I think the one thing some aren't really paying attention to with Horizon are the preview's praise of the gameplay particularly the combat engine. In my honest opinion, that's the main differentiating factor in Horizon, especially coming from a western developer where I've always felt Japanese developers excelled in this department.
The combat loop is just truly satisfying, I think if you nail that, you are already 80% there with a great game. And man, some of this stuff just looks really satisfying to play, and the fact that dungeons with even tougher enemies and puzzles are in ala Zelda, just makes me feel GG really figured out what's missing from other RPG games, and that's truly satisfying combat. For me, a great story is just icing on the cake, but it seems Horizon may deliver on that front to.