Why Bethesda DESERVED Starfield

to preface this video I want to make clear that I'm genuinely a fan of Bethesda game studios's work not every game they've made is perfect but truly no game is at least within the scope of my own gaming experiences a lot of what I'm about to say is going to sound uh it's going to sound like I really hate them and to some of you that might be a lot of fun it's a neutral point for me they've made mistakes both seemingly intentional and otherwise whether you're able to balance the good with the bad or take bad with your good is dependent on how egregious you feel those points stand within your own [Music] sensibilities Bethesda game studios a development Juggernaut whose initial claim to fame that being the older Scroll series were one of the few game studios to have been projectile launched into the stratosphere of being one of the most known and respected game developers the world over Bethesda is also notable for being the IP rights holder and developer to popularize Fallout within the broader lexicon of gaming conversation with titles including fallouts 3 and 4 as well as New Vegas and oh oh god oh it's look at that one Bethesda game studios titles have a distinct quality that is unmistakably Bethesda game studios this might seem circular in logic and likely a sentiment expressed a million times over as a weak defense of their games but it's simply the best way to put it Bethesda frequently faces a great deal of backlash for having a preferred format and style of game design that often times is criticized as being too derivative or broadly similar to its prior releases while I understand this sentiment it's simply their unique style and approach to game design that ultimately won't gel with everyone Elden ring the game that was widely acclaimed as one of the greatest games of its genre and year of release that's effectively a pretty foundationally similar title to from soft work on the Dark Souls series except with an open world design and some changes made to accommodate that this isn't meant as a criticism no I'm serious I'm talking to you stop [ __ ] typing it's an expectation and something we appreciate understanding a creation within the context of a company's culture is perfectly valid opening your favorite band's latest CD and finding absolutely zero traces of pre-existing DNA would be quite odd and an astronomical risk for any creative pursuing this sort of thing with both Fallout and the Elder Scrolls under their belt the release of a new Mainline Bethesda game generated quite a bit of commotion and a sense of hype amongst Gamers bethesda's games being synonymous with absolute freedom of interaction and industry-leading environmental storytelling are often quite Landmark during their time of release and frequently lotted as industry defining as well as serving as era landmarks for modding communities for years to come with how much praise I'm throwing at Bethesda right now one might think from a simple glance that anything this company puts out is made out of solid gold and lauded by the general Gaming Community at large as a point of reference the Elder Scrolls 5 skym the fifth installment in the series stands as one of the most financially successful and renowned role-playing games of the last decade boasting 60 of millions of copies sold since its 2011 launch Fallout is no slouch either having raked in hundreds of millions of dollars for Bethesda across the five entries released since being within their ownership as a brand not mentioned the series is one of the visual beacons of the gaming industry with the fallout boy being one of the most visually recognizable icons within the gaming space next to Mario Kratos and the merchant from Resident Evil Bethesda launching a new IP no any large game developer announcing a new IP into the gaming world is something we seldom see due to the sheer risk and profitability factors if it isn't Rainbow 6 of Duty Creed of Redemption Part 3 2K 29 most people don't know what it is and sure as [ __ ] aren't spending $70 on it so the reveal of Starfield to the vast majority of Gamers felt both like an exciting new video game to drop a thousand hours into two but also something intangibly difficult to Hype since a new IP means zero expectations this reality will be a factor later in the video as I suspect lack of transparency a sin another space fairing outer space adventure I can think of off the top of my head also phased all of this just is an additional cut within the foundation of bethesda's reputation and so Starfield released the deluxe edition owners on August 31st signaling the beginning of a new era of Bethesda gaming and yet after nearly 25 years Starfield feels different not entirely the game itself which is indeed part of the reason we're seeing the reaction we're seeing with a number of people calling it just Skyrim and space but something else feels sour amongst the Zeitgeist that is the gaming Echo chamber well it might be attempting to attribute the Brewing discontent solely on the catastrophic launch of Fallout 76 I believe these issues have been compounding over decades and Decades of time Bethesda has in various instances inadvertently and advertently alienated specific fan bases and communities whether through creative decisions lack of awareness Financial motives or a mix of these factors you guys not have phone but through all that one thing remains evident to me bethesda's reputation is that the core of why Starfield is a case of death by a million Cuts be sure to subscribe if you're liking the video thanks I think a good place to start is with this simple [Music] question what was your first Elder Scrolls game everybody tends to have a different answer and as kids turn to teens and into adults the question