That was an earlier impression, the reviewer has decidedly more negative opinions of the game now.
No Man's Sky - Early Impressions/Reviews-in-progress Thread
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That was an earlier impression, the reviewer has decidedly more negative opinions of the game now.
Blackleg-sanji1
Banned
TheFinalCut
Member
This is almost exactly how the game has unfolded for me as well. Although there are a few features and quality of life updates I'm hoping for, I'm getting really lost in the game and loving it.
NervousXtian
Thought Emoji Movie was good. Take that as you will.
Re-read the review-in-progress... the quote you pulled was earlier impressions from the day before... the 1st page is newer. Meaning he posted your quote, THEN posted the stuff from page one basically saying he hit a point where he didn't find the push to discover more worthwhile.
It's a $60 indie game... if this was $15-20 you'd have people a lot more forgiving.
Little Monser
Banned
I too agree that this game is too expensive for what is essentially a walking simulator
Well glad I realised I won't be getting this game anymore... Play some Ratchet & Clank instead
Well glad I realised I won't be getting this game anymore... Play some Ratchet & Clank instead
stump sock
Member
yeah I have a feeling that if reviews would be written when people are sub-10 hours into the game they'd be a lot sunnier. it kind of seems like the theoretical "endgame" that they're being urged into reaching falls pretty far past the point of fatigue
Rock, Paper, Shotgun impressions (PS4): https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/08/11/no-mans-sky-impressions/
xrnzaaas
Member
After (casually) reading this thread I think most people are victims of too much hype mixed with misleading statements from Sean Murray (Peter Molyneux would be proud).
It's not easy to make a large game about space exploration when your staff and budget are small compared to, let's say, Star Citizen, but on the other hand they should be more open about what they were doing and they should adjust the price so that it resembled the amount of content and replayability.
It's not easy to make a large game about space exploration when your staff and budget are small compared to, let's say, Star Citizen, but on the other hand they should be more open about what they were doing and they should adjust the price so that it resembled the amount of content and replayability.
Ulysses 31
Member
A review from someone with an unbiased perspective, with no expectations or upset at the delays >.>
No Man's Sky Review | A Mile Wide but an Inch Deep
No Man's Sky Review | A Mile Wide but an Inch Deep
adversarial
Member
I'm seeing a few "After 20 hours in it gets really good." - what happens 20 hours in? Is it just less tedious to fly around and mine stuff? Or is there added mechanics or stuff to interact with on planets?
I never gave in to hype for no man's sky. I wasn't even going to pick it up until about a week ago because I was fiending for something new to play. I played for a good hour or two last night and decided it wasn't for me. I can see the appeal but I'd rather play some of my other games instead (paragon, overwatch, bf4).
I really liked the ability to travel from one planet to the other though. Best part for me. Not to stay off topic but if destiny 2 allowed planet traversal like that it would be freaking amazing.
I really liked the ability to travel from one planet to the other though. Best part for me. Not to stay off topic but if destiny 2 allowed planet traversal like that it would be freaking amazing.
Soo yeah bought it
. Discovered some planets. Mined some stuff. Eh i dont know. The limited capacity of your inventory is bothering me. Im sure you can upgrade it but its a bit too much management for my tastes so far. Game feels a bit sluggish too. But i wont write it off after only 2-3 hours.
. Discovered some planets. Mined some stuff. Eh i dont know. The limited capacity of your inventory is bothering me. Im sure you can upgrade it but its a bit too much management for my tastes so far. Game feels a bit sluggish too. But i wont write it off after only 2-3 hours.
Ia m actually seeing more "After 20 hours in it gets really boring". lol
EL CUCO
Member
Wait, the sprint button is on the right stick?? /facepalm
It's because they're a small dev team.
That's what I've been told when I stated I found it unnatural. There is a way around it though but it involves universally changing the bindings for the dualshock, it is just too much hassle.
I normally don't have much time to game, but this one has sucked me in and I've put in about 7 hours. I've streamed over 5 of those 7 hours, and I'm really loving this game.
