No Man's Sky

 PlayStation 4
User Score
4.8

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 5473 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,123 out of 5473
  2. Mixed: 648 out of 5473
  3. Negative: 2,702 out of 5473
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  1. AlphaRebel
    Aug 10, 2016
    1
    The most succinct review I can concoct about this game is to simply quote Total Buscuit on Skyrim: "it's an ocean of content with the depth of a paddling pool" the underlying technology is undoubted a great feat unfortunately once the novelty of the the tech wears off dawns the realisation that simply the game is doesn't possess any engaging game mechainc loops outisde of the "mine toThe most succinct review I can concoct about this game is to simply quote Total Buscuit on Skyrim: "it's an ocean of content with the depth of a paddling pool" the underlying technology is undoubted a great feat unfortunately once the novelty of the the tech wears off dawns the realisation that simply the game is doesn't possess any engaging game mechainc loops outisde of the "mine to progress - Move to next planet and mine to progress" and as in the case of ED when you are dealing with 18000000000000000000 permutations using fundamentally the same maths to pin it together you get recycled or close to recycled content very quickly and the fact that you are going to be doing this same grind on your quest to the centre of the galixy for a very long time, it's really the perfect game for OCD explorers or autistic kids who get fulfilment from progressing on a repetitive game loop, sadly my bordom tollerence is not what it was 20 years ago so off to CEX we go :(

    TL;DR - Great technology, where's the [REDACTED] game?    … Expand
  2. spaceman43
    Aug 10, 2016
    2
    Got this game with high expectations, but after a couple of hours the lack of variety and the surfeit of repetition combine with the rough graphics and clunky UI to deliver a very very poor experience. Yes you will go 'wow' when you start on the first planet, again when you first go into space and again when you open the galactic map and use the hyperdrive. But trust me, this becomes staleGot this game with high expectations, but after a couple of hours the lack of variety and the surfeit of repetition combine with the rough graphics and clunky UI to deliver a very very poor experience. Yes you will go 'wow' when you start on the first planet, again when you first go into space and again when you open the galactic map and use the hyperdrive. But trust me, this becomes stale and boring very quickly. The game is as empty as the outer space it's procedurally generating. Don't experience buyers remorse, save yourself and pick this up 2nd hand at what will be a bargain bin game in a few months as floods of buyers trade in over the coming weeks.… Expand
  3. TheVJ
    Aug 10, 2016
    0
    No Man's Sky is not the intergalactic playground people had hoped it would be; it is more of a nigh infinitely big museum filled with nothing but Jackson Pollock paintings.
  4. Soka
    Aug 10, 2016
    10
    A cool game for cool players !! completely awesome , cmon ppl this is not a shooter game,
    repetitive ? really ? absolutely NO ! every world is unique. waiting for a reunion point to share with other players in the future, but for now the game is awesome :D
  5. Lolindir
    Aug 10, 2016
    8
    The game is exactly what I expected, a lot of exploration with some survival elements. I've found a planet made of rocs with absolutely no life except plants, another planet with deep seas and hidden ancient ruins..I've played only few hours but I love it, it doesn't look like a randomly generated game... everything seems "handmade".

    A few things would have made this game perfect: a    The game is exactly what I expected, a lot of exploration with some survival elements. I've found a planet made of rocs with absolutely no life except plants, another planet with deep seas and hidden ancient ruins..I've played only few hours but I love it, it doesn't look like a randomly generated game... everything seems "handmade".

    A few things would have made this game perfect: a multiplayer mode, a wider variety of plants and animals (and different reactions from them), a deeper interaction with aliens, huge alien monsters to fight (they may exist somewhere, but in 6 hours of gameplay I've only seen relatively small animals and they were all pacific).

    I hope that with future patches this will turn out one of the best games ever made.    … Expand
  6. DaapDaap
    Aug 10, 2016
    6
    Well 1 hour of the game is fun and i have played alot of the game and it seems to be the same thing over and over again. it is not a bad game at all it is just kinda boring, but if you are into such exploration well this game is a game for you.

    For me it is okay just an okay game it is nice to pick up if you just wanna play a relaxing game and i like that you can travel to every planet    Well 1 hour of the game is fun and i have played alot of the game and it seems to be the same thing over and over again. it is not a bad game at all it is just kinda boring, but if you are into such exploration well this game is a game for you.

