When "Starfield" was first released, I really tried to like it. I've enjoyed all of Bethesda's previous RPGs in one form or another, but as PC Gamer's review of "Starfield" shows, I found myself strangely cold, distanced from the developer's greatest virtual creation ever.

I restarted the game again and again, creating different characters and exploring different aspects of the vast array of in-game activities to see if it would stick, but each time my initial enthusiasm cooled and I soon found myself playing something else.

To be honest, there was a period a few months ago when I relegated Starfield to a huge pile of games that I had tried but would never play again... I started replaying Fallout 4 to satisfy the Bethesda It was to satisfy an itch.

Suddenly, however, Starfield received the kind of upgrade I had been waiting for. Mixed in with the recent release of the $7 DLC mission debacle was the game's new Creation Center, which utilizes Bethesda's Starfield Creation Kit (free software that allows the average gamer to create mods for the game and share them with other users)

and "Starfield Creation Kit" (free software that allows ordinary gamers to create mods for games and share them with others).

And while Starfield mods naturally existed before Bethesda launched Creations, and I myself had downloaded a few from the trusty old Nexus Mods, they were far from ideal. This was especially true because when I was playing "Starfield" at the time, I was playing on three different systems: my main gaming PC, a gaming laptop, and occasionally an Xbox Series X. Basically, this was a deal-breaker because I spent more time curating mods and making Starfield playable on each system than actually playing the game.

But Creations solves that problem immediately. This is because when you download a mod from the in-game menu in Creations, the mod is tied to your Bethesda account. This means that when you launch the game on another system and launch the crowd-save game, it will automatically refer to the Creations list, and if it is not installed on this machine, you will be able to download everything with the press of a single button.

This makes it very easy to update the mod list on multiple systems, so that when you find new creations you want to use, you don't have to use your (limited and very precious) game time to download them all over again.

Importantly, many of these Creations have made Starfield a much, much better game for me and, frankly, are the reason I'm hooked on Starfield now. The mods I'm running change Starfield in small ways, but they eliminate all the wrinkles that originally made me stop playing Starfield, and they also add new things that make the game more fun. Even better, while there are some paid creations, the majority are completely free. You can download them in seconds and integrate them into your game in minutes. Here are a few of my favorites.

The Wondrous Weightlessness [All Resources Edition] by Trainwiz is a super simple mod that makes resource items in your inventory feel weightless. Suddenly, instead of being bored to tears, constantly disturbed, and having to spend hours going back and forth between myself, my ship, and vendors for resources, I can just use those resources to actually make stuff (you know, the actual fun part) and not have to constantly worry about boredom. Thanks to this mod, I can make exciting weapons with top level parts and customize them to my liking.

More examples. Deebz's Smarter Spacesuit Auto-Hide will conceal your spacesuit while you're in an enclosed spaceship or on a safe, breathable planet, and for those who like to do some serious role-playing in RPGs, this change is very welcome. Now I won't have to order flat whites at Terra Brew while wearing full-fledged military space suits.

Then there's the "Improved Follower Behavior" mod, also by Deebz. In other words, you no longer lose track of your friends in the afterlife or fight an army while your friends dawdle six rooms away. With Sarah Morgan and others fighting by your side, the battles now feel more realistic and dramatic. There is the wonderful Avontech Shipyards by [kaos_nyrb, which is a great mod that adds tons of new ship parts from Avontech that can be used in any shipyard. These parts look great and add some advanced alien tech cool to Starfield's industrial ship parts, and the Ship Pieces Unlocked mod by SayHelloToMrBullet is another great mod that makes all ship parts visible at all times and makes shipbuilding more intuitive and straightforward. Of course, you must have the relevant perk to purchase them, but it is now much easier to plan how your ship will be upgraded.

While we're on the subject of cosmetics, let me also mention the a6 Exclusive Clothes MOD by A6addon. Suddenly, you have a lot more great outfit choices for your character and your friends. Oh, and I can't leave out a mention of zone79's Starfield Hair+Beards.

Finally, I would also like to mention Simple Dynamic Boostpacks by shadedness. This gives you more options to customize your boostpacks to your liking, and Bethesda's own Starborn Gravis Suit is not only a blast to look at, but also boasts really good defense specs. It is a mod that allows for more freedom of play right from the start of the game.

So I am really impressed with how well Creations and Bethesda have implemented this into the game. It has helped me to overcome my frustration of not being able to enjoy "Starfield" and I am enjoying the many exciting new content. Creations could be a game changer for you, as it was for me.

Of course, I think the most credit should go to the talented modders who provide content and fixes to Bethesda games completely free of charge. I tip my hat to each and every one of them, because without these modders, the Creations system would not be as good as it is today. I hope Bethesda has also learned from the Creations made for this game, especially the numerous modifications and gameplay tweaks.