Video Game Review: No Man's Sky

                                                The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me
Hello Enthusiasts,

Today we will be reviewing the game "No Man's Sky", the non-AAA game with all of the AAA hype.

I fully admit that I, like almost everyone else, got really excited by the announcement of No Man's Sky. This almost looked like Minecraft 2.0, with harvesting, exploring, trading, and fighting off carnivorous monsters, all with a beautiful landscape, and in space! And while the game does off everything I listed above, it lacks the magic that Minecraft had.

First, the positives. This game is beautiful, with pretty dynamic planets, as well as some fairly creative wildlife to see as you race through the universe. The soundtrack also matches the game well, providing a background music that helps you get into the game and feel like an explorer on these planets. No Man's Sky also has some fun mechanics to it, mostly with your spaceship though. I felt awesome the first time that I really took off in my spaceship, like I was an adventurer discovering new planets. And the feeling does last for the first planet or two that you explore; you really feel invested in discovering the outposts and collecting materials. There's even a mechanic to start to learn the languages of some of the other aliens you will encounter, which will highlight as a familiar word when you speak with them. So normally you would speak with an alien and the text box would show, "salifo mantogia bradflether condormusoni fesra dusace tamorandato", but after learning the new word it will alter a little to be more along the lines of, "salifo mantogia engine condormusoni fesra dusace tamorandato". While this seems inconsequential, there are times when knowing one or two words can assist you in making the right choice when responding.

However, it's not too long before the game's faults begin to show through. At its core, the game is repetitive. The goal is to get to the center of the universe, and there are small goals along the way. Mostly, they consist of creating more fuel for your warp drive, which requires you to go from planet to planet, harvesting raw materials (or purchasing them for outrageous prices). This wouldn't be terrible if not for the games most annoying flaw, your inventory. It is so frustrating to have a meager five or six inventory spaces on your person, with another seven or eight on your ship. What's worse, modifications and improvements to your ship will take up some of these spaces. Now you can also buy other, larger ships that may provide an additional couple of spaces, but they will require you to spend a lot of time earning credits first. It is aggravating to say the least, especially when there's no way to craft any additional storage.

Which leads into the games other issue, crafting (or lack there of). One of the things that really got people on board with Minecraft was the aspect of crafting and building. While No Man's Sky does allow you to craft components, it ends there. With your raw materials you can either:

A) Craft some fuel or part
B) Repair or replenish equipment
C) Sell it

Those are the options. And the "parts" I speak of aren't new weapons, or a better suit, or anything. They're things like a warp drive, which is a quest all in itself.

One of the big causes for excitment in the game before it released was the ability to discover new things and name them whatever you want, which did end up as a feature in the game. However, I see a lot of the same "new" flora popping up on each and every planet I go to, and I can rename it on each planet. I have "discovered" and named the same giant flower a couple dozen times now, and I am running out of things to call it. Also, what's the point of naming the things you find if nobody else will ever see them? No Man's Sky is not a multiplayer game, you will never encounter anyone else as you travel through the universe and no other player will ever step foot on your planet.

But perhaps the most disappointing part of the game is the "ending". Now for those who want to work for it I won't spoil it here, but suffice to say that it is not worth the time you will put into the game. For those who want to know what they're working towards, just go to YouTube and look up the "end" of No Man's Sky to learn why I put the quotation marks around it.

Overall, this game is not what we hoped, and it is not worth the $60 it was going for when it was released. Perhaps if it didn't build up the hype it did and was released for a more reasonable price, this review (and others) would not be so harsh. However, I'm not telling everyone to boycott this game. It does have its own charm, and I feel that it can be enjoyable in short bursts. I would recommend renting the title or maybe buying it pre-owned.

I give No Man's Sky a 4 out of 10 for not being terrible, but not being the great event we were promised.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Book Review: Peter Clines' "Ex-Heroes" Series

                                                      The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me


Hello Enthusiasts,


Today's review will be of Peter Clines' "Ex-Heroes" series. At the time of this writing the series has 5 installments, with at least one more on the way.

A brief summery of these books to start.

It's a Romero-style zombie apocalypse, set primarily in the Hollywood/Los Angeles area. Those left alive have set up shop in The Mount, a fortified version of the old Paramount studios. Luckily for the people of the Mount, they have the added protection of those who were super-heroes before the world ended. However, the hoards of "ex-humans" aren't the only problems left in the shell of a world, and the protectors of The Mount have to fight a collection of super-villains to ensure the safety of those they protect.

Overall, I really like these books. Clines does a great job with describing the world, and his characters are all original, so you won't have a preconceived notion of these heroes going in (the story would not be nearly as interesting if I was trying to picture Batman running The Mount, as lore has grown to show that Batman can do no wrong). The action and dialogue are also pretty spot-on in these books, even with smaller scenes, such as when the group goes scavenging for supplies. Also, the first book in the series come out in 2010, and Clines does a great job of keeping any references of culture or technology appropriately limited, as that would mark the end of any new media in the zombie-infested world. I also really appreciated that this is a world where zombie movies and stories have existed, but nobody calls them zombies. Rather, they call them "ex-humans" or "ex's" for short, as it makes them feel a little more comfortable. It is obvious with all of these details that Clines has a passion for the story.

I will say though that the books are not consistently wonderful. I thought the first three in the series (Ex-Heroes, Ex-Patriots, and Ex-Communication) were astounding, with Ex-Patriots being my favorite so far in the series. However, I felt that the fourth book (Ex-Purgatory) wasn't as much of a page-turner as it's predecessors. While the most recent addition, Ex-Isle, definitely came back a bit stronger, I didn't feel like it hit the same high point as the first three. Now I'm not saying that Ex-Purgatory was bad at all, but it lacked the same kind of high-tension atmosphere that kept me ripping through the other books. And it's not because of the writing really, it's just the idea that Clines went with in this installment, which was a good one. However, it didn't lend itself to action filled scenes or me feeling like there was a lot of real danger for the heroes.

To wrap up, these books are outstanding in most regards. I would recommend them to anyone looking for a new book to capture their imagination and keep them coming back for more. I do hope that we see this series make its way over to some other form of media, be it comic books or the big screen.

As a series, Ex-Heroes gets 9 out of 10 from me.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast