Starfield Shattered Space Fails To Impress With 'Mostly Negative' Steam Reviews

[Cpt.Jank]

Starfield's Shattered Space DLC launched on September 30, and it was meant to address many of the base game's major issues, with a more hand-crafted feel, more intimate encounters, and a more narrative-driven gameplay experience. Instead, Steam gamers and critics alike have lambasted the expansion online for boring and underwhelming, repetitive gameplay, calling it "more Starfield," essentially repeating the story of Starfield's initial launch. At the time of writing, the Shattered Space DLC has 1,601 reviews on Steam, with only just over 34% of those reviews rating the expansion positively—placing it squarely in the "Mostly Negative" category on Steam.

Likely the biggest disappointment when it comes to Shattered Space's poor reception is that the Starfield player base actually seemed quite optimistic about the expansion, thanks to previous gameplay and interviews about the intention behind the expansion. Critically, however, Starfield developer, Bethesda, deliberately didn't send out game keys to the press for review prior to the launch of the game, so there was no real way for players to know whether they would enjoy the $29.99 expansion before buying it.




As mentioned before, most of the negative reviews mention stale, repetitive gameplay that is underwhelming, although there are also complaints of disjointed writing and poor acting ruining the immersion. Others also lamented the DLC's $29.99 price tag, especially considering the "mediocre" gameplay experience and short runtime it ultimately delivered.

Shattered Space is meant to meaningfully expand on Starfield lore by letting players interact with a faction they had encountered in the main game but had never actually dealt with in any meaningful way:

Shattered Space is a new story expansion for Starfield, Bethesda Game Studios' epic role-playing game and first new universe in more than twenty-five years. A mysterious power stirs in the city of Dazra on House Va'Ruun's hidden homeworld. Investigate a frightening cosmic threat, explore a new planet, and find unique weapons, spacesuits, and gear in this all-new adventure.

When a distress signal from a derelict starstation sparks a journey to Va'Ruun'kai, the veil of secrecy surrounding the worshippers of a deity known as "The Great Serpent" is finally lifted. Immerse yourself in the dark and complex world of House Va'Ruun, as you navigate a tense political landscape, uncover the history of the Va'Ruun people and help decide the fate of the faction in the wake of a cataclysmic event.

What few positive sentiments there are among the Steam reviews praise the environmental design, visuals and atmosphere, while some of the more important fights in the DLC also received positive comments. The Steam review score will likely change over the coming weekend as more players pick up the expansion and pen their thoughts, but for now, it's safe to say that the community isn't particularly enthralled.

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[londiste]

The main valid point of concern is the price - there is not enough new content to make it worth the price.

 

[persondb]

I kinda don't understand people as Cyperpunk 2077 is just as bad but that had a 'redemption' even though the game itself was bad to mid at best, with bad combat, stale gameplay, terrible storyline and all kind of issues.

So I really wonder how CD Projekt Red managed to spin it but Bethesda could not when both of those games are so alike(at how bad they are).

 

[usiname]

I kinda don't understand people as Cyperpunk 2077 is just as bad but that had a 'redemption' even though the game itself was bad to mid at best, with bad combat, stale gameplay, terrible storyline and all kind of issues.

So I really wonder how CD Projekt Red managed to spin it but Bethesda could not when both of those games are so alike(at how bad they are).

Star Field although was not that good, at least was bug free in most parts. the AI was on average level, while the Cyperpunk was such buggy mess with stupid AI. It was some early alpha build for the first year if not even longer.
CD Project Red has army of fanboys who will suck everything, no matter how bad it is. Bethesda also has its fanboys, but they are not that extreme.

 

[dyonoctis]

I kinda don't understand people as Cyperpunk 2077 is just as bad but that had a 'redemption' even though the game itself was bad to mid at best, with bad combat, stale gameplay, terrible storyline and all kind of issues.

So I really wonder how CD Projekt Red managed to spin it but Bethesda could not when both of those games are so alike(at how bad they are).

Star Field although was not that good, at least was bug free in most parts. the AI was on average level, while the Cyperpunk was such buggy mess with stupid AI. It was some early alpha build for the first year if not even longer.
CD Project Red has army of fanboys who will suck everything, no matter how bad it is. Bethesda also has its fanboys, but they are not that extreme.

