I have no idea how you're defining RPG here, but Starfield is worse than any launch Bethesda game since at least Morrowind, in my opinion. The hook in Bethesda games for me is discovery. You set off in a direction on a quest and discover things on the path that pull you different directions. You get lost in a world.
There is not a single moment in the 25 hours of Starfield I played where this happened. It's just literally not possible with the way they designed the game.
Yeah, that's why I simply said it was a worse game than their previous titles (not worse RPG). I'd argue having better roleplaying mechanics without an interesting world to use them in is a preeeeetty useless endeavor.
The fact that Starfield is a better RPG than Skyrim and Fallout 4 at launch, which is due to Bethesda games largely being extremely mediocre and largely saved by mods.
Fair point actually, I was ignoring that because the only 3d Fallout that's a good rpg wasn't Bethesda, but you're right that it's still a metric the others are judged by
I have no idea how you're defining RPG here, but Starfield is worse than any launch Bethesda game since at least Morrowind, in my opinion. The hook in Bethesda games for me is discovery. You set off in a direction on a quest and discover things on the path that pull you different directions. You get lost in a world.
There is not a single moment in the 25 hours of Starfield I played where this happened. It's just literally not possible with the way they designed the game.
The ability to actually roleplay a character you create, ie mechanics within game to reinforce that which you design your character as.
Medical skill checks for doctors, background checks for Freestar natives, piracy subcycles for pirates, etc.
What you're describing has nothing to do with roleplaying, just the setting, which I never tried to argue was better in Starfield because it isn't.
Yeah, that's why I simply said it was a worse game than their previous titles (not worse RPG). I'd argue having better roleplaying mechanics without an interesting world to use them in is a preeeeetty useless endeavor.
Sure. I'd also argue that having better exploration without having decent roleplaying is also completely useless for an RPG.
For specifically an RPG but not for an overall game. There's a reason I still return to and mod skyrim
Sure, but that's not what my point was about.
I don't understand the relevance of your point then
The fact that Starfield is a better RPG than Skyrim and Fallout 4 at launch, which is due to Bethesda games largely being extremely mediocre and largely saved by mods.
Undeniably true but also not the metric by which anyone judges any Bethesda games after Morrowind
Not actually true, Fallout fana especially how the IP has been treated.
Fair point actually, I was ignoring that because the only 3d Fallout that's a good rpg wasn't Bethesda, but you're right that it's still a metric the others are judged by