Bethesda’s Starfield has me conflicted.
The new Bethesda RPG is so close we can almost taste it, and the hype and excitement is palpable among gamers. But concerns over a half-baked start menu and incomplete systems have dampened my expectations somewhat, and Bethesda’s history of broken promises and misleading statements doesn’t help.
Who do you trust?
Starfield’s beta has seen players putting in hours of gameplay over the past few weeks, and some claim to have played over 30 hours without encountering major bugs. Others doubt that the RPG is a completely new engine, while others believe it has been built up from scratch. So who do you trust? The developers with a troubled history, or the players experiencing the game firsthand?
Starfield’s beta has been a mixed bag, with some players getting access to the servers, while others have been left frustrated by availability issues with Xbox cloud gaming. Confusion also arose regarding the release date and platform availability, with different release dates for the deluxe edition and Gamepass.
Some players have taken time off work to play Starfield on the release date, while others are disappointed by the Gamepass offer. However, the prevalence of unfinished and buggy games has made me more cautious about pre-ordering, with my wallet closed until I can be sure Starfield is ready to play.
“Peter Molyneux was just a dreamer, not a liar”
Our own John Lawton expresses his mixed feelings about the bugs and concerns surrounding Starfield, while the comparison between Todd Howard and Peter Molyneux – whose name is synonymous with broken promises – causes debate among fans.
“Bethesda has never been a company that tells the whole truth”
Many fans point out that Bethesda’s history of broken promises is not the whole truth, and that the developers are often misunderstood. Others argue that Peter Molyneux was just a dreamer, not a liar.
“RPGs should have bugs”
There is also an argument that Bethesda’s strong suit has never been storytelling, which leads me to my own concerns about Starfield’s main story. I am more than happy to sink hundreds of hours into a game like Skyrim or Oblivion if the side quests are interesting, but if the main story isn’t up to scratch, I’ll be disappointed.
“Starfield has me hyped, but cautious”
The anticipation for a new RPG experience after playing BG3 is very real, but my cautious optimism is dampened by a lack of confidence in Bethesda’s ability to deliver. The bugs and jank in games like Fallout 4 and Starfield’s beta have me concerned that the game might be a bit of a mess, which is frustrating given the amount of time I’ve spent waiting for Starfield.
Starfield is so close I can almost taste it, and the hype is real. But the bugs and concerns surrounding Bethesda’s next big thing have me worried, even if the anticipation for a new RPG experience is overwhelming.