It's repetitive as fuck as far as the gameplay loop goes, but it's the kind of gameplay loop that I've been finding fascinating. I have a lot of impressions.
On the negative side, I think the controls, aiming are a little floaty, but mainly when trying to shoot things. It's not awful, but it's not as tight as I'd hope. Mining is easy peasy, so that's not a problem, but if a sentinel is after you, or you're trying to shoot down a bird because it's too fast for you to scan, it's frustrating. It took a little bit to get used to, but after day 2, I'm more comfortable. Still not the best. Sprint is on R3, which I don't care for, but at least you just have to click it once while moving to sprint, so you don't have to hold it down. I got used to it after a bit. Even so, I think you can remap controls in the PS4's settings itself. I didn't bother.
If it wasn't for the fact that I had watched a few streams (and all of the official demos by Sean Murray and Hello Games), I'd have probably been way more lost than I was at what I had to do if it wasn't for those streams and demos. I prioritized things like repairing my multitool first, then ventured out looking for blueprints, and occasionally repairing my ship. I'd also have had no idea to talk to the atlas bubble next to your ship, so you can at least have some kind of "tutorial" that'll ease you into the game's mechanics.
Your starting planet will define your first impression for sure. My wife's starting planet was kind of ugly and unfriendly, but she decided to run with it. Then, for shits and giggles, she started a second game on her other PSN account, and her starter planet was fucking gorgeous. She enjoyed the game already, but she loved it after landing on a planet that wasn't butt ugly and constantly trying to kill her. My starter planet looked rocky and barren, but it had a lot of vegetation, good resources, and cool looking animals. It also was at a reasonable temperature that didn't eat away at my suit (although that changed at night, when it got colder, and my suit started taking cold damage, but super slow, so it was more than manageable). That made the difference, and the bulk of my 7 hours was on that planet, and its two nearby moons. I put this as a negative, but it's really just the luck of the draw. I had made up my mind to roll with whatever starting planet I got, but fortunately, it was interesting enough so it wasn't a downer. I can understand how someone would be sour if they found a planet they didn't personally find interesting and had to stay on it for two or three hours until they could repair their ship and take off.
On the positive end, the game is gorgeous, even with the technical limitations of either the hardware or the procedural nature of the game. The art design is really good, and the colors are vibrant. Sean has said repeatedly that their goal was to invoke the look of old science fiction novel covers, and I think they succeeded. Framerate on PS4 is 30fps, and so far in my playtime, I haven't come across any drops. The game feels smooth and responsive (despite the slight floatyness). The audio design is also really, really good. The creature sounds, procedural music, and weapon and ship sounds are great. 65daysofstatic did a wonderful job composing the base score for the game.
The sense of exploration and discovery is fantastic. Despite the fact that the game loop primarily has you hunting for resources to upgrade/repair your suit, multitool, and inventory, there is a constant feeling of "What's over that hill? What's in that building? What upgrade/blueprints will I discover next? What word will I learn? What ship will I find?" I'm personally playing as an explorer, so I'm always on the lookout for interesting sights, and I also catalog every species (there's a checklist in the options menu that shows you how many species are left to discover on the planet, and how much money you'll get for discovering them all), so my playstyle and objectives facilitate that. I don't need a huge ship with more cargo space, because I'm not a trader. While I'm upgrading my exosuit for more storage, it's not 100% vital for me to have 30 slots. I'm not playing as a pirate, so I only hunt for upgrades that improve my scanning/survival capabilities (I found a multitool that had a +3 upgrade to the scanner, so when I do a scan, it covers a ton of more ground. I originally only had a base scanner upgrade).
I like that the game gives you some avenues to pursue if you know what type of player you want to be in the game. If I was a pirate or trader, I'd be looking for resources and blueprints that would increase my offensive/defensive and storage capabilities, respectively.
The next system I jumped to before I returned to my starter system to finish off some business had 5 planets, no moons, I believe, and the first planet I landed on was toxic and green. It was beautiful, and I'm excited about returning to that once I wrap up things in my starter system. I'm addicted to hunting for Knowledge Stones to learn new words, and looking for ruins and crashed ships that may have useful technology. It's definitely a make your own fun type of game, and I understand why it wouldn't appeal to everyone.
