We listed the five reasons why Fallout 4 is better than Starfield. The latest space opera from Bethesda disappoints where its predecessor triumphs.
Even the most faithful fans of Starfield and Bethesda’s games would easily point out its glaring issues. While the best Starfield mods are great for polishing the game a bit, the space RPG still feels outdated at times. When that happens, we can’t help but think how Fallout 4, Starfield’s predecessor, excelled at many things despite the mixed reviews.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at the things Fallout 4 outshines Starfield. From better environmental storytelling to a sprawling open world, here are five reasons why Fallout 4 is better than Starfield.
5. Wide as an Ocean, Deep as a Puddle
This overused description of many open-world games perfectly describes Starfield. It also explains why Fallout 4 is better than Starfield. That’s because while Starfield offers a vast open space with a thousand planets to explore, they are actually reskinned versions of each other.
The reason behind that lies in Starfield’s flawed sense of exploration. The game pulls a few points-of-interests from its POI pool and changes their colours and layout. It then simply places on every planet and expects you to stay in awe while visiting its repetitive planets. When that happens, we feel like it’s time to move on to the best games like Starfield, for a more genuine sense of exploration.
4. Bethesda Wasted Starfield’s Potential
Bethesda promised to deliver a brand-new game that would offer an incredible sense of exploration. They also stated that the feeling of discovering the “Unknown” would be the foundation and the story of Starfield.
Unfortunately, Starfield is nowhere close to that concept. Due to its repetitive gameplay, dull points-of-interests, and poor enemy variety, the game often feels generic. It’s clear that they aimed for the stars and ended up on skyscrapers.
They could have done so much by simply reducing the number of planets while offering much more condensed yet fulfilling explorable playspaces in Starfield.
3. Starfield’s NPCs Are Shallow
The NPCs in Starfield showcase another reason why Fallout 4 is better than Starfield. Even the dullest NPCs in Fallout 4 were more memorable. While Bethesda did incorporate impressive writing into Starfield’s narrative, some of the NPCs feel like they are just there to navigate the player in a certain direction, except the Adoring Fan, of course.
Although Fallout 4 was never a perfect RPG, the characters in its world were very notable. From River to Nick Valentine, Conrad Kellogg to Strong, the NPCs of Fallout 4 feel like we are part of their world, not the other way around.
2. The Lack of VATS System Shouldn’t Have Been This Obvious
The VATS mechanic has been a core element in the Fallout franchise. The mechanic added so much to the world of Fallout while also fitting with the lore. So, it’s completely normal for Starfield to lack this feature.
But as a space game that came out in 2023, Starfield’s combat must have been much better than its current state. In other words, the lack of the VATS system shouldn’t be this obvious. Although the weapon variety in Starfield is quite satisfying, the enemy AI and the lacklustre special powers had us looking for the button to activate VATS.
1. Exploration Is Non-Existent in Starfield
This is one of the most compelling reasons why Fallout 4 is better than Starfield. The exploration in Bethesda’s latest game feels disappointingly limited compared to its predecessor. Unlike the diverse landscapes of Fallout 4, Starfield’s universe feels constrained and lacks the same sense of discovery.
This is actually quite interesting when you think about the settings of these games. Since Fallout 4 takes place in a post-nuclear setting, the locations and landmarks should be much less interesting when compared to the ones in a vast space game. However, in Starfield, we often find ourselves navigating through repetitive environments with few opportunities for a true sense of exploration. We can’t even enter the inaccessible Watchdog ship, right?
Final Thoughts
There are many reasons why Fallout 4 is better than Starfield. The latest single-player entry in the Fallout series thrives in delivering a detailed open world ripe for exploration. Of course, it also had its shortcomings as an RPG game.
Although Starfield also has its stellar moments, it’s a space game that doesn’t offer spacefaring, after all. That’s why it’s difficult not to be disappointed in it. Although it has the magic of every Bethesda title, we just wish they had aimed for fewer planets but more meaning. If you also think that Fallout 4 is better than Starfield, have a look at some other futuristic games.
Author Profile
- My journey into the world of video games began at four, when I was first introduced to arcade machines in 1996. Over the past decades, I've been fortunate enough to witness the incredible evolution of gaming, as it has grown from a niche hobby to a thriving art. Today, I'm dedicated to creating content that celebrates all genres of games. We will talk about them at Player.me.