28 August 2023 , 16:00
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Microsoft kicked off its presence at Gamescom 2023 with a Starfield demonstration led by Todd Howard
A number of journalists were funnelled into a big room at the back of the massive Xbox booth emblazoned with Starfield decals. As we sat waiting to see what awaits us when Bethesda's next hit launches into early access in just over a week on September 1, 2023 (with the full launch five days later on September 6, 2023) we were greeted by a special appearance from Phil Spencer and Todd Howard who introduced what we were about to see.
After sitting through the trailer that was shown at the previous night's Gamescom Opening Night Live, the game began and we were walked through the first 20 minutes of Starfield.
This further cemented to me that giant RPG's do not work in demo form.
As someone who admittedly isn't the biggest fan of Bethesda Game Studios titles (I like Fallout well enough, just not as much as you all do), I was hoping to walk out of this presentation ready to head to the stars in September. Instead I'm exactly where I was before I landed in Germany.
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Spoiler alert: the Starfield demo covers the opening of the game, so if you want to go in with fresh eyes, don't read any further.
Starfield opens up with you heading to do your day job as a miner as two characters exchange at times Marvel movie-esque quips between each other. As you go to work you'll mine away at ore in a way that's not dissimilar to No Man's Sky before touching a strange looking rock that knocks you on your ass so bad that you've forgotten what you look like.
When you awake you're taken into the character creator which looks extremely impressive from what I could glimpse (it was sped through because – as everyone knows – creating a character can be an hours-long affair in an RPG) looking like a natural current gen evolution of the Fallout 4 creation.
After you awake a member of the group Constellation arrives to bring the artifact in, and as luck would have it they were followed by the Crimson Fleet space pirates. We get a brief glimpse of the combat, which looks miles ahead of past Bethesda titles' clunky battles. You can tell Id Software had a hand in development from the looks of the shooting.
After some advancements to the plot you make your way to space where you do battle with the ships who got away from your prior skirmish. Space battles look solid enough but if you're expecting the tension of a game like Ace Combat I'd look elsewhere. Before finally arriving at Constellation HQ, where the demo comes to an end.
The Fallout
A game like Starfield is appealing to me for the sense of adventure and exploration. Hanging about in space getting into all manner of trouble is what makes giant RPGs like that so cool. And obviously translating that feeling to a 20 minute vertical slice is nigh-impossible.
While the Starfield presentation didn't make me more hyped for the game, it didn't make me less hyped which is the main thing.
After the demo was finished Todd once again walked up and gave us an extremely brief glimpse at footage from the upcoming Fallout TV series. So brief in fact that all I can really tell you is that the costumes, production design, and makeup look on point. Highlights included the Brotherhood of Steel armour and a Ghoul adorned in a cowboy hat that looked incredible from a makeup perspective. Howard said they don't plan on releasing this online, so the jury's still out on when everyone will see the series.