GaelicVigil
Liturgist
- Joined
- Nov 13, 2013
- Messages
- 292
- Sep 15, 2023
- #2,686
Wasteland said:
Van-d-all said:
Vic said:
Van-d-all said:
Not really. I just can't stand people spouting nonfactual nonsense. If anything I somewhat admire your low satisfaction threshold.
the biggest issue here is that people assume they should all like the same game. games, like books, are different and people should not expect to all like the same new AAA game. Especially in this case as it's somewhat an experimental RPG. you could say bethesda is to blame for it by not making it clear how the game plays (basically a single player fallout 76). writing was never their strong suit, and I didn't bother with doing any quests until 20+ hours in because I knew what to expect. In this case gameplay wise it's just my jam.
Well, I'm in this thread to actually learn about the game. Given it's mostly your posts, I read them. I've been waiting for a game like that since maybe Frontier : Elite II. Many people do, that's what made scams like Star Citizen (and NMS...) even possible. But looking on Starfield gameplay I'm not even mildly interested in trying it. On other hand, Beth is a nasty corp that's been really spitting in their audience' face. Lastly, lol, it's codex. People will scrutinize, bitch and moan. It's the part of sh*tposting charm.
Yeah, same boat here. Of course it's disappointing that Starfield doesn't offer the sort of fully seamless sandbox that you see in NMS or Elite (or Chris Roberts' retirement vehicle), but it's also entirely understandable. I actually started following this thread a couple weeks ago because I'd read some schadenfreude-bait commentary from Star Citizen fans, worrying that Starfield would upstage their darling. So I came into this thing with unrealistic expectations.
Leaving those expectations aside, I wouldn't even mind a more segmented, story-driven experience--it's worked well enough for several RPGs set in space, like Mass Effect for example--except that we are talking about Bethesda. Bethesda's traditional strengths are openness and freedom (and spending ten hours in Mod Organizer for every hour you spend playing). Turning a Bethesda game into what appears to be a collection of disconnected corridor-shooter setpieces seems bizarre on its face. Add in the questionable decision to allow instantaneous fast travel from anywhere besides your ship, and one may begin to feel as if the "space" component of Starfield is just a tacked on minigame.
That's where the complaints about loading screens come from, IMO, not from any real concern about long loading times or out of any real desire for manual travel across whole solar systems. The design paradigm just seems self-conflicted, or at least against type. "Bethesda does Bioware" reads like a bait and switch. When you buy a co*ke, you don't want it to taste like flat beer.
But I may still give Starfield a shot, treat it like a looter shooter with a background cast of San Francisco HR ladies. It seems like it should play similarly to Cyberpunk, which I enjoyed well enough for what it was. Vic's commentary has been enlightening, and like you I admire his commitment to positivity. I also very much appreciate Codex's commitment to criticizing the sh*t out of everything; it's saved me a lot of money and time over the years. Given the state of the video games' industry (and the constellation of media shills attached to it), having someone who will reliably talk you out of their products is invaluable. Worst case, even if you go ahead and buy a game Codex has eviscerated, you'll go into it with your eyes open.
That's a good perspective.
Go into this game expecting a rather shallow looter-shooter and you'll probably be happy. 90% of the story missions are absolute trash. I've had 1 single mission so far I've liked. Dialogue is awful. World is mostly bland, though you can find a neat screenshot-worthy vista every once in a while.
I keep playing for one reason - I do like the ship building, and I want to eventually get something akin to the Nostromo to run around in someday. That's pretty much it though. I hate loot grinders a la Diablo 2, and that's what this game mostly is. It has an infinite NG+ mechanic and infinite player levels which obviously seems to cater to the looter/grinder mentality. If you like that kind of game-play loop, you may like Starfield.
You're right though, Todd sold Starfield much more as a classic "see that mountain?" Bethesda game in space. It's not really that.
