When comparing Natural Selection 2 vs Transistor, the Slant community recommends Transistor for most people. In the question“What are the best games on Linux?” Transistor is ranked 34th while Natural Selection 2 is ranked 79th. The most important reason people chose Transistor is:
The soundtrack is mostly a type of electronic music called "trip hop", which is heavily influenced by jazz, punk and soul. Most of the songs are very mellow and have a melancholic feel to them, giving Transistor's cyberpunk world a very distinct and memorable feel.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Linux support
Natural Selection 2 has full Linux support.
Pro Integrates RTS elements on top of a shooter
The game has two completely different factions - the humans and an alien race called Kharaa. One player in each team can become a Commander, who then issues orders, RTS-style.
Pro The 2 sides have vastly different strategy and playstyles
Pro In-depth choice of equipment
There is a wide range of weapons for each side that allows for plenty of choice for the player.
Pro Teamwork is essential
To really advance and do well in the game teamwork is essential.
Pro Kharaa can evolve into 5, highly distinct classes
There are 5 different classes that the Kharaa can evolve into.
Pro Developed to be heavily modifiable
By utilizing LUA files the game is highly moddable.
Pro Community driven development
From the very beginning NS2 has had a very passionate community - they've contributed maps, designs and even core features (such as the Spectator Mode). And since build 265, the game's development has been handed off completely to a 14-man community development team (with oversight from UWE).
Pro Dynamic environments
During play levels will change and react, making for dynamic levels and environments.
Pro Beautiful soundtrack
The soundtrack is mostly a type of electronic music called "trip hop", which is heavily influenced by jazz, punk and soul. Most of the songs are very mellow and have a melancholic feel to them, giving Transistor's cyberpunk world a very distinct and memorable feel.
Pro Excellent narration
Transistor uses narration to move its story along with the help of a talking sword. While it may seem strange at first, it really gives substance to an otherwise empty feeling world. The soft voice of the sword is also pleasing to listen to. If you ever feel like the sword is too talkative, you can disable the narration.
Pro Awesome hack and slash action with an interesting twist
Transistor is primarily an action RPG, but it has turn-based combat elements. You can use the ability ()Turn to pause time, which allows you to plan out your moves. This adds strategic depth to the combat, giving you ways to quickly take out all enemies or to get out of a tight situation. It's very fun to use and feels really unique.
Pro Deep customization that rewards imagination and strategy
In Transistor you'll get abilities called Functions(). They have three primary effects: the active effect, the upgrade effect, and the passive effect. These effects can be combined to produce really fun to use skills.
For example, the Get() active effect pulls an enemy close to you. If you add the Bounce() upgrade effect, it will jump to more enemies, pulling them all to you. If you add the Crash() upgrade effect, the enemies pulled will also fall asleep.
The game can be beat with simple combos that don't require much setup or strategy, but thinking up great combinations feels rewarding.
Cons
Con Learning curve
The learning curve for Natural Selection 2 feels unapproachable at times.
Con Really long loading
10 minute loading times to join matches is way too long to wait.
Con Very simple story
The story focuses too much on the revenge plot and too little on the characters themselves. Even the ending wasn't a particularly satisfying, leaving way too many unanswered questions.