No Man's Sky

I originally wrote this as a comment on Alex Navarro's review, but it ended up being really long and I think it might hold some value to any prospective purchasers.

Honestly, there are too many flaws in the game, and there isn't enough to do. Certainly not $60USD of things to do. And it really feels like Hello Games tried to pull a fast one on us with their messaging around the release. But as Alex said in his review, there's something else here which is incredibly compelling. It nails the atmosphere of space. It's fun to fly around in, and I've really enjoyed the ShipFeel during space flight (the planetary flight doesn't feel quite so good - not good at all, actually - but it's still nice to cruise over a landscape and take in the sights as you decide where to land).

I don't think, though, that the secret ingredient is enjoyable space flight. At risk of plagiarising some children's book, I actually think the secret ingredient is your own imagination. I can't tell you if No Man's Sky is a great video game (I'm leaning towards no), but it's an amazing place to roleplay in. I'm not saying you need to go to LARP levels of depth here. I'm not saying you need to be an avid roleplayer to enjoy this game. I didn't do up a character sheet for my player character, and I didn't hit up DeviantArt to commission fanart of my player character. But there have been so many moments playing this game where I got that familiar feeling of butterflies in my stomach - complete immersion - I felt like I was in a dinky little ship, alone in the galaxy. I enjoyed having a drink (or a jazz cigarette) as I played, and as I did, I imagined myself doing so in my cockpit, as my ship gently rotated while an asteroid belt passed me by. Wouldn't that be nice? Maybe I'm just a sucker for that classic space feel: floating around, completely alone in my trusty starship, free to spend my time however I want. In this sense I disagree with Jeff's take on the game - for me, this is the opposite of a podcast game. This is a game I want to get lost in. Fortunately, every time I boot it up, that's exactly what happens.

The total lack of loading screens (beyond the first) did wonders for my immersion. When you decide you want to visit a planet, you aim your ship at it, engage thrusters, and burn your way through the atmosphere. When you want to leave a planet, you do the same in reverse. I'm not sure if this is a novelty that will wear off, but perhaps more than anything, this connected me to the universe in a powerful way, and helped me forget I was playing a video game. Watching videos will make you think that the game has severe draw distance issues, and it does, but when you're actually playing, the popping in and out of terrain is much less noticeable than when you're watching it on YouTube.

I could rattle on for hours about what the game is missing, or what it should have had, but the rest of the internet has done that for me. But what the game does well, I really enjoy. So far I've had fun cataloguing the flora and fauna I discover as I make my journey through the universe. Which is lucky, because there's not many other tangible goals to complete in the game. I genuinely enjoy the exploration, and like Alex, I'm always excited to set foot on a new planet. I never know exactly what I'm going to find.

This is an exploration game. The combat, trading, NPC interactions and quests/storyline will disappoint you. But if you want to relax with a drink, fly around in a massive universe, check out some funny animals and explore beautiful landscapes, I can recommend this game. If it's on sale.