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Horizon: Zero Dawn | Review Thread

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F

Floody

Member
More_Badass said:
Besides Witcher 3, I can't think of any other open world game where I actually cared about or played for the story. Far Cry 3, but that was mainly because of Vaas than anything with the protagonist or plot. RDR was pretty good in the beginning but then I lost interest. Fallout and Skyim, I care more about the side stories than the main narrative. GTA, Watch Dogs, Assassin's Creed, Just Cause, Infamous...not really.

To be honest, the structure of open worlds kind of discourage a focused story, because the inherent freedom means any sense of pacing or urgency in stakes can be negated by the player just doing shit in between missions. Even as good as Witcher 3 was, the main story paled in comparison to the side quests (To be fair I haven't finished Witcher 3)

Arkham City was pretty good. I think the dense setting, oppressive atmosphere, and very singular role of "being Batman" helped make everything you did feel in service of the overarching plot
Click to expand...

Yeah, Witcher 3's main story doesn't really hold a candle to it's side stuff, though some of the best side stuff branch off from the main so it's a little hard to judge. The expansions have really excellent main story though, some of the absolute best of the gen imo.
 
R

Rodney McKay

Member
Honestly agree with More_Badass. Most Open World games I play purely for the gameplay mechanics and systems that are in place.

One of the reasons that Red Faction Guerrilla was one of my favorite games last generation was because it was just so much fun to do random stuff. blowing up everything to get upgrades so you can blow things up even better!

I was into the Assassin Creed game's storys at one time, but AC3 definitely spoiled me on that. I really liked the Ezio trilogy's story mainly because I liked the setting, the badguys, and Ezio himself quite a lot. I guess I did like the Arkham game's storys too, but other than that, there haven't been much of any I cared about the story.
reKon said:
Infamous SS's story was pretty decent. But RDR... come on now. That one got better as it progressed along...
Click to expand...

Nah, but I'm not a huge fan of Rockstar's characters or storytelling in general. Once RDR got to Mexico I tuned out completely on the story.

The last hour or so was definitely solid, I'll give it that.
 
S

SamuelSupreme

Banned
More_Badass said:
Besides Witcher 3, I can't think of any other open world game where I actually cared about or played for the story. Far Cry 3, but that was mainly because of Vaas than anything with the protagonist or plot. RDR was pretty good in the beginning but then I lost interest. Fallout and Skyim, I care more about the side stories than the main narrative. GTA, Watch Dogs, Assassin's Creed, Just Cause, Infamous...not really.

To be honest, the structure of open worlds kind of discourage a focused story, because the inherent freedom means any sense of pacing or urgency in stakes can be negated by the player just doing shit in between missions. Even as good as Witcher 3 was, the main story paled in comparison to the side quests (To be fair I haven't finished Witcher 3)

Arkham City was pretty good. I think the dense setting, oppressive atmosphere, and very singular role of "being Batman" helped make everything you did feel in service of the overarching plot
Click to expand...

Outside of only finding The Witcher 3 an engrossing open world experience. I feel like this is a major problem that most open world's face. It's a strong reason why I dislike Peace Walker and MGSV.
 
D

DriftingSpirit

Member
SamuelSupreme said:
I think its amazing that tge PS4 was able to come out with 4 Killer titles so far this year and two of them are exclusives. That are both experimental in their own rights and They couldn't be further away from each other.

Brilliant move Sony, Brilliant move.
Click to expand...
Agreed.

Horizon is far from GR2 which is far from Yakuza 0 which is far from Tales of Berseria which is far from Nioh and so on and so forth.

Great stuff.
 
D

DriftingSpirit

Member
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.
 
M

More_Badass

Member
I-hate-u said:
Umm, Infamous and Souls games.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't really classify the Souls game in that regard. Not open world like those listed, nor the same structure of traveling the world to distinct story missions alongside side content/missions

As for Infamous, I played through mainly to unlock more powers. The hilariously exaggerated moral choices really hurt any kind of more intimate character development and plot the story was going for IMO
 
S

silva1991

Member
icespide said:
I tried to tell that guy to chill out
Click to expand...

I knew it was gonna happen soon....

Tyaren said:
Cool, I actually didn't know that trailer. :)
Lucky us people in the EU, with the Limited Edition we get all of the content of the Digital Deluxe Edition just with an actual art book and the steel book case.

27521821175_fba7601a00_b.jpg
Click to expand...

I need this.
 
