With the release of both the Free Lanes update and the Terran Armada DLC, we decided it was time to check in once again with Bethesda’s ambitious, yet fairly divisive (our very own Jess loved it), RPG. Have years of changes and updates improved the game, or is it still something that is going to fracture opinions? To find out, we got lapsed player Matt and new player Paul to jump into the game and give us their thoughts on Starfield – the 2026 edition.
Starfield - Is It Time For Redemption?
Matt: So, Starfield. I guess I had better kick things off with my thoughts on the original release. For me, it was a grand idea that just had too much friction to keep me involved. I put about 20 hours into the game originally, and it just became too much of a hassle with too much busy work to keep me involved. There was plenty to like about the game, but the way things were, the constant menu juggling, loadscreens, and awkward travel systems just made it all feel like a bit of a chore. I know you are the newbie, Paul, but did you dabble at all upon the original release?
Paul: I really wanted to jump into the original 2023 release, I even bought the fancy collectors edition with the watch and everything – but then it all just passed me by. I know I’m very much on team PlayStation, but I promise it wasn’t some console bias BS! Then, once I saw the reception and learned that it wasn’t quite hitting like I had expected it to, I felt the temptation to go back and play the game quickly fade. Anyway, years have passed, I still hadn’t checked out the game, and then the many rumours of a PS5 release paired with a Starfield 2.0 refresh were taking off, so I committed to trying it on my preferred platform at that time. While the 2.0 element has remained just a rumour, it’s nice to be jumping in and checking out what the game is all about. It’s not the Skyrim in space that I wanted it to be; there are far too many clunky systems that get in the way of the fun, but there is still some fun to be had, and while my journey through Starfield still has some legs in it yet, I’m excited to push on further.
As someone returning to the action, with a swathe of new content to check out, how are you feeling about Starfield 3 years on?
Matt: I jumped into a new game for this report, and boy, I am glad I did. I think trying to dip back into my old save would have been tough, but at the same time, it was nice to see just how streamlined everything is when compared to how the game launched. There have undoubtedly been huge strides made in the areas of travel, mission tracking and crafting that make the whole experience much more enticing. So much friction has been removed that while there is now 2.0 next to the game, it does feel like Bethesda has really listened to the players and done everything in their power to make it a smoother experience.
I am now about 30 hours into this save, so I have been playing longer than I did on launch, and I am not frustrated or sick of it yet. That in itself shows me just how much work has been done. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Bethesda RPG without overly complicated menus and inventories, and that is still a frustration, but it is so much less than what it was and is more of an irritant now as opposed to something that actively breaks my enjoyment. I have to say, I am really quite addicted at this point in time, and the nature of the game means it fits perfectly in between the other games I am reviewing and works as a nice comfort title to keep me smiling as I push through review titles at a breakneck pace. So, I guess we need to ask, how is the PS port? After all, Bethesda’s reputation on Sony systems isn’t all that stellar.
Paul: The early reports weren’t great. There’s a lot of documentation out there involving the game repeatedly crashing on PS5’s. I was hardly surprised to hear this, given Bethesda’s history on the PS3, but that was over a decade ago. This sort of thing shouldn’t be occurring anymore, especially given the technological similarities between the PlayStation and Xbox platforms. Thankfully, in my case, I’ve not faced any crashing issues, but it also wouldn’t be a Bethesda Game Studios title without there being a range of quirky graphical bugs. Although it is infrequent, characters wig out from time to time or bounce across the screen in strange ways. It’s baffling and creates a laugh, but that’s clearly not the design intention throughout the game, so I do find myself getting frustrated when these emerge.
Ultimately, though, none of it gets in the way of the gameplay loop, which I’m enjoying. It’s more complicated systemically than I realised, especially the balancing act tied to space travel, and I feel like I’m bouncing in and out of menus way more than I’d like to be, but overall, I’m having a lot of fun while playing. Scanning the flora and fauna is more addictive than it has any right to be, but I constantly feel the temptation to 100% a planet. Shooting feels good, which is great to see because it wasn’t a strength of Bethesda’s many moons ago when Todd and the team were developing Fallout 3 (which led to VATS as a workaround), but I did need to balance the sensitivity because the default felt a bit too loose. How are you settling back into the rhythm of gameplay as a returning player?
Matt: I got into the groove pretty quickly. This time around, I have focused less on the little tasks that are so easy to get caught up in and more on the story missions. As seems to be tradition for Bethesda, the side Faction quests are way more satisfying than the main story, and I have been really digging deep into these. Some fantastic storytelling combined with some tight missions makes these a real highlight. I especially loved the UC faction mission that focuses on xenowarfare; it went to some pretty dark places and offered some really interesting choices.
That’s not to say the main story isn’t interesting, but I think it suffers a bit by being too broad and playing out over too much time, so it loses some impact. I do like the search for the artifacts, the strange beings that don’t want you to find them and the very tempting task of locating all the special powers. It is a compelling reason to keep going, even if the actual storytelling for the main quest doesn’t hit. How far are you into this tale, Paul or have you been distracted by other things too much?
Paul: I’m considering the game as one that I might get the platinum trophy in, but I’m aware that if I want to do that, I need to avoid finishing the campaign because that instantly starts a New Game+ run, and all of my completed side-missions, etc., will be reset. So as things stand, I’ve made my way through the game nicely, but I’ve got a self-imposed wall between myself and the campaign’s conclusions as I explore the intricacies of what else Bethesda have packed into the experience. So far, though, when it comes to the main plot, I’m not disliking what I’m playing, but I’m not overly gripped by it either, which makes it easier for me to sit back and poke around the sides to see what else is on the Starfield dish, rather than push on with the main meal. The fact that it isn’t the most compelling narrative makes it easier for me to indulge in my silverware-chasing unhinged behaviour, but it is disappointing that the game hasn’t knocked my socks off in this respect.
A lot of my Starfield experience can be described as “good, but not great”. There’s a lot of potential here, but I’m struggling to find the hook that really turns the feeling of liking the game into loving it. Am I alone here? Or if you’re the same, over your many years with the game, are you able to put your finger on why it’s not clicking like an Elder Scrolls or Fallout title?
Matt: If I am honest, this second time round, it probably is clicking for me, at least much closer to Fallout or Skyrim, than it did initially. I think the improvements to the systems have made a massive difference, and perhaps my approach has been different this time around. That said, it isn’t changing the world. People are ready for Bethesda to do something new and groundbreaking, and Starfield isn’t that; it is just a different variation on a formula they have been tinkering with since Oblivion. So perhaps my expectations for my second turn through have been tempered, and as a result, I am having more fun. Either way, I still think it is a game worth playing. There is a lot to like, and now that a lot of the rough edges have been smoothed out, it should make it a much more appealing proposition. Not to mention the host of excellent DLC, if you are still looking for more content. I guess, really, that is my final say on Starfield. I am absolutely glad I am playing again, but I am also not expecting a life-changing experience, which was probably the expectation the first time around.
Paul: No doubt that is absolutely worth playing. In my case, I certainly wouldn’t be eyeing off the 70+ hour platinum if I wasn’t enjoying myself. I’ve got no problems with Bethesda sticking to the tried and true formula, and would happily see The Elder Scrolls VI essentially be Skyrim 2.0. I just feel like there’s a hook missing from this one that so far I can’t quite pinpoint yet. Who knows, I may have to revisit this conversation in the fullness of time once I’m done with the game, but for now, I’ll just strap in and go for the ride, riding the bumps along the way. Shoutout though to Bethesda and Xbox for sticking with the game, taking the feedback, making improvements, and, of course, bringing it to my PS5!
