Friday, August 12, 2016

No Man's Sky - Initial Thoughts

About the Game (From the Steam Store Page)

Inspired by the adventure and imagination that we love from classic science-fiction, No Man's Sky presents you with a galaxy to explore, filled with unique planets and lifeforms, and constant danger and action.

In No Man's Sky, every star is the light of a distant sun, each orbited by planets filled with life, and you can go to any of them you choose. Fly smoothly from deep space to planetary surfaces, with no loading screens, and no limits. In this infinite procedurally generated universe, you'll discover places and creatures that no other players have seen before - and perhaps never will again.

Embark on an epic voyage
At the centre of the galaxy lies a irresistible pulse which draws you on a journey towards it to learn the true nature of the cosmos. But, facing hostile creatures and fierce pirates, you'll know that death comes at a cost, and survival will be down to the choices you make over how you upgrade your ship, your weapon and suit.

Find your own destiny
Your voyage through No Man's Sky is up to you. Will you be a fighter, preying on the weak and taking their riches, or taking out pirates for their bounties? Power is yours if you upgrade your ship for speed and weaponry.

Or a trader? Find rich resources on forgotten worlds and exploit them for the highest prices. Invest in more cargo space and you'll reap huge rewards.

Or perhaps an explorer? Go beyond the known frontier and discover places and things that no one has ever seen before. Upgrade your engines to jump ever farther, and strengthen your suit for survival in toxic environments that would kill the unwary.

Share your journey
The galaxy is a living, breathing place. Trade convoys travel between stars, factions vie for territory, pirates hunt the unwary, and the police are ever watching. Every other player lives in the same galaxy, and you can choose to share your discoveries with them on a map that spans known space. Perhaps you will see the results of their actions as well as your own...

Previous Playtime

0 hours

What Was I Thinking When I Bought This

It's all about the hype. This is a video game that got its developer an interview with Stephen Colbert. It's had think-pieces written about it. It utilizes some novel math to fit an unprecedentedly huge universe into a 6GB file. It's supposed to do startling new things with procedural generation.

Okay, so I'm a sucker. But it is my hope to be one of the first suckers to experience something amazing (even if it's not quite as amazing as it was initially hyped as).

Expectations and Prior Experience

The bulk of my "experience" with this game has been watching the various breathless interviews and admittedly stunning preview footage that has been floating around for years. I've also seen a few minutes of it in person thanks to a friend who bought it for the PS4.

It looked more or less like what I was expecting. I've been hearing some criticisms of the game from people who started playing a few days ago, but none of it has had that much of an impact on my excitement.

Honestly, No Man's Sky will probably have to seriously shit the bed for me to not enjoy it. Because the basic pitch is one of my fondest video game wishes - an entire virtual universe to explore with no great agenda but to live inside it. Success at the game lies in discovering the diversity of its world. Failure is getting bored. And since I'm the guy who didn't even get bored with Starforge, I like my chances.

Honestly, it's been awhile since I went into a new game so completely confident that I would enjoy it.

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