Okay, so I've sunk about 40 hours into No Man's Sky so far... and... it's okay. I'd LOVE to say it's amazing, it's stunning, it's spectacular, etc, etc, etc... but I can't sadly. No I didn't buy into the hype train and think this was going to be the best game ever but I did have hopes for something more.
What do I like? I like the exploration, I like coming up over a hill and seeing a vast plane in front of me with plants and animals wandering around, I like flying through space and dogfighting pirates, I like the interactions with the various NPC's dotted around and learning their language so I can help them. I also love the esthetic of the space ships and different bases, both in space and on land... that 70's scifi feel is strong in this one and I love it!
What don't I like? THE GRIND!!!! Seriously, the game requires a LOT of grinding. You have to wander for hours at a time to find decent minerals, artefacts, crashed ships and a whole host of other things. Not to mention that you are constantly having to find essential resources to maintain your suit, ship and weapon. I also don't like the proc-gen of the planets and the wildlife very much. Yeah, you can get some cool animals but you also get some really stupid ones, and in general they all fall into the same 4 or 5 types. The planets feel the same so far, inasmuch as they have no rivers, no oceans, and the terrain is all pretty much the same (although I do suspect that the closer to the galactic core you get the more interesting things will become). Oh, and the fact that the only NPC's you can interact with might as well be statues since they never move and just stay rooted to the same spot...
The funny thing is that even though there is a hell of a lot of grinding, and even though after travelling through 5 star systems and about 25 planets the general esthetic of the planets hasn't changed much, I'm still having fun. The game should have BORED me by now, but strangely I'm compelled to keep grinding and keep walking. I suspect it's because I am constantly thinking that there will be MORE later on, and the fact that as I progress I am finding things that weren't on the previous planet (even though it may only be one new thing in a whole star system), and I am also really interested in finding artefacts, learning the languages and finding out more about the whole "Atlas" thing.
So, that's my take on No Man's Sky so far... what about you people? You playing it? You liking it? What do you think about the proc-gen and the other points I raise?
What do I like? I like the exploration, I like coming up over a hill and seeing a vast plane in front of me with plants and animals wandering around, I like flying through space and dogfighting pirates, I like the interactions with the various NPC's dotted around and learning their language so I can help them. I also love the esthetic of the space ships and different bases, both in space and on land... that 70's scifi feel is strong in this one and I love it!
What don't I like? THE GRIND!!!! Seriously, the game requires a LOT of grinding. You have to wander for hours at a time to find decent minerals, artefacts, crashed ships and a whole host of other things. Not to mention that you are constantly having to find essential resources to maintain your suit, ship and weapon. I also don't like the proc-gen of the planets and the wildlife very much. Yeah, you can get some cool animals but you also get some really stupid ones, and in general they all fall into the same 4 or 5 types. The planets feel the same so far, inasmuch as they have no rivers, no oceans, and the terrain is all pretty much the same (although I do suspect that the closer to the galactic core you get the more interesting things will become). Oh, and the fact that the only NPC's you can interact with might as well be statues since they never move and just stay rooted to the same spot...
The funny thing is that even though there is a hell of a lot of grinding, and even though after travelling through 5 star systems and about 25 planets the general esthetic of the planets hasn't changed much, I'm still having fun. The game should have BORED me by now, but strangely I'm compelled to keep grinding and keep walking. I suspect it's because I am constantly thinking that there will be MORE later on, and the fact that as I progress I am finding things that weren't on the previous planet (even though it may only be one new thing in a whole star system), and I am also really interested in finding artefacts, learning the languages and finding out more about the whole "Atlas" thing.
So, that's my take on No Man's Sky so far... what about you people? You playing it? You liking it? What do you think about the proc-gen and the other points I raise?