Do the critics of Starfield actually play space trading and combat games?

[=CrimsoN=]

I'm not going to get into what is and isn't a space combat trading games. But the general definition is this: Players begin in a relatively small, outdated ship with little money or status and for the player to gain in status and power through trading, exploration, combat or a mix of different methods. Notable examples include: Elite, the X Series, Wing Commander Privateer, Freelancer and No Mans Sky.

With that definition and examples in mind, Starfield fits squarely in the genre. You start with a small ship (the Frontier) and no money or status. You achieve this by doing side quests and missions. There is a main questline, but you don't have to follow it at all. You're free to explore the universe as you please. You can trade, engage in combat, explore, etc. Starfield is a space combat trading game.

With that out of the way. Common criticisms for Starfield include: "exploration is boring", "boring factions", "unexciting story", etc. btw I'm not talking about paid mods because that's an entirely different discussion. I'm mostly referring to reviews at release, and some of these were the prime criticisms.

What I don't understand is if any of these critics have even played other space trading and combat games. Because these same criticisms can be found in these games. I guess what Im trying to state is that a lot of people got Starfield thinking it would be Fallout or Skyrim in space, but instead it ended up being a love letter to fans who grew up with Wing Commander Privateer and Freelancer. I struggle to find where critics can't say the same thing (boring exploration, factions or unexciting story) in any other space combat trading game. They are very much "An adventurer is you" type games where you have to write your own story and immerse yourself.

Just some food for thought.

[Skumboni]

Most, but not all. complaints about the game have been because it is not a wife beater sim.

[chris23162]

Originally posted by Skumboni:

Most, but not all. complaints about the game have been because it is not a wife beater sim.

The complaints are because the game is pure trash and just gets worse the longer you play it. I have completed starfield, have every single achievement and still think it's trash it has no soul and I have played every bethesda game and all of the X series as well as many many other space games. To me it sounds like you are projecting.

[=CrimsoN=]

Originally posted by Skumboni:

Most, but not all. complaints about the game have been because it is not a wife beater sim.

lmao yeah I'm avoiding the meme or otherwise nonconstructive reviews. The actual sane people have hinted more at being bored with Starfield.

[=CrimsoN=]

Originally posted by chris23162:

Originally posted by Skumboni:

Most, but not all. complaints about the game have been because it is not a wife beater sim.

The complaints are because the game is pure trash and just gets worse the longer you play it. I have completed starfield, have every single achievement and still think it's trash it has no soul and I have played every bethesda game and all of the X series as well as many many other space games. To me it sounds like you are projecting.

I mean I can't see your library, but judging by your reviews, many of your negative reviews are for space games. Space combat trading games or not... maybe you just don't like space games. Which seems to be the case for a lot of Starfield critics.

Edit: You've only given a single positive review for a single space game. After giving not just Starfield a negative review, but also Avorion, No Mans Sky and Stellaris.

[Ankua]

I would like a perma death gaming experience. Drop the starborn thing. Make the world creation continuous and have time roll on dead character or not.
Now when I die with some uber gear somewhere I should be able to find it or the trail of it when I go to that location triggering a new quest of remembrance. I think I may have died here from sometime in the past.

Queue new adventure.

[tkwoods]

Originally posted by Ankua:

I would like a perma death gaming experience. Drop the starborn thing. Make the world creation continuous and have time roll on dead character or not.
Now when I die with some uber gear somewhere I should be able to find it or the trail of it when I go to that location triggering a new quest of remembrance. I think I may have died here from sometime in the past.

Queue new adventure.

So you want No Man's Sky then???

[=CrimsoN=]

Originally posted by Ankua:

I would like a perma death gaming experience. Drop the starborn thing. Make the world creation continuous and have time roll on dead character or not.
Now when I die with some uber gear somewhere I should be able to find it or the trail of it when I go to that location triggering a new quest of remembrance. I think I may have died here from sometime in the past.

Queue new adventure.

I'd actually welcome something like that. Rogue-like gameplay. It could work as part of a survival or hardcore mode.