Guys, it’s also okay to just say that a game that many enjoyed, is just not your cup of tea
I’ve seen people say that the witcher games where the most boring and stale games that they ever played.

I’ve found the mighty skyrim to have many flaws, with it’s only reddeming quality the exploration being fairly enjoyable.

 

[Vayra86]

I kinda don't understand people as Cyperpunk 2077 is just as bad but that had a 'redemption' even though the game itself was bad to mid at best, with bad combat, stale gameplay, terrible storyline and all kind of issues.

So I really wonder how CD Projekt Red managed to spin it but Bethesda could not when both of those games are so alike(at how bad they are).

Cyberpunk at the very least tried to do some new things, also graphically. Also I dont consider Cbp2077 a great game now. Its still mostly graphics and a story.

Starfield is the opposite, it does nothing new and is still terribad at all of it. Its just not fun either. Its also completely soulless, an aspect Cyberpunk has elevated to its very own art. I think thats the key difference; Starfield never makes you feel like its a labor of love. Cyberpunk kinda does, even if the execution is poor.

CD Project Red has army of fanboys who will suck everything, no matter how bad it is. Bethesda also has its fanboys, but they are not that extreme.

LOL. You do realize Bethesdas fanbase has been swallowing Starfield turds for several decades now I hope? Also do you really think these are different fans/people?! You really need a reality check

 

[Crackong]

The quality is just...meh
Bethesda still lives in 2008

 

[TheDeeGee]

The quality is just...meh
Bethesda still lives in 2008

TES 6 may be their downfall if it's bad as well.

 

[usiname]

Ops, by saying the truth - Cyperpunk was early alpha release full of bugs for more than year after the release I triggered the fanboys.

 

[Octopuss]

If this is indicative of current day Bethesda's abilities, I guess Skyrim will be the last TES game I ever played. lol

 

[persondb]

Its still mostly graphics and a story.

Personally, I think it's mostly graphics. I do not know about Phantom Liberty but the original storyline is a complete mess due to Keanu Reeves character and lack of a focus. I couldn't be bothered to finish it.

 

[neatfeatguy]

Guys, it’s also okay to just say that a game that many enjoyed, is just not your cup of tea
I’ve seen people say that the witcher games where the most boring and stale games that they ever played.

I’ve found the mighty skyrim to have many flaws, with it’s only reddeming quality the exploration being fairly enjoyable.

I only made it through the first Witcher game and the combat was just horribly simple and boring. CD Project heard people complain about combat being boring and tried to fix it in the second one, but I found the combat to be just as bad and after a couple hours I uninstalled it. The only thing that kept me going in the first game was the story, without it I would not have even finished that game.

I loved Morrowind, got bored in Oblivion and fell asleep trying to play Skyrim. Once Bethesda stopped working on substance and started to focus on flash their games have been trash, for me at least. When you read some reviews about Starfield and see some gameplay footage it just looks like a reskinned Skyrim game for space. I'm not wasting my time or money on more Skyrim that already put me to sleep. I'm not sure what people thought would be different with the expansion when they already have the base game and weren't thrilled about it.

 

[DeathtoGnomes]

Cant say I'm surprised about the DLC, from what I watched on stream, so not worth the price of the DLC. the new content is on par with the OG game, the story is there but the play sucks.

 

[Beermotor]

The quality is just...meh
Bethesda still lives in 2008

I agree. At least in 2008 they still had their crack writing team and Jeremy Soule was still doing the music for their games.

Now they've got the guy from Adrenaline Vault as their head writer and Inon Zur writes music that somehow manages to be simultaneously boring and annoying.

I normally don't bag on game development studios too badly because I've worked in the business and I know how hard it is, but Bethesda post-2015 has devolved into a shitty corporate game factory.

 

[AGlezB]

Bethesda also has its fanboys, but they are not that extreme.

Beth conditioned us to expect bugs, crappy UIs and having to use mods to fix their sh*t because their games release on an engine so out of date it hurts. Hard being extreme when you already know how the coockie crumbles.

• If you see a bug on a CDPR game:
• If you see a bug on a Beth game:

TES 6 may be their downfall if it's bad as well.

