The anticipation for the release of Bethesda‘s newest masterpiece, Starfield, is palpable among gamers. Starfield, which launches on September 6, is regarded as the most anticipated game of the year, if not the whole decade. It also brings with it the high expectations of gamers everywhere, as well as a portion of the $7.5 billion Microsoft essentially spent to make Starfield unique to the Xbox Series S/X. A planned review bomb campaign headed by irate fans, however, is forming on the horizon amid all the excitement for the impending space opera.
While we understand that it’s okay to feel “hurt” for not being able to play Starfield on the PlayStation 5“>PlayStation 5, boycotting the game isn’t the way to go.
If you haven’t heard anything from the outside world in a while, Bethesda describes Starfield as an epic interstellar adventure featuring hundreds of explorable planets, a wide variety of side quests, and an interesting criminal system, among other things. Since its release in 2018, gamers all around the world have been anticipating its immersive universe, where users can interact with housing markets or find friends. Starfield might very well be a contender for Game of the Year now that it has officially gone gold and Xbox gamers are able to pre-download it.
However, the strength of its attractiveness has a drawback. On social media sites like Twitter, there has been a troubling trend where some players are allegedly plotting a review bombing campaign in an effort to delay the release of Starfield.
Starting account 1 out of 1000
Goodbye Starfield score pic.twitter.com/06abaZGGV0Him Jong-un ( Playstation ambassador ) (@XbotTears360) August 15, 2023
One of the most egregious instances is the bold assertion made by a user, XbotTears360, that he had prepared 1,000 accounts with the explicit intent of lowering the game’s Metacritic rating. The reactions to these posts demonstrate that this user is not acting in revenge alone.
These initiatives appear to have a variety of goals in mind. This hostility has historically been fueled by competition between console platforms like Xbox and PlayStation. Many PlayStation fans have expressed annoyance at Starfield’s exclusivity to PC and Xbox. Some assert that it’s “payback time” for unfavorable remarks made in the past about PlayStation-exclusive games.
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Unfortunately, even in games from years past, we can now state that such stupid campaigns are no longer unusual. The actions taken to thwart new releases, including Diablo 4, Final Fantasy 16, and even Skullgirls, War Thunder, and Horizon Forbidden West, have established a risky pattern. They undermine user reviews’ legitimacy, which is important to many prospective customers. It’s a pernicious type of online review that obscures the real criticism and the strengths or shortcomings of the game.
This is not to suggest that review bombing is never justified since, in all honesty, some games do deserve criticism. Overwatch 2 and Redfall come to mind as two instances. However, these frequently cause more harm than help.
Despite worries that the review would bomb, it’s important to emphasize the game’s potential significance. The long-term build-up and anticipation have caused Starfield to trend on websites like Steam, suggesting that it may become a big hit. The discussions should ideally center on the game’s vast universe, challenging gameplay mechanics, or the depth of the story it provides, as well as all the fan-made items, such as the custom-themed PC, the compendium, and a thorough but speculative skill tree, which were inspired by the game.
It is more important than ever to distinguish between legitimate criticism and retaliatory retribution. The gaming community must unite to combat such disruptive activities, giving constructive criticism the priority over destructive trolling, even though the affected sites, like Metacritic, have been largely inactive in tackling this issue.
One can only hope that Starfield’s gameplay, story, and innovations will outweigh the impending review bomb as it approaches release. It serves as a sobering reminder that there will always be dark corners in the wide world of video games. However, the splendor of true starry experiences can, and ought to, surpass them.