Really my only Bethesda interest is Fallout games. I loved Fallout 4 despite its issues. I'm not a big RPG nerd, so the lack of RPG elements didn't bother me too much. It's more the technical issues. It's also the graphics. If you don't want to put resources into ultra detailed graphics, you have to use a less demanding art style like Nintendo does.
But yeah, as far as Starfield goes, I heard how barren everything was and decided I should just wait until maybe they make it better in a few years.
> If you don't want to put resources into ultra detailed graphics, you have to use a less demanding art style like Nintendo does.
I agree in general, but just wanted to offer one counter-example. The Axis Unseen [0] is a well-received indie game created by just one person (Nate Purkeypile, notably a Bethesda veteran [1]), which looks incredible, utilizing Unreal Engine 5 geometry features with almost no textures.
> But yeah, as far as Starfield goes, I heard how barren everything was and decided I should just wait until maybe they make it better in a few years.
That’s the right call IMO. As a huge Bethesda fan, it was a massive let down. Honestly I think it’s not recoverable. They made exploration the core of the game, but the procedural generation makes everything feel samey, repetitive, and pointless. They discarded the environmental storytelling that made their previous games so fun.
I do think modern games can absolutely create incredible open worlds, even with procedural generation. That’s more or less what Valheim is doing, to great effect. Bethesda just fell down on the job.
But yeah, as far as Starfield goes, I heard how barren everything was and decided I should just wait until maybe they make it better in a few years.