Overall, this game is for people that love exploration and the science fiction genre. It's far from perfect, and it has a repetitive game loop that will either draw you in or repulse you, but it was never promised to be anything more than what it is. People let their minds run rampant about what they wanted the game to be, but the reality was probably far from that. The game is what Sean Murray has been showing since the reveal trailer, and every subsequent interview and demonstration has reinforced that. It's not Mass Effect. It's not The Witcher 3. It's not Uncharted 4. It's not even Minecraft or Starbound, although it has elements of both in there. It's No Man's Sky, for better or worse. It's still a niche title with ambitious scope, however. It's not for everybody. The people that love it are going to fucking love it, and the people that hate it are going to hate it.
I'm sitting at work right now, already plotting out my next course of action, what area of the moon I'm currently on I want to explore next in search of those elusive final five creatures on my checklist. I'm anxiously looking forward to the weekend, where I'll have even more time, and can go back to that second, promising star system with the five planets. The game has got its hooks in me. If my work wi fi wasn't so shit, I'd be remote playing it during breaks, even if just for 15 minutes to an hour. For me, the game is a flawed gem, but with the promise of being updated and improved over its lifespan. Update 2 is already adding base building and other fixes and tweaks. I find that promising and exciting. It's a darling niche game.
Those are my thoughts on it. I don't do scores, and I'll write up my proper review later, but these are my 7 hour impressions.
It's repetitive as fuck as far as the gameplay loop goes, but it's the kind of gameplay loop that I've been finding fascinating. I have a lot of impressions.
On the negative side, I think the controls, aiming are a little floaty, but mainly when trying to shoot things. It's not awful, but it's not as tight as I'd hope. Mining is easy peasy, so that's not a problem, but if a sentinel is after you, or you're trying to shoot down a bird because it's too fast for you to scan, it's frustrating. It took a little bit to get used to, but after day 2, I'm more comfortable. Still not the best. Sprint is on R3, which I don't care for, but at least you just have to click it once while moving to sprint, so you don't have to hold it down. I got used to it after a bit. Even so, I think you can remap controls in the PS4's settings itself. I didn't bother.
If it wasn't for the fact that I had watched a few streams (and all of the official demos by Sean Murray and Hello Games), I'd have probably been way more lost than I was at what I had to do if it wasn't for those streams and demos. I prioritized things like repairing my multitool first, then ventured out looking for blueprints, and occasionally repairing my ship. I'd also have had no idea to talk to the atlas bubble next to your ship, so you can at least have some kind of "tutorial" that'll ease you into the game's mechanics.
Your starting planet will define your first impression for sure. My wife's starting planet was kind of ugly and unfriendly, but she decided to run with it. Then, for shits and giggles, she started a second game on her other PSN account, and her starter planet was fucking gorgeous. She enjoyed the game already, but she loved it after landing on a planet that wasn't butt ugly and constantly trying to kill her. My starter planet looked rocky and barren, but it had a lot of vegetation, good resources, and cool looking animals. It also was at a reasonable temperature that didn't eat away at my suit (although that changed at night, when it got colder, and my suit started taking cold damage, but super slow, so it was more than manageable). That made the difference, and the bulk of my 7 hours was on that planet, and its two nearby moons. I put this as a negative, but it's really just the luck of the draw. I had made up my mind to roll with whatever starting planet I got, but fortunately, it was interesting enough so it wasn't a downer. I can understand how someone would be sour if they found a planet they didn't personally find interesting and had to stay on it for two or three hours until they could repair their ship and take off.
On the positive end, the game is gorgeous, even with the technical limitations of either the hardware or the procedural nature of the game. The art design is really good, and the colors are vibrant. Sean has said repeatedly that their goal was to invoke the look of old science fiction novel covers, and I think they succeeded. Framerate on PS4 is 30fps, and so far in my playtime, I haven't come across any drops. The game feels smooth and responsive (despite the slight floatyness). The audio design is also really, really good. The creature sounds, procedural music, and weapon and ship sounds are great. 65daysofstatic did a wonderful job composing the base score for the game.
