From Starfield to Oblivion, I think Bethesda Game Studios' sandboxes feel more alive than technically superior efforts from other developers. I also believe the studio has smartly distanced each of its properties from the rest – even if the underlying bones are the same. It's why I find some criticisms of Starfield's creative vision odd.
In a post-Mass Effect world, it's hard to bring up the prospect of a new RPG set in outer space without veterans automatically assuming it'll be full of colorful planets, aliens we want to smooch, and traditional space opera elements. Of course, you don't need all of those elements to create a space opera, but it's where most minds wander after decades of pop culture influence. Bethesda, meanwhile, never shied away from the fact it was creating a "very realistic" and "NASA-punk" universe.
