Whether it’s the final frontier or a galaxy far, far away, space has been a mainstay in pop culture for a very long time. Our fascination with what’s beyond our skies has led to some of the most memorable moments in entertainment, from the ominous sound of an ever-advancing alien attack in 1978’s Space Invaders or 2001: A Space Odyssey’s psychedelic stargate sequence, to when Spock makes the ultimate sacrifice in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, because “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.”
With Starfield opening up a universe of new possibilities, we wanted to celebrate the very best in sci-fi: the space games, TV shows, and movies that captured our hearts and our imaginations, and how the past has influenced the future.
Today, on the eve of Starfield’s launch – perhaps the most ambitious space game ever made – we look at why there aren’t more games in the space RPG genre when the traditional fantasy role-playing scene continues to grow. We also invite you to vote for the best space game of all time and will reveal your winners later in the week.
Our fascination with what’s beyond our skies has led to some of the most memorable moments in entertainment, from 1978’s Space Invaders to 2001: A Space Odyssey’s psychedelic stargate sequence
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Of course, Starfield isn’t just the latest in the long line of sci-fi blockbusters, and it likely wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for the games that have continued to push boundaries for the last four decades. These include role-playing games from Bethesda itself, which have defined the genre since Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind was released over 20 years ago and we’ll be taking a look at the studio’s history.
We’ll also be rounding up the best sci-fi movies of all time and telling you where you can watch the best sci-fi TV right now, plus of course, going into greater detail about Starfield as we continue our journey alongside you.
We’ll have new content every day this week and below is just a snapshot of what to expect. So buckle up, because the next few days are going to be a blast. And if you fancy checking seeing how the Dreamcast ended SEGA's hardware reign, or how the PlayStation changed everything, check out IGN's 90s Week!
