Feels like a PG13 title

[BR B-263-54]

I've touched on this in other threads but I don't think I've ever encountered an 18 rated game in the UK/17 rated game in the US and have it play so safe - It feels like a PG13 title.

The quests lack adult themes and depth, the gore of the Fallout & Skyrim games is gone and as far as I can recall there is zero foul language in the game...

Bearing in mind the game is marketed to adults are we seeing a softening up or adult themes here? If we are why?

Compare the themes of Fallout 1 & 2 and its night and day, Fallout 2 especially is extremely dark and adult in comparison to this and both have the same age ratings difference being Fallout 1 & 2 was made in 1997 & 1998 respectively and Starfield was released in the current year.

What's happened here?

[Iratus Machina]

Originally posted by Schlumpsha:

Clearly the numerous space plushies one can collect are too horrifying for minors. Or rating boards across the globe are simply terrified when gazing upon cubed food items.

Aw yus, the accursed Chunks. Straight to AO it is!

[Venomous422]

Instead of strippers they have LSD bobble head people dancing. It is probably because they want a lower PG rating to allow kids to play. Not that I think they'd be allowed with the violence and drugs n all

[NegativeZero]

Starfield is a poorly written, poorly and lazily made video game. It's uninteresting, dull, and unengaging. The Starfield dev team are an embarrassing joke. I don't think Bethesda cares about feeling any shame as long as they can make money still.

Get Baldur's Gate 3 if you want interesting writing and a high quality game. Or wait 1.5 weeks for Phantom Liberty to drop. Bethesda unfortunately just failed for the most part with Starfield.

[Iratus Machina]

Originally posted by BR B-263-54:

Plenty of PG13 media has the same themes but it's the execution which is downplayed.

I didn't say the game didn't contain adult themes I said it felt like a PG13 experience, have you ever played a classic CRPG?

Even some M-rated games these days can get away with some dark stuff. Been watching someone play Blasphemous 2 lately and, yeah, let's just say it definitely leans more towards a hard M rating. Gory violence, naked people galore, disturbing monsters all over, religious themes, and even a scene involving a giant man with a lady's breast sown onto him lactating on a baby, I ♥♥♥♥ you not. All that while retaining glorious sprite art.

[Darllock]

Its aimed at the XBox kiddies PC (mods) is for adults :)

[VoiD]

It's nothing like being a child killer, or turning into a prostitute in new reno and getting STDs, or joining the slavers and being marked for life.

[Ellis_Cake]

In most parts of the world,
killing/shooting/slicing humans dead are adult rated, it doesnt really need to edge into all imaginable areas to "count".

[DeathRow]

what makes you think g@mers can handle adult themes? thankfully bethesda already knows the answer

[BR B-263-54]

Originally posted by DeathRow:

what makes you think g@mers can handle adult themes? thankfully bethesda already knows the answer

They handled them back in the 90s.

[Iratus Machina]

Originally posted by DeathRow:

what makes you think g@mers can handle adult themes? thankfully bethesda already knows the answer

Some of us can still handle mature themes. AAA developers need to understand not all of us these days are soft.

[Etteragic]

Originally posted by BR B-263-54:

Compare the themes of Fallout 1 & 2 and its night and day, Fallout 2 especially is extremely dark and adult in comparison to this and both have the same age ratings difference being Fallout 1 & 2 was made in 1997 & 1998 respectively and Starfield was released in the current year.

What's happened here?

Microsoft happened? They already had this problem with the Fallout 4, where people complain about the game being too "good" (which was nothing compared to this one), and they start fixing the situation with the DLC like "Nuka World" and "Far Harbor" where the second one was a pretty good example of what people wanted from their games. Though they had to throw away all of their experience in this matter, since now the game is supposed to be politically correct and lecture people about what is right and what is wrong

[orcama60]

Originally posted by Doc Mitchell:

It's all lame, generic, boring ♥♥♥♥ for Tik-Tok people. I'm going back to play Fallout 2. Much better then this.

>>> I am back to Fallout 4 and Skyrim which are in my library and I am playing those game instead this one which is so mediocre. 2 more weeks and I will be playing Assassin Creed Mirage.

[undefined]

In the west for the better part of 2 or 3 decades now, the sweet spot is PG13. Very very few blockbuster movies and video games these days stray from it. It sells better and that's all that matters to them.

[Hexagoros]

Originally posted by Hen:

Its a more "commercial friendly" game which is how some games seem to want to be presented.

While you can murder and slaughter people, there isn't enough explicit content to make people think of this game and think gore/murder/bad for kids.

Its probably a safe way to ensure the game can be played by many people? Older Fallout games were super unhinged with what you could do though, probably mostly because times have changed.

Okay, but Starfield isn't rated as a kids game - it's rated as "entertainment for adults." At least here in the USA, and this is the most PG/PG-13 nonsense I've seen in a long time.

Think about it this way - Witcher 3, RDR2, Bladur's Gate 3, and Cyerpunk 2077 all have the same rating here in the US, and yet the difference in content and themes are night and day.

Those games are interesting and engaging and immersive, Starfield plays it safe positively everywhere, and becomes very boring.

[Smoosh]

One thing im not keen on is that the game heavily punishes you for less than do good gameplay. It feels like you are in need of companions who relish in bad actions such as piracy Violence and deceit.
Without this you are almost forced into the pure good gameplay or play with 0 companions.

Since they slapped on the 18 age on for PC, the game seriously lacks acts that warrant that age. Since really the only thing that bumped up the age is 'drug use' refering to Arora, they might as well have gone full hog to give the game character.
Where are the blasts ripping off limbs? Where is the swearing ( such as reactions to enemies as their allies get killed ).
As for the romance in the game, it feels so half baked, with only a click of a [flirt] button with no actual reward for commitment with them. Using Baldurs gate as an example here, the relationships with the characters felt more 'real', they felt more rewarding and didnt feel like you were talking to someone so disconnected and rushed to the big 'i love you'.