I'm staring at my screen in 2025, and honestly, it feels a bit like déjà vu. I was hyped for Starfield in 2023, and here I am, still hyped. The whispers on the gaming wind are getting louder, all pointing to one thing: Bethesda's cosmic baby is finally coming to PS5 next year. And you know what? I think I'm ready. I mean, I was ready two years ago, but my old gaming laptop had other plans. The fantasy of exploring that segmented galaxy has been living rent-free in my head ever since I gave up in New Atlantis due to a framerate that decided to take a permanent vacation.

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Let me take you back. I remember that launch day buzz. I fired it up on Game Pass, and for a glorious few minutes in that starter cave, everything was perfect. Then... boom. New Atlantis. My laptop basically said, 'Nope, not today, pal.' It felt less like exploring a futuristic city and more like wading through digital molasses. A sci-fi RPG where going outside was a slideshow? Not my idea of fun. So, I stepped away. But man, that feeling of missing out? It never really left.

This whole situation is a classic case of 'the grass is always greener.' I've watched from the sidelines as the discourse swirled. The reception has been... mixed, to put it mildly. 😅

The Starfield Reception Rollercoaster:

  • Steam Reviews (Base Game): Mixed

  • Shattered Space Expansion: 🔴 Mostly Negative

  • General Player Sentiment: A cocktail of disappointment and lingering hope.

The core complaint is one I felt in my brief time with it: the promise of a galaxy felt... compartmentalized. You don't freely fly; you pick a spot from a menu and watch a loading screen. For a studio that built its reputation on sprawling, contiguous worlds since the 90s, this felt like a step back. Come on, Bethesda! We expected the next evolution, not a segmented throwback.

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And yet... here's the thing. I can't shake the fantasy. Despite all the valid criticism, there's a part of me that believes if I just invest the time, Starfield will reveal its secrets and reward me. Maybe it's the stubborn optimism of a Bethesda fan, or maybe it's just the siren song of an unplayed game in my library. When that PS5 version drops, I'll be there. Day one. No, I won't be booking time off work (I'm saving all my PTO for a little game called GTA VI, thank you very much), but you can bet I'll be dedicating a solid Friday night and Saturday morning to it.

Of course, timing is everything. By the time Starfield lands on my PlayStation, I might have just wrapped up a marathon session of The Outer Worlds 2. I could be completely spaced out (pun intended). It's entirely possible Starfield is destined to be the Horizon: Zero Dawn to someone else's The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild—a great game forever living in the shadow of a masterpiece that did similar things, just better.

But a guy can dream, right? The promise of a stable 60fps on a console, exploring those planets without my hardware gasping for air... it's a powerful lure. Maybe the 'complete edition' with all the updates and DLC will be the definitive way to play. Maybe the slower, more deliberate pace will finally click for me when I'm not fighting against performance issues.

So, 2026, huh? The rumors say that's the year. After a three-year wait, my journey to the stars might finally begin. I'll pack my virtual bags, lower my expectations just a tad, and take that one small step. Will it be worth the wait? Honestly... I have no idea. But sometimes, the journey to find out is half the fun. Or, in this case, all of the anticipation. See you in the black, Starfield. Hopefully, this time, for real.