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Horizon: Zero Dawn | Review Thread

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N

nelsonroyale

Member
ckaneo said:
Yeah, probably hit the games negatives that most reviewers won't hit. Lots of repetition of enemies and the world itself is pretty boring. That said, I shudder to think of the time spent to even add 1 new robot in this game. 26ish is pretty good in that respect
Click to expand...

I don't think it is fair to necessarily say the world is boring, as a blanket statement. For instance, aesthetically, there seems a lot more variation than say Witcher 3...which was pretty much all temperate-->southern boreal scenery.
 
D

DriftingSpirit

Member
ckaneo said:
Yeah, probably hit the games negatives that most reviewers won't hit. Lots of repetition of enemies and the world itself is pretty boring. That said, I shudder to think of the time spent to even add 1 new robot in this game. 26ish is pretty good in that respect
Click to expand...
Or rather, they just weren't negatives for other reviewers. The world isn't boring, for example.
 
T

Tyaren

Member
nelsonroyale said:
I don't think it is fair to necessarily say the world is boring, as a blanket statement. For instance, aesthetically, there seems a lot more variation than say Witcher 3...which was pretty much all temperate-->southern boreal scenery.
Click to expand...

From what I have seen and from what 70+ reviewers told us, the world is anything but boring. It's gorgeous looking, it's very varied, very dense in stuff to see and do, there are several different tribes each with their own architecture, culture and lore. How is that supposed to be boring?
 
D

DirtyManos

Member
I haven't played a lot of the games that have come out in the past weeks (Gravity Rush 2, Nioh, Yakuza, etc)...Grad school does a great job of taking your time and money...Gonna have to wait on sales. The only game I definitely planned on getting was Persona 5.

But the reviews and impressions made me pre order the game this morning.

Even worse is given this game and all the other games that have come out, really starting to feel like getting a Pro. Don't have a 4k TV tho, so not sure if it's worth it.
 
ajanke

ajanke

Member
DirtyManos said:
I haven't played a lot of the games that have come out in the past weeks (Gravity Rush 2, Nioh, Yakuza, etc)...Grad school does a great job of taking your time and money...Gonna have to wait on sales. The only game I definitely planned on getting was Persona 5.

But the reviews and impressions made me pre order the game this morning.

Even worse is given this game and all the other games that have come out, really starting to feel like getting a Pro. Don't have a 4k TV tho, so not sure if it's worth it.
Click to expand...

That's similar to how it started for me. Goy hyped for the game a while back though. For this and Mass effect. Then I had to get a pro to make the experience better, then I had a pro and was like omg I need to have a 4k then. Before you knew it... I was all in. lol
 
C

ckaneo

Member
I mean the world is pretty boring obvious you can fight enemies but other than that I can't think of anything particularly fun about the overworld, but realistically most worlds are boring. Just look at real life.

My opinion I guess.
 
M

More_Badass

Member
Tyaren said:
From what I have seen and from what 70+ reviewers told us, the world is anything but boring. It's gorgeous looking, it's very varied, very dense in stuff to see and do, there are several different tribes each with their own architecture, culture and lore. How is that supposed to be boring?
Click to expand...
IMO the point of contention isn't that the world might be boring/repetitive; it's the notion that other reviews won't mention those things, implying that they're too hyped or biased or whatnot to say what the game is really like
 
J

Jawbreaker

Member
I found The Witcher 3's world to be rather boring, so if Austin found Horizon's world to be worse, I'm going to have a bad time. For example, after visiting a couple of caves only to be met with uninteresting level design and enemy encounters, I stopped exploring them wholesale. Thankfully, almost every other review holds a contrary opinion, so not all hope is lost!

ckaneo said:
I mean the world is pretty boring obvious you can fight enemies but other than that I can't think of anything particularly fun about the overworld, but realistically most worlds are boring. Just look at real life.

My opinion I guess.
Click to expand...

