Is No Man’s Sky Destined for Mediocrity?

Hardcore Gamer: Hype has ruined every AAA title this year, could No Man's Sky be heading in the same direction?

[uth11]

I'm concerned that NMS is all eye-candy, and the space exploration will get old fast. They haven't shown much actual gameplay, just going planet to planet.

[Relientk77]

Exactly, I think it looks cool, but honestly all the exploring will get old and I'll get bored of it.

[the_dark_one]

well to be fair they only showed exploration, but they say it as lore and there a meaning for what you are doing. so is not only explortion. they just want to keep it under wraps and not spoil anything

[EvilWay]

@thedarkone

Didn't Bungie say that about Destiny??

[mikeslemonade]

Looks like Spore/Afrika/Destiny. I don't understand the hype.

[NuggetsOfGod]

My eye is on this....
http://m.youtube.com/watch?...
Persistent universe!

NMS looks great but might also give people sla seizure.

[pivotplease]

Kind of like a deeper and more complex version of Proteus. Hopefully not.

[thorstein]

Looks like the hate has already started.

Oh well. Too bad really. If anyone buys into the hate instead of investigating the game on their own, they might miss out on an incredible experience.

I expect people to miss out on it in the same way they did Valkyria Chronicles and Demon's Souls. Great experiences missed out because of some lame hateboys don't understand gaming.

[fermcr]

Visuals and teck for No Man’s Sky look good... but I don't understand all the hype. It's basically going from world to world to explore... with no single player story.

[radler]

The art style is nice, but the visuals and tech in general need a huge amount of improvements before launch. The sheer amount of pop-in during gameplay is hideous to look at and will completely ruin the game unless they find some way of eliminating it, which could be troublesome to do if everything is procedurally generated on the fly.

If they can get the game running smooth and remove pop-in it should be okay, but right now there's so much stuff magically appearing in front of the player that it ruins the entire game.

[Orbilator]

Yawn, well I'm glad games are all about the visuals, I was confused there.

[uth11]

The hype is that the game is a blank slate that people can project their ideal fantasy Sci-Fi game onto. Then they convince themselves that that is what NMS will deliver.

Which is nothing but a recipe for a huge letdown.

[Pogmathoin]

Exploring is great as long as there are side quests, loot, easter eggs and just fun things to find.... I never got bored of Elite...... Hope this game is similar.... Old school is good enough for me.... I remember a game on Amiga years ago, Damocles..... Now that was a snore fest....

[guyman]

The amount of hate towards anything sony has peaked after ps experience. But I guess haters need to comfort themselves. O my hell @uth, we get the point, you hate the game whilst not understanding anything about it (read gribblegrunger's comment) . This is getting so annoying

[JsonHenry]

From what I've seen its all very shallow. Large, but shallow. When you've got other open ended space sims like Dangerous:Elite or one that blows it out of the water on every level such as Star Citizen I don't think that NMS will hold up.

UNLESS!!! They add a lot more things to do than what has been shown so far. If they have missions, quests, or eventually some form of multi/co-op/competitive gameplay I can see this game really finding its own place as a more "arcade-y" version of its competition that does everything that NMS does and so much more.

[uth11]

They said that there would be no multiplayer at launch, but they do want to add one sometime..

So basically you will get a universe for yourself so big that you could not explore the whole thing in 100 lifetimes. It doesn't add up.

[souga_houjou_jin]

And u think everyone will run and go buy star citizen ?

Only those with monstrous pc will go buy this

No mans sky will sale more than SC will ever be

[JsonHenry]

Well, StarCitizen has already sold a lot. Like $60million+ a lot. So no, I doubt No Man's Sky will ever see that type of reception or income. And yes I believe people will go out and buy the game because they already have by the hundreds of thousands. And that is just the people investing in the game. Not counting the people that didn't buy in early but will buy the game once its finished.

And it is 'sell'. Not "sale". Also- It doesn't take a super high end PC to run the game. It just scales well for those that have higher end PCs so they're getting more for their investments.

[GribbleGrunger]

The aim of the game (if you choose to follow it) is to travel to the centre of the universe. There's something there but it's a mystery.

To get there you'll need to upgrade your equipment and your ship. Equipment because some planets are more acidic or poisonous than others and your ship because you need hyperdrive to reach certain areas. Once you've opened a portal you can travel between points and even teleport to locations you have never seen before.

During your time on a planet, you have to be very careful of the wildlife. Some of the wildlife is friendly but some is less than friendly and make short work of you if you haven't upgraded your weapons sufficiently. Be careful how many creatures you kill though, the robot guardians hunt you down if you overstep the mark

You will need to investigate every nook and cranny of the planet you're on for the materials to upgrade or sell to the many merchants who live on space stations or visit planets. You can take what you want by force but that will lead to you having a bounty on your head and so the police also become your enemy, attacking you if you approach a space station or just happen upon them while travelling. It's best to earn the money required by doing some of the tasks available such as protecting a fleet of ships to its destination.

As you get closer to the centre of the universe, the animals and environments become more hostile and the beasts become more primeval, meaning you have to make sure your equipment is adequate for the journey.

