No Man’s Sky is out next week – and it’s one of the most eagerly anticipated games in recent memory. There’s just something about it – the air of mystery, perhaps – that’s got gamers in a froth. That mystery is set to continue until release day, as there are very few, if any, review copies of the game being sent before the game is out.
We’ve not yet received a copy, but we’re not alone. It seems that the game isn’t making its way in to many reviewers’ hands before release.
PSA: Several publications, incl some large ones, have reported to us that they won’t be receiving No Man’s Sky review copies prior to launch
— OpenCritic (@Open_Critic) August 1, 2016
That doesn’t mean there wont be reviews out before release, mind you – just that many publications don’t appear to be getting code before launch. Usually, that’s some sort of sign of impending doom, that the distributors or publishers don’t have the requisite faith in the game. They worry that negative review scores could impact sales. Is that the case with No Man’s Sky? Perhaps, but it’s worth cautioning against being too reactionary here. Just because there are no review copies, it doesn’t mean the game’s destined to be terrible.
Take id and Bethesda’s recent Doom reboot. That game had no early review copies and isn’t just good, it’s one of the best shooters (and indeed, games) released this year. No Man’s Sky is going to be a strange game. For some players, I suspect it’ll give them everything they want from a game of its ilk; exploration and adventure. For others, like me, who prefer story-driven experiences it might feel hollow.
Last Updated: August 2, 2016
Gavin Mannion
August 2, 2016 at 08:10
#CalledIt… wait am I too early still?
AfricanTime
August 2, 2016 at 08:16
you too early, its a problem for alot of men…apparently…
Gavin Mannion
August 2, 2016 at 08:17
nah I got myself them blue pills.. all sorted..
er… I mean I don’t know what you are talking about
HairyEwok
August 2, 2016 at 08:21
You may proceed and call it an Alpha Calledit XD
Alien Emperor Trevor
August 2, 2016 at 08:14
That’s a bit of a red flag. Maybe they should release another “completely random” 5 min game play trailer so people can see what they’ll be doing 12 times every hour.
Pariah
August 2, 2016 at 08:29
Why is that a red flag? Perhaps servers won’t be up in time, or they (like the DOOM devs) want people to get the full online experience before they review. Both are plausible, and reasonable.
If this was a purely SP game (your kinda game, amirite?), then yes. Red flag the shit out of it.
Gavin Mannion
August 2, 2016 at 08:30
Keeping copies out of the professional reviewers hands is a red flag… most sales happen in the first week so if the game is bad you don’t let it get reviewed and still get sales
Pariah
August 2, 2016 at 08:34
This kind of game isn’t going to work for everyone anyway. Some people will love it, some will hate it. And tbh, I’d rather let people discover for themselves than wait on rushed reviews pushed out to people and public because “FIRST” drives traffic. And this also seems like a long-haul experience, not a 20 hour one.
BakedBagel
August 2, 2016 at 08:37
One of the biggest things pulling me towards this game is chilling in space.(retarded i know)
I sunk ungodly amount of hours in Eve simply because it was amazing out-side of combat, flying around space is one of the most soothing things i could do while gaming :D?
Alien Emperor Trevor
August 2, 2016 at 08:39
Nah that’s cool, if that’s what you want from it and you get it – awesome.
Pariah
August 2, 2016 at 08:40
Well yes. And that’s one of the experiences this game seems to offer. And not everyone will enjoy that. There’s a lot still left to see, but I’ve said many times. This game is one of adventure, exploration, possibility. And everyone is going to have a different experience and find different things they enjoy (or don’t) about this.
My only question is the mechanics. Is it fun and intuitive to do all these things? We’ll find out, certainly. But I am happy to buy this on release, first game since BL2 that I’ve been willing to do that on. And I wasn’t disappointed then either. 😀
Lardar
August 2, 2016 at 18:24
Professional reviewers? I am sorry but those two words should not be together. There is nothing professional about someone who reviews a video game. Not everyone is the same, i judge the game for myself on twitch. That is where the best view of a game is shown.
Alien Emperor Trevor
August 2, 2016 at 08:32
Full online experience… you mean the infinitesimal chance of coming across another person? So MP it might as well be SP, my kind of game. And as we’ve seen… people are already playing it. This game has way too much hype and curated game play samples for my comfort.
