Support NeoGAF

[Draugoth]

Q: When does Starfield Reviews Drop?
A: Thursday, August 31, 2023, at 9 AM PT/ 12 PM ET/ 5 PM BST​

Pre Order Starfield now:

​

Game Information​

---

​

Story:

Starfield is the first new universe in over 25 years from Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4. In this next generation role-playing game set amongst the stars, create any character you want and explore with unparalleled freedom as you embark on an epic journey to answer humanity’s greatest mystery.

Gameplay:

Starfield is an action role-playing video game. Players can switch between a first-person and third-person perspective any time in the game. Starfield features an open world in the form of an area within the Milky Way galaxy, containing both fictional and non-fictional planetary systems, with players being able to land on more than 1,000 planets and an unspecified number of moons and space stations. The majority of the landscapes within the game were procedurally generated; they were subsequently modified and handcrafted content was developed around them. The game will generate the terrain and the alien flora and fauna of a planet depending on the star of its system and its atmosphere, as well as locations of interest as the player approaches a planet.The largest city in the game, New Atlantis, is the largest fictional city Bethesda has developed. As the player explores the game world, they will encounter various non-playable characters (NPCs), some of whom may join the player's crew. Such NPCs may aid the player in combat, carry items, or during confrontations, speak to other NPCs on the player's behalf. Some may comment on choices the player makes The player may station crew members at any of their constructed outposts. Each companion character has their own unique skills and abilities. Some recruitable NPCs are able to be romanced by the playe

Platforms:

• PC (Sep 6, 2023)
• Xbox Series X/S (Sep 6, 2023)

Trailers:

• Starfield – Official Live Action Trailer
• Starfield Official Teaser Trailer
• Starfield Official Gameplay Trailer

Showcases:

• Starfield Xbox E3 2023 Reveal Showcase
• Starfield Deepdive Presentation

Publisher: Bethesda Softworks

Review Aggregator:

MetaCritic - Xbox Series X/S - 83/100

MetaCritic - PC - 87/100

OpenCritic - 86/100 - 88% Recommended

Critic Reviews​

---

​

But Why Tho? - Mick Abrahamson - 9 / 10

Starfield is Bethesda firing on all cylinders.

---

COGconnected - Oliver Ferguson - 90 / 100

Quote not yet available

---

Checkpoint Gaming - Elliot Attard - 9 / 10

Starfield may not be the seamless and faultless persistent open world some may be craving. Though what it does provide is still certainly worthy of elation. Give the title some time to warm up and you'll uncover a vastly refined and picturesque journey of otherworldly proportions. A game of size, scope, and quality all wrapped into one-the beauty of discovery is but a warp drive away.

---

ComicBook.com - Tanner Dedmon - 4 / 5

My opinion of Starfield is overall high despite what my many criticisms might suggest. It's a Bethesda RPG, and even Bethesda's middling options blow competitors out of the water when it comes to choice and freedom, so Starfield was always going to be a success. Whether it's enough of a success to uplift Xbox and make someone buy a new console is another discussion, but Starfield itself is perfectly competent and – dare I say it – fun, and even the most frustrating moments were unable to deter me from wanting more

---

Console Creatures - Bobby Pashalidis - Recommended

Starfield is a technical marvel for Bethesda, delivering an excellent adventure across the cosmos. It's polished, filled with personality and feels familiar but entirely new at the same time.

---

Destructoid - Steven Mills - 10 / 10

I wasn't sure if it could be done, but Bethesda has managed to raise the bar for sandbox games even higher. In the end, Starfield is a genre-defining epic open-world RPG with a beautifully immersive universe, a captivating story, and fun and addicting gameplay the whole way. I'm so happy to have experienced Starfield organically without any spoilers, and I really hope you get to as well.

---

Fextralife - Fexelea - 9.4 / 10

Starfield is a compelling and engaging interstellar adventure that successfully blends core RPG mechanics with open world exploration and deep questing. A complete delight from start to finish and an instant classic for any gamer that enjoys Sci Fi and is ready for adventure.

---

Game Informer - Matt Miller - 8.5 / 10

Go in with the expectation that it will take some time to find your footing in such a vast gameplay space, and there’s a universe well worth discovering here.

---

Gamepressure - Giancarlo Saldana - 9.5 / 10

With hundreds of hours of gameplay, various quests to complete, and thousands of planets to survey and explore, Starfield capitalizes on everything that has worked for Bethesda in the past, giving us an experience that feels like a giant leap in greatness.

