No Man's Sky

No Man's Sky NEXT is the game that they promised us in 2016. It finally has multiplayer and many other add-ons, but, in the end, its base is still the same: explore the universe calmly.

It’s what many had expected when the game first released in 2016. There are still some bugs and the multiplayer is too limited for now but the whole experience is mesmerizing.

No Man’s Sky has reached a point where not only does it meet initial promises, it now exceeds them.

Don’t be guided by the game’s daunting history. No Man’s Sky is now a near-outstanding experience that sits in a league of its own. Despite some issues with the game’s textures, delayed rendering and some unstable framerates, No Man’s Sky is a diverse, deep and ambitious player-shaped adventure that’s constantly intriguing.

A fun laid-back exploration experience and it has the unique honour of featuring the largest open world in all of gaming. However, don't go in expecting an exciting or challenging campaign because it's simply not either of those things.

Does No Man's Sky and Hello Games deserve a second chance? I say yest but without much enthusiasm. No Man's Sky has grown a lot, and right now is a mostly enjoyable game, that still has some flaws, so it should keep growing and evolving, because it still has the potential to be a truly fantastic game soon.

The small grand moments of wonder and realization can be breathtaking, but they are too far and few between. Granted, that’s with how I played, so it may be completely different for you. The majority of your time will be simply managing your materials and meters, then spending time gathering materials to do what you intended to do an hour ago, only to find out you need another type of material to do a different step of the process. It’s odd to have such a rollercoaster of highs and lows of excitement and frustration, even after learning so much and adapting to its faults.

Wonderful for exploration but has some issues with resource management. [Oct 2018, p.75]

No Man’s Sky NEXT was a meditative experience for me. The simple loop of landing, scanning flora and fauna, scrounging for minerals, and finally walking up a hill to experience a breathtaking vista never got old. Others may struggle with the game’s openness, and others will likely feel intimidated by such a non-guided experience. But for those craving an experience full of addictive play loops and the ability to go anywhere? This game is for them.

No Man’s Sky Next isn't a sequel, but it almost feels like one. The update improves the game a lot and gives it a whole new look of feel.

As before No Man’s Sky is a game that I enjoyed the most when I was moving under my own steam, plodding along as a leisurely place. The NEXT update brings a lot of great new features to the game and as a result it now feels more complete than it ever has. It is also the perfect time to release the game on Xbox to a new audience that may not have yet had the chance to play it. Sure, there is still a lot of fine tuning that needs to happen and I may still have the odd bone to pick, but this update proves that Hello Games are 100% committed to making No Man’s Sky the best game they possibly can.

No Man’s Sky’s most interesting aspect is how the game that seemingly failed in gamers eyes almost two years ago, has risen from the ashes and has been reborn as something spectacular.

Through its landscapes, its silences and its curious inhabitants, the universe of No Man's Sky delivers an important message in the hands of the player: the journey itself is more important than the destination itself.

No Man's Sky is a giant leap from the game's early days, and it comes on Xbox One in its best form, with lots of activities and variety. It's still got wide margins of improvement though, especially in the multiplayer and technical areas, but if there's something Hello Games proved so far, it's their strong commitment to improve the game post-launch.

For me, this is a journey where every time I turn No Man’s Sky on I have an idea of what I would like to achieve in this episode, but all it takes is a look through my visor and I see something new on the horizon and I’m off exploring again. I know right now I will never make it to the centre of the universe in my playthrough, but I understand now that isn’t the point of NMS anymore. The point is that, well, you need to discover your own place within this wonderful universe. And I am having an absolute blast in doing so.

While features like multiplayer and base-building certainly put more proverbial asses in seats, they're also the least memorable additions to an otherwise thoughtful experience.

NEXT is a better version of No Man's Sky than the one released two years ago but, at the same time, it's the same kind of survival experience that you should avoid if you don’t like those kinds of games.

Thanks to several major updates No Man's Sky is in many ways a very different experience today than it was in 2016, even though the main gameplay loop is still intact. If you want an exciting story or thrilling space combat, this is not for you. However, if you want a Minecraft-oozing space adventure filled with endless exploration, it fits perfectly. It may not be Star Wars or Mass Effect, but it's your very own space adventure.

No Man’s Sky finally comes to Xbox One with its good ideas, some better than others. But above all there are its good intentions and an incredibly beautiful universe that resides in a contemplative experience that is worth a try if you are a patient player.

Finally available on Xbox One, during the last two years No Man's Sky has become a huge exploration game, still flawed by technical and design problems, but totally worth a ride.

No Man’s Sky is a vastly different game compared to its 2016 release. A range of updates, big and small, have culminated in transforming a disappointing space affair into an intergalactic journey that, frustrations aside, is well worth taking.

No Man’s Sky Next on the Xbox One/X is still an ambitious experience and although it has been improved in terms of gameplay, control mechanics and visuals, the game is unfortunately still repetitive, however strangely it is quite compelling as you explore your very own universe. It’s also a game that still needs more content, especially when it comes to story and the AI of the aliens that you encounter. Nonetheless, revisiting this game 2 years later is still an interesting and entertaining yet flawed experience.

In terms of content this is the game that it should have been in the beginning. Unfortunately problems with too much grind, missing comfort functions as well as redundant planetary exploration still remain.

Two years after its initial release, No Man’s Sky have developed into a whole different game. Tons of new content, several updates and patches for the online section, more features for crafting system, new missions, and many, many more added features have made NMS a valuable title.

No Man's Sky: Next can be impressive at times. It is dense with features and the sensation of lift off and breaking/entering a planet's atmosphere is genuinely magical. It is a mixed bag of mostly good things, but has some really low lows.

NEXT is the step forward that No Man’s Sky needed since it was made available two years ago, the online options as well as the third person perspective are both well received additions, however, completely redefining the procedural system of the game is a very difficult task that, in the end, makes it aim for a particular type of player.

No Man’s Sky NEXT is certainly a massive step-up from what it was two years ago. With the addition of online multiplayer, base-building and some graphical tweaks it offers quite a bit to keep players busy for hours on end. While it does have a few flaws, No Man's Sky is still a unique and enjoyable game.

No Man's Sky is an experience designed for a very specific audience. The gamers who enjoy exploring and admiring the universe will feel happy with the result of Next; however, for another audience it will be boring to repeat the same tasks over and over again.

No Man's Sky is tough to recommend because it doesn't nearly have mass appeal. It's a grueling game for far too long and even after that its loop is still too freeform for most players. For the right kind of player, however, it can be an exciting adventure filled with memorable moments and a real sense of discovery. With multiple intriguing storylines that can be chased or ignored, a ton of equipment and upgrades to unlock, and intuitive, easy to use base-building, there's a universe of possibilities to see, provided you can first get off the ground.

The updates have brought definite improvement, but even after two years the huge scope and ambition only serves to hide how simplistic and repetitive the gameplay is.

It’s mechanically repetitive no matter what planet you’re on, the dull combat should be avoided whenever possible, and bugs are plentiful. But buying new ships and building new things is enough motivation to make it entrancing – for a while, at least.