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Horizon: Zero Dawn | Review Thread

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ironcreed

Banned
I use the example of Bioshock Infinite a lot. The game was obviously rushed and unfinished. The first half was quality and then it just went off the rails. I enjoyed the original Bioshock, but this one had obvious game design flaws that reviewers overlooked and replaced with their own wishful thinking. I think time has proven that correct.

I am not saying that is the case here, but it is illustrative of the problem.

Like Bioshock Infinite we may not know if the game is good until first we play it and have time to digest what it has to offer. Prerelease reviews are more or less hot takes, with little if any time to fully digest and reflect upon the game.

Doom was another game I had trouble with. Really great reviews, really great word of mouth. I played the whole campaign from beginning to end and after felling the last boss I was filled with disappointment. While the game was certainly long, there simply wasn't much there. Area, kill, area, kill. There was some exploration, but I felt much less than the games that came before it. It felt like Doom 3 replacing room, kill, room, kill with open area, kill, open area, kill. Maybe the problem was pacing, I don't know. Something was wrong with it and I didn't enjoy it as much as the review score led me to believe.

If a review score is not meant to measure that kind of thing, what is it measuring?

Some will love the game and some will not, despite the reviews. Same as it ever was. Meaning... you have no point.
 

Raven117

Member
Ha, you know...I'll always laugh at folks getting worked up about review scores. I just don't quite relate to it. I guess I understand it as if someone has been following the development for something, wants a game to be good, you feel invested...so I guess I get it.

Regardless.

For me, it really does come down the the genre. I love RPGs and variations thereof. As such, (if even bothering to look at the aggregate review scores), I'm willing to take a look at a game that goes deep into rankings (hell, neir is like 67 and its a great entry).

For something like a FPS, well, I'm going to want to see something aggregate higher on the scale because its just not a genre I naturally gravitate towards.

I think reviews this gen are pretty solid. Last gen was silly as in every major release was 9 or 10 out of 10! Now, that scale has slide a bit where 8 means its a pretty damn awesome game.

Anyway...Find a few writers you like...See if you like the genre at all.

One more note, I have found gamers to be really really picky about things sometimes.
 
The same exact point you made, only apparently I am not as cool as you. :D

I don't know you from Adam but I'd guess
the tone of your first novel probably didn't help, and you know...first impressions.

Then you followed up with more of the same and now people are looking forward to your comments in the Zelda review thread, which is fair, imo.
 

Siege.exe

Member
I use the example of Bioshock Infinite a lot. The game was obviously rushed and unfinished. The first half was quality and then it just went off the rails. I enjoyed the original Bioshock, but this one had obvious game design flaws that reviewers overlooked and replaced with their own wishful thinking. I think time has proven that correct.

I am not saying that is the case here, but it is illustrative of the problem.

Like Bioshock Infinite we may not know if the game is good until first we play it and have time to digest what it has to offer. Prerelease reviews are more or less hot takes, with little if any time to fully digest and reflect upon the game.

Doom was another game I had trouble with. Really great reviews, really great word of mouth. I played the whole campaign from beginning to end and after felling the last boss I was filled with disappointment. While the game was certainly long, there simply wasn't much there. Area, kill, area, kill. There was some exploration, but I felt much less than the games that came before it. It felt like Doom 3 replacing room, kill, room, kill with open area, kill, open area, kill. Maybe the problem was pacing, I don't know. Something was wrong with it and I didn't enjoy it as much as the review score led me to believe.

If a review score is not meant to measure that kind of thing, what is it measuring?

Why do all reviews have to line up 1:1 to how you felt about a particular game? You may find things problematic/disappointing that others don't and vice versa. That the scores don't reflect your views doesn't make them wrong, unless they flat out lie about something, which I don't believe happens very often. You don't have[/I to agree with everything a reviewer says, that doesn't mean they were wrong.
 
Maybe 200 is too many...

Almost certainly. In TW3 I had to take a huge break after burning myself out on Velen/Novigrad/White Orchard content, and had developed something of a distaste for the game. Came back to it though and enjoyed Skellige and Kaer Morhn a lot.

Are Skellige and Kaer Morhn filled with quests that I preferred, or is there simply so much content that I'd have preferred it if they'd binned half of it to prevent the burnout. Probably a mix of the two really.
 

LotusHD

Banned
Almost certainly. In TW3 I had to take a huge break after burning myself out on Velen/Novigrad/White Orchard content, and had developed something of a distaste for the game. Came back to it though and enjoyed Skellige and Kaer Morhn a lot.

Are Skellige and Kaer Morhn filled with quests that I preferred, or is there simply so much content that I'd have preferred it if they'd binned half of it to prevent the burnout. Probably a mix of the two really.