exceedingly leans in favor of Skyrim or none I played Fallout whatever your answer is whether it be morrowwind Oblivion which is the best one or Skyrim you likely hold that game to high regard as being one of the few games that was able to absorb you unlike any game ever had frequently enthusiasts of earlier installments like morrowwind will criticize Bethesda for the simplification and restrictions they perceive in subsequent SE it's me I'm [ __ ] wherein I found immense depth and joy exploring Tamriel on my Xbox 360 back when I was a kid I found Skyrim's console release to be demonstrably simple and unengaging that isn't to say that Skyrim is a bad game though most people aren't as diplomatic on my game good your game literal human [ __ ] conversations as I can be taking a quick step back from this train of thought I I just want to ask you guys a random question who are the single most difficult people to please within Circles of fiction is it a fantasy genre fans B devotees of science fiction or C afficionados of history and politics why don't you guys chime in with your answers below I won't give you time to guess they're all [ __ ] impossible I can't even tell you how many conversations I've had about Bethesda that invariably lead to people reminiscing about their preferred Elder Scrolls game and contending that the simplification of the game's core mechanics transformed it from something akin to Dungeons and Dragons with the dice rolls turned off to The Hobbit and I'm not talking about the books I'm not even talking about the first movie either from a very foundational level it was clear that bethesda's Ambitions were less centered around making games that evolved and progressed in mechanical complexity and depth but rather served as accessible entry points for game fans who usually always skip the cut scenes to get to the game playay already which is so ironic because the only game PS5 fans mind you the current leading platform by a country mile are interested in boasting about is a literal DND simulator with more depth than your mom's they simply have a reputation of oversimplification within a genre where the majority of the games Die Hard fans want more not less they're also the company that made armor which was the very beginnings of microtransactions which is also shitty continuing down the line we come to one of my all-time favorite video game franchises of all time the Fallout Series this one is fascinating because I believe its roots dig at a level that might have influenced My Generation quite a bit especially amongst taste makers and modern content creators over the age of 25 I know basically dead Fallout as a Bethesda property begins at the number three Fallout 3 was bethesda's very first game within the universe you see Bethesda was not the original rights holder of the Fallout license that honor fell upon the now defunct gaming publisher interplay black Isle Studios the gaming Collective responsible for in part creating the Fallout brand are the roots of the near entirety of the Fallout identity we see marketed and sold at every GameStop and Target Clothing Rack worldwide after interplays demise Bethesda secured the rights to the Fallout IP and promptly embarked on creating a new installment in the series employing their notorious game Brio engine same engine used in the Elder Scrolls for Oblivion this marked the first occasion where fallouts Universe could be explored from a first-person perspective and Fallout 3 would become one of the pioneering open world single player FPS games on the console Market upon the release of Fallout 3 it swiftly earned accolades as a technological Marvel and a milestone in entertainment immersion and World building this sentiment resounded loudly for years even following the release of the now beloved Fallout New Vegas nevertheless As Time marched onwards a discernable undercurrent of discussion began to simmer within the Fallout Community a bit of controversy fueled by some questionable decisions made by Bethesda towards its hired developer at the time obsidian G games to provide context several prominent figures from black is Studios had migrated to obsidian largely consisting of former staff when game development Studios disband it's quite common for substantial portions of the original team to establish new Ventures so you frequently witness company leaders or key personnel departing or being let go from one role only to swiftly regroup in a new company often with a significant portion or nearly all of the original developers preserving the company's initial culture and identity this was a significant point of interest for gaming enthusiasts realizing that obsidian was tasked with creating a new Fallout game marking the series returned to their creative hands since the closure of black Isle Studios Bethesda even offered obsidian a bonus if Fallout New Vegas reached an 8.5 review score Bethesda looked like the good guys for sharing the license with them and game fans got to be excited to see a more true to form lore accurate form of the game they love so much oh by the way did I mention that with the release of Fallout 3 Bethesda took Grand liberties with the game's tone atmosphere World characters and more while still labeling it a third entry within the game's timeline of releases the fans didn't like that very much and needless to say it's a bit of a reason why some older Die Hard fans refused to show an ounce of respect to Bethesda and recent Fallout titles in particular they took something that people grew up with and reconed and reframed huge chunks of it to suit a more marketable and simplified approach for General gaming audiences upon the release of obsidian's Fallout New Vegas it received solid reviews across the board but failed to meet bethesda's