When comparing Cortex Command vs Starbound, the Slant community recommends Starbound for most people. In the question“What are the best local co-op PC games?” Starbound is ranked 38th while Cortex Command is ranked 67th. The most important reason people chose Starbound is:
Starbound allows the player to go at their own pace while completing the tutorials. By the end of the tutorials the player will have the skills and equipment to succeed in the game and have fun doing it.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Extremely detailed physics engine
The physics engine allows for fully destructible environments.
Pro Endless mods
An in-game mod editor and Steam Workshop compatibility mean that there’s loads of content available.
Pro Informative and well paced tutorials
Starbound allows the player to go at their own pace while completing the tutorials. By the end of the tutorials the player will have the skills and equipment to succeed in the game and have fun doing it.
Pro Incredibly deep gameplay
The exploration, crafting and combat are all both very polished and deep in terms of what you can do, especially compared to other games in the genre. This makes the sandbox very fun to play in as you're never really stuck doing the same thing over and over.
Pro Boss levels
For what is a procedurally generated game, Starbound offers boss levels that once beaten unlock new sectors of space to explore.
Cons
Con Expensive for what is on offer
While the game has endless community content, the in-game content is lacking and may not be worth the sticker price of $19.99.
Con First few hours can be boring
Initially the player needs to amass enough coal to fuel their ship, which is a bit of a grind.