[tkwoods]

Originally posted by =CrimsoN=:

Originally posted by Ankua:

I would like a perma death gaming experience. Drop the starborn thing. Make the world creation continuous and have time roll on dead character or not.
Now when I die with some uber gear somewhere I should be able to find it or the trail of it when I go to that location triggering a new quest of remembrance. I think I may have died here from sometime in the past.

Queue new adventure.

I'd actually welcome something like that. Rogue-like gameplay. It could work as part of a survival or hardcore mode.

This is No Man's Sky... LOL... Survival or Permadeath - exactly what is being asked for.

[Ihateeverybody]

Endless Sky
Rebel Galaxy Outlaw
Star Traders

All good games within the last 10 years or so.

Honourable Mentions:

Starbound.

But for overall fun, I would choose Starfield. While most of those games do things Better than Starfield, none do as much as Starfield.

[=CrimsoN=]

Originally posted by Ihateeverybody:

Endless Sky
Rebel Galaxy Outlaw
Star Traders

All good games within the last 10 years or so.

Honourable Mentions:

Starbound.

But for overall fun, I would choose Starfield. While most of those games do things Better than Starfield, none do as much as Starfield.

Yeah agreed. I could make a whole list of space trading combat games. But yeah for the most part, I was just getting at many of the criticisms people have with Starfield are present in all these other games that are of the same genre. So it leads me to think that many people just don't like space combat trading games. Does Starfield warrant some criticism? Absolutely. But I have to shake my head at things like "exploration is boring". Its not any different than Elite Dangerous and certainly more in-depth than Freelancer (the latter of which is universally praised in the space sim community). Or when people say the side-quests are imaginative? They aren't any different than what you'd see in those aforementioned games.

I think that if Starfield wasn't affiliated with Bethesda, it wouldn't have gotten these criticisms. With the Bethesda label, people were expecting Fallout or Skyrim in space. Instead, we got Bethesda's take on something like Freelancer and people who don't like those types of games end up naturally not liking Starfield. But that's not the fault of Starfield. I hate platformers. If Bethesda released a platformer, I wouldn't buy it because I don't like platformers, but that wouldn't make the game itself bad.

[Nemerlight]

Im sure Todd believed in everything he said about Starfield.

[Ffabbia]

Originally posted by chris23162:

Originally posted by Skumboni:

Most, but not all. complaints about the game have been because it is not a wife beater sim.

The complaints are because the game is pure trash and just gets worse the longer you play it. I have completed starfield, have every single achievement and still think it's trash it has no soul and I have played every bethesda game and all of the X series as well as many many other space games. To me it sounds like you are projecting.

Ah the old: "I played this game for 400 hours and it's unplayable trash, I hate it, and every second of those 400 hours was unendurable misery."

Never gets old that one.

[patrick68794]

Originally posted by Ffabbia:

Originally posted by chris23162:

The complaints are because the game is pure trash and just gets worse the longer you play it. I have completed starfield, have every single achievement and still think it's trash it has no soul and I have played every bethesda game and all of the X series as well as many many other space games. To me it sounds like you are projecting.

Ah the old: "I played this game for 400 hours and it's unplayable trash, I hate it, and every second of those 400 hours was unendurable misery."

Never gets old that one.

Not to mention their review is full of misinformation lol

[HeyYou]

Originally posted by Ffabbia:

Originally posted by chris23162:

The complaints are because the game is pure trash and just gets worse the longer you play it. I have completed starfield, have every single achievement and still think it's trash it has no soul and I have played every bethesda game and all of the X series as well as many many other space games. To me it sounds like you are projecting.

Ah the old: "I played this game for 400 hours and it's unplayable trash, I hate it, and every second of those 400 hours was unendurable misery."

Never gets old that one.

The world is obviously populated by masochists.

[Ffabbia]

My guess is they did enjoy the game, but they're such easily manipulated sheep that seeing all the negative click bait Youtube videos, social media spam, review bombs etc. urged them to conform to the group think and join in the hate fest.