Did you play the game? I'm not being an ass, I genuinely want to know if you're speaking from experience or if it's pure conjecture.
 
K

KodaRuss

Member
UnluckyKate said:
Don't pre order for the artbook, when it will be a smaller, cheaper, slimer version of the real deal :

CAGsjG5.png


releasing 2 days prior to the game
Click to expand...

Been thinking about getting this or the stratgey guide.
 
V

vivekTO

Member
ckaneo said:
I mean the world is pretty boring obvious you can fight enemies but other than that I can't think of anything particularly fun about the overworld, but realistically most world are boring. Just look at real life.

My opinion I guess.
Click to expand...

You don't even know how fog Works... Opinions...
 
S

SomTervo

Member
DriftingSpirit said:
The only other western RPG I have played is Skyrim and I finally beat the main story and plat it in 2015. The main story was just eh for me.

Horizon will be really fresh for me and I look forward to see if the story can hook me.
Click to expand...

Honestly Skyrim becomes laughable IMO once you see how it can be done (i.e. The Witcher 3).

I never really enjoyed any of the Bethesda RPGs though, ever since Morrowind (didn't even finish that).

Jawbreaker said:
I found The Witcher 3's world to be rather boring, so if Austin found Horizon's world to be worse, I'm going to have a bad time. Thankfully, almost every other review holds a contrary opinion, so not all hope is lost!
Click to expand...

TW3's physical overworld itself is OK - it's how they populated it with really amazing sidequests that made it great. Like you can boot the game up and spend 30 minutes walking to a random point on the map and doing the first side quest that comes up and it's incredible.
 
T

Tyaren

Member
DirtyManos said:
Even worse is given this game and all the other games that have come out, really starting to feel like getting a Pro. Don't have a 4k TV tho, so not sure if it's worth it.
Click to expand...

As an owner of a Pro and a HDTV I can tell you it is totally worth it for me. Downsampled games look so good on an HDTV. Super clean and clear. No jaggies, no shimmering. The Pro also improves framerates on patched and soon unpatched games. On top of that there are several games that are especially upgraded for HDTVs with higher graphical settings. I think the PS4 Pro is a just as good console for HDTVs as it is for 4K TVs.
 
C

Chris Metal

Member
I got the artbook and LE on preorder (wanted the steelbook) at first it was too expensive then GAME dropped the price and I had £8 in store reward credit... Made sense.
 
D

DriftingSpirit

Member
ckaneo said:
I mean the world is pretty boring obvious you can fight enemies but other than that I can't think of anything particularly fun about the overworld, but realistically most worlds are boring. Just look at real life.

My opinion I guess.
Click to expand...
No.

SomTervo said:
Honestly Skyrim becomes laughable IMO once you see how it can be done (i.e. The Witcher 3).

I never really enjoyed any of the Bethesda RPGs though, ever since Morrowind (didn't even finish that).
Click to expand...
I plan to give TW3 a go this summer. I look forward to see that difference.
 
J

Jawbreaker

Member
SomTervo said:
Honestly Skyrim becomes laughable IMO once you see how it can be done (i.e. The Witcher 3).

I never really enjoyed any of the Bethesda RPGs though, ever since Morrowind (didn't even finish that).



TW3's physical overworld itself is OK - it's how they populated it with really amazing sidequests that made it great. Like you can boot the game up and spend 30 minutes walking to a random point on the map and doing the first side quest that comes up and it's incredible.
Click to expand...

I'm speaking mostly of exploration and how dynamic the world felt. I agree that the side-quests were mostly great.
 
L

Lemondish

Member
Kenzodielocke said:
Austin in his preview talk didn't like it because it was not super self ironic and fun but rather serious.
Click to expand...

