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

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Steve Youngblood said:
I've long felt that reviews threads tend to be among the worst that this site has to offer. But I don't necessarily think I'd single it out for "ambitious games." It really happens for practically any noteworthy release. Unless it's the case of a long-hyped game delivering near unanimous praise or a long troubled game arriving with near universal criticism, there's pretty much a guarantee of fireworks. And the problem -- no matter the result -- is often the same thing: people go into reviews threads not to be informed or try to understand a prevailing critical consensus, but to seek validation on their preconceived notion of the game. Often the worst participants are people who are already convinced that this is either their Game of the Year or overhyped trash prior to even playing it.

And this isn't a Good vs. Evil conflict. All of the following are problematic:

- Cherrypicking good reviews as the real voices worth listening to.
- Cherrypicking bad reviews as the real voices worth listening to.
- Discrediting good reviews because the reviewer is not trustworthy.
- Discrediting bad reviews because the reviewer is not trustworthy.

Basically, no one side's fanboys are more righteous than the other.
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Agreed.

Personally, I love the game, but I can see why it's not to everyone's tastes, and I think Sterling's review has some pretty good points in it.
 
Buburibon said:
I was afraid you were going to say that. Is it fair to say you would rate Elite Dangerous a buy? You're the one reviewer with whom I tend to agree the most these days. So, it was pretty disappointing, in an eye-opening kind of way, to see that you rated No Man's Sky a "wait for a (deep?) sale." Thank you for your input!
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Yes
 
I pre-ordered the game on Steam going by the assumption that I could use the 2 hour period to understand if the game was for me (when these exploration heavy games are something I usually adore), and if I found it wasn't engaging enough I could just refund.

However, after watching several hours of different streams yesterday and getting to have a little "coop" fun with a friend and her PS4 version today, I've come to two main conclusions. I would need more that 2 hours to progress far enough to reach a real conclusion if I was playing on my own, and secondly that the "survival" grind is just far too obnoxious that I think I would likely get frustrated at the amount of time needed to really enjoy exploration and "progression". There is also a severe lack of what I would describe as "moments" that really drive how I would "progress", explore, gain insight and fascination for the worlds and the game; something I feel I'd gain from the experience if that makes sense. That is something I think I have found in other games with lots of exploration that I love, but not NMS. Both of us felt the same way, which is disappointing after several hours now. The actual fun was more the usual banter between friends rather than the game.

I've decided to cancel my pre-order since the 2hr thing isn't really going to help, and even if the game does change things up after 10+hrs, it sadly isn't enough to draw me in, along with the crafting survival crap.
 
DeepEnigma said:
All 2 of them reviews, eh?
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And some GAF impressions! Still, I usually align with a lot of what JS says.

Shouldn't be long for more journalist reviews to be out, and I'd largely temper expectations if anyone is waiting for a slew of 9 and 10s at this point. Just IMO, seems like it will be more of a mixed bag than outright gushing of praise. Which is alright, just not £40+ alright for me.
 
This thread reminds me of Suicide Squad review threads in DC Forums. You can't force the world to like something that you like, and just because someone gets something different out of a game than you doesn't mean that their opinion doesn't count. If NMS is destined to be a cult classic, then it's going to be a cult classic. That's all there is to it.
 
randomengine said:
In terms of size - it delivered.
In terms of variety - it's there, but the game is so fucking huge we may never see it all.

If you are talking about gameplay variety, that was imagined. You can mine/collect, you can explore/discover, you can trade, you can survive, it's all there.
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randomengine said:
By gamers who clearly do not like these kinds of games. For gamers like me, who actually own the game and have played it for multiple hours, and initially wanted this exact experience of explore/discover and cataloging, surviving and resource collecting - it is an absolute blast.
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It sounds like you're suggesting any criticism is pointless, because it's just people upset that they imagined something other than the game as it is. I don't want to be too harsh here, but you aren't even entertaining the premise that the game design could have shortcomings. Not even things that could easily be tweaked through patching to improve the core dynamics.
 
Steve Youngblood said:
I've long felt that reviews threads tend to be among the worst that this site has to offer. But I don't necessarily think I'd single it out for "ambitious games." It really happens for practically any noteworthy release. Unless it's the case of a long-hyped game delivering near unanimous praise or a long troubled game arriving with near universal criticism, there's pretty much a guarantee of fireworks. And the problem -- no matter the result -- is often the same thing: people go into reviews threads not to be informed or try to understand a prevailing critical consensus, but to seek validation on their preconceived notion of the game. Often the worst participants are people who are already convinced that this is either their Game of the Year or overhyped trash prior to even playing it.