---

GamesHub - Edmond Tran - 4 / 5

It's the static and mechanical elements of Starfield that shine the brightest – the art, the environments, the combat systems. They make up the strong foundations of a playset with a very intriguing scenario. But you need to mentally meet Starfield partway to complete its vision of a vast, living universe. You need to stretch out the expanse and envision the journey. You need to look past the menus and form the fantasy. You need to help breathe life into its paper dolls. You need to add your own dash of wonder, and imagine your own unknowns. Truly, Starfield is a role-playing game, through and through.

---

Gaming Age - Dustin Chadwell - A-

Starfield is, overall, a very good RPG from a studio known for making very good RPGs. Not the most surprising news I’m sure, but it’s nice to see that they’re able to break away from the Elder Scrolls and Fallout settings successfully, and I do feel like their take on space exploration is a breath of fresh air for this type of RPG experience. It’s a huge game overall, so if you’re the person that believes time played = value, you’ll be pretty happy with this one for sure, but at the same time if you’re worried about overall quality, I think you’ll still enjoy your time with Starfield.

---

Gaming Nexus - Eric Hauter - 9.5 / 10

When they are firing on all cylinders, Bethesda games deliver pure video game magic, and Starfield is no exception. Offering an enormous galaxy to explore, a ludicrous wealth of interesting content, well-written characters, and innovative mechanics that push the genre in new directions, Starfield is a (mostly) clean experience at launch that should be experienced by all action/RPG fans. This is a new classic.

---

GamingTrend - David Burdette, David Flynn and Ron Burke - 90 / 100

Bethesda Game Studios has reached new heights in Starfield. A thrilling narrative, loaded with an entire universe to explore and backed by sublimely polished systems, has ushered in the ultimate Bethesda experience. It's truly hard to summarize just what makes Starfield special, and that's because so much of it is. You'll be glued to your screen for hours, going where no explorer has gone before.

---

Hey Poor Player - Andrew Thornton - 5 / 5

Starfield isn’t a perfect game. No game is. That said, for a game to have this much ambition and actually pull off almost everything it set out to accomplish is a remarkable achievement. I haven’t even talked about some of the game’s most interesting elements, such as how it approaches New Game+, which I can’t wait for more players to see. Starfield is a triumph that I’m confident players will be exploring for years to come, not only because it will remain incredibly compelling but because it will take that long to see anywhere near everything it has to offer.

---

Infinite Start - 10 / 10

All in all, Starfield stands as a testament to Bethesda's creative prowess and dedication. It has succeeded in crafting an immersive universe that encapsulates the spirit of exploration and adventure. With its captivating storyline, refined mechanics, and attention to detail, Starfield beckons players to venture into the cosmos and experience a journey that will likely resonate for years to come.

---

Kakuchopurei - Lewis Larcombe - 100 / 100

Ultimately, Starfield not only marks the beginning of a new Bethesda universe but also stands as a testament to the studio's ability to adapt its RPG mastery to a spacefaring epic. As players traverse the cosmos and uncover the mysteries it holds, Starfield promises to provide countless hours of immersive gameplay, solidifying its place among Bethesda's iconic RPG titles. It truly delivers on all fronts.

---

MondoXbox - Giuseppe Genga - Italian - 9.7 / 10

Starfield can be summed up in one word: immense. Immense for the quantity and quality of stories it delivers, immense for the number of different activities it makes possible, immense like the galaxy it allows us to explore. Bethesda's new RPG will make you live a great sci-fi adventure, exploring hundreds of planets, admiring beautiful sceneries, and granting you many emotions, all at your own pace and making you live the adventure the way you want. If you are fascinated by space exploration and love narrative-focused experiences, this is an absolute must-have.

---

MonsterVine - Joe Bariso - 4.5 / 5

Starfield is a Bethesda game pushed to the absolute limits, it's a good thing that Bethesda is still the very best at what they do.

---

Multiplayer First - James Lara - 9 / 10

It has everything you’d want from a Bethesda game: a deep and prosperous universe filled with endless possibilities and limitless potential. Be who you want to be, go where you want to go; your freedom is in your hands, and what you do with it is entirely up to you in Starfield.

---

Noisy Pixel - Azario Lopez - 8 / 10

Starfield is a true space adventure that only Bethesda can deliver. It's an experience catered to the fans of large expansive RPG narratives, but this one takes it a step further to stretch across an entire universe. There are minor systems and menus that cause confusion, and the lack of real tutorials paired with a flimsy opening holds back the opening hours. Still, the experience is undeniably memorable, and the writing for NPCs makes up the best moments. Although the many systems can be overwhelming, this is a game full of discovery for all who play.