The sense of exploration and discovery is fantastic. Despite the fact that the game loop primarily has you hunting for resources to upgrade/repair your suit, multitool, and inventory, there is a constant feeling of "What's over that hill? What's in that building? What upgrade/blueprints will I discover next? What word will I learn? What ship will I find?" I'm personally playing as an explorer, so I'm always on the lookout for interesting sights, and I also catalog every species (there's a checklist in the options menu that shows you how many species are left to discover on the planet, and how much money you'll get for discovering them all), so my playstyle and objectives facilitate that. I don't need a huge ship with more cargo space, because I'm not a trader. While I'm upgrading my exosuit for more storage, it's not 100% vital for me to have 30 slots. I'm not playing as a pirate, so I only hunt for upgrades that improve my scanning/survival capabilities (I found a multitool that had a +3 upgrade to the scanner, so when I do a scan, it covers a ton of more ground. I originally only had a base scanner upgrade).
I like that the game gives you some avenues to pursue if you know what type of player you want to be in the game. If I was a pirate or trader, I'd be looking for resources and blueprints that would increase my offensive/defensive and storage capabilities, respectively.
The next system I jumped to before I returned to my starter system to finish off some business had 5 planets, no moons, I believe, and the first planet I landed on was toxic and green. It was beautiful, and I'm excited about returning to that once I wrap up things in my starter system. I'm addicted to hunting for Knowledge Stones to learn new words, and looking for ruins and crashed ships that may have useful technology. It's definitely a make your own fun type of game, and I understand why it wouldn't appeal to everyone.
Overall, this game is for people that love exploration and the science fiction genre. It's far from perfect, and it has a repetitive game loop that will either draw you in or repulse you, but it was never promised to be anything more than what it is. People let their minds run rampant about what they wanted the game to be, but the reality was probably far from that. The game is what Sean Murray has been showing since the reveal trailer, and every subsequent interview and demonstration has reinforced that. It's not Mass Effect. It's not The Witcher 3. It's not Uncharted 4. It's not even Minecraft or Starbound, although it has elements of both in there. It's No Man's Sky, for better or worse. It's still a niche title with ambitious scope, however. It's not for everybody. The people that love it are going to fucking love it, and the people that hate it are going to hate it.
I'm sitting at work right now, already plotting out my next course of action, what area of the moon I'm currently on I want to explore next in search of those elusive final five creatures on my checklist. I'm anxiously looking forward to the weekend, where I'll have even more time, and can go back to that second, promising star system with the five planets. The game has got its hooks in me. If my work wi fi wasn't so shit, I'd be remote playing it during breaks, even if just for 15 minutes to an hour. For me, the game is a flawed gem, but with the promise of being updated and improved over its lifespan. Update 2 is already adding base building and other fixes and tweaks. I find that promising and exciting. It's a darling niche game.
Those are my thoughts on it. I don't do scores, and I'll write up my proper review later, but these are my 7 hour impressions.
Ah yeah, I see it now, missed the separation between the days while skimming along the article. His experience seems to match a lot of people's experience here, where the first 10 hours or so is good but then it starts to get boring because you realize the first 10 hours is all there is to the game.
NervousXtian
Thought Emoji Movie was good. Take that as you will.
Actually, it's not a walking simulator... it'd almost.. ALMOST.. be better as one.
What it is a overly tedious survival game where it's actually pretty hard to die, but you need to get so many resources over and over with limited space to do anything.. and that anything is just doing the same thing to resource gather the same stuff again most of the time... actually all the time.
It's not a walking simulator at all.
Yeah, not sure why they mapped it there... it should be the left stick.
No, withdraw the hype and it's still a disappointing game. There's fun to be had... but what's so surprising is how utterly un-fresh the game feels. You feel like you've played it before, but you haven't.. and you've played all of it's components in other games that did those components better.
All they had to do was add button mapping option menu. Sorry, small team is no excuse for this.
