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As we go Starfield hands on, here's a bit of a Monday conundrum: what is Starfield's most promising feature? Is it the game's 1,000 fully explorable planets? The ample customization options, perhaps? The fact that it has a delightful industrialist NASA-punk design language? Of course, with the game coming out in early September, (available on Xbox Game Pass from launch day), we don't know yet, but we've got a curious suspicion about what it might be!
There's no doubt about it: Bethesda aims to make Starfield its best game. Though there's absolutely no telling whether it has any hope of outpacing Skyrim's cultural footprint just yet, everything points to it being a truly monumental release, even in 2023, which is already otherwise chock-full of great game releases. What makes this particular game so special compared to other games, though? Let us explain!
READ MORE: What Does Bethesda Have in Store for Us With Starfield?
Starfield Hands On: Starfield's Most Promising Feature is Its Legacy!
Starfield is, for sure, the kick-off of a full-fledged new IP for Zenimax, Bethesda, and Bethesda Game Studios, in particular. That is, in fact, one of the main marketing blurbs you'll hear Todd Howard mention every so often, and it matters a great deal. Having said that, it's not a huge stretch to say that it is, in some ways, a continuation of the studio's historical legacy.
For better or for worse, Bethesda Game Studios mainly makes exactly one type of game: an Elder Scrolls-alike. We've discussed as much before, but Todd Howard and his team have accomplished something that almost no other production studio has: they produced a game DNA so crucial, so prominent that no other developer has succeeded in doing anything even remotely similar.
All jankiness aside, these immense sandbox RPGs - Morrowind, Oblivion, New Vegas, Skyrim... - are vast, interconnected ecologies of gameplay systems. Look, it's simple: what other game gives the player total object permanence? Drop a cheese wheel down a dungeon somewhere, and it stays there.
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Bethesda Game Studios At It Again
Our example, featured in the previous section, is a bit cheeky. It does drive the point across, though: Bethesda's RPGs are, at their core, immersive sims. Vast, interconnected sandboxes featuring literal miles' worth of dungeons, exploration opportunities, combat encounters, and grand reveals. They're not about the story inasmuch as they are about the experience of playing the given story. They're all the same game, when you boil them down to their absolute basics, and there's immense joy in that.
Now, to be fair, Starfield will be so much more than just Skyrim or Fallout in space. It will, however, also be Skyrim or Fallout in space. The game's exploration, combat, progression, and customization are straight-up upgrades of core gameplay systems from those older Bethesda Game Studios releases, after all. That's precisely the thing that the studio specializes in, and there's a good reason why it hasn't been replicated by anyone else.
Remember that you can pre-order Starfield at 2Game today, or get the game on Xbox Game Pass which is also available at 2Game!
There's Value in Knowing What You're Getting
Coming back on track to the central conceit of this article, Starfield's most promising feature is exactly what we've just been discussing: the fact that it's a Bethesda RPG in outer space. Make no mistake, this will inevitably become the modding platform of choice for years to come. If a Skyrim could keep ploughing through for over a decade, just imagine what an RPG as advanced as Starfield might bring to the fore.
Oh, it is worth iterating that you don't even have to imagine. It's all right there, in the 45-minute preview gameplay demo for Starfield. To say nothing of IGN's official hands-on time with the game, which had the previewers thoroughly impressed with what they played. It's a monumental release, without doubt: one that Bethesda has slowly been building up to all along.
After all, Todd Howard has been waiting to make Starfield for a long, long time. Now, in 2023, it's finally happening. Bring on launch day is all we can say!
The 45-Minute Gameplay Demo Was Clear
We'll be honest: 2023's been a heck of a year for gamers, but Starfield seems all but poised to take the crown, still. The sheer potential of the game is downright incredible, and there have been clear and pointed implications that the big demo itself was barely just scratching the surface of what's to come.
We are pretty excited about the game, for sure, but we believe most gamers are. A flagship Bethesda RPG launch is a zeitgeist in and of itself, after all. Doubly so when it looks so phenomenally intriguing as Starfield seems to be. For the time being, we've got little more to do than wait for more information for Todd Howard and his team.
Starfield is coming out on September 6, but don't forget that you can snag early access to the PC version of the game if you get the Digital Premium edition! We'll talk more about the game's pre-order options in the coming days, but it's worth pointing out right away that this special pre-order edition of Starfield features the game's first big expansion pack, too, titled Shattered Space. Stay tuned!
Remember that you can pre-order Starfield at 2Game today, or get the game on Xbox Game Pass which is also available at 2Game!
Get in the Game ! 