Pariah
August 2, 2016 at 08:32
What about arriving at a planet that’s been discovered, seeing that name already there? That’s a huge draw to the entire experience.
Gavin Mannion
August 2, 2016 at 08:34
Why? like how will that really make any difference?
Pariah
August 2, 2016 at 08:34
Part of the charm. But see my reply to you as well 🙂
BakedBagel
August 2, 2016 at 08:20
Or Devs dont care about gaming media anymore.
The Order of the Banana
August 2, 2016 at 15:41
lol, this would be my impression.
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
August 2, 2016 at 08:23
Will wait a bit before buying this, already burned my hands once with The Division
Admiral Chief - Check
August 2, 2016 at 08:25
Division wasn’t THAT bad. DZ was though
Pariah
August 2, 2016 at 08:26
That’s like saying the original Frankenstein wasn’t THAT ugly.
iusedtobe(a)regular
August 2, 2016 at 12:51
the original Frankenstein wasnt that ugly at all, he was just a normal looking man, his monster on the other hand, well, he was hideous.
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
August 2, 2016 at 08:50
But that’s my point, once you played the game there was just the DZ or the buggy expansion missions
Admiral Chief - Check
August 2, 2016 at 09:01
I liked it as a co-op shooter
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
August 2, 2016 at 09:09
Destiny was waaaaaaayyyyyyy better in this regard
Admiral Chief - Check
August 2, 2016 at 10:47
WF is the best
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
August 2, 2016 at 11:42
I played both, Destiny i better. Have you played both?
BakedBagel
August 2, 2016 at 08:31
May i ask what the reason was, that made you purchase it in the first place?
My mate nags me daily about buying that game. Ive always been in 2 minds about it.
Admiral Chief - Check
August 2, 2016 at 08:32
If you want to play with a friend, do it, if you want to try out the dark zone, don’t do it
Gavin Mannion
August 2, 2016 at 08:32
I enjoyed The Division.. granted it didn’t have the sexy long legs of Overwatch or Destiny but I still enjoyed it
Admiral Chief - Check
August 2, 2016 at 08:32
Same here, although I stuck around longer than I should have, kept on hoping for improvements
Gavin Mannion
August 2, 2016 at 08:33
yeah I sank around 30 hours into it.. well worth the money in the end. DZ is garbage though
Admiral Chief - Check
August 2, 2016 at 08:35
…I kept playing well over 100hrs
Allykhat
August 2, 2016 at 09:45
Underground hits for us PS plebs this eve so will be playing again. First time in a month though. The DZ isn’t fun anymore if you arent running even a half decent Meta build. If the insanely OP mobs dont cut you down in seconds, the Rogues will.
BakedBagel
August 2, 2016 at 08:34
Thanks guys.
OW 10/10
Destiny N/A (pc fanshit)
I dont know if i want to pick up The Division out of sale tbh, the price is pretty steep
Admiral Chief - Check
August 2, 2016 at 08:35
Wait for sale, trust me
Allykhat
August 2, 2016 at 09:46
Yeah dude, wait for sale and make sure you got a mate to jam with. DZ is trash and the game gets a bit crap after a while playing just solo
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
August 2, 2016 at 08:47
I like playing games with friends, to be honest I missed a lot of game time in March and buy the time I got to The Division I played it alone for the most part. But even when I joined my friends I found the combat boring AF. Also Doom and Uncharted 4 released by that time
Allykhat
August 2, 2016 at 09:42
This^…. So much this….
AfricanTime
August 2, 2016 at 08:24
it still looks boring as hell.
Pariah
August 2, 2016 at 08:27
Yeah, some people might see it as such. But then I consider sport games to be boring, and they’re a huge money maker, so who knows?
Original Heretic
August 2, 2016 at 08:38
Games are too expensive to buy these days without seeing a good review first.
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
August 2, 2016 at 09:09
Gamers are whiners 😛
Original Heretic
August 2, 2016 at 09:11
Correction!
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
August 2, 2016 at 09:14
LOOOOOOL! Me too
Original Heretic
August 2, 2016 at 09:17
There’s an awesome song by Volbeat that starts off with the lyrics: “Counting all the assholes in the room, well I’m definitely not alone.”
Alien Emperor Trevor
August 2, 2016 at 09:23
*entitled whiners. 😀
Simon
August 2, 2016 at 09:26
The subreddit for this game has plenty of evidence of this, it’s sad really.
