[UPDATE: Metacritic appears to have removed the review. The original story follows.]
A negative user review forStarfieldhas appeared on Metacritic in spite of the fact that the gameisn’t due for release until September.Starfieldis one of 2023’s most anticipated titlesand also happens to be the first title from Bethesda Game Studios since 2018’sFallout 76if one doesn’t countThe Elder Scrolls: Blades, the free-to-play action RPG released for mobile platforms in 2020.
Starfieldhas found itself near the top of the Steam sales chartsfollowing Microsoft’s Xbox Games Showcase andStarfieldDirect. The digital events provided more information including gameplay footage for the upcoming game that seems to have impressed fans who may have been on the fence after the lackluster release ofRedfallearlier this year since both titles fall under the Microsoft umbrella.
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Recently, a Metacritic user by the name of Joppsta360 left a review forStarfield,penning what seems to be a diatribe of sorts against Bethesda and its executive producer Todd Howard. While it is unknown whether this person has actually played the game or not, they have also submitted negative reviews forDiablo 4,giving each game a zero. The user appears to be incensed by the microtransactions in the case ofDiablo 4,even though they are limited to cosmetic items. Joppsta360’s review forStarfieldimplies that itis a disappointing mess.
It is probably quite safe to assume that this pre-emptive negative review is without substance, but one can only speculate thanks to the anonymity of Metacritic’s platform. According to Xbox head Matt Booty,Starfieldhas the fewest bugs of any Bethesda game. If what Booty is saying is true, it will certainly please Bethesda fans who have hoped that the studio becoming a Microsoft first-party would lead to more stringent quality controls, but fans will have to wait and see for themselves whenStarfieldeventually releases. Either way, the voice of the man at the helm of Xbox Game Studios is more authoritative than a seemingly random Metacritic user.
It is unclear what this particular Metacritic user thinks Todd Howard is lying about.Howard has mentionedStarfieldmany times, at one point comparing it toRed Dead Redemption 2in terms of the way its gameplay flows. Regardless, it is probably best not to read too deeply into such user reviews; while they can be useful for players who are deciding whether they want to play a particular game, it is usually quite easy to discern whether they are sincere or not.
Starfieldreleases on September 6 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
