Much like yourself I really enjoyed Starfield in spite of its shortcomings. Keeping track of what ammo fits what gun is a chore, the 'magic minigame' is just pointless and the ability to be Captain Reynolds (having a crew of 9) is locked behind hundreds of hours of gameplay.

What Starfield does well though is roleplaying. Too few games these days allow you to just make up your own story as you go along. The game is at its best ignoring the plot and acting out your fantasies of being a scientist, pirate, smuggler, bounty hunter, space cop, farmer or any combination thereof. The Crimson Fleet missions were brilliant!

I'd be interested to know what you think of the NG+ scenario? I've found that it kind of ruins the game. Becoming an Ace Rimmer space wizard requires ignoring everything that makes the game fun.