initial review Benchmark of 85% they missed it by 1% a single perc stood between them and their necessary minimum review Benchmark that single point served to excuse Bethesda from any ounce of decency and meant that nobody at obsidian got their rather large bonuses if the game was able to cross this hurdle when word of this got out it no doubt served to further Sully bethesda's reputation and began to depict them as bullies especially towards the creatives who helped found the series they were profiting off of to begin with so with that we have Elder Scrolls fans upset at the oversimplification of their favorite game series while in a genre denoted with extremely DieHard and wide-reaching individuals within fantasy forms of media and basically everyone in their mother pissed at Fallout because Bethesda screwed over the original artistic mind behind the series with ultratight deadlines unreasonable work life culture and a miss bonus Payday for all the insane strain they were under to begin with aside from baiting fans with near infinite re-releases of Skyrim which by the way guys please stop buying those it's why you weren't playing the next one in the introduction of creation Club content which is effectively microtransaction versions of mods for PC users Bethesda had one more giant load to drop on everyone one more proverbial Beast to Bear fangs into the eyes of Gamers everywhere [Music] home I belong West Virginia Mama take me home take me home country I think it's impossible to discuss the origin of the fervent distaste of Bethesda without mentioning the launch of Fallout 76 while 76 has its fan base and has gotten substantially more refined and content-rich since its launch it's undeniable that its launch was emblematic of a Bethesda unwilling and unable to compromise Financial stability over any other Avenue of the game's existence this financially driven frenzied launch period gave fans haters and bystanders ammo for months as Bethesda stumbled with pre-order bonuses exterior marketing Ventures and anything resembling PR and community outreach Fallout 76 fits within the timeline recent enough for nearly every generation currently alive on the planet to have some degree of cognizance of how embarrassing that launch was for Bethesda some argue the state of its release was indicative of bethesda's financial desperation following such long periods of operation without consistent Finance for microtransactions or a steady release schedule I feel bethesda's pivot into publishing was also emblematic of this financial insecurity in the company which naturally makes sense for Microsoft to be the ones to bail them out and assist them in making Financial operations less of a burden overall they want to make monstrous amounts of money but not being stressed about needing that monstrous amount upfront to keep the doors open helps but I mean all of that is in the past and yet we still see a large number of younger voices still screaming Bethesda does past transgressions reality is every game console has generations and every year has demographic changes so it wouldn't surprise me if 99.9% of the kids on Tik Tok and YouTube calling Starfield an embarrassing typical Bethesda game haven't really even played one of their more RPG Centric titles in their lives which is fine I mean a 17-year-old today was like what 5 years old in 2011 why are you crying [Applause] [Music] when I was a snot-nosed 11-year-old kid who wore his gamer badge and played his video games the way a good gamer boy should I looked up to the gaming outlets and television networks like G4 to serve as a reflection of gaming culture I so desperately wanted to be a part of this meant that game reviews previews chat boards and anything with the word game in front of it were places I cultivated and refined my own understanding of what a good game was and what a bad game was no more was I interested in playing crappy licensed games of my favorite TV shows and movies growing up I'm an adult now Mommy I want culture in my media I won't stand for this Dil give me balance and inspired design give me Devil May Cry Mom oh my god when gaming Outlets collectively agreed that a game or series was considered to be exemplary of the Brilliance of the industry at large it would become a pared talking point amongst everyone we value discussing things as absolute truths and found every opportunity to sling hate from the other side of the room to those unwashed PS3 kids or the Xbox inheritance of perspective isn't exactly a gaming exclusive notion in fact it infects every facet of humanity at large and is much deeper than pixels on the screen however by nature of this very reality inherited perspectives and criticism with the intention of being perceived or declared a more informed and studied individual that's definitely something pre-existing but compounded by unrestricted internet access so real touch grass type [ __ ] the good old days eventually it can quickly become a battle of figuring out if those who have genuine complaints are actually individuals who in good faith tried something and distinguishing between others who are taking a broad and fast approach and copy their own perspectives from the Zeitgeist in an attempt to capitalize off of it whether it be via ego padding or actual social media standing Capital likes retweets stuff like that I really need to make clear that I am not talking about individuals who have have played these games tried these games ran into bugs with these games and ultimately just didn't have a good time with them you are excluded from what I'm talking about I'm talking about people who get joy from parting opinions that they have no founding or understanding over okay if this is the entire [ __ ] sandwich on the plate I'd say it's pretty