Why Starfield Still Fails to Captivate Players Two Years On: An Honest Review

Since I first invested over 150 hours in Starfield at launch, my feelings have really changed. While I found some of the survival mechanics interesting at first and enjoyed a few mods, the game’s recent expansion hasn’t sparked my interest. The features added since then, like the limited surface driving on planets and Bethesda’s attempts to charge for parts of a faction quest, aren’t enticing enough for me to clear space on my devices for the massive 120 GB install.

What I’m left with are memories of those brief moments of joy—mainly enjoying the vast starry sights. Losing access to hundreds of gigabytes of gameplay footage has made me question if those memories were worth keeping.

In the nearly two years since its release, I hardly thought about Starfield until a friend deleted his video captures. This made me realize I probably did the same while trying to clear space. I remember stressing about how I’d never sift through hours of footage. Now, I regret losing that snapshot of my in-game journey.

Bethesda’s managing director, Ashley Cheng, once addressed early criticisms that Starfield felt bland by comparing it to astronauts visiting the moon: “When the astronauts went to the moon, there was nothing there. They certainly weren’t bored.” While that idea resonates, I can’t help but think about how disappointing it would be to lose incredible memories from a once-in-a-lifetime trip, even one to the moon.

Despite the emptiness in Starfield, Bethesda marketed it as a special experience. Todd Howard spoke passionately about the thrill of exploration and discovery, suggesting it would be one of the most important RPGs ever made. Initially, I defended the game’s vastness, thinking that experiencing stillness and awe could be powerful. Yet, Starfield never fully captured that feeling for me, and I don’t miss the lost footage.

In the gaming world, player reactions have absolutely varied. Some embrace the game’s quiet moments, while others feel frustrated by the lack of engaging content. According to a recent survey from GameSpot, 43% of players think Starfield did not meet the expansive expectations set before its release.

A historical perspective might also shed light on this. When Skyrim launched in 2011, it revolutionized open-world gameplay and exploration. Many expect Starfield to live up to that legacy, but it’s struggling to find its footing. It demonstrates that while the ambition is admirable, execution plays a crucial role in player satisfaction.

Ultimately, while I cherished some moments in Starfield, it hasn’t left a lasting impact, especially now that the memories seem to fade with the lost footage.

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Starfield, Windows games, Single-player video games, Microsoft games, John Cage, Todd Howard, RPG, Bethesda, Ashley Cheng, Action role-playing video games, Microsoft, Kotaku