Starfield

[Eumesmopo]

Here's a good review.
Negativity! Yay!

"Best game that Bethesda has ever made."
"The writing is well done on a conversational level."

Sadly it's not really very critical, it's just balanced with an actually slightly larger amount of praise than criticism. His criticism is mostly just focused on some of the technical flaws that have already been mentioned by many mainstream reviewers. It's sorta of like what a Bethesda fan would say if they had 1% of sentience downloaded into their NPC programming. Call me when someone releases an 8 hours long scathing giga-rant utterly demolishing every single aspect of the entire game to nothing but rubble.

 

[The Dutch Ghost]

Not that related but I was talking on the RPGcodex about space themed RPGs just set in our solar system or just on a single other planet. Many years ago I collected the old Buck Rogers in the XXVc rpg modules after I had discovered the PC game/Sega game and rather liked the setting from what I read about it. I would love to see the XXVc setting being brought back and an isometric RPG or first person RPG set in that. Plenty of places to explore and various unique lifeforms including modified humans that have developed their own unique cultures.
Or if the setting is considered too outdated, something heavily inspired by it without the need to bring in FTL (if you want to tell a story about humans don't bother with aliens, and if aliens are not required other star systems are not required). Eclipse Phase for example.

It would also have been nice if Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri setting had more impact and if we could perhaps have had an RPG in that setting. (all the human factions with their politics but not the aliens, Planet, mindworms, mysterious alien artifacts)

Both would make cool settings without copying Star Wars or Star Trek.

 

[Mr Fish]

Gameplay loop summarized by the basket-weavers.

 

[TheGM]

meanwhile.

 

[ironmask]

I feel like all the Bethesda fans that say that Starfield can't be compared to no man's sky and Elite: dangerous because Starfield is a different genre of space sim to be cope at this point.

Gameplay loop summarized by the basket-weavers.

 

[The Dutch Ghost]

meanwhile.

Someone joked on the RPG codex that a player must have made a white male character.

I feel like all the Bethesda fans that say that Starfield can't be compared to no man's sky and Elite: dangerous because Starfield is a different genre of space sim to be cope at this point.

Then I ask "In what way.". Starfield clearly uses same elements as NMS and Elite Dangerous now that the 'on foot' expansion is released, but in many ways it is more limited.
Some people who played the game describe it as basically a modified version of Fallout 4.

 

[Mr Fish]

Someone joked on the RPG codex that a player must have made a while male character.

lol

meanwhile.

Invasion Of The Body Snatchers looking motherfuckers.

I feel like all the Bethesda fans that say that Starfield can't be compared to no man's sky and Elite: dangerous because Starfield is a different genre of space sim to be cope at this point.

Yeah it's more like Mass Effect 1's generic mission maps but copy pasted to 1000 planets. Dunno why that's a good thing but oh well.

[edit]

ADL is gonna cancel this game. :O

 

[The Dutch Ghost]

Invasion Of The Body Snatchers looking motherfuckers.

That is another joke someone made. They should start screeching any moment now.
When I looked at this picture a couple of minutes ago my thoughts were "Why do I have the feeling that they are going to demand to speak to my manager?"

Yeah it's more like Mass Effect 1's generic mission maps but copy pasted to 1000 planets. Dunno why that's a good thing but oh well.

I occasionally liked some of the Mass Effect 1 random world maps even though the physics were wonky and outside the mission objective and objects of interest the map was devoid in general of anything. But I did like looking at the skies. Definitely the entry that felt the most Star Trek like. What if the developers had gotten rid of the Reaper plot and just made it about the player being a space cop, going around helping out people and settlements.
In Bethesda's case less would probably have been better.

On the Codex someone brought up the old Starflight 1 game for comparison. Despite being almost forty years old that game is more interesting content wise than Starfield.

 

[R.Graves]

lol


Invasion Of The Body Snatchers looking motherfuckers.


Yeah it's more like Mass Effect 1's generic mission maps but copy pasted to 1000 planets. Dunno why that's a good thing but oh well.

[edit]

ADL is gonna cancel this game. :O

>count dankula
im just gonna assume its an edited shitpost tbh

 

[ironmask]

Then I ask "In what way."

The most common reason why people say this, is because, according to them, starfield is more of a rpg focus experience while NMS and Elite are more sandbox and exploration base. Which I always found to be a very ironic argument since Bethesda has been severely cutting down on rpg elements in all their games since Skyrim and have been focusing more on sandbox style gameplay ever since.

 

[R.Graves]

The most common reason why people say this, is because, according to them, starfield is more of a rpg focus experience while NMS and Elite are more sandbox and exploration base. Which I always found to be a very ironic argument since Bethesda has been severely cutting down on rpg elements in all their games since Skyrim and have been focusing more on sandbox style gameplay ever since.

rpg means literally anything to these people

ive seen the following games describes as rpgs

dark souls
borderland
baldurs gate 3
fallout 4
skyrim
blasphemous II
castlevania: symphony of the knight
undertale
persona 5
star wars knights of the old republic
deus ex -
final fantasy XVI
disco elysium
system Shock 2
stardew valley
morrowind
cyberpunk 2077
kings field
Dying light
Front mission 3

now im not saying none these are rpgs but some of them are DEFINITELY not. the idea this many games this different from each other all fall under the same genre is goofy and makes the genre as a term unhelpful at best and misleading at worst. an "RPG" can be literally anything at this point as long as it has stats or dialogue options

