No Man’s Sky - PlayStation 4

Summary: Few games have the honor of being as highly anticipated as No Man’s Sky. What was promised was nothing short of revolutionary. The scope of the game was almost unfathomable. The sheer amount of freedom and discovery gamers looked forward to with this release is nothing short of the uncontrollable excitement a child experiences the night before Christmas. Does it deliver on all the promises? Yes and no is the best answer to that question. Graphics: The visuals are delightful and mostly on par with what you would expect from this title, technically speaking. I felt that detail could be a little higher when being very close to things such as plants and terrain. The art style is fairly unique and the palette fits well. Most colors are slightly ‘washed’, or have a pastel feel to them, adding to the unique sci-fi feel. There is a familiarity in some plants and creatures from planet to planet, but that is to be expected to some extent when considering the scope of the game. Sound: The sound effects work well and are thought out. The technology sounds are appropriate and add to the ambience. The dynamic creature noises are interesting and even amusing at times. There’s not a lot of background noises, but what is there increases the realism. The sound track is nothing less than stellar and an absolute pleasure to experience in the game. I thought it would have been neat on the PS4 to have the system feedback announcements come through the controller speaker. Gameplay: This is where gamers choose sides. I’ve seen a lot of negative feedback on the game, both from gameplay and technical issues. In a time when MOBAs and high action shooters seem to reign supreme, I was looking forward to a slower-pace exploration game. The gameplay can get monotonous for some due to the constant necessity to mine materials to charge your life support and other critical tools and systems. You fly to a new planet, start scavenging materials, possibly find monoliths and other cool discoveries that increase your knowledge of certain alien races, go to another planet and repeat. A player can take extra time to interact with the alien species, trade, and upgrade their equipment, which I find satisfying. I enjoy taking my time experiencing the different planet’s characteristics, making discoveries, often renaming them, and then uploading them from the world to see. As for the technical issues, the game has crashed twice on my PS4 (which I’d not yet experienced a crash on my PS4 yet), and I’ve experience no issues on my PC. The framerate stutters a bit as the game is loading but after a few minutes the framerate seems solid and smooth. Final Thoughts: I think the game is a huge success and I love playing it. I love how small it makes you feel when accessing the galaxy map and how I can take as much time as I want exploring as long as I keep my critical equipment charged. I love discovering upgrades for my multi tool and finding really strange creatures. I also love not being forced into explosive combat situations all the time. Not everyone will love the game as I can see how some would find it tedious and monotonous, but I, for one, am very pro-No Man’s Sky. I love it and keep an eye out – you just might find one of the many planets I’ve discovered!

I had followed NMS since it was announced, and yes, there's some things to be disappointed in that were being promoted... But, in my nearly 13 hours so far (and I haven't even left the starting planet due to getting sucked into FUN exploration,) the bulk of what the experience was to be is there. While some of the negativity is due in part to HelloGames, there's other blame to be passed around; the websites that continued to hype this game, posting multiple articles per day and whipping the masses into a frenzy for its arrival, and gamers themselves... People who had never played or enjoyed similar games who believed that it would magically change their minds. And, falling somewhat into that latter category, I didn't foolheartedly pre-order or make myself a Day One purchaser. I waited on reviews... Which actually proved to me that the things I cared about being in NMS were in the game. While it's no savior of the crafting/ exploration genre, it is, in my opinion, a game with a broader appeal than say even Minecraft, which I tried to enjoy, but couldn't. NMS is all about exploration and crafting in a broad, beautiful (if not utterly interesting-looking,) universe filled with various planets and intriguing creatures. To keep you in check on a planet, "Sentinels" monitor the surroundings- if you attempt to stripmine a planet, they will become aggressive. One of the most interesting features is the ability to name just about any and everything you come across, from the creatures to mineral deposits to plant life. It adds a certain "making the game mine" element that seems simple, but can become an addictive aside all on its own. Perhaps most impressively is that after the initial load of the game, at least while traversing a planet (and my understanding is it's true even once you launch into space and land elsewhere,) there's no loading times... And all at a minuscule 5GB on the HDD. Impressive. If you were scared off of NMS due to the negativity, the recent price drop is worth it if you enjoy the genre. If you don't enjoy the genre, like myself, even the price reduction may not make it worthwhile, but as someone in that group, it's very possible you may enjoy it. The only real negative I can pin on NMS is the fact it doesn't offer much in the way of teaching... It's best played with a phone or tablet nearby, because you'll inevitably come across questions you'll need some help with.

