Dude, some of the greatest games ever made are single-player only.

To be fair, those games have compelling stories and fantastic gameplay.

Yeah. NMS's narrative is reminding me a lot of Dark Souls right now. Minimalist story-telling, only one major goal much of the time and narrative through NPC and environmental interaction (i.e. the Monoliths). Plus I'm enjoying NMS's gameplay a lot too.

No, because the difference is DS has an overarching story, well defined lore, a theme, and a narrative. There is no story in NMS.

[quote]No, because the difference is DS has an overarching story[/quote] As does NMS. In fact, I have at least two overarching goals to achieve right now. [quote]well defined lore[/quote] As does NMS. There are three races (that I've met), some mysterious omnipresence, and each has distinctive personalities and characteristics. [quote]a theme[/quote] As does NMS. The omnipresence of the Atlas seems to hint at some artificial nature to the universe (2meta4me), that it may be a simulation. There's also a lot of existentialism going on as a result. It's very interesting. [quote]a narrative.[/quote] Each player carves their own. I admit that there's no unifying plot that everyone will experience, but that's not what Hello intended. [quote]There is no story in NMS.[/quote] Lies.

So there is a story, but no plot? That's not how it works. Having an "end goal" is not a story.

Story is the entirety of the narrative the game is trying to convey. Every artistic element of the game contributes to story, from the visuals to the music to the lore to the feel of the mechanics and probably more. Plot is the sequence of events in the game as experienced by the audience. It's not non-existent in NMS, but it's obviously procedural, aside from the beginning (with an optional narrative available) and the endgame goal.

I mean, you can sugar coat it all you want, but all you're doing is collecting materials to upgrade your ship so you can reach the center, after which you just spend more time collecting materials to upgrade your ship.

Trust me. Playing alone isn't a new concept in a game. Back in my day (damn I sound old) most games were meant for a single player!

Lol, true, most players today started playing on online era already, kids yet.

Back when I played my Super Nintendo, not once did I think we'd have a game so monumental in size as No Man's Sky. No Man's Sky is amazing and far too many people take for granted what it is.