r/XboxSeriesX • u/Turbostrider27 • Dec 04 '23

Xbox wants Starfield to have the 12-year staying power of Skyrim Discussion

https://www.pcgamesn.com/starfield/popular-like-skyrim
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u/Canucks-1989 Dec 04 '23

I think (I could definitely be wrong) Bethesda’s weakness is they’re banking too much on nostalgia and gameplay familiarity. Their games were absolutely some of the best 10-15yrs ago, but the way those games play are meant for those older instalments. You can go back and have a fun time playing Oblivion or Skyrim, but in the back of your head you know it’s mechanics are dated (doesn’t mean you still can’t have a good time!).

The industry has evolved because players are starting to expect new baselines for their games whether it’s mechanics, gameplay, frame rates etc., and Bethesda has whiffed of all their games after Skyrim.

TLDR: Bethesda used to make some of the best games, but hasn’t evolved/grown since Fallout3/Skyrim.

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u/WhatsIsMyName Dec 05 '23

Starfield definitely felt dated in areas. Particularly the conversation systems. Didn't help that Baldur's Gate 3 came out at the same time and is exceptional in that area. Made the disparity really clear.

I am one of the few that loved Starfield and is still playing it religiously. But it does have faults.

But I do think it has a ton of potential. If they want a decade+ of staying power they are going to need a couple rounds of free updates to improve things and flesh out some of these systems IMO. Mods alone will never supplant real upgrades. 99% of Skyrim players never install a mod.

Outside of revamping the conversational system (which I don't actually anticipate because that is a huge undertaking since the entire questing system is bound to it), the biggest change they could make IMO is like 10xing the types of POIs you can discover on random planets. If POIs were more meaningful or fun I think it goes a long way toward improving replayability and staying power.

But those kind of large post-launch upgrades aren't how Bethesda has operated historically so I'm fully skeptical.