I am one of the people that had been waiting over a year for No Man's Sky to drop. I watched trailers, interviews, anything I could get my hands on. I was afraid to let my hopes get too high, but there was no stopping them. I had pre-ordered it, and on release day I left work immediately for Best Buy, got home, and started playing. At first it was everything I wanted. More than open world, open UNIVERSE. I had to craft and build things in order to survive, and the more I played the more I could craft and create. It was a grind, like all games, but it was fun because I felt like I could go anywhere. I explored system after system, planet after planet, seeing new creatures and naming them after people I knew, or funny tv references, or (at one point) ice cream flavors. But after I had gotten a nice ship and put lots of nice equipment on it, leveled up my exo-suit to the point I couldn't afford it anymore... I realized I didn't know what else to do. The story line takes a lot of looking for, and really isn't much other than an indicator of where to go next, on your journey to the center of the universe. But why keep going when I had everything I needed? All I had to do was warp jump, warp jump, warp jump, etc. and I would be at the end. And that seemed boring. So I tried to keep exploring, but it had grown tired. There was nothing I needed. Sure, I could look for expensive ores, like gold or silver, but to what end? I didn't need to buy anything else. There was nothing I wanted to build that I hadn't built already. This being said, I had put in at least 15 hours by this point. And there are certainly games that have entertained me for less. But once I saw that the skeptics of the game were right, and that I had nothing else in the game motivating me to continue, I traded it in while the value was still high. I'm still giving it three stars because for the 2 weeks I played it, I had a lot of fun, showed it to guests who came over, and just really enjoyed the simplicity of traveling all over new planets and discovering things for the first time. And if that's your thing, buy it. But if you want more of a story, RPG, plot, challenge, etc. game, then you probably want to keep looking.

Leading up to the game, i only watched the trailers and interviews. I did not want a user review on the game because that can create an image in my mind already before the game is even released. I just wanted to take the info the devs gave me, and enjoy the product i purchased. Unfortunately, the game i purchased, was not the game i was promised. Completely anyway. I could hop in my ship, and explore endless planets and discover new wildlife while learning a new alien language all at the same time. I could dig for resources, and put them to use building myself new equipment. I could trade my excess loot to the traders i met along my journey and purchase any items I had not seen yet. So all that was next, was for me to use all of that in what i thought would be a big part off the game, joining a faction. I wanted to team up with the Vykeen and wage war on other factions, eventually meet my friend, and then continue our quest together to reach the center of the universe. Then, thats when it all came crumbling down. All i could do was be nice to members of a faction, and gain some measly rep boost that does nothing for me. I couldn't meet my friend because there was no real tool in the game to do so. I couldn't join a fleet an have a massive battle and wage war on other factions or maybe even other players. That all disappointed me. Instead of being the game i was promised, i got a survival sim. That created a really solid foundation! The game is fun for a bit and I can see a bright future for the game if it just expands on what it should have been at launch. Unfortunately, even at that rate the game CAN and WILL get boring after three to four hours of play. Overall it was not what i was promised for $60 and a LONG 2 year wait. I haven't touched the game since about a week after launch. Do I want a refund? No. The game will be further improved through patches and hotfixes. However in the games current condition and ESPECIALLY for its price I would NOT recommend it to anyone. Now, if the game drops price to about $30, and improves on its already solid foundation, it will be an excellent game. Thanks if you read this whole thing! :P

When this game was announced years ago the trailers made it look so fantastic. With the promise of infinite planets and pure freedom gamers were excited. They teased it for years, but all in all it doesn't live up to the hype. The first 5 hours I spent with this game were actually pretty interesting. I marveled at the planet I spawned on, and repaired my ship (the tutorial revolves around fixing issues with the ship before taking off to explore the galaxy) which was actually a pretty fun time. I noticed that the inventory system was slow, and not very intuitive. They use a dumbed down version of Destiny's UI with slower cursor speed and an even more frustrating speed of selection. After 45 minutes and walking for what seemed like miles, and dying twice from a sentinel (The shooting controls are dreadful) I had finally repaired my ship. I lifted off my first planet, and wow that's the coolest part of the game. The transition between planet, atmosphere, and then space is something to behold. Little did I know the "wow" of the game ended there. All it would turn into was a poor survival game with an unsatisfactory trudge to the center of the galaxy. It wasn't challenging, it wasn't that interesting, and most of all it wasn't that fun. The idea of this game being 18 quadrillion planets is cool, don't get me wrong, but nothing feels like it has any real sense or purpose. It all feels like a giant algorithm. Nothing feels tailor made, nothing feels worthwhile, and it all just feels too random. You can name planets and animals, but when is anybody going to actually find the planets you name? It all seems pointless. All in all, to end on a positive note. If you enjoy games where you can just chill and explore, this is for you. But if you want a game that has deep combat, an interesting story, or any real mechanics beyond collecting/crafting this isn't for you. All in all it's a game that is at odds with itself. It has a grand vision, but it feels very limited in scope when it comes to gameplay elements. I would wait for the price to come down to around $20, otherwise take a pass on this one....

