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No Man's Sky Review Thread: The Scores Have Arrived (read OP)

V

Version 3.0

Member
Griss said:
And THEN - here's the thing. You've learned what the game can and can't generate, but only from a limited selection of 20 or so planets. So you convince yourself that you've seen it all - you really believe that - but you've only seen 90-95%. That's most of it. But not all. So now, you go down to a planet, knowing exactly what you'll find... but on that rare occasion that the algorithm throws out an outlier you are now surprised again, just like you were at the start.

At the start you were surprised because you had no idea what was possible. Now you're surprised because you thought you knew what was possible. Massive megafauna, floating jellyfish made of special elements, frozen ice wastes that kill you in seconds - there's a ton of outliers that you have yet to see - and seeing them becomes the point of the game. Seeing rare, beautiful or unusual stuff becomes like getting rare loot in an RPG. And at this point you're not quite as bothered about the lame main quest or inventory worries.
Click to expand...

You've intrigued me. Perhaps I'll put some more time into it.
 
semiconscious

semiconscious

Member
Griss said:
I see that a lot of people have given you the obvious inventory answer but for me that's not exactly it.

Instead, it's your relationship with the algorithm that determines your enjoyment with the game. The game is the algorithm, the algorithm is the game.

When you start, you are astonished at this procedurally generated world you find yourself on. Every cave, ravine, lake, animal is some kind of miracle. An hour or two of wonderment later you take off and fly around your starter planet. You realise that it's really all just one biome repeated endlessly. Well, whatever, it's still incredible. You go to a second planet. The colours are different, the flora are different, you see a different building, a different monolith. Wow! It's so new and exciting! Maybe it's barren. Maybe it's lush. It's new.

You build a warp drive and travel to a new system. New aliens! Space battles! New planets! Meeting atlas and starting the main quest! The thrill of the new is still there, 5 hours in. But already you're realising that the pool of buildings you visit on the surface is quite shallow and you may have seen them all, that each planet has plutonium, iron and carbon, that each planet with flora has a 'rock', 'small rock', 'tree' etc. Patterns emerge.

Then the grind begins. Right when you start to see the seams in the algorithm is when you'll have gathered enough stuff that the inventory becomes a problem. The game becomes a drag. You visit planet after planet and see little that surprises you. You learn what the game can and can't generate.

You hit 20 hours. Or 25. Or whenever.

And THEN - here's the thing. You've learned what the game can and can't generate, but only from a limited selection of 20 or so planets. So you convince yourself that you've seen it all - you really believe that - but you've only seen 90-95%. That's most of it. But not all. So now, you go down to a planet, knowing exactly what you'll find... but on that rare occasion that the algorithm throws out an outlier you are now surprised again, just like you were at the start.

At the start you were surprised because you had no idea what was possible. Now you're surprised because you thought you knew what was possible. Massive megafauna, floating jellyfish made of special elements, frozen ice wastes that kill you in seconds - there's a ton of outliers that you have yet to see - and seeing them becomes the point of the game. Seeing rare, beautiful or unusual stuff becomes like getting rare loot in an RPG. And at this point you're not quite as bothered about the lame main quest or inventory worries.

Many people don't make it through that mid point, or decide that whatever outliers and weird stuff the game has left to show them isn't worth it. That's an entirely fair conclusion. For me, it absolutely has been worth it. At some point that will end. But not yet.
Click to expand...

quoted for new page...

not quite there yet, myself, but i can absolutely understand & agree with what's being said here. screw 'getting to the center' - this's the true payoff in no man's sky. but it definitely does require you to pay your dues (which can get a little wearing at times) to get to it...
 
F

Figboy79

Aftershock LA
Mammoth Jones said:
I hope their lean team size doesn't prevent them from pumping out content in a timely manner.
Click to expand...

I think that the hard work is over. That is to say, they've built the game. The foundation is set, so they shouldn't have to say, start fresh with each update. They basically just have to make sure that the new content/features they're adding slot into the existing framework properly.

I guess the best way I can think it about it when I'm drawing my comic books. I do the writing, penciling, inking, coloring, and lettering all by myself. By far, the hardest part of the process is drawing the pages. Basically creating something from nothing. After the pages are finished, however, the coloring and lettering, while still hard work, isn't nearly as difficult as that initial drawing process. I think Hello Games has done the hardest part of game development, and that's getting the game done. I don't think they'll have to work too many weekends for the updates (at least I hope they don't!)
 
