Originally published at: Solid reviews for Starfield, Bethesda's open-world space game | Boing Boing
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Only one particular quest I think. Another article I saw compared it to getting Shouts in Skyrim. So it’s not really all that different.
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Don’t remember where I got this quote, maybe the Ars review, but yeah, still Bethesda. This is one of my wife’s pet peeves for Fallout 4.
downed ship that you can steal after killing its crew (hilariously, the dead bodies from that encounter are still hanging around my cockpit as I travel the stars, with no apparent way to remove them).
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The TechCrunch review is positive overall, but a bit less praiseworthy, appreciating the polish of the heavy traffic areas but calling it out for forgettable story and the same “procedurally-generated boredom” issues that have plagued similar open world games at launch: Lots to explore but very little novelty or fun in doing so.
It also points out that Starfield isn’t, technically, an open world, but more a series of big invisible boxes you have to fast travel between.
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there are about 1000 plants to explore
Come for the space exploration, stay for the plants. 
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I was hoping for something like VATS, but I’ll still play it regardless.
No clue what type of character I’m going to play yet. I’ll see how it shakes out when I start it.
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Starfield is launching into some strong competition this year.
Tears of the Kingdom, Baldur’s Gate 3, Armored Core 6 are just a few of this year’s stellar lineup.
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I spent years in No Man’s Sky, and already assumed this was another, better graphic’d version. And I love the explorative nature of these games, but I should probably sit this one out.
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I’m downloading the update and gonna start to play tonight. Whee!
ETA: If Skyrim and Fallout 4 are any indication, I’ll probably be in character creation for hours, lol.
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Capital “G” Gamers are mad that it’s not No Man’s Sky, a game they also hated for not being whatever it was they imagined it would be
I don’t own No Man’s Sky, so take this with a grain of salt, but my impression was that it wasn’t the game it was promised to be, to the point where preview videos for the game contained deliberately misleading mock-ups of features that were entirely absent in the finished product. That’s not gamers having unrealistic expectations that they imagined out of whole cloth, it’s a bait-and-switch. My impression is also that, surprisingly, massive amounts of work were put into the game after its release to turn it from a bare-bones disappointment to an actually good game that better lived up to its promise and potential, something that wouldn’t have happened if people had just accepted what was handed to them without protest.
Not that any of that justifies people being upset that Starfield isn’t No Man’s Sky, if that’s a real thing that’s happening. Just there’s a medium ground between gamers who are spoiled, unreasonable brats that will never be satisfied and gamers who have zero standards and meekly put up with exploitative gaming industry practices rather than voice any protest or boycott a game.
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yeah. i feel like i’m in a meta rpg. which of these games do i put my limited experience points into?
eta:
that’s not my recollection. what i remember is them explaining what they wanted to do, and some very vocal minority took that as what they were going to do. and i think even despite them being clear about the difference, haters going to hate.
its just my two cents but i think they’ve done an amazing job of releasing something solid, standing by it, and continuing to work towards their goals. which seem incredibly different than many of the big studios
( and not to change the topic per se, but as kind of a contrast and more inline with what you’re describing: where is star citizen these days? i honestly don’t know. )
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omygod! i love this post! nice job, sqlrob. keep up the good work.
eta: please don’t get rid of me 
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I bought and played NMS day 1, as someone who was aware of hardware and software limitations of the time the game came out what the game turned out to be was exactly what i expected and found it to be for the most part a blast to play. I do think the developer should have made their claims about the game more carefully, but their product was still great when it came out and their commitment to the title since is also a good example on how to support and further develop a product that had a disastrous launch.
As far as Starfield goes, i honestly have no expectations but i am coming to it with a lot of skepticism. I am hoping its at least No Man’s Sky-like in some aspects, because i really enjoyed playing it and would be interested to see more games like it. The major thing about Starfield that is a demerit in my eyes is that there is no multiplayer or co-op and there is none planned for its future. The other thing that i’m unsure about Starfield is the emphasis on discovery, exploration and overall creativity/surprises. In NMS a huge portion of my enjoyment of it is that combat and conflict is not a big part of the game, most of it is the joy of discovering and seeing weird things, and the creativity of finding a planet to build a base at. If Starfield can delivery on some of this then i’ll enjoy it
In the meantime i’m replaying Valheim again and i’m having a great time doing a whole lot of nothing out in the wilderness.
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If you haven’t already, I’d recommend you play The Outer Wilds (not to be confused with The Outer Worlds, which I haven’t played yet). It doesn’t have the vastness of No Man’s Sky but it’s all about exploration and discovery, and it’s one of the best gaming experiences I’ve had in a decade. The joy and excitement of collecting clues and gaining access to new areas based not on gathering items or resources but because you’re actually learning how things work over time and using your own ingenuity to find new solutions is really second-to-none, and the story is moving and beautiful too.
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