Even Star Citizen will have problems creating a vast universe. You need budget, you need time, you need a big team, you need skilled developers. I just hope people dont buy in the hype next time (lol I doubt it). A developer that only made Joe Danger shouldn´t make people go that crazy about one game. Let them first release a classic and then get hyped for their next game, folks. And don´t buy into shitty Sony hype and pretty indie developer speeches.
I feel like the universe is an interesting canvass and they've only painted the sky and the ground so far. There's so much potential to add to what's here, but right now it just falls short of holding your attention. A year from now this game will probably have so much more. But by then it won't be $60.
Mossybrew
Banned
"Okay, here’s my biggest complaint with this game I’m desperate to get back to. Every single planet in the entire universe, all 18 quintillion of them, has been visited before you. Not by another player – your great-grandchildren will still be finding new planets – but by one of these three alien races. They’re already there, willing to offer you some units, or some health, or a translated word, sat seemingly waiting for you on the offest of off chances that you might pop by. Further, every single planet in the entire expanse of space is policed by these sodding sentinel things, who appear to have some ethical problem with my mining for iron, because do too much of it when they’re hovering around and they’ll shoot at you. God knows why they thought this was a good idea, but they’re a permanent irritant in a place that’s meant to be your own. You’re not discovering anything. You’re just turning up afterward and deciding what everything’s called – from solar system to rock name – like some lunatic 15th century explorer. “This plant? It’s called Simon! And the planet, it’s called Wobblybottom 7b! Sorry, you weren’t using it, were you?”
Article makes some good points. I'm really enjoying the game but there are some real questionable design decisions.
They would have had time to add button mapping if they were a bigger team I'm told......
Or they could have gone with the pretty much universal method of having sprint on L3. I'd like to know if during the playtest people were saying "yeah this feels good".
Rand0m TAG
Member
happy i held off the tempation. was really thinking of buying a ps4 for this game. gonna wait for a steam sale now.
knew the hype was too high and info too low. game is still probably fun but nowhere near where the hype brought it
remember reading that this was the game for life for some people
knew the hype was too high and info too low. game is still probably fun but nowhere near where the hype brought it
remember reading that this was the game for life for some people
I know that people attack when you comment on the price and they say "would you enjoy the game more if you paid less for it?" Well if this was a $20-30 game as it likely should be, wouldn't that temper your expectations? A lot of the complaints made in the article could be considered "acceptable" / "understandable" in a $20 indie game... but instead we are looking at this as a full priced $60 game. There are different expectations. And I would feel much better about the purchase at $20 than $60.
Wouldn't you?
Mossybrew
Banned
Yeah I've put in about 7 hours now and it still feels incredibly awkward.
Mephisto40
Member
I think you need to take Jim Sterlings review with a pinch of salt tbh. I don't think I've ever seen him enjoy a survival game, he literally gets bored after 5 minutes with all of them
EL CUCO
Member
Must've been a procedurally generated controller layout...
I think price is important in grand scheme of things. That's why I wait for that time killer comedy movie to hit streaming services so I can pay 3 pounds and be done with it while I am shelling out 11-12 pounds for a blockbuster movie to see it in 3D IMAX.
Price is important.
Price is important.
Kacho
Member
Ha!
Kenzodielocke
Banned
All Man's Sky
Yeah its hard for me to take any review serious if the website brands itself with the exclusive console that plays the game.
Id really like for some of these reviewers to finish before tonight. Although, I highly doubt ill be able to buy the PC version at midnight anyway.
Bloodporne
Member
I don't understand why 'everything Hello Games said it was, it is' has any bearing on the quality of the content delivered at all.
If Hello Games had literally said we're going to deliver a broken game in an Alpha state and it indeed was that, it would still be competing against the standard set by other games on the market not against its own limitations. Nobody in their right mind would give this hypothetical game a 9/10 for being pretty good for a broken Alpha at retail price. Reviews and opinions aren't formed liked that once out in the wild.
If Hello Games had literally said we're going to deliver a broken game in an Alpha state and it indeed was that, it would still be competing against the standard set by other games on the market not against its own limitations. Nobody in their right mind would give this hypothetical game a 9/10 for being pretty good for a broken Alpha at retail price. Reviews and opinions aren't formed liked that once out in the wild.
