If there’s one thing 2023 taught me about gaming, it’s that no game is above redemption.Cyberpunk 2024went from an absolute laughingstock to one of the best RPGs of the year, and Final Fantasy 14 got more than just a tune-up, bringing back players en masse, transforming into whatmy esteemed colleague Jervoncalled “a more immersive and visually stunning MMO than ever.” (I’ll have to take his word for it; Ionly have room for one MMOin my life).
And what game from 2023 is in need of redemption right now more thanStarfield? I mean,The Day Before, probably. And that Gollum game that the portion of your brain that processes trauma probably forced you to forget about. But you know what? Starfield gets way more hate than it deserves. Don’t believe me?An entirely new SubReddithad to be created for people who actually enjoy Bethesda’s latest RPG because the main forum had turned into such a blender of complaints and disgust.
I Took On One Of Starfield’s Toughest Systems Right After The Intro
Here, there be dragons… err, twistfins.
That’s why I’m excited to see what Todd Howard’s crew has to show me in 2024, and the big changes they’ve promised so far are, well, promising. Not only is a new content-heavy DLC in the works, but we also get to look forward to expanded ship customization, harder difficulty options, creations, more travel possibilities, and city maps. Sure, you could argue that some of those should’ve been in the game at launch, but let me be enthusiastic about something. Please.
Still, there’s one set of possibilities that seem ripe for the picking in this galaxy of more than 1,000 planets, and I can’t be the only one thinking about it, especially because it was one of the best parts ofDragon Age: Origins.
Workin' In An Ore Mine, Goin' Down, Down, Down
Bethesda RPGs gave me some of my most treasured gaming memories, but even I have to admit, the way they start is a little formulaic. Playing an Elder Scrolls game? You’re a prisoner. Fallout? Let’s start off in a Vault! It makes sense, since you’re creating your own character’s backstory and stepping into an unfamiliar world; there’s a sense of being an outsider that can be applied to just about any background you may come up with.
Starfield’s character creator, though, goes a step further,having you select a backgroundfrom a list of 21 different possibilities, from chef to space trucker, professor to bounty hunter. Adding to that, you can pick perks that will set you up as a member of a religion, a resident of one of the major cities, and so many more options. The game even goes so far as to give you unique dialogue options that you can only access if you’ve selected one of these traits or backgrounds, so there was obviously an effort to make the player feel like their choice at the start of the game mattered.
And no matter which ones you pick, you’re starting off the game as a miner on a barren remote world. Not exactly the immersive experience it could be.
I Stalked 5 NPCs In Starfield To See What They Get Up To
Epic NPC Man and Women and a Child.
How To Make Origins Matter
The solution here seems so simple. If Bethesda is going to be releasing more story content in 2024, then it can just start at the beginning, offering up multiple starting points depending on where your story would naturally begin. Dragon Age: Origins did this all the way back in 2009, and it was an immersive way to start off one of the most celebrated RPGs of all time.
If you’re not familiar, the first chapter of your story in Origins is determined by a couple of different factors. First, there’s your race —human, elf, or dwarf. From there, you’ve got two or three different backgrounds to choose from per race. If you’re an elf, you could be a second-class citizen living in a big, human-dominated city, a nomadic free spirit living in the wilds, or an apprentice mage about to take their final exams (if you chose to be a mage). No matter what you do, your opening chapter ends with you being chosen to join the Grey Wardens, but each of the six paths has its own storyline that explains why you’re compelled to join up.
And, yeah, a different origin for each of the 21 backgrounds in Starfield would be nice, but I’d be happy with just a few. It’d certainly make more sense than a sculptor cutting away rocks in a mine rather than an art studio, and I’m sure Bethesda could find a reason for you stumbling upon an Artifact and having Barrett and Vasco pick you up and drag you back to The Lodge
Bethesda’s Ego And Excuses Are Keeping Me Away From Starfield
In a year of amazing RPGs, Bethesda needs to do better.
The Problem With New Game Plus
There’s a glaring error with my logic here, because of course there is. Starfield is built around a New Game Plus system, using The Unity totravel to parallel universes, each with their own weird little Butterfly Effect quirk to them. It’s a fun little concept, and there are some really interesting timelines you can wind up in (wait, there are other timelines?), from eeeeeevil Andreja wiping out Constellation before you get there to you recruiting you 2 for your crew.
But whatever nifty new universe you wind up in… you’re still you. Or, rather, the you that you were when you started out your first playthrough. Once a space scoundrel, always a space scoundrel, or whoever you decided to be. Again, it’s perfectly logical that you wouldn’t have a whole new backstory just because you took a groovy one-way space trip to another dimension, but it’s a bit limiting if you want to follow the path Bethesda laid out for you and you still want to experience all that Starfield has to offer.
But hey, I don’t have to make it make sense, because I’m not the one working on making Starfield the game it seems like everyone can’t get enough of complaining about. But I still believe Bethesda can, and I’m excited to see what’s in store in the coming year.