I

Imp the Dimp

Member
More_Badass said:
I wouldn't really classify the Souls game in that regard. Not open world like those listed, nor the same structure of traveling the world to distinct story missions alongside side content/missions
Click to expand...

At which point the open world label becomes entirely arbitrary. Since no two games are the exact same, I think it makes sense to just stick to the simplest explanation of a genre. Open world games featuring a literal open world sounds fair enough and Dark Souls offers pretty much exactly that (not everything is accessible at start, but neither was everything in every GTA bar 5 as far as I remember).
 
D

Deleted member 752119

Unconfirmed Member
jaaz said:
I just bit the bullet and pre-ordered Horizon, BotW and Mass Effect on Amazon. I have no idea when i am going to find the time to play all these games. But I know which one I am going to play first!
Click to expand...

I'm sticking to my buy one game at a time rule. Horizon is preordered. Hope to finish it before ME. Then I'll circle back to Zelda if the Wii U version is good.
 
M

More_Badass

Member
Imp the Dimp said:
At which point the open world label becomes entirely arbitrary. Since no two games are the exact same, I think it makes sense to just stick to the simplest explanation of a genre. Open world games featuring a literal open world sounds fair enough and Dark Souls offers pretty much exactly that (not everything is accessible at start, but neither was everything in every GTA bar 5 as far as I remember).
Click to expand...
Actually I'd place Dark Souls more on the metriodvania side of the spectrum than the Morrowind-style open world side.

GTA, AC, RDR, Just Cause, Skyrim, Fallout, Witcher, etc., regardless of how different they are, all follow the same structure of "big open world + main missions + side missions/side quests"

The Souls games don't
 
S

Servbot24

Banned
More_Badass said:
I wouldn't really classify the Souls game in that regard. Not open world like those listed, nor the same structure of traveling the world to distinct story missions alongside side content/missions
Click to expand...

Yup. Souls obviously doesn't belong in the open world discussion, and Infamous despite a cool twist is a pretty garbage story overall.

I'd say something like WindWaker is a better example. Still not a traditional open world though.

I've said this plenty of times already, but the entire concept of open world games is wildly over-ambitious. Witcher 3 even; I'd say it's only so praised for its story because it only has to compete with junk games like Fallout and Dragon Age. I think it'll be another decade before there's a truly great one rather than relatively great.
 
S

SlasherJPC

Banned
Well 25 hours in and still a good chunk of game left for me. One side quest literally had me meeting some huge thing and it was insane. Wonder if will see another version of that enemies or not, but it was something else.
 
H

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
Knock RDR all you want for its various flaws but as someone who enjoys cowboy movies and the great outdoors there were sections of that game I was more immersed in than some VR games I've played. I rarely use the word magical but that game had some moments in there that had me in awe. Nothing compares to STALKER, even the unmodded base game. With mods though, holy shit.
 
O

OniBaka

Member
More_Badass said:
Besides Witcher 3, I can't think of any other open world game where I actually cared about or played for the story. Far Cry 3, but that was mainly because of Vaas than anything with the protagonist or plot. RDR was pretty good in the beginning but then I lost interest. Fallout and Skyim, I care more about the side stories than the main narrative. GTA, Watch Dogs, Assassin's Creed, Just Cause, Infamous...not really.

To be honest, the structure of open worlds kind of discourage a focused story, because the inherent freedom means any sense of pacing or urgency in stakes can be negated by the player just doing shit in between missions. Even as good as Witcher 3 was, the main story paled in comparison to the side quests (To be fair I haven't finished Witcher 3)

Arkham City was pretty good. I think the dense setting, oppressive atmosphere, and very singular role of "being Batman" helped make everything you did feel in service of the overarching plot
Click to expand...
You should give yakuza 0 a go.
 
P

Primethius

Banned
Tyaren said:
Cool, I actually didn't know that trailer. :)
Lucky us people in the EU, with the Limited Edition we get all of the content of the Digital Deluxe Edition just with an actual art book and the steel book case.

27521821175_fba7601a00_b.jpg
Click to expand...

So dumb that NA doesn't get a steelbook edition. I'd put extra money for the game down to get the steelbook but I guess they don't want my money. I don't want the statute dammit.

Ah well.
 