DeepEnigma
Gold Member
I am not defending that review... but it is silly if you think that other reviewers do not have their fanaticism and biases as well. It is innate human trait.
MassiveNights
Banned
That's about where I stand on it. (I don't have a personal numerical review scale so can't attest to the 9).
LastCupOfSorrow
Banned
Code:
No Man’s Sky is exactly as described by the eccentric Sean MurrayWow, they couldn't even make it two sentences without shooting themselves in the foot, lol.
Obviously it is NOT exactly as described!
It's actually much more intuitive than you think. Scan is mapped to l3 and you are using that a lot. I could change the mapping via the OS but it makes more sense this way.
I recently just figured that out myself. Thank god.
Me? Personally? No.
Why? Because here's the thing; I don't need to own every game day one, immediately. If there is a game that I feel I just have to have day one, then I'll pay the asking price for it. If I don't feel like I need the game day one (I bought Uncharted 4 day one, because I'm a huge fan of Uncharted. I haven't bought Doom yet, despite it being fuck awesome, because I didn't care to buy it day one for full price. It's been on sale a few times already, but my backlog is so huge I realized I didn't need it, and I'll pick it up next time). And games always, always drop in price over time. No Man's Sky won't be $60 for ever. Give it a few weeks/months, and it will drop. Hell, I'd wager by Black Friday this year, you'd probably be able to get it for $30 or less, and that has no bearing on the quality or "indie" status of the game. Doom was on sale for $36 on both Amazon and PSN a good month after its release.
When a game comes out, we always have three choices: Buy it then. Buy it later on sale. Pass on it.
Unless it's an online game with a huge multiplayer component where starting late could put you at a disadvantage, there's very little reason to immediately hop on day one outside of your own interest in the game outweighing it's cost, or your desire to support the devs day one.
I've been interested in No Man's Sky since its announcement, so I bought it day one because it looked and played exactly like I expected it to look and play. The price of the game didn't bother me. Whether Indie or Big Studio, I don't care. That has no bearing on it, and if for some reason I did disagree with the price, I'd pass on it until it dropped. There's more than enough to keep me busy until then.
Bloodporne
Member
That's praising the game for all the wrong reasons if you're trying to get across that you're truly enjoying it despite all the hubbub out there.
Someone get that reviewer a napkin, holy shit.
FaintDeftone
Junior Member
So I picked up the game and played a few hours of it. I struggled to decide whether or not I wanted to buy this game because I typically hate those dime a dozen survival crafting games you find littering the Steam storefront; however, the game looked fascinating and I wanted to experience it for myself. I bit the bullet and grabbed a copy.
After spending a few hours playing, I'm very mixed on the whole experience. Given, I think the game is pretty amazing in terms of scope and some of the experiences I've had, but honestly the crafting elements and its need to constantly refill your life support, mining gun, thrusters, ect. really hurts the game at times. If they cut all of that stuff out and just let me explore and take everything in, I would be much happier.
I love how the game really does make you feel like a space explorer. I feel like I'm on a journey and some of the visuals and vistas I've seen are breathtaking. I just wish I wasn't constantly bothered by element gathering and refilling meters and stuff. Also, the sentinels need to go. I can't explore without worrying about those stupid things shooting at me. It kills the zen moment I can sometimes get into when exploring planets.
After spending a few hours playing, I'm very mixed on the whole experience. Given, I think the game is pretty amazing in terms of scope and some of the experiences I've had, but honestly the crafting elements and its need to constantly refill your life support, mining gun, thrusters, ect. really hurts the game at times. If they cut all of that stuff out and just let me explore and take everything in, I would be much happier.
I love how the game really does make you feel like a space explorer. I feel like I'm on a journey and some of the visuals and vistas I've seen are breathtaking. I just wish I wasn't constantly bothered by element gathering and refilling meters and stuff. Also, the sentinels need to go. I can't explore without worrying about those stupid things shooting at me. It kills the zen moment I can sometimes get into when exploring planets.
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