Bethesda Game Studios’ Starfield is one of the most-hated games by online gaming culture, alongside Bungie’s recently-released Marathon. As much as we hate it, it’s true, the internet thrives on hate, and the internet gamers’ reactions to both Starfield and Marathon have been little outside of vitriol.
There’s an extremely common meme format for when a gaming community is on the defensive, the “Quit Having Fun” meme in where a lonely hater screams at a group of friends having fun. It’s also the most apt meme for many games these days, because for some reason, the vocal minority believe a game has no right to exist unless its flawless.
With the release of Starfield on PS5 and its not-so-game-changing Free Lanes update, Bethesda’s maligned RPG has been given a new shot at life. Players new and old are exploring the Settled Systems, there’s a new DLC to explore, and even modders are coming back to help build on top the vast universe Bethesda has provided.
As someone who has played hundreds of hours of Starfield since launch, the truth is that its still a very troubled game. As much as Free Lanes travel makes your ship feel more like a home in the stars, as much as new POIs make exploring much more satisfying, there are still fatal flaws like the fact that Starborn temples are unbelievably dull and that the main Constellation cast don’t really have all that much to do within the game’s massive universe.
Nevertheless, Starfield is still an incredibly made game with a very detailed aesthetic, gorgeous music by Inon Zur, amazing combat, and a very satisfying ship builder. In fact, the game even has great quests including the entire UC storyline, the Constellation missions on Earth, and some great ones that you’ll find dotted around the universe. (Casino ship, anyone?)
Of course, to actually experience any of this, you’d have to give Starfield a chance, which is what many are now doing. If I was to rate Starfield on a proper review structure, I would probably give it a 7/10, but it’s a 7/10 that I adore. For some reason, in this current climate, if a game doesn’t get a 10/10—or, more likely, doesn’t get glowing praise from gifting Twitter accounts—it’s an instant dismissal followed by constant belittlement to those who enjoy it.
It used to be that some of the most beloved games around were fatally flawed. The original Darksiders is a 7/10 if I’ve ever seen one; Mad Max certainly isn’t a 10/10; are Red Faction Guerrilla or Saint’s Row: The Third truly flawless games? Absolutely not, but they tried something new, and they’re beloved because of it.
It’s not as if Starfield is Bethesda’s first 7/10 RPG, either. I also adore The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, it’s one of my all-time favourite games, but with its borked levelling systems, bizarre NPC behaviour, game-breaking bugs, and underwhelming main story, it was never 10/10 material, even if it blew minds when it came out. In fact, if just technically blowing minds is the key to a perfect score, then Starfield’s biggest curse was releasing in a period where every video game feels like the apex of what technology could possibly bring us.
Even as Bethesda commits to years of additional Starfield content, the game most likely won’t be perfect. Nevertheless, Starfield is “pretty good” and always has been “pretty good”, and sometimes that should be enough to try out something new, or at least to not spend your free time screaming about how a game you’ve never played is the worst game ever.
As I approach my 350-hour mark in Starfield, it’s clear that Bethesda’s RPG is still unlike any other, and with the reception the game’s received over time it may never be followed-up with a full-fledged sequel. With that in mind, Starfield will likely remain a unique beast in gaming history, one that I’ve connected with a lot since its release, and I’ll always have a fondness for the game and Bethesda’s push to try something completely new.