M

More_Badass

Member
HStallion said:
Knock RDR all you want for its various flaws but as someone who enjoys cowboy movies and the great outdoors there were sections of that game I was more immersed in than some VR games I've played. I rarely use the word magical but that game had some moments in there. Nothing compares to STALKER, even the unmodded base game. With mods though, holy shit.
Click to expand...
Trust me, as a huge western fan, I completely agree. The atmosphere and world design of RDR is perfection.

And like most open world games, I spent more time in the world, exploring, and taking in the sights than doing story missions
 
H

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
More_Badass said:
Trust me, as a huge western fan, I completely agree. The atmosphere and world design of RDR is perfection.

And like most open world games, I spent more time in the world, exploring, and taking in the sights than doing story missions
Click to expand...

If there was ever a game that should have had a hardcore survival mode and a more New Vegas style mission structure it was RDR. I actually found the gunplay pretty good especially when you took off the autoaim. The multiplayer was a lot of fun with a large group of people.
 
M

More_Badass

Member
Servbot24 said:
Yup. Souls obviously doesn't belong in the open world discussion, and Infamous despite a cool twist is a pretty garbage story overall.

I'd say something like WindWaker is a better example. Still not a traditional open world though.

I've said this plenty of times already, but the entire concept of open world games is wildly over-ambitious. Witcher 3 even; I'd say it's only so praised for its story because it only has to compete with junk games like Fallout and Dragon Age. I think it'll be another decade before there's a truly great one rather than relatively great.
Click to expand...
The issue is that most go big. The bigger the better, it seems.

I think that immersive sim One City Block idea that Spector once talked about is the ideal goal. Small, dense, but incredibly reactive and immersive
 
E

Elandyll

Banned
Primethius said:
So dumb that NA doesn't get a steelbook edition. I'd put extra money for the game down to get the steelbook but I guess they don't want my money. I don't want the statute dammit.

Ah well.
Click to expand...
Gotta admit I'm in the same boat.
I switched my pre order from a collector to a regular (also the full artbook) because after considering it for a long time, I just don't need a 9' statue. I would have loved the steelbook and the mini artbook, but not for $60 more.
 
H

HeelPower

Member
Servbot24 said:
Yup. Souls obviously doesn't belong in the open world discussion.
Click to expand...

I dont think its so obvious.

Dark Souls 1 conveyed a sense of grandeur & being lost in a massive world like few other "open world" games could.

For me,it redefined what open world game design should be like.

Why should Skyrim be upheld as the definition of open world ,and not the first Dark Souls ?
 
S

ShemhazaiX

Member
Imp the Dimp said:
At which point the open world label becomes entirely arbitrary. Since no two games are the exact same, I think it makes sense to just stick to the simplest explanation of a genre. Open world games featuring a literal open world sounds fair enough and Dark Souls offers pretty much exactly that (not everything is accessible at start, but neither was everything in every GTA bar 5 as far as I remember).
Click to expand...

Dark Souls isn't open world in the slightest. It's an incredibly linear game and is basically just a maze of corridors. That's not a slight against the game, but if you call Dark Souls open world, then Metroid is open world, Castlevania is open world, Final Fantasy 13 is open world, yadda yadda yadda.

It's an amazing game, and it's world is incredibly well designed both from an artistic and level design perspective, however, an open world game it is not.
 
S

SlasherJPC

Banned
More_Badass said:
Trust me, as a huge western fan, I completely agree. The atmosphere and world design of RDR is perfection.

And like most open world games, I spent more time in the world, exploring, and taking in the sights than doing story missions
Click to expand...

I'm with you all on that. I live in AZ,love western stuff and RDR has a special place for me in my gaming heart. Horizon is right beneath RDR and Witcher 3 for me in terms of open world games that really resonate and use their world to amazing results. Graphic wise though it's just stunning.
 
J

Jake2by4

Member
Tyaren said:
Cool, I actually didn't know that trailer. :)
Lucky us people in the EU, with the Limited Edition we get all of the content of the Digital Deluxe Edition just with an actual art book and the steel book case.

27521821175_fba7601a00_b.jpg
Click to expand...

I don't get how the US got limited edition steenbook for UC4 and bloodborne but not this.
 
S

Servbot24

Banned
More_Badass said:
The issue is that most go big. The bigger the better, it seems.

I think that immersive sim One City Block idea that Spector once talked about is the ideal goal. Small, dense, but incredibly reactive and immersive
Click to expand...

Yeah that's true, I should have clarified that. Open world ideas can work great in a more confined space.