Nah. They'll break even on pre-orders alone. As long as Todd is there the game will never be so bad it completely flops and even if he's gone Beth will survive on reputation alone. I'd be more worried about what comes after TES6. Soon enough Beth will have to make a choice between continuing to use their in-house engines or move on to something more mainstream like UE and the defining point will be what they release afterwards.

 

[Chrispy_]

I think the staggering failure of Shattered Space is that Bethesda have had a literal mountain of criticism and feedback about the base game and for this overpriced DLC they've fixed absolutely nothing, instead choosing to double-down on some of the stuff that earned the most criticism the first time around.

They're incompetent, they're deaf, they're churning out garbage. All of the talent (and I mean ALL of it) has long since moved on to better studios. Like Blizzard, Bethesda are now wholly useless at making games.

 

[EatingDirt]

Not really surprising that it's not good. I mean, the description alone makes it sounds unappealing.

Shattered Space is a new story expansion for Starfield, Bethesda Game Studios' epic role-playing game and first new universe in more than twenty-five years. A mysterious power stirs in the city of Dazra on House Va'Ruun's hidden homeworld. Investigate a frightening cosmic threat, explore a new planet, and find unique weapons, spacesuits, and gear in this all-new adventure.

So they added one new planet with a couple of POI areas? It's no wonder it's getting poor reception. Space game adds 1 new planet out of the hundreds it already has. Yippee! /s

 

[NoneRain]

TES 6 may be their downfall if it's bad as well.

Even if it come out as meh, people will still pay for it.... Everyone will complain and sh1t, still, money-maker.mp4
Maybe TES 7 will come out good

 

[Tomorrow]

 

[Vayra86]

Ops, by saying the truth - Cyperpunk was early alpha release full of bugs for more than year after the release I triggered the fanboys.

Oh, I thought you wanted to have a conversation, but I see you were just flamebaiting. Thanks for letting us know. Do you feel 'right' now?

Personally, I think it's mostly graphics. I do not know about Phantom Liberty but the original storyline is a complete mess due to Keanu Reeves character and lack of a focus. I couldn't be bothered to finish it.

Its a mess because of how the game's designed, because the story at its heart is pretty tight imho. But yeah, take a few branching paths off the main missions and you're in CDPR project-management hell basically. They really should have never built that whole city to run around in, in hindsight, but hey, it worked for The Witcher, why not here... If they had made a Cyberpunk a' la Witcher 2 I think they'd have ended up with a better product. Could still include some mild free roam, but much more directed.

Starfield really makes the same mistake in that sense, so I totally get your analogy; its too big, and there's not enough in it, cohesion is lost because of it, and you wonder why its all there.

 

[usiname]

Oh, I thought you wanted to have a conversation, but I see you were just flamebaiting. Thanks for letting us know. Do you feel 'right' now?

You can't have conversation with fanatics who act like you curse their mother when you say that a game was full of bugs. Cyperpunk 2077 is not your mother right? This is rhetorical queation for you and all fanatics here. By the way, criticsm for Cyperpunk and CDPR does not mean that I am fan of Bathesta or Starfield or other company. Imagine to start a war just because someone said that your favourite game is buggy mess, what could happen if I say something about the story or the gameplay? In constrast of all you I choose what to like based on the game, not the studio. I leave the "conversation" here, you can keep sucking CDPR

 

[Quicks]

No amount of expansions, mods, updates and tweaks can save this turd of a game.

 

[Vayra86]

leave the "conversation" here, you can keep sucking CDPR

Im not and most people here arent... you didnt even read the response proper then

 

[Steevo]

I still haven't really done anything in Starfield. I hoped they would fix the issues and stability and I could start again. Maybe it's not the next Skyrim.

 

[Vayra86]

I still haven't really done anything in Starfield. I hoped they would fix the issues and stability and I could start again. Maybe it's not the next Skyrim.

Its so far from Skyrim I think... there's no world to discover. There are just small, empty maps. There's no secret or treasure hunting, no dungeon delving... Basically the whole game revolves around pick up and go somewhere, then pick up something else to go somewhere else. Maybe its a space travel simulator?