Still getting the game because I have kept my hype in check and I know exactly what it is going to be a chilled space exploration game.
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
August 2, 2016 at 09:50
XD
Spy Master Tokashi
August 2, 2016 at 09:37
That is why I enjoy playing a game that has been released 4-5 months ago. Most of the bugs are fixed and you will have a way better experience. It is a perfect time to hit your steam games that you have bought from the sale but did not bother to play. If you wait over a year for a game, you will get it on a steam sale 😉
Original Heretic
August 2, 2016 at 09:39
Fully agree. I got no problem waiting for a game to get it’s kinks sorted out. And then also, by that stage (hopefully), also down in price a bit.
Spy Master Tokashi
August 2, 2016 at 09:44
I have played so many games on day one release that completely spoiled my experience because of the issues (server issues, game breaking bugs etc) that I believe that I would have enjoyed a lot more if I have waited 4-5 months for it.
I have enough games anyway to keep myself busy.
Original Heretic
August 2, 2016 at 09:47
I just started Neverwinter on PS4. My first MMORPG and I’m loving it. So at the moment, I need NO other games!
Richard David Grieve
August 2, 2016 at 19:54
Dude some games may be too expensive, but with regards the implication games were cheaper in the past: I paid £40 for sonic, streets of rage 2, urban strike, wipeout, tekken, final fantasy 7, golden eye, crazy taxi, shenmue, mass effect….the list goes on. My point is that the price of around £40 has been the console price-point for over 20 years. Games nowadays represent better value. Most of the games I have listed could be ‘completed’ in a very short time.
miaau
August 2, 2016 at 09:40
Online game, requires servers, perhaps is the reason why they do not pre-launch reviews. Wonder how ready they are? Or even if they need to be ready.
Skittle
August 2, 2016 at 09:46
The best part about hype is witnessing the crushing disappoint of over-zealous fanboys.
UltimateNinjaPandaDudeGuy
August 2, 2016 at 10:12
So I went ahead and did the pre-order on Steam. If the reviews are trash then I will ask for a refund before even installing the game.
The Order of the Banana
August 2, 2016 at 15:16
It’s still going to be a better love story than Twilight and Gears of War!
Alien Emperor Trevor
August 2, 2016 at 21:30
You take that back, Jim! I’m all aboard the Cole train!
Xevro Datanious
August 2, 2016 at 16:40
I’m sort of skeptic about the game. Been dissapointed due to ‘overhyped’ games, especially on this generation consoles, lately. Always wondered what there really was to do in NMS during the gameplay demos. Yes, exploration, but what exactly do you expect to find?
We know about the ‘lorestones’ to ‘learn’ words of alien langauges so you may comprehend what an alien lifeform wants/offers. I guess there’s also that part where you search for specific resources or upgrades and selling them and of course just taking in the view both on and outside a planet, but I guess that’s all there is to it?
Supposedly the ‘goal’ of the game is to reach the center of the galaxy, but why? Is it to increase the chance of meeting that one player that you cannot even interact with? (I’m sure the multiplayer aspect of the game isn’t fleshed out at all and by the end of the day NMS is all about the single-player experience).
When they revealed those trailers, especially the combat one I got weary, due to the fact that combat on its own looks really bland and stale, quite uninteresting. Especially when it comes to the ‘space combat’ aspect of the game, it didn’t really look that great. Like attacking the giant ship which is indestructible, solely for trailer purposes by the way, since it’s the spawn location for when you die in space. (Confirmed by Sean during the latest IGN demo)
I also don’t like the fact that once you leave a planet, everything you’ve caused there will be thrown away, gone, everything will be regenerated, as if you’ve never visited the planet before. (Confirmed during the same video).
I personally will wait until the reviews are out along with more indepth videos, cause after all this time, we’ve been shown the same things which makes it look like you’ll be done with it in about 15 hours. I find that not worth a pre-order/full price. Especially when the pre-order takes somewhat a chunk of ‘reasoning’ away from it by giving you ship upgrades, currency and such immediately.
Amiculi
August 2, 2016 at 18:49
Here’s an interesting idea: wait until there ARE reviews if you care what reviewers say.
Novel, I know, but that’s ACTUALLY an option, you don’t have to buy stuff day one if you aren’t sure about it! Gasp!