L

Loudninja

Member
Gaming Age B
So circling back to the start of the review… I went into No Man's Sky expecting that it would be somewhat difficult to review and grade. Co-playing the game with my son seemed to be the right route to take to get a better perspective on the massive, diverse science fiction sandbox and what to say about it. While it has some problems and may not be for everyone, Hello Games should be commended for pouring all their effort into such an ambitious project and launching an end product that fulfilled their vision. We're excited to see how they plan on refining and improving the experience post-launch, but for now we'll continue on our mysterious intergalactic journey.
Click to expand...
http://www.gaming-age.com/2016/08/no-mans-sky-review-ps4/

Game Revolution 7/10
No Man’s Sky will not be everyone’s cup of space tea, proving to be just as divisive as the genre it represents. It can be boring, but a "good" kind of boring. It can also be frustrating, the sort of frustrating that makes you wish you can travel back to 2013 and relive the first time No Man’s Sky entered the public mind, sparking the long-dormant imaginations of the gaming community.
Click to expand...
http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/no-mans-sky
 
Fredrik

Fredrik

Member
Griss said:
I see that a lot of people have given you the obvious inventory answer but for me that's not exactly it.

Instead, it's your relationship with the algorithm that determines your enjoyment with the game. The game is the algorithm, the algorithm is the game.

When you start, you are astonished at this procedurally generated world you find yourself on. Every cave, ravine, lake, animal is some kind of miracle. An hour or two of wonderment later you take off and fly around your starter planet. You realise that it's really all just one biome repeated endlessly. Well, whatever, it's still incredible. You go to a second planet. The colours are different, the flora are different, you see a different building, a different monolith. Wow! It's so new and exciting! Maybe it's barren. Maybe it's lush. It's new.

You build a warp drive and travel to a new system. New aliens! Space battles! New planets! Meeting atlas and starting the main quest! The thrill of the new is still there, 5 hours in. But already you're realising that the pool of buildings you visit on the surface is quite shallow and you may have seen them all, that each planet has plutonium, iron and carbon, that each planet with flora has a 'rock', 'small rock', 'tree' etc. Patterns emerge.

Then the grind begins. Right when you start to see the seams in the algorithm is when you'll have gathered enough stuff that the inventory becomes a problem. The game becomes a drag. You visit planet after planet and see little that surprises you. You learn what the game can and can't generate.

You hit 20 hours. Or 25. Or whenever.

And THEN - here's the thing. You've learned what the game can and can't generate, but only from a limited selection of 20 or so planets. So you convince yourself that you've seen it all - you really believe that - but you've only seen 90-95%. That's most of it. But not all. So now, you go down to a planet, knowing exactly what you'll find... but on that rare occasion that the algorithm throws out an outlier you are now surprised again, just like you were at the start.

At the start you were surprised because you had no idea what was possible. Now you're surprised because you thought you knew what was possible. Massive megafauna, floating jellyfish made of special elements, frozen ice wastes that kill you in seconds - there's a ton of outliers that you have yet to see - and seeing them becomes the point of the game. Seeing rare, beautiful or unusual stuff becomes like getting rare loot in an RPG. And at this point you're not quite as bothered about the lame main quest or inventory worries.

Many people don't make it through that mid point, or decide that whatever outliers and weird stuff the game has left to show them isn't worth it. That's an entirely fair conclusion. For me, it absolutely has been worth it. At some point that will end. But not yet.
Click to expand...
You should start reviewing games. That is a great summary of the positive side of this game.

I'm at 22 hours now, loving the game more and more every day, made my planned big spaceship upgrade last night, still have one more animal left to find somewhere on one of my 3 first planets before heading out to outer space but while searching I've found lots of other stuff. I finally got to see my first predatory creature, I wish there were more of those, and found a radiation shield which got rid of my problems with my radioactive planet 1 and an under water mask for my water planet 2, I'm guessing that there are a poison mask to find too for my poisonous planet 3. I might be way off on this but I'm thinking that you could actually upgrade the ship/gear all the way on your first planet if you just keep on searching and visiting new locations, lots of things I've found/seen/upgraded has opened up new doors of posibilities. This game just keeps on giving.
 
A

Aaron D.

Member
Griss said:
I see that a lot of people have given you the obvious inventory answer but for me that's not exactly it.

Instead, it's your relationship with the algorithm that determines your enjoyment with the game. The game is the algorithm, the algorithm is the game.
Click to expand...

Already been fully quoted on this page, but I wanted to thank you for the thoughtful response.

I don't think I've ever been this back & forth on a game before. It's really strange, 'cause 99% of the time I just go with my gut and pull the trigger. And that's either Day One, or weeks/months down the road when the retail price settles into a more comfortable range.