    For me it is okay just an okay game it is nice to pick up if you just wanna play a relaxing game and i like that you can travel to every planet you see, other that having new stuff on the new planets you find they still look the same with different texture and outlay    … Expand
  7. Roagie
    Aug 10, 2016
    9
    I'm having a lot of fun with this game. In reading negative reviews, people are citing how it's the same thing planet after planet. I've played the game for around 8 hours now and have only been on three planets. The latest planet I landed on I kept digging deeper and being referred to more and more to explore. I think people are rushing it... with the idea that there are near infiniteI'm having a lot of fun with this game. In reading negative reviews, people are citing how it's the same thing planet after planet. I've played the game for around 8 hours now and have only been on three planets. The latest planet I landed on I kept digging deeper and being referred to more and more to explore. I think people are rushing it... with the idea that there are near infinite planets, people are rushing to just go to different planets instead of really exploring just one. I've spent so much time on this one planet I can't imagine exploring more than say 10 in total over time.
    I think if anything the game faltered in saying there is an infinite amount of planets, so people ignore the detail offered on each one.    … Expand
  8. MFK863
    Aug 10, 2016
    7
    The following is my first impression of the game after day one and playing about 8 hours. First off the lack of inventory space in the early going was a huge pain. I was constantly being alerted about no inventory space and it was extremely annoying. I realised very quickly that this is not a game meant for hoarders and even if you think its a good idea to hold onto that rare materialThe following is my first impression of the game after day one and playing about 8 hours. First off the lack of inventory space in the early going was a huge pain. I was constantly being alerted about no inventory space and it was extremely annoying. I realised very quickly that this is not a game meant for hoarders and even if you think its a good idea to hold onto that rare material at the start of the game, don't, as you'll be able to find plenty more when you actually need it. One of the first things I did was start working towards upgrading my inventory space. I explored some planets, found some suit upgrades, and gradually sold all the things I could find along the way which allowed me to buy a new ship with more inventory slots as well. After eight hours my inventory space had almost doubled and it made the game much more enjoyable when I did as you spend less time trying to organise your stuff. Otherwise the pros and cons so far for me are:

    PROS
    Vast open world with plenty to explore
    Ability to upgrade to a wide variety of different ships and multi-tools
    Transitioning from planet exploration to space exploration is always fun
    Landscape looks amazing on some planets from afar
    Different puzzles to solve to earn rewards is nice
    Wide variety of different alien species is pretty cool

    CONS
    Sprint is mapped to R3 while moving is mapped to L3. Seriously who the hell thought this was a good idea? This was a major issue for me and is totally different from any gaming standard out there and was a terrible design decision. Hopefully it gets patched in a future version as I fail to see why it was done this way.
    While the planets have lots of variety they lack any real depth
    No clear objectives or goals
    No ability to connect with friends to play even as a duo
    Textures are god awful up close (PS2 level textures)
    Draw distance runs into issues when flying low on planets
    No fast travel to previously discovered map markers
    No dialogue or good audio effects make you want to play your own music
    Various outposts and space stations feel small and limited thus far (some doors are locked though so maybe they will expand at higher levels)

    As you can tell I've listed a lot of cons however even with these cons I've been enjoying the game. It is going to be a game that is what you make it to be. The first hump to get over at the start was pretty tough but once you learn to adjust I found it got better. For example I've started to set my own goals, stopped hoarding materials and sell everything, and never stay long on barren desolate planets. I think that is something important to keep in mind as well. If the planet looks like a dump then it is probably going to be as fun exploring as an actual dump would be. Remember there are 18 quintillion planets so if the planet doesn't look like it would be fun to explore then move onto the next one. In the eight hours I explored six planets and I always had the most fun on planets that had everything to offer whereas the barren planets were extremely dull and boring.

    In the end my recommendation would be buy if you really enjoy exploration/survival games, wait for a price drop if you only mildly enjoy exploration or survival, and pass if you don't like those style of games or if graphics and a great soundtrack are really important to you. This game will not be for everyone.    … Expand
  9. Greebo12
    Aug 10, 2016
    4
    The game looks very nice, and also makes quite fun, but 60Euro / Doller are too much!
    As the game like other Survival games and makes nothing new but the other games only cost 20-30 euros / Doller.
    The NPCs are lifeless and have little animations the world is very empty and the space is still empty!
    I say for because price is a 4/10 and is not worth 60 Euro / Doller.
  10. ntall1
    Aug 10, 2016
    1
    This game is very much like Starbound. How is it like starbound? Well... its a game... its about a universe, it has almost no fun features, and it relies on hype to generate the bulk of its sales.

