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

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L

labx

Banned
Velkyn said:
High average or not, 5 reviews isn't enough to call it a smoking gun by any means.
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not calling it anything. I love the game, buy is clear now that people want to NMS sucks. The game have flaws, it is buggy, the developers talk in cryptic verses, poor feedback from them towards the doubts of the people that buy the game. So yes, Hello Games are doing pretty much nothing to calm the tides.
 
G

Gator Bait

Banned
The_Dama said:
random guy from gs forum

After plunking down20 hours into this game I have come to the realization that while this game maybe a universe big.... it is as shallow as a puddle of water in my back yard.

Outside of the art direction ( which I really do like)nearly every aspect of the game is half baked and un inspired. Everything from AI to exploration to crafting to dog fighting is so repetitious and bare bones that it almost become painful at about the 10 hour mark.

Like the wild life for example. They have two real A.I behaviors passively ignore you or agro and run at you until they or you are dead. the combat mechanics are clunky with no nuance you either stand and shoot or flee.

There are other alien races.... but your interactions with them are meaningless.

And the longer you play the more apparent the technical limitations become. Pop-in texture clipping terrain clipping weird bugs.

I am a huge space nerd 200+ hours in kerbal space program, space engine ,universe sandbox2, elite dangerous I am no stranger to game people would typically find boring.But no mans sky for as much as I wanted to love it is proving to be a very hollow and un compelling universe to explore that feels more like a dumping ground for half baked and broken mechanics lame AI and just over all a very dull space sim.
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Sums it up pretty well. Its exciting for the first two hours because every mechanic is new. After a couple of hours fatigue kicks in and you realize youre just doing the same thing over and over again
 
G

GeordieMark

Member
btrboyev said:
I get why reviewers wanted to wait until the day 1 patch to review, but it seems like this game is getting some type of special treatment about posting reviews too early. It's a few days after launch and we have like 10 or less reviews to go on..I can't think of many other games that had that luxury.

When are reviews going to start rolling in? I'm still taking a wait and see approach to the game.
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I have a feeling the game would have reviewed much better if outlets had rushed to get them done on launch day. We will see...
 
M

mike6467

Member
Lingitiz said:
I so wonder how this game would have fared if it rose organically as an early access game on Steam and was developed there with the community. Sony marketing and the price tag seems only to have hurt it critically.
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My thoughts too. Right now I'm looking at this when the price drops for the PC, assuming the PC port is decent that is. I may dip sooner if mod tools are there and we see some cool stuff.
 
M

Mattenth

Member
Velkyn said:
High average or not, 5 reviews isn't enough to call it a smoking gun by any means.
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Sure but IGN, UsGamer and other "in progress" reviews aren't looking that great either.

From my personal experience with it (8 hours at this point), I'd be surprised if this game broke 75/100 on OpenCritic.
 
L

Lingitiz

Member
mike6467 said:
My thoughts too. Right now I'm looking at this when the price drops for the PC, assuming the PC port is decent that is. I may dip sooner if mod tools are there and we see some cool stuff.
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I get that it's a big deal for an indie at AAA scale, but there are reasons those games are made with hundreds of staff. When you sell a game for 60 and make big promises, your team size doesn't matter anymore. The spotlight this game got is quite a shame. Had it been an early access 40 dollar game, people might have been way more forgiving.
 
L

LordOcidax

Member
Nzyme32 said:
I played the game for about 7hrs total with a friend and she intends to sell hers and I cancelled my pre-order. I definitely adore exploration games, but NMS is a painful monotony of grinding and discovery that doesn't inspire or emote. I posted my thoughts earlier:
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Totally agree with you. I don't know if is the random generation process, but after awhile the planets feels lifeless and monotones... Another planets/animal another random thing, and do the same all over again... At least i tried.
 
M

Moreche

Member
It will be interesting to see if we get a few updates/patches or whether Hello Games are committed to evolving the game into something better.
I know base building is coming but I honestly think the foundations of the game are too shaky to support an ambitious future for it.
One thing I have learned about procedural space games is I don't want to see another on ever again.
 
O

Odrion

Banned
hoC3jrR.gif
 
Z

Z3M0G

Member
What a roller coaster this has been, in terms of my own desire to play this game or not. I had a chance to buy it for $60cdn instead of $80 on the day they posted it on PSN Store. I'm even glad now that I didn't do that.

I'm pretty sure I'm settled on saving my $80cdn for FFXV... I'm happy that I have been on the road all week and couldn't pick up my pre-order copy on time.

I DO want to play this game some day. But oddly, this sounds like it would make a better rental. And something seems off about that. This is a game you should want to spend years coming back to.
 