And this isn't a Good vs. Evil conflict. All of the following are problematic:

- Cherrypicking good reviews as the real voices worth listening to.
- Cherrypicking bad reviews as the real voices worth listening to.
- Discrediting good reviews because the reviewer is not trustworthy.
- Discrediting bad reviews because the reviewer is not trustworthy.

Basically, no one side's fanboys are more righteous than the other.
Click to expand...

Also, exclusives come under special scrutiny.
 
firenskill2000 said:
I will never for the life of me understand the point or reasoning of people actively rooting against the success of a game. Same shit happens with movies too. If you don't like something then that's fine, but getting all bent out of shape over something you've either never played or just plain didn't click with is just weird. Are people that miserable that it makes their day to shit on someone else's work for almost no good reason?
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Fellow Zach Snyder fan?
 
randomengine said:
By gamers who clearly do not like these kinds of games. For gamers like me, who actually own the game and have played it for multiple hours, and initially wanted this exact experience of explore/discover and cataloging, surviving and resource collecting - it is an absolute blast.
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This is pretty disingenuous. Plenty of people who "actually own the game" aren't having as much fun as you. Plenty of people who like this kind of game are disappointed by it. As it turns out, I both own this game, like this kind of game, and don't like No Man's Sky.
 
XANDER CAGE said:
This is pretty disingenuous. Plenty of people who "actually own the game" aren't having as much fun as you. Plenty of people who like this kind of game are disappointed by it. As it turns out, I both own this game, like this kind of game, and don't like No Man's Sky.
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Yup.

Review threads can be a weird ass vortex of gamesplaining and breaking down what reviews and opinions "are". That said - I haaaaaaate these types of games. And I loved NMS from hours 2-8, but since hitting that point, it's hugely waning for me. Will play a bit more, but it's really losing me.
 
I honestly fluctuate between hyped to buy and not that hyped.

I think I could find great value in this game and enjoy it, but on the other hand I could see how it could become monotonous.

If there are upgrade systems that last indefinitely, such as upgrading your ship, suit, weapon all the way through the galaxy, then I think I could continue to find value.
 
randomengine said:
By gamers who clearly do not like these kinds of games. For gamers like me, who actually own the game and have played it for multiple hours, and initially wanted this exact experience of explore/discover and cataloging, surviving and resource collecting - it is an absolute blast.
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My eyes are rolling into the back of my skull already at the first sentence. Sheesh.
 
I'm still confused why they would market this super niche title to the masses. It would be like throwing that kind of support behind Shenmue (and I fucking love me some Shenmue). The ambiguities in the initial trailers certainly didn't help things. Still excited for the PC version though, especially if modding pans out!
 
uQSPf2Q.jpg
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Special Edition arrived today, very nice box and Steelbook.

Played about an hour, getting to grips with the mechanics and I'm finding it enjoyable enough so far, I can definitely see me playing a lot of this game. Looking forward to blasting off into space and start exploring new worlds and get crafting new gadgets, weapons and ship upgrades.

I can see why some people will not like NMS but having played Space Sims like Elite and Survival / Crafting games like Don't Starve, mixing the two together works well and its pretty much what I was expecting, so I'm definitely not disappointed.
 
mike6467 said:
I'm still confused why they would market this super niche title to the masses. It would be like throwing that kind of support behind Shenmue (and I fucking love me some Shenmue). The ambiguities in the initial trailers certainly didn't help things. Still excited for the PC version though, especially if modding pans out!
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I was thinking the same. Like hyping a 2001 Space Odyssey type film to the Michael Bay crowd.

This game can be improved with patches and expansions. At least more variety in gameplay.
 
mike6467 said:
I'm still confused why they would market this super niche title to the masses. It would be like throwing that kind of support behind Shenmue (and I fucking love me some Shenmue). The ambiguities in the initial trailers certainly didn't help things. Still excited for the PC version though, especially if modding pans out!
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In all honesty I would 100 percent blame Sony for this. They latched onto the game and pushed it via aggressive advertising. Do you think Sean would have ever been on Colbert as a pure indie dev?