obvious why people take issue with Bethesda in their games I didn't mention the overpromises of Fallout 76 and the iconic Bethesda trademark of dumbing their sequels down with Fallout 4 which is a testament to just just how long this video could be there's been millions of tiny incidents that have amounted to Bethesda having such a bad reputation but none of these explanations or reasons really articulate why people are so mad at Bethesda today not only is this a new full fat Bethesda game something we haven't truly seen since Fallout 4 in 2015 but it's a console exclusive as well that's right this game will never make its way to a PS console due to bethesda's ownership belonging to the manufacturer of the company in direct competition ition with them which means not only are people leveraging and to be fair rightly so the many controversies and issues Bethesda brought upon themselves and their countless die hards myself included but they're also entrenched in the revitalized console war this makes things rather tricky since the majority of the conversation against Bethesda is leveraging ammo someone heard from someone else whose older brother did play a Bethesda game once but that's inherited hate and something Bethesda earned through ill will to their communities and adjacent Studio and fan bases the discourse you're seeing around the game appears to be 30% genuine and decent criticism and 70% an actual visual representation of a fortnite pregame Lobby except everyone has several bands on their account and they don't even play video games ultimately this video will be rather sparse on Direct criticisms of Starfield since I intend to release a proper in-depth review of the game itself without the hysteria and group things surrounding the release itself that's sort of what this video is for but I feel I'd be Miss to not at least briefly touch upon the issues even Bethesda fans are expressing about the game itself because sure the issues people have can be anywhere from deep-seated to Echo chamber fodder [ __ ] ultimately Starfield has issues with the game itself these issues when compounded on the very real reality that in our current year of 2024 design decisions such as invisible wall prompts and near infinite loading screens aren't just immediately thrown out in the design room is a testament to where we've gotten thus far I have my own Fringe conspiracy theories as to why these issues exist and they all start with a capital S ultimately these issues do serve to harm the overall package Bethesda spent the better part of a decade putting together so where do we stand with Starfield as a product and how does it impact bethesda's reputation as a game developer invisible walls are a very real thing that players are running into in Starfield while the boundaries are rather large they're ultimately incredibly questionable coming from a studio whose entire ire claim to fame was creative ever expanding and breathtaking environmental designs that felt near Limitless compared to their contemporaries and while game developers have come a long way since Fallout 3 the reality is open world gaming is the trend of the decade meaning a great deal of the awe inspiring [ __ ] we're seeing in Starfield are things other developers have seemingly done and done better no man Sky a game frequently brought up in direct comparison to Starfield by people who likely played it for a week and never played it for a second thereafter bars was simply able to do Interstellar breadth better and with more finesse than Bethesda ever could and while I'll touch on my defense and gripes I ultimately really do have with the design choice in another video it does at least on paper paint Bethesda as a studio losing touch with its ability to push boundaries and create technological Marvels in the gaming space fast traveling does much the same and with more fervent consequences ultimately every conceivable play style in Starfield will run into the issues of loading screens while short when installed on an SSD still ultimately breaks up large swats of content leading to an experience that ultimately feels like a series of designed sections rather than a cohesive open world and while they don't bother me as much as some they ultimately are far too frequent for even my own sensibilities the areas you visit tend to provide a great deal of Freedom detail and complexity especially when you're trying to even remotely map out some of the cities and they're many in inhabitants and nuances no the planets are Barren as hell and often very repetitive and that means exploration is a major Crux in people's enjoyment something that indeed made me take pause and reconsider how to approach and enjoy the game on its own terms this isn't a traditional Bethesda style of content delivery and format and that's not okay to some and adaptable for others but ultimately this video once again isn't about criticizing understanding and identifying with Starfield as a whole it's about understanding where the Nega negative sentiment Bethesda is drawing from social media is coming from so it's impossible to not see infinite loading screens as anything other than a joke in the modern era especially when we're only a few short years away from what will very well be the most impressive open world we've ever seen fleshed out in gaming the final point I'd like to address is bethesda's consistent use of the creation the game engine of which every Bethesda game has in one way or another been created from yes the creation engine is gone by over 100 names but is ultimately derived of the very same Tech that was used to build the Elder Scrolls morrowwind a game that came out when the dinosaurs were still around while it's quite common for game developers to iterate and keep their own