Summary
2023 has already been a monumental year for gaming. In an average year, the games industry will usually see around 3-4 actual game of the year contenders, this year however, there’s been at least one contender every few weeks. FromHogwarts LegacyandDead Space Remakeat the start of the year, toStar Wars Jedi: SurvivorandZelda: Tears of the Kingdoma few months later, toDiablo 4,Street Fighter 6, andFinal Fantasy 16all dropping within just a few days of one another, 2023 has truly been one of gaming’s greatest years, and it somehow feels like things are only getting started, withStarfieldushering in another incredibly busy release period.
After some much-needed downtime last month,Starfieldhas kicked off the Fall release seasonwith a bang. Though its critical reception has been a bit mixed, there’s no denying thatStarfieldhas made a significant impact on the industry, with gamers from across the world engaging in the limitless discourse surrounding its release. ButStarfieldcan’t be the center of attention forever, and its time in the spotlight is already destined to come to an end soon, though its shadow will likely linger for much longer than some fans might have expected.
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Starfield’s Shadow Is Going To Loom Over The Rest of the Year’s Releases
Starfield, as fans expected, is absolutely gigantic.CompletingStarfield’s main storyat full speed will still take players around 20 hours, and that barely scratches the surface of whatStarfieldhas to offer. Much like any other Bethesda RPG on release, fans currently have no idea just how much is packed intoStarfield, though it’ll likely take players well over 100 hours to see everything the game has to offer, and potentially much, much longer. On top of side missions, there’s also the extensive ship-builder system, along with faction quests, companion errands, and random activities.
For the vast majority of those playingStarfield, it’s probably going to take quite some time before they even feel like they’ve seen half of whatStarfieldhas to offer. But that’s okay, as Bethesda has made it repeatedly clear that it wants fans to take their time withStarfield. Almost a decade of work went into the game, and Bethesda wants fans to spend as much time enjoying that work as possible. EvenStarfielditself encourages players to take things at their own pace, with its mission structure being perfectly suited to hour-long play sessions.Starfield, just likeSkyrimandFalloutbefore it, is intended to be played over a long period of time, and that’s definitely for the best considering the rest of the year’s release schedule.
Though it may be one of the biggest releases this Fall,Starfieldwas just the beginning. The rest of September is still yet to see heavy hitters likeLies of P,Mortal Kombat 1,Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, andEA Sports FC 24release. And then October’s schedule is even more packed, with huge titles likeAssassin’s Creed Mirage,Forza Motorsport,Marvel’s Spider-Man 2,Super Mario Bros. Wonder, andAlan Wake 2among many others all hitting store shelves. There are way too many games releasing this Fall, andStarfieldreleased at the perfect time.
WithStarfieldnow fully released, fans have a good week or two to put in some considerable hours before other titles start dropping, and that’s just enough time to get hooked on Bethesda’s classic formula. Now, even if players are loving new titles likeSpider-Man 2orMario Bros. Wonder, they’ll likely still haveStarfieldlingering at the back of their mind, constantly enticing them to put in just another hour and to complete just one more quest, just likeSkyrimdid over a decade ago.
Starfieldis available now for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
