Space Engineers

Space Engineers from Keen Software House

    This sandbox in space game is "Minecraft" meets "Kerbal Space Program," using building blocks to create the space ship, and space stations of your dreams. This game is very nice even though it's still in beta. Great graphics are just the tip of the ice berg for this game. Real physics that crumple and destroy the blocks when hit. Meteor showers that rain destruction onto your ships and stations. Computer controlled ships that pass through the area for you to loot and salvage. Plus the developers aren't done yet, there will be more to come.

    Building and maintaining the space ships and stations is what this game is all about. With multiplayer support for up to 16 there's the possibility to form teams, and play a team death match, or play completely co-op. There's a creative game type that allows players to build what ever their heart desires with endless resources, and no health damage. Also a newly  added (May, 2014) survival game type that requires players to mine the asteroids for resources, refine them into usable materials, and produce the parts needed to build the ships. I find the mining of resources very relaxing almost zen like, but that me. There is also missile launchers, auto turrets, and other weapons to defend what you've build, or try and take what others have built.

    Some of the down sides of survival mode, which may be changed in the future, are you can't just start or respawn with out a ship. Currently if your character dies you respawn in a starter ship. With out this starter ship you don't have any way of refining the materials to make parts, or means of recharging your space suit. If you're trying to play a scenario where you want to gather the resources yourselves there's the temptation of using the starter ship to get them, or killing yourself to keep getting more and more starter ships. There are also no planets in this sandbox game.

    All in all I really enjoy this game. The graphics, and the survival mode really sold it for me. You might enjoy it as well, check it out with the link at the top.