No Man’s Sky is praised for its improvements and unique open-world experience, but also criticized for repetitive tasks and cryptic dialogue choices. Starfield is compared to No Man’s Sky, highlighting that it is a different genre as an open-world RPG with engaging dialogue and potentially a compelling main storyline.
The speaker begins by acknowledging that No Man’s Sky has come a long way since its initial release, with improvements in base building, vehicle driving, and multiplayer features. They emphasize that the game has achieved its goal of being an open world, procedurally generated universe where players can explore, craft, and play with friends. They appreciate the unique art style and colorful visuals that create a distinct identity for the game. While they admit to not being a huge fan of survival craft games, they acknowledge that No Man’s Sky offers a wide range of interesting things to progress and unlock, such as owning a freighter and being able to base build on it.
However, the speaker also points out some aspects of the game that they find repetitive or less enjoyable. They mention the abundance of menus and the tedium of continually mining materials for fuel and warp drives. They express their preference for gameplay-driven actions over menu-driven tasks. The way the story is presented and the dialogue choices in the game also receive some criticism. They find the dialogue often cryptic and skip through it, noting that story elements feel less central to the gameplay experience. Additionally, the speaker highlights the many quality of life improvements in the game, such as portals for quick travel between planets, portable refiners for on-the-go material refinement, and the ability to power bases using solar energy.
The speaker then addresses the comparison between No Man’s Sky and Starfield, emphasizing that the two games belong to different genres. They compare the difference to that of Borderlands and Call of Duty, both being first-person shooters but different subgenres. They state that Starfield will feature the gathering and crafting of materials, as well as base building, but within the context of a Bethesda RPG with engaging dialogue choices and potentially a compelling main storyline. The speaker concludes that while No Man’s Sky is a survival crafting game, Starfield will be an open-world RPG, showcasing the difference between the two. They express excitement and optimism for Starfield, drawing from their positive experiences with previous Bethesda games, and eagerly anticipate the release of the game.