Humans aren't going to set foot on Mars until the 2030s - a fact which is at once immediately incredible and mildly disappointing. We'd rather it was next week.
Astonishing in a different-yet-mindblowing way, is that if you started playing the sci-fi survival/exploration/flying/combat game No Man's Sky today, you wouldn't have "completed" it by the time the first astronauts set down on the Red Planet. It's just that big.
The creation of British studio Hello Games, the universe in which this game exists is nearly impossible to comprehend. The game's procedurally generated engine can produce around 18 quintillion (that's a one followed by 30 zeroes) planets, each sporting its own unique terrain, populations, threats and treats.
For some, that might sound a bit too big - but this isn't a game that expects you to find all of its secrets and set foot on all of its planets. It's so big because it wants you to get lost, to find unique worlds and to tell your fellow gamers that they should head to so-and-so quadrant to take part in a battle they hadn't discovered. It's going to be a one-off experience, just because of how much choice there is.
If you've always longed to live in a world of Star Trek exploration, No Man's Sky is as close as you're going to get. Here's a tiny taste of what's to come.
No Man's Sky is yet to receive a release date for PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows
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