Talking Point: We're Officially Four Weeks Away From The Early Access Launch Of Starfield

Space, the final frontier
These are the voyages of Constellation
It's five year mission
To explore strange new worlds
To seek out new software crashes
And new gameplay bugs
To boldly go where save file corruption is highly expected

I'm beginning to plan how to wrap up my current backlog so I can have my full attention on Starfield day 1. I haven't been this excited for a launch day in years. I can't remember the last game that made me want to put down everything else. Usually I go into every game with a "I will get to it when I get to it" attitude. This is my favorite studio that has produced my top 2 games of all time. Big hype.

I am cautiously optimistic. Bethesda has made some recent colossal mistakes and my rise tinted glasses have since been taken off towards Skyrim and Fallout 4. The involvement of ID makes me excited for Starfield, so much so that I bought the headset and controller

I bought it with MS rewards points. I think it will deliver.

Started to play Fallout 4 for the first time, should keep me busy for a few months. I'll play starfield after it's been patched a couple of times.

I will give it a try and hope it works out for me.

More excited for Motorsport than I am for Starfield at the moment.

Never really be a huge fan of the Bethesda game model, but I am very interested in seeing this in action. I just don't like games where the main story is basically a 20-hour tutorial, and the rest of the game is just "living" in the world for another 200 hours (probably the biggest drawback to being a multi-console gamer is that it's too hard to stay in one game for too long).

I know Starfield has been in development for a long time, but with all the talk of both Microsoft engineering and AMD being involved with the optimization of code for the Series X (and probably more so the Series S), this all feels like development more akin to something Nintendo and Sony do.

It feels like we are finally going to see a game that is actually built to take advantage of the Series X|S hardware.

I'm also looking forward to the inevitable deep dive from Digital Foundry just because I'm always fascinated by the technology behind these games and love to know what a developer does to achieve the look and feel of their games.

I hope the game is a success as Microsoft has put in a huge amount of extra development time and money to see it to the end. I'd be sad if reception is only lukewarm at best. Microsoft could certainly use the "W."

I hope the years delay and the involvement of MS internal teams to help, will see this being a big return to form for a dev who has made some of the best in this genre in the past.
I'm hoping that the sour memories of fallout 76, will soon be a footnote for them.
If its bugged I'll go and play Baldurs Gate 3 while I wait for them to patch it up! Either way, I expect this to be a special game...

@GamingFan4Lyf
"probably the biggest drawback to being a multi-console gamer is that it's too hard to stay in one game for too long"
I don't doubt that's true for you, but it means I'm doing something wrong! I play everywhere including PC, but still put 420 hours into Elden Ring, and 240 into Horizon Forbidden West. I'm hoping Starfield will be the next big title to waste more of my life on

@Titntin
Some of us have jobs and families that we need to tend to. I often wake up at 2am just to fit 4 hrs of gaming a day in before work.

I wasn't interested at all at first. The Direct made me wanna try it. But I feel like what little hype I had died little by little. Mainly because of time. Still gonna try it.

Expecting that media blitz anytime now. There has to be a Starfield limited edition series x announced. If not, just a wasted opportunity.

Like any game I'll wait for the reviews come out before I play it it's might be great it might be a huge let down I'm going play it I'm not happy with playing it at 30fps to be honest there should be performance and visual modes if the game gets good reviews I'll play it definitely I'm not super excited though more excited for forza to be honest

@Titntin Wow, that's a lot of time in Elden Ring. I got all the Achievements after about 120 hours and moved on (yes, I did cheat to get it by saving before doing the ending, closing the game during the beginning of the credits and reloading my save to get a new ending).

I fire it up from time to time just so I remember how to play in preparation for the Expansion.

@ZuneTattooGuy I appreciate that mate - I also work full time in an exceptionally stressful job. My post was not intended to annoy those who don't have so much free time to play, sorry if thats how it came across. Playing games is my way to unwind
There's only me and wife here now and we both play games and have two TV's and many consoles in our front room, so we can both sit and chat whilst both playing our games. I admire your dedication getting up to get a game session in, that's true dedication, respect.