T

Turin Turambar

Member
The_Dama said:
random guy from gs forum

After plunking down20 hours into this game I have come to the realization that while this game maybe a universe big.... it is as shallow as a puddle of water in my back yard.

Outside of the art direction ( which I really do like)nearly every aspect of the game is half baked and un inspired.
Click to expand...


He needed 20 hours to know that? :p

But seriously, I think the thing they did and actually worked was the graphics. Usually procedural/random generation games are like Minecraft or Cube World and they use some kind of blocky style, this is one of the few ones who got to make 'smooth', acceptable looking worlds. And not only that, they did with an actual, good looking art style! It's the thing everyone loves from the game, the 60's looking vibe that the graphics give, usually procedural worlds are so haphazard that there isn't even an noticeable art direction going for them. And to incorporate some kind of color theory in the procedural generation was a small but genius level idea.

I genuinely think one of the main factors that is driving the exploration part of the game isn't really 'exploration', but graphics. Exploration is working thanks to the graphics. Some people is tired from it in 5 hours, others in 10 hours, others in 20 hours, and I think it depends how much you love the visual concept of the game.
 
L

Loudninja

Member
Cheat Code Central 3.9/5
Giving a final opinion about No Man's Sky is a bit like reviewing an MMORPG... there were so many huge additions in the day-one patch that I have to assume it will be incredibly different a year from now. Consider this, then, a state of the game at launch report. There are wonders indeed to be found in the No Man's Sky universe, but not everybody will be willing to put in the time and effort needed to discover them. This game is a technical marvel that patient, detail-oriented gamers will love. As-is, however, it demands a bit more time than it deserves. The universe is vast, but your inventory is small, and not everybody is going to want to make the long trudge necessary to become a galactic superstar.
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http://www.cheatcc.com/ps4/rev/nomansskyreview2.html
 
M

mike6467

Member
Lingitiz said:
I get that it's a big deal for an indie at AAA scale, but there are reasons those games are made with hundreds of staff. When you sell a game for 60 and make big promises, your team size doesn't matter anymore. The spotlight this game got is quite a shame. Had it been an early access 40 dollar game, people might have been way more forgiving.
Click to expand...

WAY more forgiving. Especially if they'd been developing it alongside the community, rather then presenting these ambiguous demos/interviews that skirted around pretty major issues. I mean hell, Dirt Rally went early access and is selling at $60 now (and very much worth it I might add). I paid $30 for it initially, and knowing everything that went along with early access, I was able to forgive the lack of content (very few cars/tracks) knowing what they had in the pipeline.

I feel like HG still intends to flesh everything out, but they haven't yet, and they still want $60 for it. I blame Sony.
 
M

mike4001_

Member
Reedirect said:
GAF is in meltdown mode when a game with this much hype has less than 85. This is hardly unexpected.
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The publishers and developers basically create these hypes by telling us how great and unique their game is on only should the great portions of it before launch.

We have to expect an 85+ and are of course dissapointed if it doesn´t even scratch 70.
 
V

Velkyn

Member
mike6467 said:
WAY more forgiving. Especially if they'd been developing it alongside the community, rather then presenting these ambiguous demos/interviews that skirted around pretty major issues. I mean hell, Dirt Rally went early access and is selling at $60 now (and very much worth it I might add). I paid $30 for it initially, and knowing everything that went along with early access, I was able to forgive the lack of content (very few cars/tracks) knowing what they had in the pipeline.

I feel like HG still intends to flesh everything out, but they haven't yet, and they still want $60 for it. I blame Sony.
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I feel like you're right on. Rather than blame enthusiasts for unrealistic expectations, or Sean Murry for pulling a Molyneux, how about we look at the company that hyped this as a AAA quality $60 dollar game?
 
J

jaaz

Member
Velkyn said:
I've heard this corroborated enough elsewhere to still believe.
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I'm certainly not cancelling my Steam pre-order. I love space sims and the opinions on this game are on such extreme sides of the spectrum that I'm going to see for myself tomorrow.
 
GHG

GHG

Gold Member
jaaz said:
So wait, it turns "awesome" AFTER 20 hours? Sucks for those people who supposedly gave up on the game before then.
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It starts off awesome for the first 5 hours or so, then you'll hit a point where you will need to start grinding to get all of your gear upgraded (or to be able to purchase better gear) and then you come out the other side literally ready to conquer the universe.

I feel its worth it but I would understand why those with limited time would put the game down in the 5-15 hour mark.

Its not a perfect game by any means but I've never played anything else like it in my 20+ years of gaming and I'm damn well glad it exists.
 
O

orava

Member
I'm glad that people can now start more freely criticize the game and not fear the backlash and attacks. You know, like these things should normally go.
 
