I regret to say this, but I bounced off almost immediately. A friend insisted I play it, going so far as to lend me her disc so I wouldn’t have to buy it, and I still never finished it. I tried twice. The first time, the VATS system was incomprehensible𝕴 to me, and I didn’t realise how tough combat would be without it. I tried, didn’t get very far, and gave up. I was overwhelmed with the number of things to do, and in usual form for me, I was terrified of having to fight zombies, which is kind of the point of Fallout.
After this same friend sat down with me to explain the VATS system, months after I first bounced off, I dove back in, starting a new game. It was easier this time and I got farther, but the game still didn’t draw me in as much as I hoped it would. I did a little of the Brotherhood of Steel storyline, but I felt far too underpowered to venture out into the world without getting killed a thousand times along the way – and I did die, a lot. A lot of my problems with open-world games is that I’m encouraged to explore, but I might not have the capabilities to actually survive in the places ♔I end up. That was a big part of why I bounced off as well. If I’m not strong enough to fight the enemies in a certain place, I’d rather not have to find that out the hard way. I only have so many hours in a week, after all, and I hate wasting them dying over and over.
It’s weird, because I didn’t have that same feeling with Skyrim. That game came out when I was 15, and I couldn’t tell you how many times I played it. I’ve finished it at least twice, because I wanted to see the reaction I’d get playing as races other than human – Dark Elves, or Dunmer, are interesting to me thematically, largely because like them, I’m a racial minority that occasionally gets called slurs. I finished every faction’s storylines, worked my way through side quests, and got as overpowered as possible. I played it for several years, and eventually, I stopped. I’m often tempted to go back. Knowing that it’s on Game Pass is reassuring, but there are too many games this ye𓂃ar that I want to play for me to realistically squeeze it in. Still, I like the tho♕ught of being able to.
I feel more compelled to play Starfield each day we move closer to launch, and I need it to be more like Skyrim and less like Fallout. Skyrim made me feel directed, instead of lost. I always knew what to do and where to go in Skyrim, but Fallout seemed murkier, giving me destinations I had to get to but no clear, safe way to get there. I understand that’s a p𒁃ersonal preference thing, and not necessarily a flaw of this very well-loved game, but I’m Starfield lands just right for me. I know myself, and I know that there’s a real chance I’ll get irretrievably lost ♓in space if I’m set loose, especially considering how vast Starfield advertises itself to be. I need Starfield to let me touch the stars, but ground me to Earth (or, you know, wherever humans live now).
I also want to feel the wonder and awe Skyrim inspired, not the fear and dread Fallout gaveꦿ me. This is likely due to the very different settings – Fallout was post-apocalyptic and Skyrim was fantasy, giving rise to very different emotional reactions in me. I distinctly remember entering a cave in Skyrim that was full of gorgeously rendered colours and feeling my h🐟eart clench, astounded that a game could be so beautiful. Fallout 4, unfortunately, didn’t do that for me. Starfield is set in space – it has so much potential to surprise and astound players with unexpected beauty. I’m hoping for more of that.
I would hate to bounce off Starfield the way I did Fallout 4, and I know with every game, there’s a chance of that happening. That’s a personal issue, but one that I, perhaps selfishly, don’t want to deal with when Xbox’s biggest release to date finally gets released. Thankfully, Todd Howard has described Starfield as , though I’m hesitant to put stock in that until I see it for myself. Until then, I ha🌄ve my fingers crossed.