I’m very excited for it. It’s more or less the reason I bought an XSX. I am a bit apprehensive that it is going to be a steaming pile of bugs and performance issues as too many releases have been in the last few years but still if I have half as much fun with it as I did with Skyrim and Fallout I will be a happy man.

@GamingFan4Lyf
I'm afraid with my old man reactions I could only really compete in the game by putting in a LOT of time and getting my character to a stupidly high level (I think level 240, but I've not booted it since I completed it for a 3rd time).
You are correct, I did not 'save scum' to get the three endings I needed, I played through new games +, and then again through new games ++, purely cause I didnt want it to end! Expansion is exciting!

I tend to be a slow player anyway, looking in every corner, never skipping dialogue etc. If Starfield is completed by some in 70 hours, you can be sure it will take me nearer 200! Slow and steady From what we have seen, I intend to spend as much time as I can in Bethesda's new universe!

Bethesda games are pretty much my top gaming experiences. Oblivion blew me away back in 2006 having only dabbled in Morrowind a little bit. Fallout 3, 4, New vegas, and Skyrim were all incredible experiences in their own right. I have faith this will be incredible as a gaming experience despite it not being “oscar bait” and going for the highest of metacritic scores.

@Titntin Nothing wrong with that. I am thorough as well. But I didn't want to have to deal with the harder difficulty of NG+/NG++/etc. (some of those bosses were stressful enough at base strength - LOL).

I think my character is 175 or 180 at the moment.

My skills have diminished significantly, though.

I can't even kill that first Tree Sentinel anymore (I started a new character as my practice character as I found my Main slaughters too much to the point that I don't feel like I am getting proper practice).

Super annoying we have to avoid game blogs and streams for a week because MS sold access to their more important customers. MS can certainly be a trashy company when they want to.

Still very hyped… and have lots of backlog plus Everspace 2 to play so the month will pass quite quickly…

@themightyant The reddit is out of control. Those guys might burn themselves out or overinflate expectations...further. I was good after the showcase. Plenty of other stuff to play/watch/do in the meantime.

Can’t even begin to express my excitement for this game. I’m about as big of a space junkie as one can possibly be. Actually spent this morning drinking a cup of coffee while looking at the sun with my Lunt solar telescope. So pumped for this.

On a side note, I jumped into Fallout 76 a few weeks back just out of curiosity. Never played it due to all of the negativity surrounding it. I can barely put it down now in my free time. I can’t speak to its quality at launch or even 6 months ago, but right now…. A fantastic game imo. Kinda bummed I waited as long as I did to jump in.

I'm eager to play Starfield but I probably won't get the early access version as I'm away with family on holiday/vacation on the 1st September ( and no I can't change the date of my holiday, especially this close to the date).

I'll probably get the upgrade from standard to deluxe closer to when the expansion releases.

I'll be there day one on PC (those who remember my posts from a while ago- don't ask how I got back into PC gaming lol). Then again I'm incredibly tempted to get Baldur's Gate 3 and I just don't know how I will find enough time to play both of these behemoths in parallel.

Preordered my copy online over a week ago. Premium edition for about £120. But that price might come down, before release. Really looking forward to this. Getting huge “Elite” vibes from it. I can remember the amount of time I sank into “Frontier” on the Amiga.

4 weeks for me to finish Cyberpunk 2077 and dive into Starfield.

I really hope this has a smooth launch as a lot of eyes are on this after Redfalls naff launch.🙏🏻

Oooo baby. It's coming. And I'll be there with that early access to jump in. CAN'T WAIT!

@gollumb82 I am about to add BG3 to the Steam cart, knowing I have too many recent games in the backlog, and Starfield is looming.

