7 Reasons No Man's Sky Should Be Considered For Game Of The Year 2016

1. Nothing Else Pulls Off So Many Interworking Gameplay Mechanics

One minute you're scavenging for supplies and items, using your mining tool to break down components before darting in a cave to let your suit's environmental systems recover. The next, you're building a base by crafting items together, shooting a few mechanical sentries and after that, you're blasting off the surface to trade with specific space stations and dogfight with fleets of pirates.

Docking on any number of freighters, learning alien languages to 'decode' their subtitles, recruiting workers to beef up your armoury or constructing an indoor conservatory - all happen without loading screens, without pausing and without obtrusive tutorial prompts or an invasive guiding hand.

No Man's Sky plops you on a planet regardless of which mode you're playing, gives you a few text boxes containing vagaries as to what and where to go, and then whispers, "Proceed". You're then free to get immersed in FPS shooting elements, survival and crafting, space combat and light adventure game mechanics.

Seriously, what other game does that?

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Could you learn to love again, or has No Man's Sky burned all its goodwill across the last few months? Let us know in the comments!