Still, in the post-war environment Starfield takes place in, technological advancement has played second fiddle to local conflicts, Cold War paranoia, and rampant piracy. Gravity drives have enabled humanity to chase the stars and escape Earth with a dying magnetosphere. While The Elder Scrolls is steeped in fantasy and Fallout is washed in post-apocalyptic, almost comedic Mad Max over-the-toppery, Starfield strikes into grounded sci-fi realism to incredible effect, taking place some 200 years into the future. Starfield also delivers with its art direction, which is unlike anything the studio has previously attempted, in a sense.

The vistas in Starfield range from drab moons to absolutely mind-blowing alien savannahs. Absurd draw distances can make a straightforward mountain climb incredibly rewarding and meditative, flanked by the majestic and hopeful soundtrack by Inon Zur. Global illumination cleverly washes the game in evocative tones that bring alien valleys to life in a way that previous iterations made in the Creation Engine simply could not. When Starfield's visuals deliver, oh boy, they really deliver. Even during the Fallout 4 review cycle back in the day, one of the central criticisms of the game was how dated it looked, and Starfield presents something of a mixed bag on that front. That being said, the engine is undoubtedly showing its age. Given its scope, the game is polished to a mirror sheen, which is a genuinely Herculean achievement. Hundreds of hours among the team, and the few bugs we did experience were already fixed during patches during the review period. I'm pleased to report that Starfield is Bethesda's most immaculate game launch to date. Some of the discourse has revolved around Starfield's potential to come in hot, particularly as so many AAA games seem to launch in a sub-optimized state. Let's kick it off with some audio and visuals, shall we? Given Bethesda's notoriety for glitches, I figured it was probably a good place to start. Time to complete: Main story: 20-30 hours. Launch date: September 1 (early access,) September 6 (global)

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