No Man's Sky - Early Impressions/Reviews-in-progress Thread

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PodcastFips

Member
Mod abuse: due to the nature of the release copies/patch situation, and how the discussion on this early review veered into talk about other related topics for much of its 30+ pages, a new review thread will be started once sites begin sharing their official scored reviews. Feel free here to discuss the in-progress articles, diaries, and journals from sites until then

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Time until embargo lifts:
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+++Text reviews+++

Metro.co.uk (IN PROGRESS)

In terms of scale No Man’s Sky is exactly what we hoped for, and in terms of its action it’s actually better than we expected. How well the structure and longevity of the game holds together will take us several days to find out, but we honestly can’t wait to get back to it and discover even more.
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God Is A Geek (IN PROGRESS)

But this is what I wanted. I wanted a universe I could explore at my own pace. I wanted something that let me grow and understand with it. My biggest concern right now is that of longevity. So much of it requires self motivation that if the planets don’t stay fresh, and the tasks become overly mundane, people (myself potentially included) won’t ever see the centre of this incredible, enormous universe. Right now, though, No Man’s Sky is everything I wanted it to be, but only time will tell if it can sustain that feeling.
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PushSquare (IN PROGRESS)

No Man's Sky is a strange and beautiful beast, then – the kind of game that can be played for multiple hours without really showing its hand. In an age where more structured campaigns are frowned upon, perhaps it will capture the imagination of those who don't want to be told what to do. As we write these words, though, we can't help but wonder whether we're the only ones utterly bemused by Hello Games' opus right now.
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TheSixthAxis (IN PROGRESS)

Six or seven hours in, and No Man’s Sky is really starting to hit its stride. I’ve largely stopped renaming planets and animals once I ran out of imaginative nonsense and Farscape characters, but I’ve got to grips with what to do when I enter a new system, found planets with giant boulders of gold and other valuable elements to scoop up with my laser and sell at trading posts, and that’s let me buy better multi-tools and a new (and awesome looking) ship. I even got into my first few space battles, only to discover that I was biting off more than I could chew.
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Trusted Reviews (IN PROGRESS)

The setup of walk-mine-manage inventory-repeat should be utterly tedious, but during my first four hours I was captivated. The level of complexity offered by the game’s lore, its systems and mechanics, plus the simplicity of gameplay allows me to proceed and discover unimpeded.
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The Verge (IN PROGRESS)

No Man’s Sky is an almost impossibly huge game, an entire virtual universe filled with 18 quintillion planets, each one different from the next thanks to the powers of procedural generation. Instead of a typical review, for the next week I’m going to be writing daily dispatches from No Man’s Sky, giving a firsthand account at what the experience is like, and what you can expect if you choose to dive in.
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US Gamer (IN PROGRESS)

It's driven by a propulsive desire to see what's just over the horizon, instinctively pushing you to look to nearby planets and wonder what exactly you might find. Gold? Plutonium? A wild Parish? I have no idea what I'll find as I ply the stars and make my way toward the fabled core, but I'm keen to find out.
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Destructoid (IN PROGRESS)

So that's my main complaint so far -- the gamey details. As an "experience," No Man's Sky excels, and should delight people who are already predisposed to sci-fi sims. As Hello Games has noted time and time again No Man's Sky is not a multiplayer game. There are little "discussion" points to be sure, as well as some leaderboard-style conventions with the ability to name galaxies and points of interest, but nothing massive. This, for the most part, is an isolated adventure. And "isolated" essentially describes my state of being while I work on a full verdict for a review later this week.
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GameSpot (IN PROGRESS)

I will never see everything there is to see in No Man's Sky. It's the promise of unforeseen discoveries that I must continue to investigate, along with the value of prolonged virtual isolation. Is it worth my time to journey into the unknown for hours in search of treasure that may or may not exist? Would I be happier merely sailing among the stars, rather than toiling away on radioactive planets in search of minerals and generous aliens? I will be chronicling my journey through No Man's Sky leading up to the full review, so check back with GameSpot every day until then as I plot my course to the center of the galaxy.
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+++Video reviews+++

Jim Sterling (impressions)

DreamcastGuy (YouTube) - 8/10

____________________________________________


Important: Below reviews DO NOT include the day 1 update.

Pure PlayStation - 8/10

No Man's Sky aims to capture your imagination ad throw you into an adventure like no game has ever done before. It succeeds in creating a scarily vast universe in which you, the player, feel so tiny and insignificant. The thought that you'll never see another human is equally depressing as it is awesome. You know there's others out there, but the most interaction you'll ever have is landing on a planet called 'Your Mum'.

It's a drag at times, especially once you dedicate yourself to getting to the center and seeing what all the fuss is about, but it's not really the end goal that matters, it's the journey. If you're a fan of exploration games, go for it.
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Yes, I know there’s a day-one patch on the way. What I care about is reviewing what people will have straight out of the box on the day they get their copy, the game that was handed over the counter to them when they parted with their cash in good faith. If the update drastically changes the experience of the game, so much so that’s it’s unrecognisable from what’s originally on the disc, then there’s something fundamentally wrong with the way games are being made; I wouldn’t pay for Chocolate Rice Crispies, receive plain Rice Crispies and then be told to wait while Kelloggs gets the chocolate flavouring together. Silly analogy, but it’s the same principle.
Click to expand...