    What is the reason for exploration when there is nothing interesting in an entire universe. Keep searching planets, you might find a lizard panda!
  11. Iplayedthegame
    Aug 10, 2016
    0
    No Man's Sky is a procedurally generated snooze fest. Where the developer intended splendor and wonderment only frustration materialized. The core gameplay is lackluster and clumsy and leans heavily on the woefully tedious gameplay mechanics found in Minecraft yet lacks any of the expressive freedoms found in its peer. I regret my purchase as I had high hopes for this game I stronglyNo Man's Sky is a procedurally generated snooze fest. Where the developer intended splendor and wonderment only frustration materialized. The core gameplay is lackluster and clumsy and leans heavily on the woefully tedious gameplay mechanics found in Minecraft yet lacks any of the expressive freedoms found in its peer. I regret my purchase as I had high hopes for this game I strongly encourage potential buyers to wait on a substantial price drop before venturing into this vacuous hollow cash grab.… Expand
  12. terrybd
    Aug 10, 2016
    8
    Is this the best game ever made? no. Is this a fast paced space-sim? no. This, as Sean Murray has put it is "chill". If, from all the videos and media that has been released about this game over the past two years you had landed on a solid picture of what this game was, you're going to be disappointed because it won't be what you had pictured. I myself flip-flopped many times over thatIs this the best game ever made? no. Is this a fast paced space-sim? no. This, as Sean Murray has put it is "chill". If, from all the videos and media that has been released about this game over the past two years you had landed on a solid picture of what this game was, you're going to be disappointed because it won't be what you had pictured. I myself flip-flopped many times over that time period as to whether I was interested or not in what this game had to offer. I didn't even know until I booted it up what this game was really offering me.

    You begin on a planet with a broken ship you have to find resources to ultimately get your ship up and running. This could take you a couple of minutes, it could also take you a couple of hours if you get lost in the process of finding plants and animals. It will all depend on you.

    You collect resources, you improve things, you meet nondescript aliens, you explore. You name things. You sell things. Rinse and repeat. And that's where people are getting stuck, they expected more story, they expected bigger and better things. But a lot of fun can be had from navigating to planets, exploring them to find stones that teach you new alien words, new blueprints for weapons, multi-tool attachments etc. Sometimes you'll fly towards the stars and pirates decided they want what is up for grabs. Is this Elite Dangerous, no. But it's not trying to be a space combat sim. It's trying to be a game about exploring, about trying to find your way in the way you choose to the center of the galaxy. You can avoid everything, or explore everything.

    I truly look forward to what Hello Games do to this game in the days, weeks and months to come. Maybe a more involved trade system, maybe a more refined map so you can call a place home. Although with the goal being to get to the center of the universe, I'm not sure they want you to call anywhere home.    … Expand
  13. masseffectabc
    Aug 10, 2016
    5
    "Greatness Awaits" with this one. Alhought the concept of the game is highly ambicious, the execution is poorly, and if this game is an "exploration game", then it fails miserably, cos it uses the basic mechanics of exploration and nothing more. Kudos to Sony for at least trying to put something different in the market. For people who like to do the same 4 things for hours and hours, this"Greatness Awaits" with this one. Alhought the concept of the game is highly ambicious, the execution is poorly, and if this game is an "exploration game", then it fails miserably, cos it uses the basic mechanics of exploration and nothing more. Kudos to Sony for at least trying to put something different in the market. For people who like to do the same 4 things for hours and hours, this game is for you, for the people who don`t like that, then buy something else of focus your energy in something else.… Expand
  14. Honze
    Aug 10, 2016
    5
    NMS can be identified in an extremely limited niche format.
    The exploration is there, although the vast majority of planets do not even reseble the beauty of what has been showcased up until now in trailers and conventions.
    That said, everything is strictly tied to a Rinse & Repeat of farming resources, selling stuff and an overall lenghty process for buying upgrades. Too much depth is    NMS can be identified in an extremely limited niche format.
    The exploration is there, although the vast majority of planets do not even reseble the beauty of what has been showcased up until now in trailers and conventions.

    That said, everything is strictly tied to a Rinse & Repeat of farming resources, selling stuff and an overall lenghty process for buying upgrades. Too much depth is given to the bussiness management part of the game, and far less to the exploration part.

