Bethesda, the name is almost synonymous with video games. Almost every Mountain Dew chugging gamer from 2010 remembers ‘The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim’ with great fondness. I have yet to find someone who hasn’t played at least one ‘Fallout’ game. Bethesda does what they do very well with their games, always at the least being fun. However, it has been a long time since they released something new and imaginative. It’s been 25 long years since Bethesda created a game that wasn’t a sequel or spin-off to an existing IP. And I dreamed of the day when I could see something new from my second favorite gaming company. Well, that day is today. Enter ‘Starfield.’
‘Starfield,’ which was released on Sept. 6, is a sci-fi action RPG released on PC and Xbox. The player assumes the role of a miner turned space explorer thrust into an intergalactic mystery over the very nature of the universe. But of course, this being a Bethesda RPG, there is so much more to do than simply hunt around and find strange artifacts. Your options seem almost limitless, as you can be an intergalactic cop, a privateer fighting giant genetically engineered alien monsters, an agent and spy for a huge transgalactic corporation, or even the old classic of a space pirate robbing ships. The sky is truly the limit here.
That’s not even mentioning that there are countless ships for you to acquire and customize to your heart’s content. With this being a Bethesda game, people are already pushing it to its limits. Some players have recreated famous ships in-game like the Millenium Falcon, The Normandy, and The U.S.S. Enterprise.
What kind of RPG would it be without choices? From being able to romance and marry one of four Non player characters to your actions changing the course of the galaxy this game is an RPG in the purest sense.
Now of course the game isn’t without faults. The game has occasional glitches, it may freeze once in a blue moon, and it doesn’t always fully capitalize on its potential. The melee combat is a bit of a letdown, lacking the bite and brutality of the likes of “The Elder Scrolls” or “Fallout” but the gunplay more or less makes up for it. The perks and backstory you can pick for your character are fascinating. Every perk has an advantage and disadvantage, and your backstory is mentioned a couple of times by multiple characters. Not to mention the incredibly annoying Adoring Fan makes his long-awaited return having last appeared in “The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion”. Personally, I’ve very much enjoyed my character Jamie Allendale’s adventures in the game, and for a Bethesda game, the main companions are surprisingly well-written. Overall, it’s a great game, and I can’t recommend it enough. Seven torches out of ten.
