Video Game thread part 2

[Caveat Emperor]

No Man's Sky drops this week for PS4. First game in a long time that I'm legitimately bummed about missing due to exclusivity arrangements.

[Beltway]

No Man's Sky drops this week for PS4. First game in a long time that I'm legitimately bummed about missing due to exclusivity arrangements.

I thought I read that there was going to be a Windows version after the PS4 release. Did this change?

[Caveat Emperor]

I thought I read that there was going to be a Windows version after the PS4 release. Did this change?

I'd heard the same, but I'm X1 only when it comes to gaming -- my laptop is way too old to handle any serious effort beyond web browsing and word processing.

[marcshoe]

I'd heard the same, but I'm X1 only when it comes to gaming -- my laptop is way too old to handle any serious effort beyond web browsing and word processing.

You need to have a talk with Sheldon Cooper about that.

[Caveat Emperor]

You need to have a talk with Sheldon Cooper about that.

Hey, if he's willing to loan me the cash, I'll gladly upgrade.

[Beltway]

I'd heard the same, but I'm X1 only when it comes to gaming -- my laptop is way too old to handle any serious effort beyond web browsing and word processing.

I actually looked this up after writing my post. It will be released for Windows PCs on 8/12. I went ahead and bought it (link). I'm expecting it to be similar to Terraria/Starbound, just in 3D, with better graphics.

I haven't bought a console since the PS2. I've never found the Xbox (any generation) or PS3/4 consoles compelling enough to purchase. Gaming PCs are more expensive, but they're so much more open and functional. With Steam streaming, you don't even need to have a gaming PC in your living room anymore, either.

[RedTeamGo!]

I actually looked this up after writing my post. It will be released for Windows PCs on 8/12. I went ahead and bought it (link). I'm expecting it to be similar to Terraria/Starbound, just in 3D, with better graphics.

I haven't bought a console since the PS2. I've never found the Xbox (any generation) or PS3/4 consoles compelling enough to purchase. Gaming PCs are more expensive, but they're so much more open and functional. With Steam streaming, you don't even need to have a gaming PC in your living room anymore, either.

Since the PS4/Xbox One(?) came out I gave up on new game consoles and have gone retro. I find myself playing the classics like Chrono Cross (PS1) and SNES games like Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Such better games than the crap that gets released nowadays.

[MilotheMayor]

Just ordered the Limited Edition of NMS. I'll crack into it once I finish Chrono Trigger.

[Beltway]

I actually looked this up after writing my post. It will be released for Windows PCs on 8/12. I went ahead and bought it (link). I'm expecting it to be similar to Terraria/Starbound, just in 3D, with better graphics.

I haven't bought a console since the PS2. I've never found the Xbox (any generation) or PS3/4 consoles compelling enough to purchase. Gaming PCs are more expensive, but they're so much more open and functional. With Steam streaming, you don't even need to have a gaming PC in your living room anymore, either.

I want to point out that, a few hours after pre-purchasing No Man's Sky (via Steam), I decided to get a refund. I'm glad I did for two reasons:
1. According to the reviews I've read, the PC port is awful. Frame rates are inconsistent, even on powerful gaming PCs, and the controls are terrible.
2. Sean Murray was misleading about multiplayer (deliberately, IMO). He said the game was "effectively single-player", not "functionally single-player". He was vague enough that people believed multiplayer would be possible if you were actually able to meet up with people. He lead people to believe that the limitation was difficulty, not game functionality. That appears to not be the case. So far it looks like it's not even possible to see other players in the game.

Issue #2 is bigger than #1, IMO. I'm confident that they'll work out #1, eventually. But adding functionality for #2 may not be feasible or even possible. I would still consider purchasing the game without being able to see or interact with other players, but not for $60. I'll wait until it goes on sale for $10 or $20.

[Caveat Emperor]

Eh -- I get that it's annoying that they lied about multiplayer, but it's not like they ever promised any multiplayer functions at all. There's no group play, no PvP setup or arena mode, no player-driven economy like there is in Elite Dangerous, and the thrust of the game is decidedly single player. Just on features, it appeared the only thing you'd ever be able to do is wave at one another or fly around together -- and even that was so vaguely explained (they clearly weren't building out a MMO server setup, so you're probably talking about instance-based multiplayer like Destiny) that I can't believe anyone really bought the game expecting that to be a robust feature.

Bottom line is that Murray should've come clean from day 1 and said it's not multiplayer, just shared universe. I don't know how that would've harmed the game at all.

[Beltway]

I agree that they didn't promise PvP, player-driven economies, or other functions that people have come to expect in multiplayer games, but they did give people the impression that they could wave at other players, and being able to wave at another player is multiplayer functionality (something you can't do in single-player games like Fallout). If it was possible to wave at another player and that player see you wave, in real-time, then you would at least have the foundation upon which you could build those other functions (PvP, etc). But this game is missing that foundation and I don't think they'll ever add it because it would involve recoding too much of the game's core infrastructure.

[Stray]

So I take it NMS not worth buying then? Maybe wait till Amazon drops it a few times just to explore the universe.

[RedsManRick]

I've watched some people streaming No Man's Sky and honestly, while the gameplay doesn't look terribly engaging (minecraft in space without the crafting), what really turns me off is the aesthetic. It seems like all the colors are washed out and there's way too much pastel stuff. As for the get to the middle of the universe while fighting robots that are everywhere, I think that was Spore's end-game thrust. It just doesn't seem like that had a big enough team to put enough there there.