So, here we go, (there will be spoilers in this review). As a PC only gamer, I usually try to ignore articles and adverts for console games. Not because I hate consoles, but because I don't want to get sucked in to buying a console that I just can't afford. This game was one of those games, even after I heard that it was coming out on PC, I still resisted. Finally, the hype was everywhere, I couldn't not see it. I watch a video, I read some articles, you know, I tried to do my homework. It LOOKED like a fun game. A universe with all these planets to explore, strange creatures to see, ships to buy. So I bought it, paid full price as there was no one even offering a dicount. I'm 20 hours in now, I bought a big ship, I upgraded my exosuit, visited the first Atlas Base...aaaaaaand I really don't have any desire to play anymore. Oh I probably will, but not right away. I love open ended games, I've played a lot of Minecraft, and you need a goal in those types of games. The difference is, you choose your goals instead of the game choosing them for you. I'm going to build a base that looks like the Taj Mahal, or I want to produce and store tons of power etc etc. No Man's sky doesn't have that pull, that gravity. I've explored every planet in every system I've gone through, I've completely explored one planet. But the more planets I went to, the more it started to dawn on me, these planets are all the same. Sure they look different, but they are all the same. The same 6 or 7 building types are on every planet, some more or less than others. But it's a depressing thought, a universe full of the same things. I can only imagine the code behind the procedural planets and lifeforms wasn't easy to write, but it's like they did it, and then didn't check their work. I've seen buildings underwater that it's obvious they shouldn't be underwater, as there is fluid port on the outside flowing into...water. There are just some things that don't make sense, like how all the planets are so close together, how they don't really vary in size, how almost everyone if them has life. How you start with a basic exosuit, and to upgrade your suit you have to use inventory space to do it...you have to find places to buy new slots on a planet. This took me many systems. We are able to flit from system to system, but I have to keep feeding all of these systems that are keeping me alive, the technology doesn't exist, to automatically take resources from my inventory. Shields go down during space combat? Is there even a hotkeys to automatically refill shields? Nope, better hope you don't get destroyed while you go into your inventory and reload your shields. Want to fly low to the ground? Can't. Want to have smooth control of flight in space? Better hope your wrists can withstand all the side scrolling you are going to be doing. You can't even stop flying in space! You are either going forward or backward. If you accidentlly hit "e" while flying, no way to cancel that landing. No hovering on a planet either unless you are landing. This could've been a good game, the foundation was there, but it's like they closed their eyes and threw their hands up before the game was done and said sell it. It just doesn't have any polish. The thrill of being the first person to find a planet or a system fades quickly, when you realize the chances of anyone ever seeing it, could be remote. Performance wise, for having pretty low system requirements, there are some serious lag issues and hangups. Crashing, artifacts, visual lag, and the game seems to be a processor hog. I'm not going to say do or don't buy this game, but maybe wait until it's less than 60 bucks. For an indie title to be that much, should have been a red flag to me.
