Recent reviews by Bdogg

Settlers II: Electric Boogaloo.

For a triple A title and price tag this is a mediocre product.

I'm old, I've played it all. After a sufficient number of hours in Starfield I can comfortably say that this is one of the most overhyped and mediocre releases in recent memory. For me, the biggest issue of this game is that it does not respect players time. Cumbersome menus, mindless fetch quests (requiring you to go to x and return to y before commencing with another fetch of z) and most glaringly 'landing' at a point of interest...500m away without any land vehicles. How can you extol a game of exploration without the basic tools to actually explore?

Reading the commentary that Larian and BG3 had set an unrealistic benchmark for game design, I was initially dismissive - However, on comparison this is absolutely the case. The voice acting in Starfield is flat, the weight of choices is lacking and for the narrative that this an expansive world to explore is significantly lacking. This is a shallow product, produced without any real attention or level of care that is demonstrative of a studio that has lost its way.

I never post reviews, but I am so annoyed that the gaming review industry is lavishing this with undeserved praise that I felt the need to add to this review. Anyone who says 'oh mods will save this' is missing the point, it shouldn't fall to unpaid volunteers to bail out a multi-billion dollar corporations product. If this is a taste of things to come, I weep for the next iteration of Elder Scrolls.