Yea, like I just finished GR2 not too long ago, which had around 45 or so, and despite me enjoying nearly all of them, I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel exhausted at times from doing them.
 
Nah most people just see right through your posts. Should we expect you to post this same argument in the Zelda thread in a couple weeks?

Should I repost it in every review thread or just the ones you want me to? It was on my mind, so I posted it. I've done such things before in the past. If you check my history, I am actually not a Legend of Zelda gusher. I am more excited for a physical Binding of Isaac on Switch than I am for Zelda.

I bought Twilight Princess on Wii and didn't play it the entire generation - I couldn't muster interest past the first area. I finally completed it by using a guide and forcing myself to. I own Skyward Sword, but still haven't played it.

It's funny how much people assume they know about me when they really don't know anything about me at all. People could be nice and ask or they can be jerks.
 
how is the consensus on the soundtrack of this game? From the reviews i read so far, its hardly getting mentioned

It's a great soundtrack -- primitive and orchestral. Suitably epic when it needs to be.

I wanted to mention it in my review, but I was already running long. But I find myself humming and thinking about it during my day.
 

deoee

Member
I just pre ordered the limited edition for 10€ at GameStop. I had no intention to buy it but after seeing some reviews...
 
Why do all reviews have to line up 1:1 to how you felt about a particular game? You may find things problematic/disappointing that others don't and vice versa. That the scores don't reflect your views doesn't make them wrong, unless they flat out lie about something, which I don't believe happens very often. You don't have[/I to agree with everything a reviewer says, that doesn't mean they were wrong.


I am talking about the difference between an aggregate and a single review.

Single reviews are great if:

  • They are thorough
  • You know the reviewer
  • You know their review history
  • You know their biases

Because then you can make informed decisions about the game with that review even if that reviewer doesn't align with your interests. See my Ebert example. We disagreed on a lot, but I understand how he reviewed and liked/disliked certain things.

With an aggregate you get none of that information. You get a meaningless score that is not even indicative of the quality of the game (as others have said).
 
Should I repost it in every review thread or just the ones you want me to? It was on my mind, so I posted it. I've done such things before in the past. If you check my history, I am actually not a Legend of Zelda gusher. I am more excited for a physical Binding of Isaac on Switch than I am for Zelda.

I bought Twilight Princess on Wii and didn't play it the entire generation - I couldn't muster interest past the first area. I finally completed it by using a guide and forcing myself to. I own Skyward Sword, but still haven't played it.

It's funny how much people assume they know about me when they really don't know anything about me at all. People could be nice and ask or they can be jerks.

I mean, just remembering a post of yours I read yesterday, you went into a thread where someone was asking whether they should buy NieR or Horizon just to post this.
 

LuuKyK

Member
Should I repost it in every review thread or just the ones you want me to? It was on my mind, so I posted it. I've done such things before in the past. If you check my history, I am actually not a Legend of Zelda gusher. I am more excited for a physical Binding of Isaac on Switch than I am for Zelda.

I bought Twilight Princess on Wii and didn't play it the entire generation - I couldn't muster interest past the first area. I finally completed it by using a guide and forcing myself to. I own Skyward Sword, but still haven't played it.

It's funny how much people assume they know about me when they really don't know anything about me at all. People could be nice and ask or they can be jerks.

well you are the one that came into this thread and shared your life story and gaming preferences despite it having nothing to do with the discussion going on. in fact your point about biased reviews is meaningless too considering in the end what you wanted to say was you guys discussing reviews in review threads should stop because reviewers are not to be trusted. why even bother then? all your posts in here just make you look like someone who is full of yourself and can't get over the fact that this game is reviewing well. stick to your favorite reviewer then and stop trying to shove your opinion down everyone's throat. how annoying...
 

Kambing

Member
For the launch of a new IP, this is very much a critical success. I hope the franchise finds commercial success.

What excites me about Horizon is that this is GG's first fucking open world RPG game, in a new franchise for them. This game represents a lot of "firsts" for them, and that it has reviewed very well bodes well for future entries into the franchise. To me, each subsequent iteration in the Witcher series improved upon itself. Hoping the same will apply for Horizon.

Didn't GG also mention that they have another project in the works?
 

Floody

Member
That is exactly my point - the aggregate is meaningless.

I think it's simply just a good quick reference point that the general consensus is it's a bad/decent/good/great game, of course it's not a 100% guarantee you'll like and that's why you should always have a few reviewers who you trust. But I've never really got the hate for review scores, without them I'd just have less of an idea if a game is worth a shot or not, because there's no way I'd have time to read a lot of different reviews or that I'd even want to honestly.
 

