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Horizon: Zero Dawn | Review Thread

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well damn

There are 10 full retail exclusive released from January to April. So far they have been reviewing well. That's 10 games not on XB1.

That's just what I know of and there's plenty more coming.

Both consoles have there plus and minuses, but there's no denying PS4 has the larger varied library. It's crazy.

Edit-

Damn top page. I don't need this attention.
 
Why you didn't respond to my comment..... =/

Sorry, I got sidetracked responding to Servbot24's reply.

That's why the reviewer needs to back up their score with explanations, and you as the reader need to evaluate if their reasoning is enough to convince you.

Maybe the game is technically competent but tackle a theme in a way that the review thinks is inexcusable (like rape, drugs, slavery, etc).

And there's no problem in someone churning out bad reviews, as you said, someday they will simple be meaningless and fade out.

I think your examples of inexcusable content are likely to result in a game failing to get the relevant certification to even be released. Do you think that a game that tackled those themes in an inexcusable way would get as far as being reviewed?

But, I think there is a grey area there: What about Manhunt? Technically competent? What about the morality of the game? What about GTA? Ethically dubious? How many points do we deduct?

I doubt we're going to agree, and I don't want to have a bad-tempered argument. I just think that a 0/10 review needs something solid on a technical front to back it up. Opinions are one thing, reviews are another.
 
D

Deleted member 325805

Unconfirmed Member
I just finished the Digital Foundry performance analysis and I'm sold, not perfect on PS4 but miles better than most at release and they'll probably iron out the one or two problem areas by the time it hits my price, it'll be nice getting to boot up my PS4 which honestly collects dust these days.
 

CHC

Member
Damn! I really want this now. I was totally ready for it to just be mediocre, which would have saved me some money.

Man it sounds good
 

Mooreberg

is sharpening a shovel and digging a ditch
Outside of Driveclub and The Order, things have mostly gone well with first party games for Sony this gen. They generally come out when they are supposed to (insert TLG jokes here), they cover a good range of genres, and they do not crowd too many games in the same quarter. If the releases for Spider-Man, God of War, TLOU2, and Sucker Punch's next game go smoothly, they will be on quite a roll.
 

FATALITY

Banned
I just finished the Digital Foundry performance analysis and I'm sold, not perfect on PS4 but miles better than most at release and they'll probably iron out the one or two problem areas by the time it hits my price, it'll be nice getting to boot up my PS4 which honestly collects dust these days.
wtf go buy gr, nioh and yakuza 0 :(
 

Loudninja

Member
Just when you've mastered the basics, Horizon's massive world opens up. Aloy's first journey out west provides a remarkable sense of discovery; the new desert landscape is teeming with different, deadlier machines, along with new settlements to explore and beautiful vistas to behold. Horizon's mysteries really sink their teeth in here; while it may lack the power and meaningful choices of narrative-driven series like The Witcher and Mass Effect, Guerrilla has crafted compelling lore for its post-apocalyptic world. Unlike most open-world games, I looked forward to finding new audio logs and emails. Most importantly, Horizon isn't afraid to delve deep into heady sci-fi topics, and the myriad mysteries it sets up are all answered in a marathon of revelations and explanations toward the end of the game. Despite its flaws and foibles, Horizon's story unexpectedly became one of the major driving forces of the game for me.
Thankfully, the story-based missions make up the bulk of Horizon's adventure, and are spread across three tiers of importance: main quests that reveal more secrets from Aloy's past and the precursor civilization, side quests that follow up on narrative events and flesh out Horizon's secondary characters, and errands that Aloy can complete for other acquaintances. I was pleasantly surprised by all three tiers; the main and secondary missions especially do a great job of detailing the world and providing variety to the gameplay, whether you're sneaking through herds of patrolling enemies, or making a mad dash through massive man-versus-machine battles. Even simple errands present enough interesting twists and turns that I felt inspired to complete them – if not for the story content, then for the sizable XP rewards.
None of Horizon's faults stopped me from sinking 55 hours into the game, or walking away supremely satisfied with the experience. Horizon may not be a revolution for the open-world genre, but it is a highly polished and compelling adventure that proves Guerrilla is more than a single franchise.
http://www.gameinformer.com/games/h...0/horizon-zero-dawn-review-game-informer.aspx
 
Surprise, surprise this has become a console war thread.

