You’ve probably heard a lot about No Man’s Sky over the last week or so, after a dedicated gamer shelled out $1,300 for a leaked copy of the game. This gamer, who goes by the pseudonym daymeeuhn on Reddit, has been posting videos of early gameplay and his impressions of the game so far, which has caused quite the stir.
To be honest, I didn’t know a lot about No Man’s Sky to begin with, but I was determined to buy it, probably because of the insane amount of hype surrounding the game. It may be that much of this hype was generated by what people expected the game to be without much concrete evidence that the game would live up to these expectations. For many the leak has seemed to dampen their excitement leading up to the official release of the game, while others have said that the leak has only made them more excited for the game.
I’ve followed the advice of Hello Games’ Sean Murray and have steered clear of any leaked material, but it’s hard not to feel the effect of the leak. Even though I hadn’t previously looked into exactly what No Man’s Sky was supposed to be, I just had a gut feeling like I’d want to get into the action on day one and discover the universe alongside everyone else. Now I’m more afraid that if I buy it on release day I might find out first hand that it’s not what I wanted it to be. There’s still a nagging feeling that if I don’t get my hands on it next week I’ll miss out on all the discovery and wonder of the early stages of the game, before all its secrets get out and we begin to realize our experience might not be as unique as we thought it’d be.
Ultimately the events of the last week have me more conflicted than usual concerning whether to purchase a game I’ve been anticipating. It’s definitely incredibly frustrating to ignore the negativity leading up to a game’s release, only to end up kicking yourself when you find you should have listened to it (I got screwed with Battleborn already this year). At the same time, I feel like I’d be more angry if I waited a week or two and missed out on the magic of the No Man’s Sky experience early on.
At this point I’m just talking in circles, but unfortunately that’s exactly how I’m feeling about No Man’s Sky right now. If you want to read some much more coherent thoughts on the No Man’s Sky leak, Austin Walker’s article at VICE is a great read!
avideogamelife 
Good post! I tend to agree with you. While I’m excited, I’m also afraid that it’s not going to meet my expectations. I mean 18 quintillion is a big number- there’s GOT to be a lot of overlapping trends.
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We run that risk with any game we make a day-one purchase of these days. So many of them are hyped beyond belief. I feel really bad for the studio though, that this guy has bought an illegal copy and started posting things, pretty much trying to spoil it for everyone. What is the point? Why try to ruin it for everyone else?
And if all he did was sit and b-line it for the “end” of the game, did he actually enjoy it the way you would? Did he take the time to experience the story and nuance?
I had not bought a game Day One in awhile because I was tired of disappointment, but then a friend gifted me a copy of ‘Stardew Valley’ a week after its release. I had so much fun playing it and being able to talk online with other people playing. I had not had the experience in so long and it really changes the entire experience.
In the words of Obi-Wan, you must do what you feel is right, of course. So if you do buy it, share your journey with us. I’m sure the goal of the developer was to give everyone a somewhat unique experience so your story will probably be different from other gamers.
The way I see it is that this person is the only critic on the planet for No Man’s Sky, and while they may have shelled out some serious cash to play it well ahead of everyone else, they may require different wants and needs from a game that you do to enjoy it. If it seemed interesting at first, go in with an open mind. Really, you run this risk for any game you purchase — it gets hype, you develop expectations, you spend your money not knowing whether or not you’ll enjoy it.
I wouldn’t be concerned about this individual’s opinions, or the opinions of those who are watching the leaked content. In the end the game will be what you make of it. It’s a $60 gamble.
My initial concern was that I wasn’t sure how long the breadcrumb “campaign” would last, and knowing it took this individual 30 hours to reach the center of the universe as fast as possible has me confident that it’s something that’ll hold my attention for at least a few weeks (maybe a month). I’ve spent $60 on less =).
If you do pick it up, I look forward to hearing what you think of it.