA releases I've played in the last decade, especially when you consider the scale, scope, and freedom of this game relative to much buggier, yet limited alternatives.

Bottom line is, whether or not Starfield is the kind of game you like is a matter of personal opinion. Open ended exploration isn't for everyone, and I can't guarantee that any the of stories or characters will grab you, even with as many of them as there are. But I don't believe that anyone could honestly say in good faith that Starfield is a bad game. Fantastic, just okay, or not your cup of tea--sure--but "bad" just doesn't mesh with reality.