I know I’m wilding but I actually liked the launch game more than what it became. But that says more about what I look for in a game than the quality of NMS. It objectively became a better game than it was at launch, but it pivoted to become more of a crafting and building thing than an exploration game…. And I’ve been done with crafting and building for a long time
For me, I’ve kind of figured out that I love the idea of the game more than the game itself. I played for the first time when the reviews for NMS first started becoming more positive.
On one level I kind of enjoyed it but not enough to keep me coming back regularly. Theres just too much to know when it comes to the knowledge base of the game. Felt like I was spending more time searching how to do everything rather than just playing the game.
I like the variation in planets they’ve added and have always really wanted to like this game. I also like how they added a more casual mode that doesn’t require constant grinding.
The main issue is that it seems like every mission is fly to a planet, land, interact with one of a few things, then leave.
I enjoy the exploration and vibe of the game. Have a ton of hours on it, but I am always left wanting more end game. This is likely a situation where the game doesn’t want to offer what I am looking for, and that’s okay.
I play once a year, or so, to catch up on the updates and have a ton of fun every time.
Every time i tried it i just wandered on the planet i spawned on for hours without making much progress. Last time i tried it i played in VR and i lost my ship in the tutorial and just looked for it for 2 hours going from top of mountains to other top of mountains thinking it should be around here somewhere XD
Its weird I know I shouldn’t but I kind of love NMS. Its such a broad but shallow game but I cant help but spend hours on it. Being able to just jet off to a new system and explore is excellent.
I played it at launch for about 60 hours, haven’t touched it since. I started using reddit to participate in its subreddit in 2016, the hype this game created was crazy.
I’m always a sucker for 3 (Feels like a good in between for what I love in CE and 2 for me personally) and Reach.
But I’m very inclined to agree with the beginning being good. It’s one of the most memorable parts for me about the game, and I’d say franchise as whole
I played a decent number of games this year, and a lot of games that have huge fan bases. God of War 2018, Bloodborne (my first ever soulslike), Baldur’s Gate 3, Disco Elysium, and more. But the one that keeps gnawing at me is Subnautica
I remember when it was in early access I watched Markiplier play it, and it piqued my interest enough that it was the first time I ever bought anything in early access. Which is very unusual for me (I think the only other time I’ve done that was Hades, which was also great). I played through as much of the game as there was at the time, or at least as I could find. Which was still mostly in the safe shallows, no deep areas. Still out in a dozen hours or so and was satisfied given the price so I moved on.
In 2024 i recommended it to my wife, who loves marine biology and base building games. She, in turn loved the game and I watched her play through it. I got to see all of the deep areas. After watching her play it and the DLC I got the itch to go back to it, so I started a new file in late 2024.
By mid-January 2025 I was about halfway through that file. My wife visiting her friend in another city, so I had the house to myself, I think I took some PTO too. Single-digit temperatures Farenheit outside. My wife had taken our only car, so I was loaded up with plenty of weed, drinks, food, and snacks. So I had a few days to focus and finish that first file. I had such a great time I did something else I almost never do: I immediately started a new file to play it again. While I had so much fun, I also learned so much and had so many ideas of what I could have done better. Better places to build based, exploring in a different order, knowing all the great spots to farm resources and get blueprints and everything.
So I played through again. The soundtrack is phenomenal synthwave that perfectly suits the game, but by the time I had built my cyclops and was ready to plunge down into the depths I was also ready for a new soundtrack. I put on one of my favorite albums, which is also one of the most appropriate: Oceanic, by Isis.
I strongly recommend this to anyone who likes Isis or Subnautica. Just absolutely sublime. It’s like peanut butter and chocolate.
Definitely my long and exciting Sliksong playthrough. I spent 137 hours (enjoying almost every minute), and got 98% without guides. Quite proud of myself. I’m so obsessed by the game and it’s universe I cannot move on and still replaying it.
Also, in Spring i reached master rank in Street Fighter 6 maining Manon
Void Stranger, all of the ways it fucks with you even up to the end made it very memorable. The catharsis of finally getting it, and turning insurmountable challenges into not even a bump in the road was incredible. Place your faith in the void and jump in blind.
Dispatch - I’ve been having a blast playing this. It’s my first time playing a game thats more of an interactive TV show but I love the writing and the characters.
I’ve been trying to get into a bunch of games this year but I keep losing motivation super quickly. The only other game I’ve managed to finish is Pico Park 2 in coop.
I built a pc tower for the first time since '01 or '02, and the first game i played was Cyberpunk 2077. A lovely game with some genuinley great characters. I really love Judy.
But that doesn’t hold a candle to Deus Ex, which i completed for the first time. What a great title. I must have played the first and part of the second level when it first came out, but the story was new to me.
Also shout out to Drova, a really fun game with tons of nods to the Gothic series. Difficult, but not punishing.
Cruelty Squad was so different. Looks like vaporware created in Duke3d engine, but plays like a modern shooter (kinda).
Cruelty squad lives rent free in my head it is such a weird trip and surprisingly deep in the end. I like this odd “make a high effort to make it look low effort aesthetic”.
If @blomvik hadn’t already sold me on Cruelty Squad, you certainly have now. In terms of vibes, it sounds right up my alley.
And I do love a bonkers community. I find that when I get into a piece of media (whether that be a game, TV series or something else), I really enjoy participating in what I call “fandom tourism”. I enjoy dipping my toe into the community after I’ve engaged with the media itself, and it feels like bonus content. I don’t tend to stick around in any fandoms, so that means that even if a community is bonkers in a bad way (e.g. lots of drama), I even sort of enjoy being able to understand and spectate those dynamics, as a quasi-outsider
I’ve never heard of Drova or Cruelty Squad, so thanks for the recommendations. This thread has given me so many interesting games to check out, thanks for replying
So your staple games seem to be focused on gameplay (or you’re at the part where the story is done) while the games you think you want to play are story heavy with gameplay locked behind looking at cutscenes and listening intently to dialogue. If the first actual playing happens after only 30 minutes, you might not have the energy to sit through that. Maybe look into indie games that get quickly to the gameplay. You’ll probably find that it’s not that hard to play new games if they’re built for playing instead of mass appeal and story
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