in-house game engine technology over the course of decades rather than purchasing and learning off-the-shelf game engines such as unreal or Unity this doesn't mean that they've come with such fervent distaste as bethesda's in-house game engine is drawn creative engine 2.0 the engine used and updated for Starfield Bears all the familiar marks of a Bethesda game many find these telling signs of Jank and poor engine stability to be quite unsightly and call for Bethesda to reconsider its use now I'll be the weirdo who defends the use of this game engine Bethesda and their relationship with modders have always been a symbiotic and net positive situation ERS understand and know this game engine and bethesda's continued use of it might come off as incompetence when in reality the engine was designed for the very same level of customization and freedom a great deal of people La over with games such as Dungeons and Dragons as a mechanically free and customizable gaming experience bear in mind Bethesda has been including built-in modability since marwin allowing everything from tweaking individual stats to personal tastes to create creating huge swats of fan-made worlds to share with others modding is a staple of the Bethesda game virtualizing this sentiment and allowing for vertical and horizontal Freedom the likes of which Bethesda has allowed players means hardcoding anything could prove to be road blocks and ultimately restrictive to player Freedom while this notion seems quite forgiving of Bethesda no design decision exists without consequences and boy oh boy is it clear there's been consequences playing a Bethesda game for longer than 10 minutes without seeing something absolutely [ __ ] stupid and immersion breaking is super unlikely to happen to the average player what this means is that for every consideration made for freedom of expression and modability comes with it 40,000 bugs that will detrimentally stick with every individual who experiences their games leading to a pretty fair impression that they make games quite poorly and I won't necessarily fight you there Bethesda games at least for me are always purchased with a two-fold consideration the first being is this a game that in its current state I could find myself deeply indulging in the world and characters in a way that makes me feel that I'll get my money's worth and the second being based on the atmosphere and state of enthusiasm of the core fan Community will this serve to be a fruitful and enjoyable modding platform for me to experiment with often times Bethesda Nails the ladder and in the case of Skyrim is fully capable of not nailing the former at least to me Starfield was close to not nailing the former again as I'm not that big a fan of space and sci-fi but did ultimately Come Away surprised at just how interesting and Visually compelling I found my time with Starfield to be however in a seemingly firsttime instance Bethesda has gone beyond nailing the ladder and full-on nuked it with a million thumbs UPS from me the broad availability of surface real estate allotted to Starfield means the degree of diversity and modding capabilities are near Limitless this is Bethesda at its most Little Big Planet and I I am beyond excited to see what stories and Adventures modders make especially amidst the controversial era of AI design and voice acting that we currently live in ultimately bethesda's use of the creation engine makes them look like they're bad game designers and while they do questionable things in pursuit of their own unique fingerprint of their releases that ultimately get tweaked in the first week of release it does ultimately make them look worse than what they're capable of bethesda's long-standing hatred has come down to their Stern and ignorant stance towards its many communities of fans but also the state of their game releases as buggy and feature incomplete titles through short-term monetary cash grabs they have Push their way into the collective consciousness of the gaming masses and become one of the single largest game developers in the entirety of the industry however having done so they've lost the good graces of Gamers from nearly every single demographic through one controversy or another well I know Bethesda finds a million in one ways to be hated they wouldn't still be around if they didn't just have a way with their design process that truly did compel and Inspire creativity and inspiration in the countless fans they've acred through all the years they've been a company modding is a major part of the Bethesda ecosystem and while some mods work towards reworking what Bethesda has done in order to fix the games often times players are adding more content to expand engross and fill out their world beyond the immense amount of work Bethesda already does put into its stories settings characters and items while what rests beneath the surface is a nuanced fun diverse and gorgeous video game when it's not doing this [ __ ] when it comes to the fundamental evolutions of the game formula utilization of their money to put into research and development a superior platform which they can develop their games what it all boils down to is Starfield is a pretty good Bethesda game but when nobody likes you there's always somebody else singing a similar song who you can listen to guilt-free [Music] [Music]

Channel: arkyUS

Views: 355,742

Keywords: Daggerfall, Morrowind, Oblivion, Bethesda Game Studios, Behtsda, Behthesda, Eldar Scrolls, Betgesda, Star field, sky rim, skrim, skirm, Elderscrolls, Eldarscrolls, Fallout76, FO76, Fellout, Fall out, Fallouts, Shelter, Shelther, New Vegas, NewVegas, NewVagas, NwVegas, Video, Essay, VideoEssay, Documentary, Commentary

Id: rE61cxQWwBs

Length: 29min 21sec (1761 seconds)

Published: Mon Feb 26 2024