I am a longtime Earthling, and this is my honest review.
Price and download speed:
The price is great, and the game is free if you get a special ticket. However, the download speed is terrible. It must take about nine months, and even then there's a lot of lag for a year or so.
Graphics:
The graphics are surprisingly good. Every once in a while I can tell that a tree or animal is CG when it doesn't react to wind or rain, but otherwise it's great. They probably animate it one molecule at a time.
Interactiveness:
Earth is very interactive, sometimes too much. I'll be trying to build a fortress in the woods and suddenly I'll be attacked by a bunch of wasps. I kinda wish that they had cut down on the number of bee/wasp hazards, especially in summertime. However, all the water and wind simulations are incredible.
Controls:
This is really one of the only problems—the controls are weird. It takes a year or two of playing to get the hang of it. Whenever I play, I have to spend a minute or two getting by bearings and remembering how to move. Once you get good at it, though, the possibilities are endless.
Size:
The world is huge. Staggeringly massive. Super-skilled players often circle it in airplanes or boats, but I've never left North America. You will never, ever, run out of room to explore. Some places at the poles or in the Congo are still unexplored!
Detail:
This is very impressive. Even smooth countertops are microscopically detailed. To achieve the level of detail seen in the tree branches, the game's makers must have sculpted them leaf by leaf. And there are easily enough in-universe books and films to keep me entertained and informed.
Cheat codes:
This may sound strange, but one of the cheats is just asking someone a question. I wrote about this in my post, "Nerd Sniping". Just ask a nerdy NPC a nerdy question, and their AI brain will be disabled as they stop whatever they are doing to work on the question. It's really funny.
Plot:
Now, the game is great, but there isn't really much of a plot. You really have to step back to see it. No epic gunfights or nuclear wars. But perhaps this is for the best.
Overall, I highly recommend this planet. It's quite amazing indeed!
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