    Players may get stuck for hours on the same planet without progressing, or they might just fly through the stars by replenishing their resources at every opportunity. There's a wide variety of ways in which gamers may play the game, but at its core it's too repetitive.    … Expand
  15. dadrester
    Aug 10, 2016
    9
    No Man's Sky is a melancholic existential crisis. And that's a good thing...

    While my review here is not indicative of a longer term experience (I've played about 6 hours) I think I've probably encountered the bulk of the mechanics that make up the game loop. Most of these mechanics are relatively par for course "open world" box ticking exercises - find outposts, look for loot,    No Man's Sky is a melancholic existential crisis. And that's a good thing...

    While my review here is not indicative of a longer term experience (I've played about 6 hours) I think I've probably encountered the bulk of the mechanics that make up the game loop.

    Most of these mechanics are relatively par for course "open world" box ticking exercises - find outposts, look for loot, expand your alien vocabulary, craft and upgrade, and that sort of thing. Whilst not particularly revolutionary all of these activities are well presented and engaging enough to keep players going for a long time. An example would be the many locked doors that require crafting/finding key types etc, which offer a tantilising motivation for pressing on. The upgrade system so far is reminiscent of borderlands, and again offers a compelling reason to keep progressing.

    There's every likelihood that these mechanics may become boring and/or repetitive after a significant amount of time. Probably a good example is something like Far Cry (3,Blood Dragon and 4) or Skyrim/Fallout, where you're essentially doing the same things over and over - however, personally I still find pleasure in roaming around leveling up and just sort of taking in the atmosphere.

    While a lack of clear motivation or strong narrative might put some players off, or maybe leave them feeling slightly overwhelmed or lost, there is a definite sense of place to the universe. And it's this sense of place and mystery that really does appear to be No Man's Sky's ace in the hole.

    I'm often completely aghast when I think about the scale of the real universe, almost melancholy, wondering what's up there, and knowing full well that I'll never find out. No Man's Sky evokes those feeling perfectly - whilst leaving you room to make your own stories.

    The game can look stunning in places, however, it's procedural nature means in other places it can often look very rough, and while there's plenty wrong with the game, for example, the first person FOV, the fact you're unable to remap buttons (which by default don't feel correct) and so on, it's a superb experience so far and one of the few games that's had me thinking about it after playing.

    I find it easy to recommend the game to people, as long as they're aware of what they're getting into and are aware of what makes it special. In the same way Minecraft's lack of structure and urgency might not be for everyone, thos to whom it appeals will no doubt have an excellent time.    … Expand
  16. FilippoAD
    Aug 10, 2016
    10
    Its not a 10 my vote is between 8 and 9 but its absurd to see so many zeroes. Metacritic should ban those accounts. Game is s lot of fun and gave me in my first day a lot of emotions that it was long time that i didn't feel in the game industry. Survival and exploration ftw. A must have for sci-fi lovers
  17. kidjosa
    Aug 10, 2016
    10
    People that say this game is repetitive, obviously had no clue about this game to start with.
    No man's sky is about relaxing and doing your own thing, or follow the god atlas to the center. Mining element,s upgrading your ship, flying farther, mining more elements finding elements that you can sell for big cash, finding weird things on the planets. etc ...
    Offcourse to find these things    People that say this game is repetitive, obviously had no clue about this game to start with.
    No man's sky is about relaxing and doing your own thing, or follow the god atlas to the center. Mining element,s upgrading your ship, flying farther, mining more elements finding elements that you can sell for big cash, finding weird things on the planets. etc ...
    Offcourse to find these things you have to look around, and actually spend time with the game.
    If you are not the kind of person that can just enjoy a game and just run around mining some elements
    like as in minecraft. Then this game might not be for you. No man's sky is a very well done game, with lots to offer (if you look for it)    … Expand
  18. justmark
    Aug 10, 2016
    9
    I've only got a few hours in on the game thus far, but I'm quite enjoying myself. I haven't experienced any frame rate issues that some people are complaining about. The game has been running smoothly (I do have a very fast internet connection.)

    I can see why this game might not appeal to some people. I enjoy exploring and upgrading things. Perhaps this might get repetitive at some    I've only got a few hours in on the game thus far, but I'm quite enjoying myself. I haven't experienced any frame rate issues that some people are complaining about. The game has been running smoothly (I do have a very fast internet connection.)