I can see how failing to achieve the intended atmosphere would be a worthy reason to

But wishing it were something completely different than what it actually is doesn't seem all that relevant to a review. It's also one of the only near objective parts of a review. Does it achieve it's intended feel. Austin found it to be a serious story, and by all accounts that seems to me to be what GG was going for. So...why is that bad, again? Because they failed to do something completely not what they intended? I'm confused why this even matters.

I mean, I have a friend who likes golf games. Would his review of "isn't a golf game, 2/10" be valid criticism? I don't think many would agree that it would be.
 
D

DriftingSpirit

Member
Lemondish said:
I can see how failing to achieve the intended atmosphere would be a worthy reason to

But wishing it were something completely different than what it actually is doesn't seem all that relevant to a review. It's also one of the only near objective parts of a review. Does it achieve it's intended feel. Austin found it to be a serious story, and by all accounts that seems to me to be what GG was going for. So...why is that bad, again? Because they failed to do something completely not what they intended? I'm confused why this even matters.

I mean, I have a friend who likes golf games. Would his review of "isn't a golf game, 2/10" be valid criticism? I don't think many would agree that it would be.
Click to expand...
I don't get it either.
 
P

Primethius

Banned
In terms of fun open world's, I honestly can't think of an open world RPG whose world I found fun (as opposed to just enjoy).

I really like AC2 and MGSV (both not RPGs) because of the way the mechanics interact with the overall design and world.

The Watch Dogs 2 demo seemed fun too, due to the traversal options.
 
O

Orpheus94

Neo Member
More_Badass said:
Why shouldn't it be serious? Robot dinosaurs isn't an answer
Click to expand...

I think Austin's complaint at that point was that the game seemed humorless and overly self-serious, but that was when he'd only played about an hour of preview I think. After having beaten it his main complaints were enemy variety, how 1 strategy worked throughout the game for almost all encounters, and how the side content was repetitively structured. That, and how the game sort of plays its hand in the first 10 hours and the rest is fairly similar. I've heard vastly different opinions on all of this though, so I still think I'll enjoy the game when it comes out.
 
M

MegaSackman

Member
Primethius said:
In terms of fun open world's, I honestly can't think of an open world RPG whose world I found fun (as opposed to just enjoy).

I really like AC2 and MGSV (both not RPGs) because of the way the mechanics interact with the overall design and world.

The Watch Dogs 2 demo seemed fun too, due to the traversal options.
Click to expand...

There's only one game with an open world that I enjoyed 100% of the time, Arkham City. But I'm sure it's because of the Batman myth and you don't have too many side activities to lose yourself in.
My favourites open world games so far (besides Batman) are RDR and Witcher III and in both I had long periods of time where I was terribly bored.
I expect Horizon to have some "eh" moments but considering is not a super long game and that it's seem tightly designed, maybe it will not be the case. Either way, I'm prepared for it.
 
M

More_Badass

Member
Context in sci-fi can be important, especially given how wild and far-fetched the genre can be. An insane ridiculous premise can be comedy or speculative thriller based on how such a premise is presented. A serious approach gives such a setting and premise a sense of validity, not something to be laughed at but considered.

The opposite approach is true as well, like with Vonnegut; satire can deliver potent messages, humor making such themes more palatable
 
K

KooopaKid

Banned
soulluos said:
ps4pro 4K environments:

Sunrise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXEjnFsOxe8

Environment 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJaBkA95woU

Environment 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyTptJbZz9c

Environment 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtuTIIGJn9s

Environment 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN61sAVOHrE

Environment 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r00j0kAVXAA

Environment 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyyQAeoK1GA
Click to expand...

It's technically impressive and gorgeous but it looks super static to me. Nothing moves from afar, it's a bit lifeless in those videos.
Sorry to bring Breath of the Wild here (again), but its world seem more natural and lively.
Pure technical prowess don't always make a world.
Zelda has more little details from what I've seen. The small ants on a tree is the only little touch that impressed me so far in Horizon (Only speaking about little details in the environment here).
Still an amazing looking (and playing apparently) game.
 