Its really not a war.

It can be objectively stated that PS4 has the more varied exclusive lineup than the Xbox One and receives them at a more regular pace. Like, that just truth its not really a point of contention.

Now someone can prefer the Xbox lineup, there's nothing wrong with that. But if we just look at the numbers, PS4 receives more games, in more genres, at a higher rate on the console. And this is becoming really apparent this year.

At the start of the generation things were much closer. When MS was pumping out Ryse, Sunset Overdrive, Titanfall 1, etc. there was a lot of exclusive games hitting. That has rapidly slowed down over the last year
 

Wabba

Member
Outside of Driveclub and The Order, things have mostly gone well with first party games for Sony this gen. They generally come out when they are supposed to (insert TLG jokes here), they cover a good range of genres, and they do not crowd too many games in the same quarter. If the releases for Spider-Man, God of War, TLOU2, and Sucker Punch's next game go smoothly, they will be on quite a roll.

The Order is terrible for the most part, but don't drag Driveclub down. It had a great basis pack when it released but was short on content, after a lot of content and patches it is one of the best racing games of all time (IMO) and one of Sonys strongest exclusives.
 
He's not wrong though. Xbox really needs to step it up on the exclusives front. Get a major company to make something that isn't Halo, Forza, or Gears. They were about on par at the beginning of the console gen and seemed to make an effort to bring in new developers to make some pretty inventive games, but they didn't keep up the same pace.
They started losing pace mid to late last generation and now they simply don't give a shit.
 
Both consoles have there plus and minuses, but there's no denying PS4 has the larger varied library. It's crazy.

What's interesting is not whether one is ahead of the other, imo, it's that the differences are so small in comparison to the glory days of the PS2. Being ahead by a handful of key games is all that the clear market leader can manage in the era of homogenous "everything on every system" gaming.
 

Mosse

Neo Member
Its really not a war.

It can be objectively stated that PS4 has the more varied exclusive lineup than the Xbox One and receives them at a more regular pace. Like, that just truth its not really a point of contention.

Now someone can prefer the Xbox lineup, there's nothing wrong with that. But if we just look at the numbers, PS4 receives more games, in more genres, at a higher rate on the console. And this is becoming really apparent this year.

At the start of the generation things were much closer. When MS was pumping out Ryse, Sunset Overdrive, Titanfall 1, etc. there was a lot of exclusive games hitting. That has rapidly slowed down over the last year

But what does the xbox lineup have to do with the reviews of Horizon?
 
D

Deleted member 325805

Unconfirmed Member
wtf go buy gr, nioh and yakuza 0 :(

I would but £££, I tend to play games 6 - 12 months after release simply to save money. I played and enjoyed Nioh in beta so it's on my radar but Horizon has just jumped to the front of the queue.
 

KAL2006

Banned
Sony keeps delivering. Let's hope this is sales success. So Sony continue to take risks and creat new IPs. We have had successes like The Last of Us and Bloodborne. We have had decent mid tier stuff like Until Dawn and Gravity Rush 2. Then we have had sales flops like Drive Club and The Order. But it's nice that Sony are taking these risks. Sony also have Detroit, Dreams, Days Gone and Death Stranding coming showing that Sony ain't stopping experimenting with new IPs

Microsoft on the other hand hasn't had a big IP created since Gears of War. They tried with games like Sunset Overdrive and Ryse. But it's a shame Microsoft cancelling games like Bloodborne and Phantom Dust. Microsoft continue to pump out the same games which are starting to become stale. If they kept Bungie and didn't force them to keep making Halo and allowed them to spread their wings like Sony let Naughty Dog do, they could have had the biggest IP Destiny as a exclusive. Although Sony still pump out sequels like Uncharted 4 and God of War, their seems to be more excitement for their sequels that the next Halo or Gears. Even if MS pump out sequels they should reinvent the wheel. Just take a look at the new God of War as an example. Sony made similar mistakes as MS with Killzone and inFamous Second Son. Luckily Guerrilla now made Horizon and I'm hoping Sucker Punch don't make another inFamous. Let's not forget the extra Japanese support Sony gets for free with games like Nier, Persona 5, Dragon Quest XII, Nino Kino 2, Persona 5 and Nioh. Also Sony investing in games like Spiderman.