[killagram]

Well said GribbleGrunger. Have you been following the development diaries or do you have other insight into this game?

[GribbleGrunger]

Just following what has been said so far. I have a very clear view of how this game plays and what that gameplay involves and I really can't understand the confusion.

[ZeroX9876]

If project morpheus support was added to the project eventually, the exploration from planet to planet would be phenomenal!

[3-4-5]

* It will get old after a while.

BUT.....

* 5-10 months later, you can start playing again and discover more new stuff.

* Whenever you get an urge to play a game like No Man's Sky, you can just put in NMS instead of having to find a new game.

There is so much potential variation that it would be like it's own sequel or expansion pack....but x100.

EX: I play Rayman Origins....5 months later I want another platformer, but I'm already burnt out on Rayman Origins...so I look around for other games.

^ With NMS, you can just pop that same game back in and discover all new content.

THAT is the thing I don't see anybody discussing at all.

[RaptorGTA]

@NuggetsOfGod

Star Citizen looks awesome but what is shown in that video is all on rails till the land. The A.I. flies the ship to its parking area. Then from their players enter the main hub to join other players. Though we're suppose to be able to explore worlds eventually..but SC is a few years away from being released. Another game to note is Elite: Dangerous. Elite releases this month but being able to land on planets is also a few years away.

[assdan]

It's sounding like there's a lot more to do than just explore based one what I've been hearing, but I am slightly concerned. I'm just worried that this game might be too ambitious for what technology can do right now. But here's the thing, saying a couple hyped games weren't as good as we thought is hardly a real reason. I haven't heard anything so far that's cause for concern, where I saw it with every other game mentioned.

[Harold_Finch]

I have that feeling towards Evolve, one monster will not have the staying power of say...zombies.

[BlissSeeker]

I heard that if you kill the inhabitants of planets this robotic "space police" will come after you. Sounds fun but don't quote me on it! :D

[DERKADER]

We've seen tons of awesome in-game footage but lets see some game play mechanics in action.

[AngelicIceDiamond]

I wanna see Gameplay and what the biggest challenge in the game it. As well as some possible story as well.

[Pandamobile]

Isn't the game mainly about exploration? I doubt there's going to be much of a story. It's being made by a 5 person team.

[AngelicIceDiamond]

Hmm an exploration simulator doesn't sound bad actually.

Yeah there probably won't be any story just maybe some text or narrative elements.

Which is probably necessary for a game of this type.

[DERKADER]

Not expecting a story but would like to see some player interaction of some kind.

[JonnyBigBoss]

I don't see the point of it.

[ValKilmer]

It worries me that they're too ambitious. I think they think they can finish this game and make it everything promised, but when push comes to shove, I'm worried we'll see the indie equivalent of what Destiny turned out to be.

[CorndogBurglar]

Turn out to be what Destiny is?

So a game that millions of people love and play daily even after being out for over 3 months?

[IGiveHugs2NakedWomen]

Arm chair developers. Pay them no mind. They are worse than reviewers who don't finish a game before reviewing it.

[gangsta_red]

It looks good and I like the idea and I am definitely excited for it...but I am concerned that nothing else has been shown over even explained.

I mean exploring is fun...but I'm sure after your 9th planet of seeing animals you'll start to say okay, that's cool...now what?

They should explain more of the space battles and dog fights...maybe even explain the updates to your ship.

[Blacklash93]

Just from the headline:
1. Peoples' hype does not have any impact on whether a game is mediocre or not.
2. Not absolutely every AAA game this year has disappointed.

The article itself just goes over a bunch of other games and hardly talks about No Man's Sky for most of it.

[CorndogBurglar]

Thank you.

I was going to post something very similar.

Every game stands on its own. Just because we've had some disappointments this year doesn't mean that every game that gets talked about now will be a disappointment. Like you said, hype doesn't make a game disappointing. These games would have been disappointing whether people talked about them before they came out or not.

People just got tricked into pre-ordering things before they knew what they were actually buying. Thats all.

[goldwyncq]

It feels like an intergalactic Minecraft, which can either be a good or a bad thing. I'm keeping my expectations in check though; not letting yourself get carried away by the hype is the way to go.

[supraking951]

Mediocrity from a game made by 4 guys whose previous work was mediocrity? I'm still excited to play this game.

[SmokingMonkey]

I'm guessing here but;

You will collect "Units" and or materials;

The more Units/Materials you collect, the better/more capable starship you will be able to make (Yoda much)

Thus being able to travel deeper into space so you can name more planets/map out the universe.

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

@ 1:58 he either picks up Units or spends Units, also notice the difference in ships.

Possibly need "Heridium" to walk around this planet? IDK

What do you think...to much Destiny in it for yah?

[Orbilator]

Nothing wrong with exploration, but then I did love Elite, and the like so maybe it's just me and all the other millions of people who love games like that, who'll enjoy it.

[DeusEx-Machina]

Got to be honest here. I'm more excited about SC and ED. Regardless I still look very much forward to NMS.

[WeAreLegion]

People are expecting things that Hello Games never promised. That's the problem.

