What you need to know
- Starfield: Shattered Space is the first DLC story expansion for Bethesda’s space exploration RPG, and takes players to House Va’ruun’s home world of Va’ruun’kai to investigate a disaster caused by an experiment gone horribly wrong.
- The expansion released on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC on September 30, though so far, it’s opened with “Mixed” reviews on Steam and an average score of 3.6/5 stars on Xbox and the Microsoft Store.
- Most reviewers appreciate that Shattered Space is centered on one location and allows for some deeper roleplaying compared to the ocean-sized base game, though many lament a paltry amount of overall content.
- Many reviews for the Xbox and Microsoft Store version of the DLC specifically mention not being able to start the expansion, so keep that in mind if you were thinking of picking it up on one of those platforms.
As a seasoned gaming analyst with over two decades of experience under my belt, I’ve seen the highs and lows of the industry, witnessed the rise and fall of many franchises, and have developed a keen sense for what constitutes a quality expansion pack.
Starfield’s Shattered Space expansion, touted by Bethesda as a major milestone in space exploration RPGs, was highly anticipated. However, after its launch on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC on September 30, it appears that the DLC hasn’t lived up to the expectations of many players.
Currently, Shattered Space is receiving a mix of feedback on Valve’s gaming platform Steam, with only 42% of the 730 user reviews rating it positively. On the other hand, its ratings on the Xbox/Microsoft Store are slightly more favorable, earning an average score of 3.6 out of 5 from a total of 203 reviews, although they haven’t yet reached generally positive territory.
The game “Shattered Space,” set on the mysterious home world of Va’ruun’kai belonging to House Va’ruun, revolves around a perplexing and deadly “vortex incident” that caused a rift within the interstellar organization and left its central power in ruins. It was advertised as offering a more substantial and immersive roleplaying experience compared to the base game, with a “carefully crafted new world.” Given that Starfield is frequently criticized for having an expansive setting but lacking depth, it’s reasonable to expect Shattered Space to deliver. While most reviews acknowledge that the expansion does indeed improve in this aspect, many also express disappointment as it still falls short of meeting expectations.
The user chaoticotaku expressed disappointment that Bethesda overhyped the game, only for it to fail to meet expectations. While it wasn’t the worst game ever, the reviewer felt it wasn’t worth $30 and believed the additional content should have been part of the original game release. Essentially, they considered it a new faction quest line with a single new world to explore, amounting to approximately 4 hours of gameplay.
In a different post, player Khronico expressed that the original game offered more engaging narrative and impactful story moments compared to the DLC. The additional content provided in this expansion is primarily cosmetic upgrades of weapons and armor, as well as variations of previously existing points of interest.
Generally speaking, critics who disliked Shattered Space found it disappointingly brief with limited content, often mentioning its short length as a drawback. Many positive reviews acknowledge this issue, stating that the main storyline can be finished in about 4-5 hours, and additional side activities to collect all DLC achievements will take just a few more hours. This is notably shorter than expansions like Bethesda’s Far Harbor for Fallout 4, which offered a 7-8 hour narrative and over 20 hours of content for completionists. While I haven’t played Shattered Space personally, the comparison suggests it might be a letdown in terms of longevity compared to other games.
An interesting point to note is that numerous Xbox and Microsoft Store reviews suggest that fans were unable to initiate the Starfield: Shattered Space DLC, even after following the proper steps. This could potentially indicate a widespread issue with this particular version of the game. However, Bethesda has yet to release an official statement on the matter.
In essence, I believe the creators of Starfield are on track with their focus on rich, immersive content similar to Fallout and The Elder Scrolls series, but many early reviews argue that there’s still not enough depth for now. However, as we’ve recently received DLC, it will be intriguing to observe if the broader community’s opinions evolve or stabilize in the near future.
At just $29.99, which is almost half the original retail price of the game, you have a chance to purchase Shattered Space and make up your mind about it. However, it might be wiser to wait for a better deal, especially since the expansion isn’t part of the Xbox Game Pass subscription. Interestingly, it’s currently discounted to $26.79 at CDKeys even though the DLC was released just yesterday. It’s possible that deeper discounts will occur in the near future. Additionally, if you buy Starfield’s Premium Edition or add the Premium Edition upgrade to your standard version, you’ll also gain access to Shattered Space.
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2024-10-01 22:39