    I can see why this game might not appeal to some people. I enjoy exploring and upgrading things. Perhaps this might get repetitive at some point but I'm sure that there is a lot that I haven't seen yet, and that new content will get added on a regular basis.

    The media hype on this game was too much... and expectations were too lofty

    UPDATE: I'm now about 6 hours into the game. I've increased my score from 8 to 9. I'm absolutely fascinated by the game and the depth. I've been to several planets now, two space stations, and have met a few different races (one of which was uber unfriendly to me.) The game is certainly geared towards exporation type players. My biggest gripe thus far has been the lack of inventory space. It is extremely limited.    … Expand
  19. woodsyend
    Aug 10, 2016
    8
    The game is as they said it would be. You fly around, collect resources and explorer the vast universe. There are technical problems but they are not game ruining. The soundtrack is amazing and the feeling of how small you really are when you first leave the planet is hard to describe. The game can and will get repetitive so it's up to you how much time and effort you will put into theThe game is as they said it would be. You fly around, collect resources and explorer the vast universe. There are technical problems but they are not game ruining. The soundtrack is amazing and the feeling of how small you really are when you first leave the planet is hard to describe. The game can and will get repetitive so it's up to you how much time and effort you will put into the game in order to reach the center of the universe. it's like a bigger version of minecraft. This game is like the bvs of video games, honestly it's your own opinion that decides if you like it or not.… Expand
  20. Rundusol
    Aug 10, 2016
    6
    Let me startby saying that this is a VERY specific game, not everyone will enjoy it, many will dislike it and others like me will be mesmerised by it.

    I don't really know where to begin. The only thing i can do is describe how i feel playing it. I am fascinated. I am intrigued. I am absolutely relaxed. I have only spent about 9 hours in the game so far, and all of that was exploring    Let me startby saying that this is a VERY specific game, not everyone will enjoy it, many will dislike it and others like me will be mesmerised by it.

    I don't really know where to begin. The only thing i can do is describe how i feel playing it. I am fascinated. I am intrigued. I am absolutely relaxed. I have only spent about 9 hours in the game so far, and all of that was exploring just 3 planets in the system i materialised in. I found myself fascinated by the mystery of these weird aliens, the craziness of the randomly generated worlds and just exploring.

    I cannot describe how relaxing i find playing this game. Nor can i explain how confused my brain gets when i try to fathom just how big it all is. The music is a special mention here, it is SO very relaxing.

    For all its good there are some negatives. I hate having to constantly refuel everything, it is tiresome. The FOV is poor. The popin and low rent texture work along with bad aliasing at times is quite an eyesore. Buti can look beyond these for what the game gives to me.

    I feel as though this is a game i probably should have bought on PC to get rid of fhe visual drawbacks on pS4.

    As i said at the beginning, this is not a game for everyone. People will hate it, there are already a ton of negative comments.

    I for one did not get caught up in any self driven hype, i had no expectations justa desire to experience what this amazing created. And i am honestly happy they made what they have, it is a truly fascinating experience and unique amongst a sea of rehashed genres and "definitive editions". I look forward to exploring this amazing universe for years to come.

    Please be proud of your work Hello Games.    … Expand
  21. barce1ona
    Aug 10, 2016
    0
    this is the 2016 version of The Sting and all the fools fell for it. If you go to the developers premises there will be nobody there just an empty building! hahaha
  22. jasonsalley
    Aug 10, 2016
    10
    This game is not for everyone. If you need combat, and constant action this game is not for you. If you like exploring and grinding this game is for you. That should have been very apparent pre-release.

    The bizarre hostility towards this game from, probably **** is likely largely from people who haven't played it, aren't going to play it and just think they know they hate it. There is    This game is not for everyone. If you need combat, and constant action this game is not for you. If you like exploring and grinding this game is for you. That should have been very apparent pre-release.

    The bizarre hostility towards this game from, probably **** is likely largely from people who haven't played it, aren't going to play it and just think they know they hate it. There is absolutely no way you can play this and give it anything less than a 6.

    That being said you have to take what has been said about this game on both sides with a grain of salt. It may be breathtaking in scope and size but as far as I have seen it's mostly the "same" on the planets (I've only been to about 5 so far.). But that doesn't mean it isn't a fantastic game.