I'm ironically not afraid of the grind as I enjoy "mindless" Zen games like Euro Truck, Viscera Cleanup Detail, etc. It's just the conflicting reviews from press and gamers on how effectively the Zen-loop is actualized. One minute it sounds fine to me, the next...not so much (Videogamer.com calling space traversal a "glorified loading screen").

Guess the $60 price tag really is giving me pause. Funny 'cause I'll drop a full-price retail of $30 or less without a blink if I'm only 75% sold. But something about that $60 price tag just makes me more reluctant.

Anyway, I continue to be intrigued. I find myself in a holding pattern, waiting to see what Quality of Life patching arrive soon, along with PC stability work as that is my only platform option.

I continue to enjoy reading more level-headed impressions from all sectors (press & public), both pros & cons. Thanks for all your thoughts, gang!
 
Z

Z3M0G

Member
IGN review today:

Update: Due to the extreme distance to the center of the galaxy, which could take weeks or months, I'm calling this review. Our final review and video will be posted on August 16. Stay tuned!
Click to expand...
 
B

border

Member
ToastiestPlum said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8P2CZg3sJQ&feature=youtu.be

Posting this here since the thread was locked and it's closer to a review than anything else.

Warning, does contain spoilers for what's at the center of the galaxy near the end.
Click to expand...

They really should have juxtaposed those pre-release hype quotes with final review scores, or review quotes.

"Revolutionary" - Gamespot
"You'll grow tired of repetitive NPC interactions and the planets' implied-but-shallow variety, and you’ll lose interest in new ships--and perhaps the journey altogether." - Gamespot

"Poetry" - Rock Paper Shotgun
"The game has frequently been praised for being beautiful, and while of course one person’s aesthetic delight is another’s splenetic shite, I’ve found it often oddly ugly." - Rock Paper Shotgun

MOST ANTICIPATED GAME - Polygon
6 /10 - Polygon
 
C

Coffee Dog

Banned
Griss said:
You hit 20 hours. Or 25. Or whenever.

And THEN - here's the thing. You've learned what the game can and can't generate, but only from a limited selection of 20 or so planets. So you convince yourself that you've seen it all - you really believe that - but you've only seen 90-95%. That's most of it. But not all. So now, you go down to a planet, knowing exactly what you'll find... but on that rare occasion that the algorithm throws out an outlier you are now surprised again, just like you were at the start.

At the start you were surprised because you had no idea what was possible. Now you're surprised because you thought you knew what was possible. Massive megafauna, floating jellyfish made of special elements, frozen ice wastes that kill you in seconds - there's a ton of outliers that you have yet to see - and seeing them becomes the point of the game. Seeing rare, beautiful or unusual stuff becomes like getting rare loot in an RPG. And at this point you're not quite as bothered about the lame main quest or inventory worries.

Many people don't make it through that mid point, or decide that whatever outliers and weird stuff the game has left to show them isn't worth it. That's an entirely fair conclusion. For me, it absolutely has been worth it. At some point that will end. But not yet.
Click to expand...

When you think about it, this does makes a lot of sense. after the 25 hour mark, you've become so accustomed to monotony that any scrap of cosmetically new content would make you feel elated.

That does require you to actively get accustomed to boredom and then continue playing however, which is why i'd imagine that most people stop playing before then.
 
N

Nzyme32

Member
ToastiestPlum said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8P2CZg3sJQ&feature=youtu.be

Posting this here since the thread was locked and it's closer to a review than anything else.

Warning, does contain spoilers for what's at the center of the galaxy near the end.
Click to expand...

Good on you for the warning. I unfortunately saw it via the other thread. Pretty much no reason for me to get the game since that was the only thing I was curious to play towards. Unless they update the game with more things to do, I'm most definitely out
 
K

Kilrogg

paid requisite penance
ToastiestPlum said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8P2CZg3sJQ&feature=youtu.be

Posting this here since the thread was locked and it's closer to a review than anything else.

Warning, does contain spoilers for what's at the center of the galaxy near the end.
Click to expand...

Man, I checked out some of Crowbcat's other videos after this, and the Kinect one, well... It's beyond cringe.

It was already obvious back then of course, but the whole Natal/Kinect push was such an insulting display of a company who stupidly thought nobody would see through their game of shamelessly copying the Wii in a failed attempt to co-opt its success. You can say whatever you want about the Wii, but at least it didn't reek of opportunism and cynicism, especially with a guy like Iwata at the helm. Those guys believed in their product.
 