Sony took control of the marketing but left Hello Games alone to create it. Thus marketing got huge while he development could never keep up. Anyone that didn't fall for the hype could see that this small team could never match all the aspirations that were created for this game. It's a cool niche game that won't be for everyone but Sony essentially pushed it as a AAA mainstream game.

Read the Ars article I posted. It's a really good summary.
 
Karak said:
After 30+ hours I actually felt the gameplay grew after a bit of a pause in the center. That sad pause or slowdown might be a gulf for some.
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Can I ask how it grow or changes? I'm giving this game far more leeway than I normally would because I want it to be good but so far nothing has changed at all besides getting 2-3 inventory slots and a new ship. I'm hoping something good is around the corner which is what's pushing me forward but I'm quickly losing interest.
 
Grief.exe said:
I honestly fluctuate between hyped to buy and not that hyped.

I think I could find great value in this game and enjoy it, but on the other hand I could see how it could become monotonous.

If there are upgrade systems that last indefinitely, such as upgrading your ship, suit, weapon all the way through the galaxy, then I think I could continue to find value.
Click to expand...

Same. One minute I think it sounds really interesting and then the next I'm thinking about the gameplay loop that I've seen and just think it will be incredibly repetitive.

I guess Steam refunds are a thing now so I could always try it.
 
Ollie Pooch said:
Can I ask how it grow or changes? I'm giving this game far more leeway than I normally would because I want it to be good but so far nothing has changed at all besides getting 2-3 inventory slots and a new ship. I'm hoping something good is around the corner which is what's pushing me forward but I'm quickly losing interest.
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I don't want to get into spoiler territory, but at some point you will activate multiple Quest Lines.

It sounds like you might not be there yet.
 
Played for around five or six hours now and I'm really enjoying it. I can see why some people might consider it grindy - unacceptably so - but I'm still enjoying the novelty of exploring space.

I'm also getting the hang of mining-upgrading-trading, which is spurring me on a lot. Decent game so far I think.
 
Heavy_D206 said:
I don't want to get into spoiler territory, but at some point you will activate multiple Quest Lines.

It sounds like you might not be there yet.
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Does the gameplay actually change, though? If it's just the same hoarding / patching my leaking suit stuff, not much will change.

For now I'm still enjoying putting on some tunes and ploughing through it but damn it's kind of a joyless slog.
 
Ollie Pooch said:
Does the gameplay actually change, though? If it's just the same hoarding / patching my leaking suit stuff, not much will change.

For now I'm still enjoying putting on some tunes and ploughing through it but damn it's kind of a joyless slog.
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it doesnt really
 
Eh. Game is pretty boring and ugly as fuck. But it's interesting. I didn't hype myself up for it, but a huge waste of money nonetheless.
 
Personally I'm having a good time. About 10 hours in. Things I would like updated:

FoV slider
Double the inventory slots.
Tweak the sentinels aggression / behaviour

I get its not going to be for everyone and at £37 I feel I should have waited for £30 but as an overall experience it's hitting some good parts for me.

I think the price is going to drop sharply. This is not a mass appeal game.
 
Nocturno999 said:
I was thinking the same. Like hyping a 2001 Space Odyssey type film to the Michael Bay crowd.

This game can be improved with patches and expansions. At least more variety in gameplay.
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Oh my god! NMS is not even remotely equal to 2001, I think even the physics and science in Star Wars are more accurate than in NMS.

It's more like hyping the recent Star Trek movie as a proper Star Trek movie, while it is only a fantasy themed Fast & Furious movie.
 
JonnyKong said:
The day 3 review in progress from IGN is rather damning.


http://m.uk.ign.com/articles/2016/08/09/no-mans-sky-review
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It seems like a regular recurrence in the reviews and in a lot of the impressions. One reaches a point where the new shows itself to be regurgitated old things and the game transforms rather into grinding without motivation.

Which makes the posts that pop in the thread saying "I just got the game/I played for 5 hours and I really enjoy the exploration" quite misplaced. Either by not actually reading the reviews or by missing the point.
 
KratosEnergyDrink said:
Oh my god! NMS is not even remotely equal to 2001, I think even the physics and science in Star Wars are more accurate than in NMS.

It's more like hyping the recent Star Trek movie as a proper Star Trek movie, while it is only a fantasy themed Fast & Furious of movie.
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I'm talking more about revelations, discovery and exploration instead of some AAA dumbed down action game.
 
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