...so before the Worlds update, I was able to play NMS with almost everything set at enhanced (probably could have even gone higher on some settings) and everything was smooth - FPS good to go. Now, I have to set everything to standard or the game chugs horribly (interestingly, only when I look up at anything). Kind of defeats the idea of all the shiny new graphics. I'm not complaining - progress is great, but the minimum specs on this page are now truly outdated and should be corrected for new people buying this game. My system is not new, but it does have a liquid cooled i7 at 3.7Ghz, 32GB RAM, and an AMD RX470 with 4GB of VRAM. Maybe in 2016 this game would run on an i3 with 8GB of RAM, but I can say with some certainty, that is not the case any longer. I think this information needs to be updated - it probably should have been years ago. Other than that - buy this game - I've been playing since 2017, I have thousands of hours in, the worldwide community is amazing - possibly the most generous players out there, not just with their time to assist, but with resources. The only other request I would have is what others have asked - allow users to amend their reviews now that Hello Games has truly raised the bar in the industry for their legendary support of this incredible simulation. This game would have a 5 star rating if this happened.
The game is beautiful, like everyone says - but I've already over stated things...not sure I'd really call this a "game." Simulation I suppose...virtual life...hmm... I got about what I expected, I already knew that it would be a short trip (three hours for me, and I went downstairs, ate some food, watched TV for a bit, and came back to it). I bought it at 11 a.m. and it was done by about 2 p.m. - which, like I said, I expected. What I didn't expect were the rather long sequences where you are simply taken with the current and have no control over where you are going. Linear is a complete understatement here - it was only 3 hours, but half of that time I spent wondering whether I had control of the avatar back yet. Sort of, wiggle the stick...nope, not yet...wait...wiggle...nope...wig-okay, I can swim again now. I'll say this - it's a nice distraction when it's on sale, but I wouldn't recommend this at full price. Do not go into this thinking it's even close to an open world. On the positive side, I think the controls were good, they got the physics of swimming down pretty well. I was hoping for a deeper level of connection with the marine life, as the description says, but...not so much. If you play this with an open mind, you'll probably enjoy it - oddly enough, there's a tidbit of information in the credits that might make the game make more sense to some - again, no spoilers - if you play the game, just watch for it.
Okay, so a bit of background - I've been gaming since Pong, the Commodore 64, and the Atari 2600. I've run through every "X" Quest game Sierra ever put out, and spent months with games like Starflight, Phantasie, Myst, and Riven before Google was even a thought. Don't get me started on Diablo and Diablo II... To preface, I've been playing Grim Dawn, which is awesome (especially after the latest patch). For people looking for skill trees that go for miles, being able to customize your characters eyebrows, or games where every decision you make affects the outcome of events...this "might" not be your game. However...it might just be what you're looking for. I love the mechanics of this game. So much so, this is my first review on GOG, and I have over 40 games. Granted, I have only reached 15th level so far, but I wanted to write this, so that anyone on the fence, will cross over and buy this one. It's just damn fun. Hack and slash, yes - but I have yet to be bored. The boss battles are interesting, and require some attention. You die, you start back at the last checkpoint (no lost XP, no grave marker to fight to) and you keep going. This is a game that is purely entertaining - it's not trying to achieve some Tolkienesque grandeur...you run, roll, kill, and destroy. I use a Logitech F310 gamepad for the action, and the mouse for inventory and buying/selling. Another plus - you are not inundated with useless loot requiring un-ending trips to town to unload, and everything takes one spot in your inventory - be it a two-handed axe, full chain mail, or a ring. If you're looking for a game where you get to just kill everything in your way, and not worry about which faction you're offending, or whose feelings you're hurting - this is the game for you. I strongly recommend it! Sidenote: I've studied Norse mythology since I was very young - in my opinion, this title does those old tales justice and then some.