This isn't at all what people think of in a genre defined by GTA, but I actually think that The Witness serves as a perfect blueprint of a game that is very aware of its scope, fills that scope, and doesn't reach any further. It doesn't even hint at anything further, leaving the player completely satisfied with it as a whole. MGSV made that mistake; the core game is absolutely incredible, but it is constantly hinting at other concepts that it doesn't actually strive to flesh out. As incredible as the game is, it gives a somewhat unsatisfying feeling because it doesn't always lead the player's mind where it needs to go.

MGSV was very unique among open world games in that regard. Most open world games are a bunch of sticks thrown in a pile. MGSV is a healthy, firmly rooted trunk with some thin, unsightly twigs hanging off of it. Eventually we can hopefully get to the point of having a full-bodied tree. (Sorry about the weird description there, hopefully it communicates what I'm trying to say)

HeelPower said:
I dont think its so obvious.

Dark Souls 1 conveyed a sense of grandeur & being lost in a massive world like few other "open world" games could.

For me,it redefined what open world game design should be like.

Why should Skyrim be upheld as the definition of open world ,and not the first Dark Souls ?
Click to expand...

The "Open World" label isn't a badge of honor. DS is its own thing and should be proud of that. At this point "open world" means GTA-like moreso than it means a game which is large and inter-connected.
 
T

TheMink

Member
HeelPower said:
I dont think its so obvious.

Dark Souls 1 conveyed a sense of grandeur & being lost in a massive world like few other "open world" games could.

For me,it redefined what open world game design should be like.

Why should Skyrim be upheld as the definition of open world ,and not the first Dark Souls ?
Click to expand...

Weather or not you enjoyed what Dark Souls did for the world (I happen to agree that "Focused Freedom" is better than a giant map) is irrelevant because it is a semantic issue and Open World is always identified as being GTA, Fallout, InFamous whatever.

Dark Souls being called an Open World game is just untrue because it's way more in line with Metroid or Arkham Asylum, or even Twilight Princess.
 
D

Die Squirrel Die

Member
More_Badass said:
Mexico, man. The first act was really good, but then the game leaves behind all those characters that had been with and learning about for all those hours

And I'm not saying the stories aren't good, but rather talking about the drive to play to see more of the story.
Click to expand...

Mexico felt like it should have been an expansion pack a la Blood and Wine, i.e. 'here's a new area with it's own story that's not related to the main plot'.
 
B

BlackBuzzard

Banned
Okay lets get this show back on track

Pocket-Lint 10/10

The final release has exceeded our expectations. It is a visual masterpiece when running on a PS4 Pro, and is even one of the best-looking games for PS4 on the standard console. Its depth and playtime of more than 40 hours also puts it up there with some of the greats, while the combat system never gets tired.

Because it's an all-new IP and idea, every area we explored or creature we encountered has delighted. And we get the idea there is plenty of extra scope for future expansion now that the game lore has been established.

A new franchise has surely been born, therefore and we'll be more than happy to see Aloy again sometime in the future. Yep, it's that sequels thing again, but on this occasion we're more than happy to accommodate. Because Horizon Zero Dawn is, quite simply, the most stunning looking game on PlayStation 4.
Click to expand...
 
M

Mubrik

Member
More_Badass said:
Besides Witcher 3, I can't think of any other open world game where I actually cared about or played for the story. Far Cry 3, but that was mainly because of Vaas than anything with the protagonist or plot. RDR was pretty good in the beginning but then I lost interest. Fallout and Skyim, I care more about the side stories than the main narrative. GTA, Watch Dogs, Assassin's Creed, Just Cause, Infamous...not really.

To be honest, the structure of open worlds kind of discourage a focused story, because the inherent freedom means any sense of pacing or urgency in stakes can be negated by the player just doing shit in between missions. Even as good as Witcher 3 was, the main story paled in comparison to the side quests (To be fair I haven't finished Witcher 3)

Arkham City was pretty good. I think the dense setting, oppressive atmosphere, and very singular role of "being Batman" helped make everything you did feel in service of the overarching plot
Click to expand...
denzelwashingtonmyman.gif
vaas basically was far cry 3 imo.
loved his character

damn onemanasylum got banned, sorry dude i bet you're still lurking this thread.. you need rest. lol
i wonder if'll survive this junior period
 
X

Xero

Member
dark souls isn't open world so much as it has branching paths, with areas locked away until a boss is defeated ala metroid. There is no going off the beaten path, as its all paths. Like someone said its not a knock against the games, I believe its the only way the combat in them really work.
 
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