I don't get it.
People wanted another Bethesda game.
They got what they wanted.
I said in 2008, after playing the first Fallout game by Bethesda instead of Black Isle: "Only Bethesda could manage to make a post apocalyptic prostitute boring."
They've always been boring, they've always had ugly character models, and the writing has always been bad. You get what you paid for.
I think the fundamental problem is that people had different expectations for a game set in space, both because Bethesda stoked them (all of that talk of having the idea decades ago / first new franchise in however many years / etc) and because after No Man's Sky people kind of expected that with their budget / resources they would manage to create something richer + more seamless.
In retrospect, if they'd simply sold it as "Skyrim in Space," admitted to the limitations up front - same underlying engine, limited amount of variety to procedurally-generated content, loading screens instead of seamless takeoff/landing, etc - and not pretended that it was something new, the response would have probably been much more uniformly positive.
I think you're on the right track, but I think it's also because recent games did better with similar ideas. People shat all over Mass Effect Andromeda, but it hid loading screens behind interplanetary and FTL travel that was actually visualized. In my brain, I know they're cutscenes to cover for loading data, but it's enough to take you out of it being a "game" and allowing you to suspend your disbelief. It's hard to suspend disbelief when there's a loading screen constantly in front of you.
They’ve always been boring
Strongly disagreed. Pre-Oblivion their games were great. Hoping for a return to engrossing stories taking place in a rich, expansive universe was not entirely unreasonable.
Morrowind was their best, but I would say 21 years on, it's really tough to be like "Yeah, this time they'll get back to their roots." No, it's time to move on. All the people who made those games what they were have retired, moved on, or died.
There's a trait you can pick that exactly explains my problems.with the game. The trait is 'Dream Home'. It is described as
'You own a luxurious, customizable house on a peaceful planet! Unfortunately it comes with a 125,000 credit mortgage with GalBank that has to be paid weekly.'...
I thought this was a cool way of adding increased difficulty for myself. I tend not to play at the hardest setting because I don't have much time to play. But having to plan ahead and work around this limitation sounded like it would add an interesting wrinkle to the strategy I'd have in the game.
However, when you start the game you discover that the loan has to be paid off in full... And you have unlimited time to pay it off. The only way to be foreclosed upon is if you actively go tell the bank to foreclose on you. It's like they had the idea, but couldn't be bothered to implement it.
What's worse is 120k is nothing in the game. You can easily get there within a few hours of play. This is just one example, but it speaks to the game's complete unwillingness to give the player anything negative or push them any way from their 'freedom'. The sheer fact you are not locked out of any faction or faction mission is another example. There are 0 stakes in the game and you feel 0 connection to the people you meet or places you visit. Not helped by Sarah potentially being one of the most annoying judgemental characters in any Bethesda game I've ever encountered.
Update: I eventually visited this 'Dream House'. It kinda sucked. The planet it is on is kinda ugly. There is more to this mechanic than I originally thought, however. When you visit you can pay 500 credits for 1 week of access as a 'payment' towards the principal. Still very deceptive of the original description.
The only way to be foreclosed upon is if you actively go tell the bank to foreclose on you
Bethesda once again being so scared of the player making a choice, so they lock down anything that actually changes the game behind a giant 🚨 ARE YOU SURE??? 🚨
I mean there are a whole bunch of players that seem to have a problem with actually dealing with consequences. Just look at the bg3 players who are so pissed about "missing content" when they murderhobo their way through the game. Like no shit you killed the people who give you quests, of course you're going to miss out on their stories.
The sheer fact you are not locked out of any faction or faction mission is another example.
Ah, so Skyrim in space
Someday I’m interested in making an open world game (short on features because I’ll never have giant budgets) that embraces the friction of inconvenience, but finds enjoyable ways for people to circumvent them.
Eg: You can’t easily locate yourself on the map, but you can use a radio to ping towers and triangulate, which gives a breezy interface - or just ask locals. You can’t fast travel, but train stations get you where you’re going - and you might get an interesting conversation or even a whole questline on board.
My wife, a couple friends, and I have all put a ton of hours into this game and absolutely love it. I put several hours into the shipbuilder alone. Every hand built sidequest I run into feels like a TNG episode. And I love the kinda Becky Chambers / Star Trek-style utopia with mystery and drama theme they've got.
This is the most Bethesda game they've ever made, for better of worse. It doesn't hand hold you. There are plenty of times where I've looked at my quest log, found nothing i could do except the main quest, and then decided just to jump to a random system - only to get pulled into some crazy new adventure for a couple hours. You're supposed to be an explorer, if you put even the smallest effort into exploring, you will be rewarded.
A lot of people complaining were never going to like this game or any Bethesda game and I don't know what to do with those people. The amount of constant negativity on the internet makes me really appreciate stories like TNG and writers like Becky Chambers and Cory Doctorow, because they're so positive and affirming and optimistic and when they criticise, they also offer solutions. And this game really scratches that itch for me.
And after almost 40 years of life dealing with the constsnt cycle of negativity and hatred and anger and frustration and drama, on the internet, a global scale, and in my own life.....I'm just tired. I can't play games with "edgy dark stories" anymore. I can't go back to New Vegas because its bummer after bummer. And i know a lot of people thrive on that "scortched earth" bullshit but I just can't anymore.
