I’d have to say I'm in the latter camp, I’ve really enjoyed my time in the No Man’s Sky universe and I think for a small team like Hello Games to do what they’ve done is a huge achievement. Still as so often is the case with the detractors, they are the ones who shout the loudest on the internet. Death threats, accusations of lying, demands for refunds and more have all been bandied about over the summer in the months leading up to release and the weeks after.
I can’t remember the last time a video game generated such strong feelings (even it's Wikipedia page has multiple issues), except perhaps Spore nearly a decade ago, which in some ways it reminds me of. So what exactly is No Man’s Sky and why has it generated such a strong emotional response in the gaming community?
Well as a game it’s unique; it offers the player a procedurally generated universe of 16 quintillion planets. A universe so vast you can never hope to visit them all, unless you have around 500 billion years to spare. I suspect it would also be a little pointless as the limits of the algorithm used to generate them would be exposed long before you reached the 16th quintillion planet.
In terms of game play it borrows elements from the hoary 8-bit classic elite (trading and space combat), the aforementioned Spore (cataloguing and naming alien life-forms) and Minecraft (inventory management and crafting).
It’s not perfect of course, no video game ever is, compromises have to be made in order for launch windows, deadlines and budgets to be met, one of the joys of project management, my current day job. Personally I find the elite style combat the most undercooked part of the game and early on inventory management is a real pain, especially if you like to hoard resources.
But its greatest crime in the eyes of many gamers is that it is too open-ended and lacks any real story or focus and in an era of multi-player is a solitary experience. Still, on the plus side, unlike Matt Dameon's solitary astronaut in The Martian, your not confined to a single planet or forced to grow potato's in your own poo like a Minecraft farmer.
Like Spore it has a notional goal of reaching the centre of the universe, but the pay-off is minimal when you do. I guess Spore already pinched the best centre of the universe ending ‘42’. Also I’m not sure what I’d gain by meeting/interacting with other players along the way? Trading? Combat? But wouldn’t that make it just another Elite clone?
If you want a game with tightly scripted storie lines, a clearly defined purpose and goal you’ll most likely be disappointed. On the other hand; if you’re content to fly around an almost infinitely vast universe; watch 16 legged sheep like creatures frolic under an alien sunset; stare in wonder as snake like behemoths swim through a toxic sky; or dive into a blood red ocean to be chased by strange looking carnivorous fish, secure in the knowledge no one else has ever seen this and most likely never will (without taking LSD or unless you share it on social media), chances are you’ll enjoy it. And, if like me you still buy your games on physical rather than digital media, you can always trade it in for something else if you don't.
Anyway I’m taking a short break from the universe of No Man’s Sky to pay a return visit to Fallout 4 and its Nuka-World expansion. Another game that’s legendary for its bugs. Because the gaming universe, like the real universe, is vast enough to cater for all tastes and occasionally throw up something novel or new. Or failing that it’s nice to return to familiar territory, crank up the laser musket one last time and shoot something!