I've played No Man's Sky starting at the 1.2 path, and now onto the latest (1.31 I believe). At this point it's one of my favorite games. I think if you are interested in the theme, and were initially disappointed, it's worth your time to give it another shot.
It's still a collect-a-thon and inventory management is less than ideal - but they've made a ton of improvements. I'm starting to look forward to what Hello Games does next.
By Phaethon 6 years ago