I will try to keep this updated.
 
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purseowner

Member
Isn't reviewing this a little premature, and is it really right for reviews to go up of what has been emphasised as not the full day one experience?

Edit: That Pure PlayStation review actually acknowledges that issue quite eloquently, but I still disagree.
 
5

5taquitos

Member
Why would I read a review now when it's a known fact that a major patch is coming tomorrow?

Not giving them the clicks.
 
H

Hoo-doo

Banned
Every review out now or tomorrow is going to be a review of a unfinished prerelease version of the game. Don't even bother.
 
B

bananafactory

Banned
There won't be reviews for like a week, review copies aren't going out until Tuesday.

I would recommend waiting until there's more than one outlet that's called PURE PLAYSTATION
 
F

fastford58

Member
purseowner said:
Isn't reviewing this a little premature, and is it really right for reviews to go up of what has been emphasised as not the full day one experience?
Click to expand...

I have questioned if this game is even reviewable in the standard fashion. I mean, you could review core mechanics and stuff, but can you say anything definitively about the experience? I imagine it will be different for everyone.

I expect very polarizing reviews for this game.
 
K

KINGofCRA5H

Member
Can't really trust early reviews imo. This game is probably going to take more than just a few hours to really craft a proper review.
 
H

Hoje0308

Banned
This will become a collection of reviews for a game that is significantly different from what most of us will be playing this week.
 
I

Ikuu

Had his dog run over by Blizzard's CEO
Game GAF doesn't hype, the version they get is the one they should review.
Game GAF does hype, got to wait for the 1 day patch before reviewing it!
 
D

danowat

Banned
And there in lies that question again, should it be reviewed as what is on the disc, or should the review reflect the patch.....

The narrative shifts to suit the product as usual.....
 
P

piratepwnsninja

Member
fastford58 said:
I have questioned if this game is even reviewable in the standard fashion. I mean, you could review core mechanics and stuff, but can you say anything definitively about the experience? I imagine it will be different for everyone.

I expect very polarizing reviews for this game.
Click to expand...

The patch changes the core balancing, though.
 
K

Kyoufu

Member
Ikuu said:
Game GAF doesn't hype, the version they get is the one they should review.
Game GAF does hype, got to wait for the 1 day patch before reviewing it!
Click to expand...

They didn't get a review version so I don't really get your post.
 
C

ClarkZuckerberg

Neo Member
I'm sorry GAF but if the game had MAJOR gameplay/core mechanical problems, it wouldn't be completely and entirely fixed with a Day 1 patch that took a month to make. Improved? Sure. So just take that into consideration.
 
C

cleveridea

Member
Expecting a Seinfeld style set of reviews complaining the game is about nothing, yet scoring the game lower than Elite Dangerous/Horizons

I am there day one, most anticipated game of the year for me. Also never seeing another player in the entire game would actually be a positive in my eyes, since presumably people will use ridiculous names for things they discover.
 
R

RK9039

Member
I really need a space game so hopefully this is pretty good. The patch notes say the ship combat has been improved.
 
I

Icyflamez96

Member
The reviewer addressed the patch.


Yes, I know there’s a day-one patch on the way. What I care about is reviewing what people will have straight out of the box on the day they get their copy, the game that was handed over the counter to them when they parted with their cash in good faith. If the update drastically changes the experience of the game, so much so that’s it’s unrecognisable from what’s originally on the disc, then there’s something fundamentally wrong with the way games are being made; I wouldn’t pay for Chocolate Rice Crispies, receive plain Rice Crispies and then be told to wait while Kelloggs gets the chocolate flavouring together. Silly analogy, but it’s the same principle.
Click to expand...

Well the experience people who are buying the game day 1 will get is different, so... Not really the most consumer friendly move. Though I understand his frustration he probably had with that.
 
H

hydruxo

Member
As far as I'm concerned any reviews that come out before the day 1 patch are irrelevant

Edit: okay the reviewers response is understandable but I still think he should have waited
 
JetBlackPanda

JetBlackPanda

Member
R dott B said:
I expect a lot of 8/10's and some 7/10's tbh.
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Well Destiny reviewed 6/10 at launch. I don't trust review sites at all and just look for the GAF consensus from posters I trust.

Edit: he is comparing a day 1 patch to magic Rice Krispies that change flavor? Holy shit.

I bet he reviewed Witcher 3 with the day 1 patch.
 
Aenima

Aenima

Member
Ikuu said:
Game GAF doesn't hype, the version they get is the one they should review.
Game GAF does hype, got to wait for the 1 day patch before reviewing it!
Click to expand...

Review versions have not been sent to anyone yet because the patch is not up yet.
 
G

ghst

thanks for the laugh
GAF unironically shitting on reviewers for a reviewing a game in time for its release.

if the version they've been sent is unfinished, that's on the developer.
 
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