[strangeaeon]

Is it just me or is the color palette hard on the eyes? I also agree that much has been made of exploration but other than that, what does one do in this game?

[Silly gameAr]

And, the downer articles continue. Is no one excited for games anymore?

[Tedakin]

I think the concept is neat and I love how you seamlessly go from planet to planet, I just don't get what you actually do. Just land, walk around, leave, repeat?

[Tex117]

I think the game will be great, but all the hype will hurt it. Usually, that kind of hype is saved for AAA games...and most of those don't deliver.

Now, there is alot of hype for a small indie studio's game...and expectations might really be too high.

[Perjoss]

"Is No Man’s Sky Destined for Mediocrity?"

That all depends on how stupid you are. If you're expecting a game where you explore a visually pleasing universe with an awesome soundtrack then this might just be the game for you.

On the other hand if your expecting a game that will blow your mind and change your life forever (like some people are) then I suppose this game will be terribly mediocre to you.

Keep a grip on reality, this is a small team of about 10 people and their last games were the Joe Danger series. I believe they can make something special that I will really enjoy, but I feel sorry for those people that are expecting some kind of evolution of gaming.

[killagram]

Thank you Perjoss. The headlines for these articles are for shock value. All they want is your clicks.

[bumnut]

Is it a budget title? It should be if it is made by a 5 man team.

[Perjoss]

Your logic, i see flaws in it.

[bumnut]

Why? A huge team working on a game costs a lot, so its full price. A small team working on a game, costs less, but its ok to charge full price?

Don't think your logic is too great either, and you didn't even answer the question.

[Live_Larry]

I don't see why everyone is so worried about this title...

If it were to release with only exploration, and literally zero anything else (no combat, no resources, no enemies, no quests, no live multiplayer whatsoever, basically NOTHING of what has been promised), it would still be the most ambitious / new / exciting sci-fi game ever...

Isn't the premise of one of the most popular sci-fi franchises anywhere to "boldly go where no man has gone before"?

Just in terms of size, our current favorite game worlds (skyrim, los santos, wow, etc) are to this game world what a grain of sand is to the earth.

And then the fact that every place is initially unexplored... And that every place is actually unique and wonderful? Amazing.

Also... I'm really loving the visuals, I genuinely want to explore and discover all these places.

Up to this point, only one things about this team/project I found questionable: I feel their event "a night under NMS" was built up to be something quite different, and that they came up a bit short regarding their plans of revealing the truth behind much of the mystery surrounding the game. (I was under the impression the event was going to be pure gameplay - it was just the opposite, a concert with virtually no gameplay; and very little additional details about the game were revealed... basically just a few new exploration clips). I feel if all this would have been clear going in, that I would have completely thrilled at everything they presented at PSX!

Anyways... Love this project. Wish everyone at Hello Games the best! This is a shining light in the ever darkening gaming scene (same titles, new graphics, more microtransactions, failed launches, incomplete games with dlc gouging), and I hope it will have meaningful impact on the industry!

[DougLord]

Obviously none of us have ANYTHING to go on. I hope the game is amazing. But I am very skeptical of procedurally generated games. I have never seen one that would qualify as a 80%+ AAA $60 title. Please - if you know of some - let me know. I've seen some fun rogue-likes and Indie games. But they are F2P or $5 title.

Maybe, if the players have the ability to EASILY and MASSIVELY change their worlds - this will help. But I had these same hopes for Spore, and it failed.

I am biased because I've never really enjoyed FULL sandbox games. I like Skyrim and GTA where you have a big open world and lots of stuff to do outside of a main mission - but Minecraft, Terreria or Starbound - just don't do it for more then a few hours.

[lilmetal]

The devs only really mention what they have planned during interviews and such.
They haven't talked about the meat of the game on stage, and have really only shown the same planet/flying gameplay.
That's the problem, nobody knows what the game is, or what it will be.

Now, from everything I've gathered, it sounds like it'd be a mix of Starbound and EVE Online. Exploring planets, fighting for resources to upgrade your ship to be able to explore farther and more different worlds.

[SharnOfTheDEAD]

If the exploration of the Galaxy is not enough for you then to me you're an idiot.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

I think this games expectations from fans is setting this up to be a disappointment. I think the game itself will be good but people already acting like this game is on par with a AAA game and acting like its GOTY already. I just don't think it will live up to the hype.

[quenomamen]

Of course, cuz it's on PS4 and PC. Unlike the Jesus game that is TitanFall.

[jhoward585]

There's something Therapeutic about no man's sky. Alomst everything about this game feels good to the point where it massages the mind. I can see myself playing this game to escpace reality, while helping me relieve my mental stress.

Edit:
off topic
I think Project Morpheus can really benefit from Therapeutic games, if there is such a thing.

[VicodinViking]

This game is just a glorified Proteus, it gets dick ridden to the high heavens now, but once everyone plays it they'll realize how shitty it is.

[llMurcielagoll]

Please don't jinx it...

[Canary]

I tend to think so. I've yet to be impressed by any terrain that's been generated procedurally.