Bethesda honcho says Starfield is 'the best game we've ever made' in massive bout of amnesia

GamesRPGStarfieldBethesda honcho says Starfield is ‘the best game we’ve ever made’ in massive bout of amnesiaWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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(Image credit: Tyler C. / Bethesda)

At time of writing, Starfield’s Steam review score is at an unenviable, beige “Mixed” rating, with only 59% of its total reviews coming in positive. Its first DLC,Shattered Space, is faring even worse: It’s currently sitting at “Mostly Negative,” with just 38% positive user reviews.

But Starfield design director Emil Pagliarulo isn’t letting it dissuade him. In a recent chat withGamesRadar, Pagliarulo said that—though Starfield might not be “everyone’s cup of tea”—he reckons “it’s also, in a lot of ways, the best game we’ve ever made.”

Which, sure, kinda. On some level, Idosalute Bethesda for trying its hand at something outside its usual wheelhouse with Starfield, and I wouldn’t want to discourage the studio from trying that again, I just don’t think the experiment was ultimately a success in this case.

Morrowind was a much more narratively ambitious game, Skyrim saw Bethesda distil its rambling open worlds into something that still has people hooked 13 years later. Even Fallout 4, far from the studio’s most-loved game, was more successfully experimental with its building mechanics than Starfield was with its countless blank-slate planets. Calling Starfield the best game in your library seems more like a statement of defiance against the backlash than a true assessment of its qualities, regardless of how ambitious it was.

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“Most importantly, Starfield has its own unique personality, and now sits right next to Fallout and Elder Scrolls,” he says. I’m not sure that will be welcome news to fans lusting after a new game in the other two series, but hey, if Emil and Todd are soliciting ideas, I’ve got a few on how tomake the next Starfieldless of a damp squib than its predecessor.

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