Arozay

Arozay

Member
T.O.P said:
He specified technical issues afaik

I'll ask if he added anything else
Click to expand...
Cheers. I'm up to my 9th ticket. I'll be doing this for the entire 14 days... I just don't want them having my $80 AUD.

Trying for the wallet refund so I can buy the Fallout 4 season pass instead.
 
VlaudTheImpaler

VlaudTheImpaler

tl;dr
Zaro said:
Cheers. I'm up to my 9th ticket. I'll be doing this for the entire 14 days... I just don't want them having my $80 AUD.

Trying for the wallet refund so I can buy the Fallout 4 season pass instead.
Click to expand...

A little OT but If you like Bethesda games and you like Skyrim you should def check out Enderal. http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1263003

It's a Skyrim mod. I've been playing it and man, this is some high quality stuff, especially the voice acting. So much so that I am going to donate to the modders and that's rare for me lol.

I'm actually getting to the point where hearing myself calling it a mod sounds ridiculous to me. I'm just going to call it a game from now on.
 
Z

Z3M0G

Member
ToastiestPlum said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8P2CZg3sJQ&feature=youtu.be

Posting this here since the thread was locked and it's closer to a review than anything else.

Warning, does contain spoilers for what's at the center of the galaxy near the end.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the warning about the center spoiler... that's the one thing I didn't spoil for myself yet and I actually picked up a copy to experience the craziness for myself.

But I'm 11 min into the video and it is goddam amazing... It sums up perfectly why where are here today, in the situation we are in. No fucking wonder expectations where through the roof... no wonder people believed you could do anything and see other players.

"This game is exactly what Hello Game's said it was" my ass.
 
VlaudTheImpaler

VlaudTheImpaler

tl;dr
cleveridea said:
How did the patch change how long it takes to reach the center? Made resources harder to get?
Click to expand...

The patch made galaxies 10x larger... Which begs the question, if it does indeed do that then how on earth are people still finding each other and/or each others discoveries so easily and often? Unless the galaxies aren't spherical and instead are a tubular path to the center in which case the patch would have only made them 10x longer...

Do we definitively know what shape the galaxies are?
 
F

Finaj

Member
Totalbiscuit just said on his podcast that after spending 6 hours with it he called it "the worst game I've played all year."

This is probably the most polarizing game I've ever seen.
 
G

Gestahl

Member
ToastiestPlum said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8P2CZg3sJQ&feature=youtu.be

Posting this here since the thread was locked and it's closer to a review than anything else.

Warning, does contain spoilers for what's at the center of the galaxy near the end.
Click to expand...

That one GameTrailers guy desperately trying to understand what the main hook of the game, the core gameplay loop, was supposed to be while the rest of the panel shrieked at him and started flinging their shit everywhere is a perfect microcosm of internet discussion about this thing in the past year and a half
 
Krappadizzle

Krappadizzle

Member
JayBabay said:
IGN final review is up! They wrote a full two pages for it.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/08/16/no-mans-sky-review

"This ambitious game reached for the stars, but its reach exceeded its grasp by light years."

The final score is
6/10

I'm surprised since they had so much early access and exclusive previews, I honestly thought it would reflect more positively.
Click to expand...

Glad they didn't just shill for it because of all their previous coverage.
Gestahl said:
That one GameTrailers guy desperately trying to understand what the main hook of the game, the core gameplay loop, was supposed to be while the rest of the panel shrieked at him and started flinging their shit everywhere is a perfect microcosm of internet discussion about this thing in the past year and a half
Click to expand...

giphy.gif
 
S

Septic360

Banned
Gestahl said:
That one GameTrailers guy desperately trying to understand what the main hook of the game, the core gameplay loop, was supposed to be while the rest of the panel shrieked at him and started flinging their shit everywhere is a perfect microcosm of internet discussion about this thing in the past year and a half
Click to expand...

Le agree
 
O

orthodoxy1095

Banned
Finaj said:
Totalbiscuit just said on his podcast that after spending 6 hours with it he called it "the worst game I've played all year."

This is probably the most polarizing game I've ever seen.
Click to expand...
I don't think it's necessarily the worst I've played all year, but I think it's my least favorite.

First game I've actually returned to the store in years.
 
pots555

pots555

Member
Anyone else have many crashes after a while? I had maybe one crash last week (around 12 hours). Now, I had 8 crashes since yesterday (around 5 hours). I just left the game because I had a crash going in overdrive. I had to restart and then, crashed before I could see the No Man's Sky title screen (and this happens often).
 
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