To me the character faces looks very close to games like Elder Scrolls. Only higher res/textures. Almost as if they used the same bloody engine as before. Either that or the same graphic designer. I'm sure half the voice actors will be the same too. Wonder how many different characters will have the exact same voice... just like before. I'm all for recycling but dont take the pi$$ lol

@theduckofdeath
I hear ya. I mean, what can you do? This year sure as hell is a good one for great games. I'll also be buying Forza Motorsport day 1 most likely so short of being fired or another pandemic happening, I don't know how I can possibly squeeze all three into my schedule. Oh, I know! I can sleep less lol.

I don’t think I could be less excited

This feels like the nailbiting buildup of a real rocket launch: will it actually leave the platform? I’m stoked beyond words. I’m not even enjoying FF16 at the moment because I’m mainly planning how to finish it before September 1st.

Really looking forward to it. Got the early access done so will be jumping in on the 1st. I really hope that they knock it out the park with this

but will it run?

I’m probably more looking forward to FM just due to the fact I think it will be in a better state on release.

Bethesda history with bugs has me a little apprehensive, so I’m kinda wanting to see reviews. ( the game itself will be great but just how will it run?!) if it is buggy I guess il get BG3 first, but my plan is definitely Starfield then pick up BG3

@gollumb82

Yeah, im not even attempting to play both of those at the same time. I feel like it would take away from the overall experience of those games as those games are long and immersive. Jumping back and forth just isn’t gonna help the overall experience, at least in my opinion. Im choosing Starfield first. Gonna jump into that until I feel the need to put it down for a bit. I don’t expect I will get to BG until early next year.

I wish they would share more details on what that watch can do in the collector's edition.

@InfamousOrange tell you the time I would hope?!

I only play Kart Racers and Sci-Fi Not-too-scary Single-player Campaign FPS (my fav genres), so this is like one of the only games I'll buy this year. I have the Premium Upgrade Pre-ordered to play real Day 1. And don't mind paying for that, only because there is the first DLC included.

I've got my early access and starfield controller ready , I'm hoping for a midnight release then life wont be interfering with me playing for a while

The intrigue as to whether this game is a masterpiece or a flop is more exciting than the game itself!! The reaction Xbox gets will be one end of the scale or the other!! Are Xbox finally gonna av a game that can compare to Playstation exclusives??? The anticipation is as hyped as this game has been!!

I’ll try it I just could never get into fallout after many tries or Skyrim . Something about the rpg movement and art style I don’t like too

Im so eager I want to skip work to play. Never had that feeling before.

After Fallout 76 (people seem to love it in 2023) I wasn't really 'hyped" for the game. After the last showcase, I must admit, I was blown away (also an OST fan of games & movies). I actually went for premium because of the OST, early access or Starfield controller/headset stuff is not my cup of tea (but I get those people). Also, the full backing of MS has turned me into a believer tbh. In OCT however, I will probably change my interests for a while

Ha ha. Just suddenly realised I’m showing my age now a bit. My first experience of computer gaming was actually playing the original “Elite” on my best friend’s BBC Microcomputer. Correction - watching him playing it. Must have been about 1987?

@PsBoxSwitchOwner for sure! Lol but it also seemed like they indicated the watch would do something with game connectivity.

@Matthewnh I remember that well! Myself and my mates would stay up all night playing Elite, you had two trading runs, then you would wake the next person and get some shuteye till it was your turn again. We could do a couple of nights of that before we need a proper nights sleep. Im not sure I could do that anymore 😊

The theme is incredily disappointing to me but Bethesda RPGs are my favourite kind of RPG's. So I'm hyped at around a 3/5 scale. I hope to god it's better than Fallout 4.

Thank you to everyone who paid extra to find the game breaking bugs for the rest of us 🫡

I am quite hyped for it, but I'm not doing early access. I will how-ever be looking forward to the comments during that time. Who knows... It could create more hype or turn out to be over-hyped.