J

Jawbreaker

Member
In terms of open worlds, the ones I found most engaging and interesting to explore and get lost in were Fallout 3/New Vegas, Skyrim, Red Dead Redemption, and San Andreas.

KooopaKid said:
It's technically impressive and gorgeous but it looks super static to me. Nothing moves from afar, it's a bit lifeless in those videos.
Sorry to bring Breath of the Wild here (again), but its world seem more natural and lively.
Pure technical prowess don't always make a world.
Zelda has more little details from what I've seen. The small ants on a tree is the only little touch that impressed me so far in Horizon (Only speaking about little details in the environment here).
Still an amazing looking (and playing apparently) game.
Click to expand...

The opposite is true based on impressions. The game is rather dynamic on top of trouncing Breath of the Wild from a technical perspective.
 
T

Tadaima

Member
Hadn't heard about this game, but was in a random bar in Shinjuku (Tokyo) last night talking to some guys and one of them was a developer of this game. Cool guy. Not usually my type of game but will be picking this up.
 
G

GwyndolinCinder

Member
Primethius said:
It's entire outfits, not piece by piece.
Click to expand...

Chris Metal said:
Entire outfits, but they have useful stats/mod slots, not just aesthetic purposes. You don't get individual armor kit pieces like trousers, chest etc.
Click to expand...

Like meaningful bonuses like "Unlimited arrows/All attacks from behind crit" or just basic stat bonuses? I know MH was a huge inspiration, so i'm just wondering if they borrowed this concept too.
 
J

Jawbreaker

Member
More_Badass said:
For me, it's RDR, Minecraft, Watch Dogs 2, Witcher 3, and GTA V
Click to expand...

I still need to play Watch Dogs 2. I've heard great things about its world. I would include GTA V, as well, but for whatever reason, I had fonder memories exploring the world of San Andreas. I'm sure if I went back to it today, it wouldn't hold up favorably against V.
 
K

KyleOnTheRun

Member
GwyndolinCinder said:
Like meaningful bonuses like "Unlimited arrows/All attacks from behind crit" or just basic stat bonuses? I know MH was a huge inspiration, so i'm just wondering if they borrowed this concept too.
Click to expand...

It's more based around elemental and attack-type resistances. One outfit boosts your stealth considerably, another protects from ice attacks. The difference wearing each is extremely noticeable--the difference between dying in a few hits or being able to weather several hits before healing. They have varying numbers of empty slots for modification, as well -- either give an outfit you like some resistances in other areas, or amplify its innate strengths even further.
 
KZObsessed

KZObsessed

Member
KooopaKid said:
It's technically impressive and gorgeous but it looks super static to me. Nothing moves from afar, it's a bit lifeless in those videos.
Sorry to bring Breath of the Wild here (again), but its world seem more natural and lively.
Pure technical prowess don't always make a world.
Zelda has more little details from what I've seen. The small ants on a tree is the only little touch that impressed me so far in Horizon (Only speaking about little details in the environment here).
Still an amazing looking (and playing apparently) game.
Click to expand...

Every blade of grass, every leaf blows in the wind. Large robot dinosaurs roam, fighting each other and bandits, uprooting trees, destroying small buildings and destroying small rock formations. Don't see what more they could do to be honest. Maybe more extreme weather? Thunderstorms and the like, but that's about it.
 
K

KooopaKid

Banned
KZObsessed said:
Every blade of grass, every leaf blows in the wind. Large robot dinosaurs roam, fighting each other and bandits, uprooting trees, destroying small buildings and destroying small rock formations. Don't see what more they could do to be honest. Maybe more extreme weather? Thunderstorms and the like, but that's about it.
Click to expand...

It isn't apparent in the videos from Gamersyde.

Edit: But you know, the machines supposedly destroyed a lot of biological life, so that could explain in part the lifelessness. Still, if there's still small animals, why not small birds as well for instance?
 
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