We’re all aware of the FPS debate that Starfield ignited after Todd Howard confirmed that Bethesda has locked the FPS of the game on the Xbox Series S and X. Even so, leaving a negative review on the game this early on is a whole different level of dissatisfaction.
Yet, while the game isn’t set to launch until September with early previews and reviews scheduled at least a week before, a user managed to do what’s technically impossible.
Somehow, someway, a space pirate burgled their way into Metacritic to steal everyone’s attention and drop a 0/10 review of what they’re describing as another “Bethesda disasterpiece.”
It's great that the community found a way to review #Starfield 84ย days ahead of its release on @metacritic!
This is remarkable!
Link:https://t.co/aNgnUVVy5E pic.twitter.com/LLVBxDLTVU
— ๐๐ฉ๐ฏ๐ฌ๐ซ๐ก ๐๐๐ช๐ฆ๐ซ๐ค (@ElrondGaming) June 14, 2023
Starfield is one of the most eagerly awaited video games of the year if not the current gaming generation. After the Xbox Games Showcase and Starfield Direct, during which new information and gameplay footage were unveiled, the ambitious, open-world, sci-fi adventure quickly ascended Steam’s sales charts. The positive response was a welcome surprise when you consider the somewhat lukewarm reception to Redfall earlier this year.
However, despite this growing anticipation, Starfield encountered unexpected turbulence when Joppsta360 submitted a negative review of the game on Metacritic.
The review, rife with memes and sarcastic commentary, chastised Bethesda for their noted issues with game performance and took swipes at Executive Producer, Todd Howard. What makes this review interesting and controversial is its timing – it was posted 85 days before the scheduled release of Starfield.
Despite Metacritic’s policy that prevents the submission of reviews before a game’s official release, Joppsta360’s critique slipped through the cracks. It’s been subsequently removed, but not before igniting a flurry of discussions across various online platforms. And while the review no longer appears on the site, Metacritic’s user score distribution chart still denotes one negative review.
This incident underscores a larger issue – the constant abuse of user review platforms. Joppsta360’s review, when coupled with a history of similar negative feedback for other games like Horizon Forbidden West, Returnal, and even Diablo 4, raises questions about the review process’s integrity and how platforms such as Metacritic might improve to prevent misuse.
Starfield is among the latest games targeted for early negative reviews, often termed “review bombing”. This phenomenon typically sees a surge of negative reviews often driven more by personal grievances, bias, or trolling than actual gameplay experience. It’s a worrying trend that can harm a game’s reputation even before its release, tarnishing the user review system’s original intent – providing objective feedback and information to potential players.
Not to mention, it’s well-known that certain companies, like PlayStation Studios, “require” their development teams to meet certain minimum scores for their projects.
Despite the controversies surrounding Starfield, it’s just as teeming with positive discourse and conversations about how it could impact gaming as a whole. The extensive look at the game turned many skeptics into believers, generating a wave of enthusiasm that seems to overshadow the negativity borne out of one premature review.
Of course, the final verdict on Starfield will rest upon its launch and how it lives up to its promises. The hope is that this peculiar incident serves as a reminder for platforms like Metacritic to implement more robust verification systems to curb review bombing and improve the overall user review landscape.
For Bethesda and Starfield, the anticipation continues to build. The stakes are high, but if Starfield can deliver on its grand ambitions, it’s likely that the memory of one premature review will be lost among the stars.
