Recent reviews by Colossal dreadmaw

One of the most underrated games of the decade in my opinion - fun gameplay loop with surprising depth (if a bit too easy come lategame), a gorgeous setting, intriguing worldbuilding, and a stunning performance from our two leads. The kind of experience that will stick with you for a while. My only major gripe is the writing and animation can be sometimes inconsistent in quality, but it's not on the level of, say, Mass Effect Andromeda or Forspoken. Give the demo a go and if you like the atmosphere, I strongly encourage you to buy the full thing!

The setting is ripe for a sequel but sadly don't think it performed well enough to warrant one :-(

A ridiculously bland game. I can't think of a single thing that drew my attention in after 11 hours, and that combined with the shoddy performance, the ridiculous number of loading screens (padding out already dreary quests), and the lack of build diversity (you're a stealthy guy, a shooty guy, or a hitty guy, and I'm not even sure if the latter is practical at high levels, if fallout is any metric) means I can't imagine how any player has fun interacting with this. Instead, I'll recommend some recent games that do things that *should* be Starfield's bread and butter better:

Cyberpunk
DOOM (2016 or Eternal, although 2016 is the slightly better choice IMO)
Far Cry 6

Deathloop
Hitman 3
AC: Mirage

Skyrim (duh)
The Outer Wilds
Elden Ring

Disco Elysium
Red Dead Redemption 2 (any R* game, really)
A Plague Tale

Baldur's Gate 3
Pillars of Eternity Series
Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Star Citizen (although I will warn the game is very predatory when it comes to monetization, I think it's better to just watch gameplay videos to be impressed by the visuals than risk an addiction that could cripple you financially)
The Outer Worlds (NOT THE SAME AS THE OUTER WILDS which is also a good nomination for this category)
Rebel Galaxy: Outlaw

Deep Rock Galactic (seriously, go play it)
No Man's Sky
Rimworld (although a vastly different game to any other mentioned in this review)

Sure, no single game in this list is better in every single aspect than Starfield, but every one can give you a more complete, satisfying experience and (exception of star citizen) presents a better value for money offering.

This game is great in concept so far, but the current performance issues (from requiring upwards of 30 minutes to get a controller set up properly to stutters that will cost you your life) means its hard to recommend - hopefully it gets fixed soon at which point I'll change the review accordingly!

♥♥♥♥

Absolute banger of a game - deep simulation, without seeming too biased or complex, with a lot of fun approaches to take. I return from time to time to check out the new features.

Absolutely fantastic piece of interactive fiction. The gameplay is sometimes janky - there are features I expected, such as the ability to read case files, that seem to be missing, and there were occasions where the game tells you someone gave you information, but it seems impossible to gleam what that information is. I was pleasantly surprised by the form the game took - I expected it to be more oriented on the mystery, a la the Return of the Obra Dinn, but for the most part the focus actually seems to be on the storytelling. The stories told are those of the passengers, of the crimes, but also, most importantly, the protagonist. And I love this game for it. Every character feels fleshed out and intriguing, a real person with real stories to tell, and it genuinenly captures you and makes you feel like your interactions have weight - all thanks to the fantastic writing and atmosphere. The game has an interesting tone - it has some amazing fantastical elements (I don't want to spoil it but I really didn't expect some scenes from a game about a taxi driver), and maintains a great sense of humour throughout, but it also touches with very serious, very real issues, of all scale, in a way that doesn't feel preachy or narrative-pushing, This feels like, in a way I can only imagine was intentional, watching a film from the French New-Wave. However, that does come across in its length - I finished the main campaign in slightly over two hours, despite me taking my time thinking things through. As I said before the mystery largely takes a backseat for the storytelling to take part, and as such there's not much for you to piece together - what hints and clues there are are automatically connected, so the player themselves only has to make decisions as to what evidence is most convincing. Interestingly, the mysteries surrounding the protagonist, and the other passengers, is presented in a less hand-holding manner, and as a result felt much more engaging. I was almost disappointed with the length, as I felt I was only just getting invested in the characters - another testament to the writing. However, it does mean the replayability is high, and with two more campaigns to try, as well as varying difficulty modes, I feel like I have a lot more time to spend with this masterpiece.

In short, this game is fantastic for those wanting an experience, something to contemplate on, that stays with you for a long time after finishing. It is not, however, a brain-scratcher, or a marvel of gameplay, so whilst I can't recommend it enough, I think it's important you do not go into it expecting that.

By far one of the best CYOA games I've played. Brilliant sense of humor, plenty of variety to keep you on your toes and a host of opportunities to roleplay. 7/10