---

One More Game - Buy

Starfield is arguably the most important Xbox release in a long while, and it delivers an impactful experience that Bethesda fans have been waiting for. Despite a few dated mechanics and systems, it's a relatively polished release compared to their usual offerings, and that alone is a massive achievement.
I had hoped to see Starfield as a great step towards an evolution in the Bethesda formula, but sadly, this isn't the case. Starfield is, most likely, what you would expect it to be, and while that's good enough for fans, it does miss out on the opportunity to take that next step.

---

Oyungezer Online - Sabri Erkan Sabanci - Turkish - 9 / 10

This game became my Skyrim. Even though I've finished the game and seen a lot of things, there are still a lot of quests I want to do, a lot of planets I want to explore, a lot of people I want to meet. If you like science fiction, I'm almost sure you'll agree with me.

---

Pixel Arts - Reza Modaresi - Persian - 10 / 10

Starfield surpasses all expectations from Bethesda and then some. It's a sprawling, captivating masterpiece brimming with intricate details, leaving you torn over which aspect of gameplay to immerse yourself in. This game redefines the RPG genre, offers an outstanding action-packed experience, and serves as an all-encompassing simulator of the universe. Whether you're prepared to embark on a galactic odyssey that spans hundreds of hours or not, Starfield beckons, and if time is scarce, you'll want to clear your schedule ASAP!

---

Polygon - Nicole Carpenter - Unscored

In trying to do everything, Starfield obfuscates its most compelling mysteries.

---

Prima Games - Daphne Fama - 9 / 10

Starfield is a good game, like a really good game. It embodies the spirit of Manifest Destiny in a way that no other open-world game has ever come close to approaching. It’s a game that’s meant to be played slowly over the course of months, if not years. And even then, you shouldn’t expect to uncover every little detail.

---

SECTOR.sk - Peter Dragula - Slovak - 9.5 / 10

After conquering wastelands and fantasy worlds, Behesda begins to conquer the universe. Starfield offers their biggest RPG yet with a very good mix of story, action and exporation. The Creation Engine still shows beautiful scenery, but also its limits in map size.

---

Saudi Gamer - Arabic - 7 / 10

Starfield can be described as a mixed-bag experience that combines great features from excellent side mission designs with amazingly world-building potential and an engaging story with suspense elements to offer. On the other hand, exploration in the game is unfortunately weak in many aspects; This is due to the large reliance on procedural generation of environments. Also, the role-playing elements do not have a strong presence or impact.

---

Saving Content - Scott Ellison II - 5 / 5

Starfield doesn’t reinvent the RPG genre, but it does make it quite exciting. It’s a game that feels distinct from the studio’s prior work like The Elder Scrolls and Fallout, and this even represents the best of both worlds. Bethesda Game Studios managed to incorporate streamlined systems to make exploring space something fun, and never a chore. There’s just nothing I dislike about it. Starfield is ambitious and magical, capturing the curiosity and vastness of space beautifully, for what feels like a truly next-gen experience.

---

Siliconera - Brent Koepp - 9 / 10

Starfield is a genre-defining space exploration RPG. With a vast galaxy of characters and stories to uncover, this is Bethesda's best work in years.

---

Stevivor - Jay Ball - 8 / 10

For the sheer size of it, the beauty of the hundreds of different landscapes you can explore and the always engaging missions, Starfield is a massive technical achievement.

---

TechRaptor - Erren Van Duine - 8 / 10

Starfield's biggest strength is its complimentary content - sidequests, exploration, and more will gather your attention for hours despite a less-than-compelling narrative.

---

Tom's Hardware Italia - Andrea Riviera - Italian - 9 / 10

Reducing Starfield to a number is far from being easy. On the one hand we have Bethesda's most ambitious game ever with an overwhelming amount of content: full of secrets, quests, characters and casual adventures; on the other hand we have a title still anchored to old dogmas, with a high dose of proceduralism and some limitations that most critics will not appreciate. Nevertheless, Starfield is destined to become a new cult, capable of attracting millions of players for at least the next decade, just as Skyrim did before it, as well as being the first big star of Xbox's rebirth.

---

VideoGamer - Tom Bardwell - 9 / 10

Starfield is the enchantment and wonder of space bottled and fleshed out into something grand and ambitious, thoughtful and attentive, janky at times, often funny, but always charming.

---

We Got This Covered - Ash Martinez - 4.5 / 5

Starfield may not shake Bethesda’s legendary formula as much as some players wanted, but it defies all but the most unreasonable expectations. Newcomers will easily lose themselves in the universe, and fans of the studio won’t be disappointed. Starfield easily joins Fallout 4 and Skyrim as a titan of a game that will continue to enthrall players long after its release.