    I believe they will add more as time goes on (because they said they would)    … Expand
  23. Boskowitz
    Aug 10, 2016
    0
    Huge day one patch and no pre-release reviews is all you need to know about this game. But this is indie, so you can see what kind of excuses are people able to cook up to make you think just how much different is indie DOP from corporate DOP.

    Ask yourself a question. Did you like Mass Effect's scam called "planetary exploration? Where you landed on a randomly generated square with    Huge day one patch and no pre-release reviews is all you need to know about this game. But this is indie, so you can see what kind of excuses are people able to cook up to make you think just how much different is indie DOP from corporate DOP.

    Ask yourself a question. Did you like Mass Effect's scam called "planetary exploration? Where you landed on a randomly generated square with mountains and ridicolous recources. Well, if you like that, go on and buy it. Because that is exactly what it is, randomly generated, utterly pointless sandbox that makes little sence and have no purpose. Some people want exactly that.    … Expand
  24. Hardcoreplaya
    Aug 10, 2016
    1
    Unfortunately not what I expected from the hype. It's more of a rock mining simulator than it is about exploring different planets/space. Every planet is pretty much the same anyway so it's kinda pointless to play for more than an hour or so because you will have seen it all by then. It's mindless grinding, my least favorite part of gaming. Wait until you get it for free from PS Plus andUnfortunately not what I expected from the hype. It's more of a rock mining simulator than it is about exploring different planets/space. Every planet is pretty much the same anyway so it's kinda pointless to play for more than an hour or so because you will have seen it all by then. It's mindless grinding, my least favorite part of gaming. Wait until you get it for free from PS Plus and then give it a try. $60 is way too much for what you are getting.… Expand
  25. Mcclenz
    Aug 10, 2016
    10
    Fantastic game. Played for almost 17 straight hours since release. Just got to my third star system. Ignore the flood of hate until you pick up a controller and try for yourself. Hello Games was passionate about this game and you can feel it when you play. I've already taken at lest 5 fantastic screen shot "book cover" moments. Now back to exploring the Euclid Galaxy.
  26. PneumaticVeto
    Aug 10, 2016
    2
    My experience of the game was anything but relaxing last night. It was frustratingly dull as it forced me to REPAIR my preorder bonus Alpha Vector starship. I had been misled into thinking that I would be able to warp to another system immediately, but it had me crashed landed on a radioactive planet with a toxic atmosphere and overprotective Sentinels and a belligerent crab that IMy experience of the game was anything but relaxing last night. It was frustratingly dull as it forced me to REPAIR my preorder bonus Alpha Vector starship. I had been misled into thinking that I would be able to warp to another system immediately, but it had me crashed landed on a radioactive planet with a toxic atmosphere and overprotective Sentinels and a belligerent crab that I encountered when I fell into a grand canyon I was attempting to cross with the aid of my jet-pack when it ran out of gas midway across and I had to walk through a seemingly endless cave system, full of dead ends, in the hope that it would provide a surface exit - the only upside being that I was sheltered therein.

    After unavoidably dying twice due to the game having a difficulty level well above Legendary, and struggling to recollect my inventory from my awkwardly located grave site, it CRASHED.

    - the Multi-tool should take longer to overheat
    - the Mining should be tripled in effectiveness
    - the Hazard protection should be quadrupled
    - the Sprint should last nineteen times as long
    - the Jet-pack should not run out of puff at all
    - the Player should exit hyperspace and crash on a more hospitable nearby planet unless they own the preorder bonus Alpha Vector starship with players therefore having time to upgrade their Exosuit and Multi-Tool should they want to explore a hazardous environment and NOT be plunged into this adversity from the start whilst the game fails to make it in any way clear that this is not their home planet and they are an alien astronaut exploring the stars

    Technically it delivers on the promises made in terms of scale, variety and rendering quality. Yet, although it is an impressive tour de force of ontogenetic just-in-time procedural content generation that actually remembers all recently observed changes and very loosely fits the definition of an MMO, my hoped for chilled experience of exploration and discovery (with optional risk balanced my commensurate rewards, whose extreme difficulty can be reduced through preparatory grind) has been an abject disappointment with my astronaut apparently stuck without a way off this benighted hellhole.

    I didn't even buy the game to land on the planets!

