Starfield’s ‘must-play’ Shattered Space DLC could give it the Cyberpunk treatment
Ah, the old Phantom Liberty reinvention.
01st Oct 2024 15:29
Images via Bethesda | CD Projekt Red
Starfield’s ‘must-play’ Shattered Space DLC could give it the Cyberpunk treatment
Ah, the old Phantom Liberty reinvention.
01st Oct 2024 15:29
Images via Bethesda | CD Projekt Red
It's fair to say that Bethesda hit something of an asteroid field with the release of Starfield, as the sci-fi explorer was plagued by more bugs than a Terminid run in Helldivers 2. Graphical and gameplay glitches are par for the course when it comes to Bethesda games, but with this being the first new IP in 25 years, gamers clearly expected better.
While Bethesda has made its legacy off the back of the long-running Elder Scrolls and Fallout franchises, the idea of reskinning this seemingly bulletproof formula with a sci-fi wrap should've been a recipe for success. Unfortunately, Starfield's player count has continued to tumble amidst promises of its first DLC overhaul.
Starfield fans say Shattered Space is a 'must-play' DLC
First Impressions of Shattered Space
byu/Sentinel5929 inStarfield
After what seems like an eternity of waiting, Starfield's Shattered Space DLC is finally here, honing in on the mysterious House Va'Ruun and the new planet known as Va'ruun'kai. Bethesda has hyped the fact that Va'ruun'kai is one of the game's hand-crafted planets, with 50 new locations to explore and navigation made easier by the REV-8 vehicle.
With a new enemy type known as Phantoms, and promises of improved AI, some early impressions suggest that Shattered Space really feels like a brand-new Starfield. A massive update 1.14.70 patch has also added major fixes to the base game, reminding us of when Cyberpunk 2.0 launched alongside its Phantom Liberty DLC.
While Starfield doesn't get a new-gen update akin to Cyberpunk 2077, the game's subreddit is full of posts praising Shattered Space for reinvigorating a game that sometimes felt it was a little lost in space. One popular thread calls it a "must-play" and praises everything from visuals to combat, adding, "What are you doing? Go play right now."
Others seem to agree, with another post reading, "Already 6 hours in, and so far i feel like this is one of Bethesda's best DLC," and a third titled, "8 hours of pure exploration and side quests, and I keep finding new quests and places to explore. Love the dlc."
The hatred for shattered space is unfair.
byu/Beth_Virus98 inStarfield
As seems to be too common, all this positivity has led to a vocal backlash. There appear to be some genuine complaints about a lack of new companions and the short length of Shattered Space, but they're buried under general hatred. Another thread points to a Steam review where someone admits they've never played the DLC but decided to vote negatively anyway.
There were hopes that Shattered Space could go full Phantom Liberty and restore Starfield's somewhat tattered reputation, but the jury is still out on that. There were issues playing the game on Steam, which might be why it's current reviews sit at 'Mixed' and a 24-hour player peak of 39,661 that's hardly setting the charts alight.
Bethesda's Todd Howard has promised there's plenty more Starfield content to come, and hopefully, those at the top are learning with each update. While it seems unlikely Starfield will suddenly become the next Skyrim, remember how we were quick to write off Cyberpunk 2077.
About The Author
Tom Chapman
Tom is Trending News Editor at GGRecon, with an NCTJ qualification in Broadcast Journalism and over seven years of experience writing about film, gaming, and television. With bylines at IGN, Digital Spy, Den of Geek, and more, Tom’s love of horror means he's well-versed in all things Resident Evil, with aspirations to be the next Chris Redfield.