---

WellPlayed - James Wood - 8.5 / 10

Starfield is a magical, if a little clumsy, first journey to the stars for Bethesda, the RPG maker reminding us of the power of player freedom, engaging writing, and just a little jank.

---

Worth Playing - Chris "Atom" DeAngelus - 9 / 10

Starfield both hits and misses the mark. Starfield has both improvements and steps backward from the previous games, and whether you consider it to be better or worse than Fallout is dependent on what you prized from those games. If you're looking for more Fallout 4 with bigger and more detailed environments and quests, then Starfield is pretty much everything you could hope for and more. If you're looking for No Man's Skyrim, however, it's disappointing. Almost everything on the ground feels good, while the space travel and exploration feels lackluster. If you're looking for a Bethesda-style, open-world RPG, Starfield scratches that itch, and Bethesda fans will lose countless hours in scouring every nook and cranny.

---

XGN.nl - Ralph Beentjes - Dutch - 8 / 10

Starfield is a Bethesda RPG in every sense of the word. It offers a large, rich and intriguing world, filled with sidequests and a mysterious main story. The possibility to enter your spaceship and explore the galaxy and fight space pirates is really fun. It has however a few strange bugs, the graphics can change a lot and firefights miss something extra. We’re certain though that RPG fans can easily spend hundreds of hours in Starfield.

---

XboxEra - Jesse Norris - 9.7 / 10

Starfield is a new beginning. Not only for Bethesda but for Xbox as a whole. With excellent writing, stunning graphics, and thrilling gameplay it makes the galaxy yours to explore, shape, and live in. It is a wonderous tapestry to experience your story in a way that only the best have done before.

 

[DonJorginho]

Bought my premium upgrade today, cannot fucking wait.

 

[donkey_oaty]

Expecting 75 - 80

 

[solidus12]

 

[L*][*N*K]

This is going to get weird, can't wait, taking two days off work for it.

 

[Fools idol]

I think it will be low 80's.

Expectations bar has been raised significantly after the releases this year, and despite developer whining, it will most certainly effect reviews going forward.

 

[Mr Hyde]

This is probably gonna be the most interesting thread of the year. Predicting a 94 MC and some serious meltdowns.

 

[AV]

Will be around 90. Fallout 4 was mid as fuck and it still got an 84 in the end. From what we're hearing it sounds like an extra year in the oven's done this a world of good.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

I think it will score around 92-93 so I'll go with that.

Oh and in God Howard we trust!

 

[DenchDeckard]

low 90s but I couldnt even care. Booked two weeks off and I can not wait!

 

[prinz_valium]

Bought my premium upgrade today, cannot fucking wait.

Will buy that in 2 days.
Sadly I will miss enough rewards points for another $5 code.
Will have to pay $7 out of my own pocket instead of just $2

 

[MrKainobi]

Skyrim had 94, Fallout 4 still had 84. Starfield will easily be in the 90s range.

 

[ajanke]

89-91 leggooo

 

[adamsapple]

70 - 95

 

[MirageMew2]

Mid to high 80s. Decades old Bethesda jank and astronomical expectations will drag it down.

 

[kikkis]

89 on open critic

 

[BbMajor7th]

89 - with something so large in scope, consistency could be a problem. Some 11/10 moments sitting along some solid 6/10 moments.

 

[Fabieter]

Going with 95. It's more polished than previous Bethesda games but still buggy like hell.

 

[Vol5]

Unfortunately for Bethesda they released 76 which was a monstrosity. Some reviewers will certainly use that against them; being exceptionally critical, etc.

After seeing some of the leaked footage though I'm actually thinking 85-90 range. It looks pretty decent.

 

[SlimySnake]

90-95.
1 million CCU on Steam.
5 million in 3 days.
10 million in 1 month.

 

[Rival]

83

 

[Bernoulli]

95+

 

[MMaRsu]

10/10 across the board lfg

Unfortunately for Bethesda they released 76 which was a monstrosity. Some reviewers will certainly use that against them; being exceptionally critical, etc.

After seeing some of the leaked footage though I'm actually thinking 85-90 range. It looks pretty decent.

Not made by Todd and his team, if any reviewer uses 76 as a negative, I know they cant be trusted.

 

[Horseganador]

Seeing as Xbox-Bethesda has selected related media for the review and left out many other important ones, the +90 should be assured.

 

[Fools idol]

Was it definitely true that they had 'help' from other studios who worked on first person shooters to improve the combat? or was it just rumours?