J

jaaz

Member
GHG said:
Its not a perfect game by any means but I've never played anything else like it in my 20+ years of gaming and im damn well glad it exists.
Click to expand...

You know, you bring up an interesting point. I bet the demographics here have a lot to do with whether you find the game interesting. I'm going to date myself here, but I grew up playing games like Starflight (my favorite), Wing Commander, Freelancer, etc. Perhaps the older you are and the more you played those old school space sims, the more you will like NMS.
I'll tell you tomorrow.
 
D

danowat

Banned
jaaz said:
You know, you bring up an interesting point. I bet the demographics here have a lot to do with whether you find the game interesting. I'm going to date myself here, but I grew up playing games like Starflight (my favorite), Wing Commander, Freelancer, etc. Perhaps the older you are and the more you played those old school space sims, the more you will like NMS.
I'll tell you tomorrow.
Click to expand...
I played the original elite back in the 80's, I am pretty old school, and I don't like it.

That said, I am tempted to push through this 20hr pain barrier to see what's on the other side.
 
J

jaaz

Member
orava said:
I'm glad that people can now start more freely criticize the game and not fear the backslash and attacks. You know, like these things should normally go.
Click to expand...

I haven't seen any backlash or attacks like that, and no major meltdowns. Unless you mean the backlash for calling the developer a "lying asshole" in that other thread even before the facts are known, which is not backlash but a simple call for people to act like decent human beings on the internet.
 
UberTag

UberTag

Member
Velkyn said:
8 reviews with a 67 metascore, and GAF is already in meltdown/smug schadenfreude mode. Wonder what happens if it hits 20+ reviews with a 75 or so, will even more people lose their collective shit?
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We managed to survive The Order: 1886 being a critical bomb with its 63 Metacritic score despite it being on our Top 10 most anticipated list. We can survive this, too.

Sony's smoke and mirrors routine strikes again.
 
Q

Qwark

Member
btrboyev said:
I get why reviewers wanted to wait until the day 1 patch to review, but it seems like this game is getting some type of special treatment about posting reviews too early. It's a few days after launch and we have like 10 or less reviews to go on..I can't think of many other games that had that luxury.

When are reviews going to start rolling in? I'm still taking a wait and see approach to the game.
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Isn't that a good thing though? Reviews *shouldn't* be done too early, and they should wait until they get the consumer experience for better/worse. It has to start somewhere.
 
A

ampere

Member
GHG said:
It starts off awesome for the first 5 hours or so, then you'll hit a point where you will need to start grinding to get all of your gear upgraded (or to be able to purchase better gear) and then you come out the other side literally ready to conquer the universe.

I feel its worth it but I would understand why those with limited time would put the game down in the 5-15 hour mark.

Its not a perfect game by any means but I've never played anything else like it in my 20+ years of gaming and I'm damn well glad it exists.
Click to expand...

It definitely sounds like there are some interesting ideas. Assuming they patch some of the issues the game has, I might want to give it a shot sometime down the line
 
O

Ordinator

Member
Without spoiling, what makes the game more fun after 10 or 20 hours? I've seen the 10-20 hours thing from a few different reviews and impressions now. From what I understand, the game is very grindy in the beginning but then it gets better somehow.
 
GHG

GHG

Gold Member
jaaz said:
You know, you bring up an interesting point. I bet the demographics here have a lot to do with whether you find the game interesting. I'm going to date myself here, but I grew up playing games like Starflight (my favorite), Wing Commander, Freelancer, etc. Perhaps the older you are and the more you played those old school space sims, the more you will like NMS.
I'll tell you tomorrow.
Click to expand...

I kid you not I feel that seeing how far games have come is a big part of why I love it so much. When you grow up playing the games like the ones you mentioned along with other games set in space such as commander keen and crystal caves and then this comes along it just speaks to the kid in me.

If you told 5 year old me that in 23 years time a game like this would exist and people would hate on it I'd tell you you're lying. Because firstly I wouldn't think it would be possible, and secondly because I wouldn't think that people would play down what an achievement a game like this actually is despite all of its flaws.
 
K

[KoRp]Jazzman

Member
GHG said:
It starts off awesome for the first 5 hours or so, then you'll hit a point where you will need to start grinding to get all of your gear upgraded (or to be able to purchase better gear) and then you come out the other side literally ready to conquer the universe.
Click to expand...


But does anything actually change game play wise, or is it mainly the fact that everything is so upgraded and you have a decent amount of inventory slots that you aren't just grinding?

I am loving the game so far (about 5 hours in, found a new ship, done a bunch of exploring), just not sure how after a certain amount of time something is going change significantly that's going to boost my enjoyment even more.
 
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