 

[ironmask]

rpg means literally anything to these people

ive seen the following games describes as rpgs

dark souls - a third person action title
borderlands - a looter shooter fps
baldurs gate 3 - a game attempting to adapt dnd to the video game format
fallout 4 - a looter shooter with an empahsis on factions
skyrim - an open world adventure game where no build matters and can morph into any other build
blasphemous II - a metroidvania
castlevania: symphony of the knight - a metroidvania
undertale - an earthbound inspired adventure game
persona 5 - narrative driven jrpg
star wars knights of the old republic -3rd person story driven game with real time pause stats based combat
deus ex - an immersive sim where stats and dialogue take an overall backseat
final fantasy XVI - and action title with devil may cry style combat
disco elysium - a combatless visual novel that uses stats to change the outcome of each scene
system shock 2 - an im sim
stardew valley - a similuation game
morrowind - a real time dice based combat dunegon crawler
cyberpunk 2077 - GTA clone with dialogue options
kings field - first person dungeon crawler
Dying light - a zombie survival fps
Front mission 3 - a mech game

now im not saying none these are rpgs but some of them are DEFINITELY not. the idea this many games this different from each other all fall under the same genre is goofy and makes the genre as a term unhelpful at best and misleading at worst. an "RPG" can be literally anything at this point as long as it has stats or dialogue options

This is basically why I always strictly follow the old definition for RPGs. The modern definition is way too loose. Anything can be an RPG these days as long as it has basic stats.

 

[The Dutch Ghost]

The term RPG has been rather abused and become blurred over the years. I would probably classify Front Mission 3 as JSRPG though I don't know if the player gets to decide how characters improve their skills and specializations next to customizing the Wanzers.

Fallout 4 barely qualifies as a RPG any more. Some stats still affect the gameplay and elements like discussions but I still am inclined to call it a shooter with some stat elements. The next Bethesda entry will probably get rid of the last stat driven elements.

 

[R.Graves]

This is basically why I always strictly follow the old definition for RPGs. The modern definition is way too loose. Anything can be an RPG these days as long as it has basic stats.

my definition for rpg is simple. how much can player skill affect the outcome of things the character does? the closer the answer to that is "none" then the closer the game is to being a proper rpg

 

[Mr Fish]

rpg means literally anything to these people

ive seen the following games describes as rpgs

dark souls
borderland
baldurs gate 3
fallout 4
skyrim
blasphemous II
castlevania: symphony of the knight
undertale
persona 5
star wars knights of the old republic
deus ex -
final fantasy XVI
disco elysium
system Shock 2
stardew valley
morrowind
cyberpunk 2077
kings field
Dying light
Front mission 3

now im not saying none these are rpgs but some of them are DEFINITELY not. the idea this many games this different from each other all fall under the same genre is goofy and makes the genre as a term unhelpful at best and misleading at worst. an "RPG" can be literally anything at this point as long as it has stats or dialogue options

I argued with someone on the Bethesda forums back in teh day when they had forums that Half-Life was not an RPG and he staunchly believed it was because you assumed the "role" of Gordon Freeman. Meaning that literally any game where you assume any kind of role (literally every game) is an RPG.

 

[The Dutch Ghost]

I argued with someone on the Bethesda forums back in teh day when they had forums that Half-Life was not an RPG and he staunchly believed it was because you assumed the "role" of Gordon Freeman. Meaning that literally any game where you assume any kind of role (literally every game) is an RPG.

Under that definition the term RPG would have absolutely no meaning.

 

[R.Graves]

I argued with someone on the Bethesda forums back in teh day when they had forums that Half-Life was not an RPG and he staunchly believed it was because you assumed the "role" of Gordon Freeman. Meaning that literally any game where you assume any kind of role (literally every game) is an RPG.

ive had this said to me too. brainrotted goblins

 

[The Dutch Ghost]

ive had this said to me too. brainrotted goblins

I think @R.Graves that this is how game studios have sold the genre to newcomers. Blame also lies with game publishers and game journalists.

 

[Mr Fish]

Under that definition the term RPG would have absolutely no meaning.

Exactly.

Which is why I honestly think that the term RPG is gone. The cultural zeitgeist surrounding what the definition of an RPG is is so warped, contorted an twisted that it means nothing at this point. Which is unfortunate but that's what it is. That's why I tend to say "proper" RPG. As I think there is a distinction between casual consensus "RPG" and "proper" "RPG".

[edit]

It's basically just a marketing term. I don't believe that most people in the industry nor the target audience have any idea what an "RPG" entails.

Then again, I bet I'd disagree with people on this forum as to what constitutes an RPG too. :X

 

[The Dutch Ghost]

Exactly.

Which is why I honestly think that the term RPG is gone. The cultural zeitgeist surrounding what the definition of an RPG is is so warped, contorted an twisted that it means nothing at this point. Which is unfortunate but that's what it is. That's why I tend to say "proper" RPG. As I think there is a distinction between casual consensus "RPG" and "proper" "RPG".

I get you. It is easier to classify older games as clearly being RPGs than these modern day 'mutts' that are a hybrid of action games together with stat elements.
Even Fallout New Vegas which I really like is also one of these mutts.

A lot of modern day games that have the tag RPG are better described as action-adventure games.