 

[Verchod]

I have no doubt this game will be a high quality product, and therefore get a decent score.
But even if wasn't I don't believe any review would give it below 90 because it's a high profile game, coupled with the fact that most game reviewers don't seem to be able to use the number scale correctly.

 

[MMaRsu]

Was it definitely true that they had 'help' from other studios who worked on first person shooters to improve the combat? or was it just rumours?

Nope, ID helped them with the graphics, not the gameplay.

 

[Lucifers Beard]

I think it will crack 90 at least. It looks great from what we’ve been shown. Got Friday off for a bit of a break so will definitely be booting this up with a good cup of coffee in the morning!

 

[DonJorginho]

Was it definitely true that they had 'help' from other studios who worked on first person shooters to improve the combat? or was it just rumours?

id apparently helped with motion blur i believe the combat touch ups were in house to my knowledge

 

[BbMajor7th]

Nope, ID helped them with the graphics, not the gameplay.

ID developer: "So, yeah, if you just hit 'file' then 'export' and - hang on a sec - you see the drop-down on the right? That's where you set the resolution. You can export that texture at any resolution you want..."
Besthesda developer: "Amazing... and you can do that with any texture file?"
ID developer: "Yup - at any resolution you want."
Bethesda developer: "Well, I'll be damned..."

 

[H-I-M]

Ready for tomorrow bloodbath.

 

[adamsapple]

Was it definitely true that they had 'help' from other studios who worked on first person shooters to improve the combat? or was it just rumours?

Nope, ID helped them with the graphics, not the gameplay.

Specifically, ID helped BGS with the motion blur 'and other things'.

But Id has helped us really more on the graphics side. So we get into motion blur. It's just how the game feels smooth. Some other things that they do in Id Tech that we wanted to bring over into Creation Engine 2, and they helped us do that, and it's great."

 

[Die Namek Ability]

I voted 85-90. I think a couple of outlets will take a shot a them for clicks and what it means to the Xbox brand

 

[Kacho]

Expecting a similar meta to Diablo 4, so ~88, maybe a touch higher because it isn’t a soulless live service dumpster fire.

 

[Toots]

Pre Order Starfield now:

​

Game Information​

---

​

Story:



Gameplay:




Platforms:

• PC (Sep 6, 2023)
• Xbox Series X/S (Sep 6, 2023)

Trailers:

• Starfield – Official Live Action Trailer
• Starfield Official Teaser Trailer
• Starfield Official Gameplay Trailer

Showcases:

• Starfield Xbox E3 2023 Reveal Showcase
• Starfield Deepdive Presentation

Publisher: Bethesda Softworks

Review Aggregator:

---

OpenCritic -

MetaCritic - Xbox Series X/S -

MetaCritic - PC -

Critic Reviews​

---

​

​

One more day until we're all blown away, but anyway my mind is already blown by OP's OT and his countdown gif
24h + countdown and the thing isn't even 40ko

 

[Larivel]

87

 

[Draugoth]

One more day until we're all blown away, but anyway my mind is already blown by OP's OT and his countdown gif
24h + countdown and the thing isn't even 40ko

Not the OT.

The main OT by mortal will be higher in quality

 

[RoboFu]

80 - 85

Doesn't mean its not a great game. Just its still a long rpg with no movie like action set pieces that all the blog reviewers love.

 

[BouncyFrag]

Here we go!!

 

[Interfectum]

Expecting a similar meta to Diablo 4, so ~88, maybe a touch higher because it isn’t a soulless live service dumpster fire.

The fact that Diablo 4 got an 88 MC says all that needs to be said about the state of games reviews.

 

[LordOfChaos]

92.5

 

[Ulysses 31]

80 - 85

Doesn't mean its not a great game. Just its still a long rpg with no movie like action set pieces that all the blog reviewers love.

Who's to say there won't be a mission like Deep Impact/Armageddon where you have to go a planet killer asteroid and plant nukes before the point of no return?

 

[diffusionx]

it's on

 

[Lokaum D+]

its a Bethesda game, it ll review well even if it is a bronken mess, it ll just review bad if it is a really really broken mess like 76

 

[TrebleShot]

If this year didn’t have spider man 2 or Baldurs Gate 3 this would have been a strong contender for GOTY

 

[Jadsey]

Anything less than 85 is a certified disaster for Phil.

I am gonna guess it will finish at about 88.

 

[Topher]

90-95

 

[FunkMiller]

80-85% due to bugs and performance issues.

 

[Von Hugh]

78

 

[DeepEnigma]

70 - 95

40-100