In a couple of days we can expect a much hyped game to finally drop. I’m talking about No Man’s Sky if you didn’t already guess. The game has been shrouded in mystery since that original enigmatic reveal during the 2013 SpikeTV gaming awards.
From the initial reaction, many gamers weren’t sure what to make of it but almost all of them could agree they couldn’t wait to check it out. I believe that most of this anticipation may have to do with the fact that Sean Murray, the creator of No Man’s Sky, is pushing the gaming envelope and trying something completely new that hasn’t really seen before. This game and it’s art style seems to remind me of one of my all time favourite games, Homeworld. However, instead of a RTS in which you command an ancient mothership and her people to their homeworld, it’s now just you alone in the galaxy (or at least that’s how it seems), discovering new adventures and uncovering a galactic sized mystery. I’m a sucker for these spacey sci-fi games!
Personally, I admire when games and their creators are passionate about the medium and try something completely new. Even if the game isn’t perfect which in itself is subjective, at least its created something entirely new in the fabric of gaming as a whole and not taken the easy road out in making a copy of another tried and tested formula which just saturates the medium. No Man’s Sky is exactly that, Sean Murray had a successful career at EA, one of the largest gaming manufacturers at the moment, however, frustrated by the corporate game development world he chose to embark on his own and create Hello Games. He funded this by selling his house! Talk about passionate and believing in your dreams.
This kind of origin story often leads to groundbreaking artistic endeavors, be that music, movies, or even games. The passion just can’t help by seep through. However, I’ll be the first to admit that hype can be a deadly beast and this game can never expect to please everyone.
On top of that, there’s the amazing ground breaking technology running under the hood as well. The game uses a complex “Superformula” created by the botanist Johan Gielis to render the environment around the player in real-time while leaving the rest empty. This means that you can in theory go anywhere from under the sea to space seamlessly. On top of that, everything is randomly generated so new terrain is completely new and new planets are waiting to be discovered (you can also name planets which you’ve discovered).
Details on how the game will actually play has been sparse, and from what I hear this is by design. There is apparently a mystery or goal that the player will need to reach at the center of the galaxy and while traversing there from the outer rim they will face a more and more alien universe and worlds. Additionally, there has been mention of playing the game as a “good” character or “bad” one, the latter in the manner of a space pirate. The open space and open design is definitely a breath of fresh air in the mainly cookie-cutter gaming world today.
The game has gone through some dramatic twists and turns recently as well: there was the guy who purchased a leaked copy on the internet for around a grand and attempted to stream it. However, realizing that he was really screwing other gamers over and how the developer seemed like a really “cool guy”, he decided to stop. Then most recently certain retailers broke the street date embargo on the game allowing gamers to purchase it early, however, Sony has warned that the game will require a full patch before it can be truly judged.
It’s all about immersion and gameplay for me and I have a feeling that this game is going to deliver on both fronts. In the end, I can hardly wait to jump into my ship and upon exiting the thick planetary atmosphere, hitting the afterburners to check out new worlds and adventures.
From the initial reaction, many gamers weren’t sure what to make of it but almost all of them could agree they couldn’t wait to check it out. I believe that most of this anticipation may have to do with the fact that Sean Murray, the creator of No Man’s Sky, is pushing the gaming envelope and trying something completely new that hasn’t really seen before. This game and it’s art style seems to remind me of one of my all time favourite games, Homeworld. However, instead of a RTS in which you command an ancient mothership and her people to their homeworld, it’s now just you alone in the galaxy (or at least that’s how it seems), discovering new adventures and uncovering a galactic sized mystery. I’m a sucker for these spacey sci-fi games!
Personally, I admire when games and their creators are passionate about the medium and try something completely new. Even if the game isn’t perfect which in itself is subjective, at least its created something entirely new in the fabric of gaming as a whole and not taken the easy road out in making a copy of another tried and tested formula which just saturates the medium. No Man’s Sky is exactly that, Sean Murray had a successful career at EA, one of the largest gaming manufacturers at the moment, however, frustrated by the corporate game development world he chose to embark on his own and create Hello Games. He funded this by selling his house! Talk about passionate and believing in your dreams.
This kind of origin story often leads to groundbreaking artistic endeavors, be that music, movies, or even games. The passion just can’t help by seep through. However, I’ll be the first to admit that hype can be a deadly beast and this game can never expect to please everyone.
On top of that, there’s the amazing ground breaking technology running under the hood as well. The game uses a complex “Superformula” created by the botanist Johan Gielis to render the environment around the player in real-time while leaving the rest empty. This means that you can in theory go anywhere from under the sea to space seamlessly. On top of that, everything is randomly generated so new terrain is completely new and new planets are waiting to be discovered (you can also name planets which you’ve discovered).
Details on how the game will actually play has been sparse, and from what I hear this is by design. There is apparently a mystery or goal that the player will need to reach at the center of the galaxy and while traversing there from the outer rim they will face a more and more alien universe and worlds. Additionally, there has been mention of playing the game as a “good” character or “bad” one, the latter in the manner of a space pirate. The open space and open design is definitely a breath of fresh air in the mainly cookie-cutter gaming world today.
The game has gone through some dramatic twists and turns recently as well: there was the guy who purchased a leaked copy on the internet for around a grand and attempted to stream it. However, realizing that he was really screwing other gamers over and how the developer seemed like a really “cool guy”, he decided to stop. Then most recently certain retailers broke the street date embargo on the game allowing gamers to purchase it early, however, Sony has warned that the game will require a full patch before it can be truly judged.
It’s all about immersion and gameplay for me and I have a feeling that this game is going to deliver on both fronts. In the end, I can hardly wait to jump into my ship and upon exiting the thick planetary atmosphere, hitting the afterburners to check out new worlds and adventures.
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