I just...wanna sit down and play a game. And maybe one where everything is okay for once. And this is that game for me.
I don't get the hate, fuck 'em. I'm absolutely loving the game, it's exactly what I wanted and more. In fact, I get the same feeling I did playing Skyrim, you're doing some side mission, then you see something absolutely stunning. Earlier I was on some grey barren moon looking for resources, I look to the right, see the red planet, it's ice caps, and other two moons with the milky way behind them.
I like the TNG comparison. The side missions are so much better than in other Bethesda games I've played. Even little interactions with the NPCs or little events and conversations that just happen as a part of the world and not some quest. Love it.
Why are people pretending the game isn't getting glowing reviews? Is the Bethesda hate circlejerk still going on?
Rule of thumb. Wait until your see top ten mod lists for Bethesda games and is at least on sale.
I somehow entirely missed the hype around this game and came across it again only accidentally on early release day when looking at some other sale on Steam. Been playing it and it seems fine to me in a vague Skyrim-in-space sort of way, which is all what I was expecting from a Bethesda RPG.
The world seems alive enough and there are plenty of side-quests and amusing / interesting things to discover. Now suddenly I have been coming across a bunch of posts everywhere where the game is supposed to be terrible or something. Still seems fine to me, but maybe I have lower standards after decades of gaming. shrug.
I don't understand why is it popular to shit on Bethesda games? Just don't play it if you don't like it. At least it has no microtransacrions or Battle Pass nonsense.
I imagine a lot of people bought it, enjoyed it for a few minutes too long to refund, and are now stuck with 60 bucks down the shitter
Makes you wonder why game demos aren't a thing anymore
I don't understand why it's so popular NOT to shit on them. Remember when Andromeda came out with many of the same issues, and people fucking REAMED it (rightly)? Now Bethesda is finally getting SOME criticism for their shitty business and game development practices and we have lots of people out here suckling at their teat defending them for some reason. "Leave them alone, it's just a Bethesda game, why do people love to hate them, wahhhh."
As if Bethesda isn't one of the most beloved companies of all time, and most everyone started from a place of WANTING to love this game. But they've been making shitty decisions for years, hiding behind the nostalgia of their past titles, and they are overdue some criticism. It doesn't mean everyone hates them.
When this is the first meme I see a community make. I know the game is mid as fuck.
you guys really think it's boring? :/
At this point I don't trust anyone. Reviewers obviously paid off to give positive reviews, but then just as annoying is all the pure anti Bethesda hate here. I don't trust anyone to separate their Bethesda love/hate from the review of the actual game.
I think there was one review that was like "it's a sci Fi Skyrim in space" and that sounds like it'll be the most accurate.
sci Fi Skyrim
Shit bro that's all you gotta say.
I'm a basic bitch like that I like my Bethesda kiddie pools.
"it's a sci Fi Skyrim in space"
Tbh, that DOES sound pretty great IMO 🤷
I played 10hrs on Steam then refunded.
I was expecting a 2023 game with 12 years of development and 6 months delay for polish.
I got Fallout 4 (2015) with scifi-skin.
The thing that pissed me off the most:
It's not as open and "huge scale" as people seem to think it is. It's kind of "fake open" if that makes sense. You cannot get into your ship and fly 800m east to your mission. If you do that, a new instance is loaded and your mission is not there. You have to run that 800m.
People are weird when it comes to Bethesda. If you like Bethesda games, you'll probably like this one. I haven't gotten to play myself yet but watching friends who have it it looks fun. Does it look 10/10 GOTY? Not really. But it looks full* of fun stuff.
I think in some way all Bethesda games can feel 'boring', but kinda in a good way? Like sometimes you're just wandering a city with no real goal. It isn't thrilling or adrenaline pumping, but it's cool and immersive. Some people find that kind of slower pace boring. I think it's cool. Not everything gotta be full throttle all the time.
*edit
I doubt that OP has played starfield
I literally spent my entire Labor Day weekend playing this game so anybody that says it's boring I'd really don't understand what they're talking about
I like the game
I’m not surprised. I haven’t seen vids or played Starfield, but just judging by how Fallout 4 and Skyrim play, I was gonna expect the game to get old and boring really quick between the bland gameplay and milquetoast writing of those two games.
Oblivion, Fallout 3 and Morrowind were probably their last good games, with Morrowind being Bethesda at their absolute best imo.
I'm quite sure you're in the minority judging Skyrim as boring.
I mean I'm gonna have to agree with the guy though. Skyrim was all but earth shattering.. In 2011. Have you tried playing it recently? It feels old and repetitive. There is obviously still some fun to be had and some memorable bits but on the whole it's just outdated plain and simple.
I think the vast majority of enjoyment people derive from it is nostalgia driven which I can totally respect, but that only lasts for like 4-5 hours once a year tops. I feel like a new player who never touched it in the golden years would likely get bored fast
hmmm people seem to like this thing i don't like
ah it's because they're actually lying for the purposes of fooling me, the objectively correct main character
Uhh just play Outer Worlds you nerds
I’ve got about 15 hours in it. So far so good. Not 10/10 GOTY material no, but good. Probably about a 7 maybe 8/10
So how much R is in this RPG game? Is there any character customisation? Like at least Skyrim-level (which is already a pretty low bar to conpare to)
More than you expect but somehow still less than you want. Just look at the beard options and that will describe the whole game experience so far.