Where to start...

Pros

-Crossplay PC/XBOX/PS4
-Amazing RPG Like Elements
-Fun and Entertaining Art Style
-Beautiful Ships
-Great Character Customization
-In Depth Crafting
-Rewarding
-No Microtransactions (?)
-Exploratory Universe
-Expansive Worlds
-Great Base Building Mechanics (it just works...seriously it does)
-Entertaining Discoveries
-The Amount of Content is Astronomical
-S Tier Writing

Cons

-Crashing
-Multiplayer Bugs
-Unable to Sell Multi-tools (kindof silly if you ask me)
-Some Texture/Terrain Glitches
-Longish Tutorial
-Enemy Glitches
-Network Code or Laggy Servers when Playing with Friends

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After the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ release of 2016 No Mans Sky lost all my trust as a video game. All I saw was an empty god forsaken puddle that was an inch shallow. Obviously the Hello Games was not prepared to release this to the public for many reasons. Fast forward to 2020 and it shines bright as a fine example of a developer taking care of their players. Hello Games isn't some multi-billionaire company that can dump a bunch of money into development but damn do they act like one. The game is not riddled with microtransaction trash...if there is micros I havn't found it yet. The game is saturated with great content that rewards players who explore. My character is a Gek Mechanic who resides in a scrapyard (that I built) on a barren planet within a yellow star solar system. I comb my planet, system and others to find broken down ships and stranded explorers to either take the ship and repair it myself or lend a hand to the deserted aliens. Whether its fixing up a ship for cash, repairing a multitool, scrapping near by crashed freighters or trading with my fellow Geks. I (as a character) am presented with opportunity and choices that fit my role as a scavenger. Many encounters, minor settlements, abandoned buildings, trade outposts, alien structures, sentinel bases, crashed ships, stranded aliens, exosuit pods, and many more await to be discovered. I cannot tell you how many times I was presented with a new encounter where my reaction was filled with curiosity. Each encounter comes with dialogue which was written by someone who deeply cares about immersive experiences and reading them helps me dive deeper in not only my character but the universe of No Mans Sky itself.

TLDR - Game sucked in 2016. Game is a Shining Diamond in the AAA Trash we have today in 2020. Look past the rough release and buy it. On sale or not Id buy this game at 60$.

4/5 - Explore / Discovery / Crafting / Building

Where to start...

Pros

-Spectacular Writing
-Great Voice Acting
-Amazing Atmosphere
-Likable Character(s)
-Builds on Old Mechanics
-Amazing Environment Design
-Notable Story
-Valve Finish

(Includes additional content in advanced mode)

Cons

-Beginning Environments Feel Unfinished
-Some People May Find Tests Too Hard

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I see no absolute difference in quality when putting Portal Stories:Mel along with Portal 1/2. This full separated story includes valuable level design, fantastic environments and a story to actually care about. Throughout the game you are challenged to find solutions to some pretty challenging puzzles. Some of these chambers left me confused and stuck for quite a while. Although while stuck I had time to appreciate the environment design that was displayed on each jigsaw of a chamber. Overall this mod struck me as a quality representation of a valve game, which includes the voice acting. Although limited dialogue, the actors did a great job of setting the tone for most of the game. I will play this again on advanced mode, even if it takes me an hour each testing chamber.

TLDR - Its Portal 3 hiding behind the title of Portal Stories: Mel with the difficulty of both Portal 1/2 combined.

5/5 - Challenging / Beautiful / Thoughtful / Replayable