The Lamp

Member
how is the consensus on the soundtrack of this game? From the reviews i read so far, its hardly getting mentioned

The soundtrack will not disappoint. From tasteful, ambient orchestral melodies and background music while exploring the wilderness alone to satisfying chimes and sounds during combat, to appropriate arrangements of the Horizon theme and other songs strewn during cutscenes, it's great. I love it. It feels distinct and recognizable, like the Uncharted 2 soundtrack.
 
I am talking about the difference between an aggregate and a single review.

Single reviews are great if:

  • They are thorough
  • You know the reviewer
  • You know their review history
  • You know their biases

Because then you can make informed decisions about the game with that review even if that reviewer doesn't align with your interests. See my Ebert example. We disagreed on a lot, but I understand how he reviewed and liked/disliked certain things.

With an aggregate you get none of that information. You get a meaningless score that is not even indicative of the quality of the game (as others have said).
I've said that a well written paragraph can sell me on a game more effectively than any review score or aggregate ranking can

But that doesn't make aggregates meaningless. They're useful for at-a-glance interest. Did people like this a lot, a little, not at all? That's it. For the why and why not, the good and bad, the intricacies of opinion, you have to dig deeper
 
I think it's simply just a good quick reference point that the general consensus is it's a bad/decent/good/great game, of course it's not a 100% guarantee you'll like and that's why you should always have a few reviewers who you trust. But I've never really got the hate for review scores, without them I'd just have less of an idea if a game is worth a shot or not, because there's no way I'd have time to read a lot of different reviews or that I'd even want to honestly.

This is essentially what I was going to type just now. Agreed.
 

Blobbers

Member
The same exact point you made, only apparently I am not as cool as you. :D

your point is that if you only base your purchase based on the metacritic average, you'll have a bad time, which is no duh.
your entire first post in this thread can be summarized as "the content is important, not the score", which is no duh. informing yourself is god.
you're trying to plant a seed of doubt around this particular game using these obvious statements which is inviting the "o-ok?" and "transparency" replies. It's just weird.

I mean we all know metacritic is trash, and I will prove it with one image.
look on ye mighty, and despair
q6IazEw.jpg
 

Lady Gaia

Member
Keeping up wi this thread is a full-time job! Whew. I think it's fair to say Sony has a legitimate system seller on their hands here. I've seen more posts in this thread along the lines of "I guess it's time to buy a PS4" than I can remember at any point in the generation so far.

The aggregate is a general consensus, but consensus is not immutable. Doesn't make it meaningless.

It's meaningless if you believe you're absolutely unique and that nobody else's experience or opinions are worth anything.. Otherwise it's a pretty good indicator of how many people are likely to enjoy a title, a fine jumping off point for finding reviews worth reading to understand why. It's just not a definitive indictor of whether any individual will like it.
 
The aggregate is a general consensus, but consensus is not immutable. Doesn't make it meaningless.

Well in that case, it seems to be more a measure of hype than of quality. What I mean by that is if it's based on consensus, culteral consensus, which changes over time as gamer tastes change, then really what is being measured here isn't quality, but hype.

It is a hype meter.

Take a game like Metroid Prime: Federation Force as an example. That game could have been generation and genre defining and yet I would argue the review aggregate would have still been skewed lower based on factors that have nothing to do with the quality of the game.

We get sports games every year that largely get 80+ aggregates and yet very little changes. All those reviews are saying is "yep, the game is the same as you remember it."

What I mean, is the exact same thing you said, which is that it is meaningless as a measure of quality. It measures something. I am just not sure that something is anything useful to me as a consumer.
 

The Lamp

Member
I'm still in shock that GG wrote a game this well. Maybe I'm a naive plebe, but there werent really any moments outside the Brom scene that I would have changed the writing of any line in the game. It just worked. And there weren't any lingering or badly written plot holes that I noticed. Everything that needs to be explained feels like it is, and there are so many secrets buried in the collectible lore that I'm gonna need a GAF team (probably SoulsGAF) to help me decipher.
 
Well in that case, it seems to be more a measure of hype than of quality. What I mean by that is if it's based on consensus, culteral consensus, which changes over time as gamer tastes change, then really what is being measured here isn't quality, but hype.

It is a hype meter.

Take a game like Metroid Prime: Federation Force as an example. That game could have been generation and genre defining and yet I would argue the review aggregate would have still been skewed lower based on factors that have nothing to do with the quality of the game.

We get sports games every year that largely get 80+ aggregates and yet very little changes. All those reviews are saying is "yep, the game is the same as you remember it."

What I mean, is the exact same thing you said, which is that it is meaningless as a measure of quality. It measures something. I am just not sure that something is anything useful to me as a consumer.

What a load of bollocks.
 
Well in that case, it seems to be more a measure of hype than of quality. What I mean by that is if it's based on consensus, culteral consensus, which changes over time as gamer tastes change, then really what is being measured here isn't quality, but hype.

It is a hype meter.