the vagueness of the game and interviews led people to believe things and become disappointed. Thanks to GC and coupons I only paid $25. To so some even that would be too much. It is a SINGLE PLAYER GAME!!!!!!! You explore, mine, kill bad animals, feed friendly animals to find minerals, kill ai ships and sentinels. You can name markers, planets and galaxies. That is where the :multiplayer" comes in. other ps4 players can see you discovered and named things, that is all. If you didn't read online, you can be fully upgraded in Suit(48 slots), Ship(48 slots) and Multi-toll(24 slots) on the starting planet with about 30hrs put in. I did that without even reading about it. Te POINT of the game is reaching the center of the galaxy. If you're a Trophy hunter this game is Platinum easy. I'm not and this is my only platinum game. Recommending to friends is rough. For those I know like a good SP game, I still told em find it used or even wait for a sale. With the release so close to Madden and Deus Ex, It's just not worth it unless you have nothing else to do. The game is so uninformative, you don't get jack inside either.

No Man's Sky lives up to the promise of discovering new worlds in a procedurally generated universe that is massive beyond belief. No Man's Sky is technically a multiplayer game, where real players can run into each other, but the odds of it happening are astronomical. What can happen is that you will run into unique and rare places like black holes that have already been discovered by other players, but more often than not you will be the first person there. The play style is a lot like Minecraft in space, without the ability to build anything except updates to your exo-suit, multi-tool and starship. That in itself provides endless hours of play discovering all kinds of insane looking space critters, plants and minerals. The closer you get to the center of the galaxy the more extreme the planet environments become, making it so a mountain's shadow creeping across the landscape can freeze you to death, or on a planet close to a star where sunrise will kill you. Combat is awkward like the clunkiest of FPS games without any of the bells and whistles, but where the game excels is in exploration. The RPG aspect of the game, with primarily three intelligent alien factions that you encounter, is solidly done. However the entire game feels like it is the foundation for an immersive RPG world that was never made, where you can build cities and develop galactic empires with other players. If you want Civilization in space with an endless procedurally generated universe to discover in the first person, where you can build enormous death stars requiring hundreds of real live players to operate, or where you can terraform planets and establish trade routes while building space stations for trade, etc. then the game you want is Duel Universe..

Overall, despite it's shortcomings, I like the game. Many people are complaining about the lack of "multiplayer", as something that was promised, but this game was never marketed as a multiplayer game, so even though it's a bit disappointing, I never really expected to play this game "with" other people. Exploring planets can be enjoyable if you like the premise of what this game really is: a discovery game. Not all discoveries are amazing, many times you will find very similar creatures and planets and it can get repetitive. That is also what makes finding something new a bit more enjoyable. A good chuck of your time will be spent mining resources in order to keep your ship and suit systems fueled, and for money to upgrade. For me, this game is something I can play to relax without having to put much thought/effort into what I'm doing. Nothing is particularly challenging (with what I've been doing) so you can go about at a rather relaxed pace. Where I find the most fault in the game is the UX. The UI seems designed around motion controls and therefore doesn't translate the best onto controller (probably worse for mouse/kb) and things like crafting and upgrading your suit/ship/tool are a chore and not intuitive. Buying a new ship is weird, and since you don't "sell" your old ship it would make more sense if they worded it as a trade + or - cash so that it doesn't feel like you're buying a ship for, say 1million, and just losing the value of the ship you already had. Hopefully the developers will be adding updates continuously to the game through player feedback, because the game has promise, it just needs to iron out some kinks and missing features that would make quality of life better