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Blockbuster Starfield trailer shows off ship combat, 1,000 explorable planets

George Yang
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During the Xbox and Bethesda showcase, Bethesda dropped a new gameplay trailer for Starfield.

Introduced by Todd Howard, Starfield’s player character lands on the mysterious moon named Kreet during the year 2330. The gameplay looks to be a mix of both third-person and first-perspective. The former is used when exploring or jetpacking across large vistas similar to that of No Man’s Sky while the latter is used during the shooting sections, or speaking with NPCs.

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The Constellations are introduced as well — the last group of space explorers. The group’s headquarters are in the capital city of New Atlantis on the planet Jemison.

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There’s robust character creation with players being able to customize almost every aspect of themselves. Additionally, players can choose a background that will provide them with three specific starting skills. The Diplomat, for example, gets Persuasion, Diplomacy, and Bargaining.

Players can also choose optional traits that come with unique advantages and disadvantages. One example is called “Raised Universal” where the player can get a big discount at the church store but will lose access to another storefront called the Enlightened store.

Outposts can be created for resource generation, and players can hire people they meet throughout the game to keep them running. Players can also create outposts for resource generation.

Spaceships can be built for combat. Battles appear to be in both third person and first person, where players can lock on to other enemy ships and shoot them down.

Over 100 systems. Over 1000 planets. All open for you to explore. pic.twitter.com/MZRXQGS1BI

— Bethesda Game Studios (@BethesdaStudios) June 12, 2022

Lastly, Bethesda states that over 100 solar systems and 1,000 planets can be explored in Starfield. They range from inhabitable ones with heavy resources to goldilocks planets filled with life.

Starfield launches on PC and Xbox Series X/S in 2023.

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Xbox’s 2022 lineup feels as desolate as it did in 2017
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The Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase on June 12 was Xbox's chance to prove to the gaming world that it had an incredible lineup of titles coming. And it does, just not anytime soon.

Redfall was previously slated to release this summer, with Starfield following on November 11. This would have given Xbox a much-needed slate of exclusive games in 2022, however, they were both delayed to 2023. Now that Microsoft’s showcase is over, Xbox’s first-party portfolio in 2022 feels like it could be a repeat of the company's showing in 2017: Barren compared to its competitors.
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At the showcase, Xbox did announce As Dusk Falls' July 19 release date, confirmed that the 1.0 launch for Grounded is coming in September, and revealed Pentiment. Grounded and Pentiment both come from Obsidian Entertainment, so I’m looking forward to checking both of those games out when they release. Still, they aren’t the types of games that excite the mainstream masses hungry for blockbuster titles like Halo Infinite, God of War, or The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

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It's looking like 2023 could be an outstanding year for Xbox, even if that comes at the cost of 2022's lineup. During the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase on June 12, Microsoft only showed games it expects to launch within the next 12 months. Many of these games were from Xbox Game Studios, and with the exceptions of As Dusk Falls and Pentiment, they all are set to release in the first half of 2023. Many other Xbox Game Studios titles are confirmed and assumed to be slated for 2023, too.
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The first six months of 2023 are shaping up to be fantastic for Xbox players. During the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase, Microsoft reiterated that Redfall and Starfield are still coming in the first half of next year. It then confirmed that Forza Motorsport will launch in spring 2023 and announced first-party strategy games Minecraft Legends and Ara: History Untold for the first half of 2023. Things aren't looking too shabby on the Xbox Game Pass front either, as games like Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, Flintlock, Ark 2, Ereban: Shadow Legacy, Ravenlok, The Last Case of Benedict Fox, Cocoon, Persona 3 and 4, and more are all launching on the service on day one throughout the first half of 2023 from third-party partners. The Activision Blizzard acquisition may also be completed, so its games will also start coming to Xbox Game Pass.

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During the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase, Hideo Kojima revealed that he has teamed up with Xbox for his next game.

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