Take a game like Metroid Prime: Federation Force as an example. That game could have been generation and genre defining and yet I would argue the review aggregate would have still been skewed lower based on factors that have nothing to do with the quality of the game.

We get sports games every year that largely get 80+ aggregates and yet very little changes. All those reviews are saying is "yep, the game is the same as you remember it."

What I mean, is the exact same thing you said, which is that it is meaningless as a measure of quality. It measures something. I am just not sure that something is anything useful to me as a consumer.

The shit people come up with...I can't wait to see your posts in the zelda review thread.
 

SomTervo

Member
Well in that case, it seems to be more a measure of hype than of quality. What I mean by that is if it's based on consensus, culteral consensus, which changes over time as gamer tastes change, then really what is being measured here isn't quality, but hype.

It is a hype meter.

Take a game like Metroid Prime: Federation Force as an example. That game could have been generation and genre defining and yet I would argue the review aggregate would have still been skewed lower based on factors that have nothing to do with the quality of the game.

We get sports games every year that largely get 80+ aggregates and yet very little changes. All those reviews are saying is "yep, the game is the same as you remember it."

What I mean, is the exact same thing you said, which is that it is meaningless as a measure of quality. It measures something. I am just not sure that something is anything useful to me as a consumer.

So, regardless of this, how do you feel about Horizon: Zero Dawn?

Did you read any of its reviews? How did you feel about them?

Did you read any reviews by reviewers you trust?
 

ironcreed

Banned
That is exactly my point - the aggregate is meaningless.

But it still serves as a guide for those who do have interest, and want more insight and opinion before buying. Now if a game does not appeal to you, then chances are you will not give a shit either way. It is what it is and helps more than it hurts. This is just going in circles and arguing semantics.
 
It's meaningless if you believe you're absolutely unique and that nobody else's experience or opinions are worth anything.. Otherwise it's a pretty good indicator of how many people are likely to enjoy a title, a fine jumping off point for finding reviews worth reading to understand why. It's just not a definitive indictor of whether any individual will like it.
Well, yeah. I said as much in my other post
I've said that a well written paragraph can sell me on a game more effectively than any review score or aggregate ranking can

But that doesn't make aggregates meaningless. They're useful for at-a-glance interest. Did people like this a lot, a little, not at all? That's it. For the why and why not, the good and bad, the intricacies of opinion, you have to dig deeper
 
So how do you feel about Horizon: Zero Dawn?

Please purchase The Legend of Zelda™: Breath of the Wild for the Nintendo Switch™ instead.

You can use your Joy-Con™ controllers or Nintendo Switch Pro Controller to navigate the wide-open world of Hyrule on your television.

If you prefer to game on the go, just grab your Nintendo Switch from the dock and take your adventure with you, going from TV to portable without even having to pause your game.

Available March 3, 2017

[BUY NOW]
 
Well in that case, it seems to be more a measure of hype than of quality. What I mean by that is if it's based on consensus, culteral consensus, which changes over time as gamer tastes change, then really what is being measured here isn't quality, but hype.

It is a hype meter.

Take a game like Metroid Prime: Federation Force as an example. That game could have been generation and genre defining and yet I would argue the review aggregate would have still been skewed lower based on factors that have nothing to do with the quality of the game.

We get sports games every year that largely get 80+ aggregates and yet very little changes. All those reviews are saying is "yep, the game is the same as you remember it."

What I mean, is the exact same thing you said, which is that it is meaningless as a measure of quality. It measures something. I am just not sure that something is anything useful to me as a consumer.

giphy.gif


At some point you just have to know when to stop.
 
your point is that if you only base your purchase based on the metacritic average, you'll have a bad time, which is no duh.
your entire first post in this thread can be summarized as "the content is important, not the score", which is no duh. informing yourself is god.
you're trying to plant a seed of doubt around this particular game using these obvious statements which is inviting the "o-ok?" and "transparency" replies. It's just weird.

I mean we all know metacritic is trash, and I will prove it with one image.
look on ye mighty, and despair
q6IazEw.jpg

My very first sentence was to shield this game. This was just a very active review thread with passion on both sides. My initial assessment of Horizon before the reviews were I think the general consensus - looks good, but Guerrilla hasn't made the greatest games. I bought Killzone Shadow Fall at PS4 launch and it sucks.

What I did with the reviews here is take a great, middle and low review, actually read the text of those reviews and try to discern any sort of trend. My impression is that:

  • combat is good
  • open world mechanics are good
  • presentation or story is lackluster or mixed

Which seemed to be my impressions beforehand. Reading the thread at the beginning it looked like it would be a universal acclaim game, but comparing it to the Nioh score and even Doom which is only 3 pts apart. My feeling is that maybe this is a good Guerrilla game, but maybe not one I would enjoy. I would have to rent it to be sure.
 
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