    Give me the option to restart in space and the option to load the last Save that I made inside a spacestation, as in its inspiration 1984's Elite, and I will be free to explore its dynamics in dangerous "What if?" experiments just as much as explore space and get into dogfights, and won't be so crabby.    … Expand
  27. Upijuss14
    Aug 10, 2016
    5
    Nms is an mostly average game with a small amount of things to do, the problem in this game is that wayyy to much time and resources have been spend in developing these wast galaxies resulting in a balancing deficiency in the game, although i have to admit that the planets are freaking fantastic theres so much to explore and find on these planets, so im not really suprised that the gameNms is an mostly average game with a small amount of things to do, the problem in this game is that wayyy to much time and resources have been spend in developing these wast galaxies resulting in a balancing deficiency in the game, although i have to admit that the planets are freaking fantastic theres so much to explore and find on these planets, so im not really suprised that the game has a lack of things to do, but another huge problem is that after 2-3 hours the game gets repetitive, and it just sucks that other devs are just trying to rip people OFF , id recommend you to wait till the price drops its not a terrible game but its definetly not good :)… Expand
  28. TheBladeExile
    Aug 10, 2016
    10
    one of the most (IF NOT THE MOST) ambitious games of all time the sheer vastness of the universe is mind boggling i played for 12 hours and im stil hyped about the what i could possibly find in the unknown distance remind you that this game is the biggest ever created(in terms to sheer scope and size) and mind you that it was created by only a handful of men
  29. ipaTcH_HUN
    Aug 10, 2016
    10
    Currently i stopped playing with every other game... this is just a masterpiece. This game fills all my expectations. The only thing a miss is the online part, maybe just adding the feature to see others makes the game much more fun... discovering new planets together. Hope they make this step too :)
  30. Coombs
    Aug 10, 2016
    3
    This is a glorified tech demo with a cumbersome, tedious resource juggling game awkwardly and haphazardly dumped on top. I was stunned to discover just how ugly this game actually is. The menu interface is not inspiring, which is a shame since you'll be spending so much of your time there. The controls are clunky, the sound effects obnoxious, the music a huge disappointment. I foundThis is a glorified tech demo with a cumbersome, tedious resource juggling game awkwardly and haphazardly dumped on top. I was stunned to discover just how ugly this game actually is. The menu interface is not inspiring, which is a shame since you'll be spending so much of your time there. The controls are clunky, the sound effects obnoxious, the music a huge disappointment. I found that the totality of the aesthetic experience, something I thought would really be a selling point in this game, is utterly lackluster. It's amazing just how often the sound effects and music combine to create a supremely unpleasant effect. Every once in a while the game would create a lot of fanfare over the fact that I just walked an arbitrary number of feet since starting the game. Trivial statistical events like these are treated like major events, even though they couldn't possibly be less significant. For a game that tries to emphasize biology and diversity, what ends up being highlighted is how tremendously inorganic the gameplay experience is. None of the it feels natural. It comes off like a desperate exercise in alchemy. Truly, the most fun I've had with this game was when I watched the trailer in 2014. I had my reservations that these guys were in way over their heads, and sadly, my fears are confirmed. There's a reason AAA titles are developed by huge teams: that's what it takes. As it stands, I'd say a fair price for this game is $10. Any more than that and you could be playing something so much better.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

2
#2 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2016
2
#2 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 96 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 41 out of 96
  2. Mixed: 54 out of 96
  3. Negative: 1 out of 96
  1. GameCritics
    May 8, 2020
    80
    While I’m sure developer Hello Games is still tweaking things and perhaps even creating more content for No Man’s Sky, the current state of affairs is a strong one. This galactic opus still offers an infinite amount of content for those who want to lose themselves among the stars, but now also contains a concrete throughline that will satisfy a wider array of players. It can be irritating at times, but it’s also full of stunning moments and the satisfaction of building a virtual life among the stars. Four years after launch, it’s finally a journey worth taking.
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  2. BaziCenter
    Feb 10, 2017
    60
    The world of No Man's Sky is insanely vast and beautiful, but there’s nothing to do in it! There’s no goal, no destination, no ending, nothing!
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  3. Easy Allies
    Dec 1, 2016
    60
    While No Man's Sky is engrossing for the first few hours, repetition starts to set in and the proceedings grow dull. The developers stated that they plan to add significant features such as base building which could dramatically change the game for the better. There's a promising foundation present, so it's possible to envision a more substantial game down the line. As it currently stands, though, our excitement to cross the universe faded sooner than we expected.
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