The road to UploadVR’s Best of 2019 awards starts here! Every weekday for the next fortnight, we’ll be revealing one of the ten nominees for our Overall VR Game/Experience of the Year, counting down to the reveal of our full list of categories and nominees later in December. Today we’re looking at the limitless possibilities and breadth of content offered in No Man’s Sky, which received an ambitious VR patch earlier this year.
When No Man’s Sky first released as a timed-exclusive on the PlayStation 4 a few years ago, it had more hype than most AAA games. Once it arrived and gamers were met with bugs and missing features that had been promised, it didn’t take long for the sky to fall on Hello Games. But despite that, they persevered.
In the years since it has received a slew of massive updates and with the launch of No Man’s Sky Beyond, it got fully integrated VR support on top of a massive foundational overhaul and revamp of its multiplayer. It was like a brand new game.
If you listed out all of the things you can do in No Man’s Sky, while in VR, it would sound too good to be true. Explore an uncharted, procedurally generated, nearly infinite galaxy full of solar systems, planets, moons, space stations, and more? Check. Land on planets, drive across them in vehicles, and dig deep below the surface to uncover resources? Check. Build bases and outposts, wherever you want, across the galaxy? Of course. Engage in epic space combat against pirates and track down dangerous bounties? Definitely.
Oh and did I mention you can do all of that online, with your friends, and run into strangers as well? It’s a bit staggering. On top of it all there’s a loose narrative to follow about reaching the center of the galaxy and a brand new Nexus hub where you can meet up with others to embark on shared multiplayer missions or just hang out.
Being able to reach out with your hands and mine for minerals, control the ship with virtual joysticks, and shoot down enemies by actually aiming with your arms feels great. Meeting up with people on Planet Upload Centauri, building a bass, and going on adventures together are some of my favorite gaming memories of all-time, not just in VR and not just this year.
I have no doubt that Hello Games will continue to iterate, continue to improve, and continue to make sure that No Man’s Sky keeps evolving and getting even better and it’s already one of the best this year.
You can get No Man’s Sky on Steam for PC VR headsets or on PS4 with PSVR support. All versions are fully playable outside of VR as well on the same installation and same save files.