I just don't see any reason why anyone would choose a Xbox One over a PS4 unless they only play multiplatform games and don't care for exclusives or they are huge Halo fans.
 

Loudninja

Member
What did they say about the side quests, is it any good? are they all cinematic like witcher 3?
Thankfully, the story-based missions make up the bulk of Horizon's adventure, and are spread across three tiers of importance: main quests that reveal more secrets from Aloy's past and the precursor civilization, side quests that follow up on narrative events and flesh out Horizon's secondary characters, and errands that Aloy can complete for other acquaintances. I was pleasantly surprised by all three tiers; the main and secondary missions especially do a great job of detailing the world and providing variety to the gameplay, whether you're sneaking through herds of patrolling enemies, or making a mad dash through massive man-versus-machine battles. Even simple errands present enough interesting twists and turns that I felt inspired to complete them – if not for the story content, then for the sizable XP rewards.
.
 
But what does the xbox lineup have to do with the reviews of Horizon?

Its just a discussion point. There is nothing wrong with comparing and contrasting the two's lineup especially in the context of a major platform exclusive hitting, and receiving a lot of praise.

If people can just be mature, its a worthy topic worth talking about.
 

Mikey Jr.

Member
What was that quote by a Sony guy?

He said that out of 10 games they make, 3 will make the big dollars to cover the budget for the other 7 or something like that?

Fuck, cant remember the quote.
 

Stoze

Member
He's not wrong though. Xbox really needs to step it up on the exclusives front. Get a major company to make something that isn't Halo, Forza, or Gears. They were about on par at the beginning of the console gen and seemed to make an effort to bring in new developers to make some pretty inventive games, but they didn't keep up the same pace.

I think Microsoft isn't really trying to compete anymore when it comes to console exclusives. I mean we got Forza, Gears, and even some of Halo 5 on PC last year.
 
If we are on the topic of the Xbox One - I've considered getting one only because of the backwards compatibility. That cannot be a good sign if someone who has been playing video games since the ZX Spectrum looks at your console and thinks its only function would be to play old 360 games. I have a PC and I have a PS4 and unless you are a super fan of Gears, Forza or Halo I see no reason as of yet to get a Xbox One or Scorpio. Hopefully they can bring some fire soon.
 

Mikey Jr.

Member
Guerilla is finally free from Killzone's neon claws.

And it feels so gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood.

Seriously, I loved KZ2, enjoyed KZ3, and ok on Shadowfall.

If Guerilla made another Killzone, I would have killed someone. Such an amazing studio and it would be a real shame to squander that potential.

But now we have Horizon and it looks fucking great. A brand new Playstation franchise from Guerilla. So happy for them.
 
Its really not a war.

It can be objectively stated that PS4 has the more varied exclusive lineup than the Xbox One and receives them at a more regular pace. Like, that just truth its not really a point of contention.

Now someone can prefer the Xbox lineup, there's nothing wrong with that. But if we just look at the numbers, PS4 receives more games, in more genres, at a higher rate on the console. And this is becoming really apparent this year.

At the start of the generation things were much closer. When MS was pumping out Ryse, Sunset Overdrive, Titanfall 1, etc. there was a lot of exclusive games hitting. That has rapidly slowed down over the last year
i think this is only true if you count 3rd party exclusives too. this year already there was tales of bersaria (console exclusive), digimon world (playstation exclusive), and yakuza 0 which is fully exclusive in the west. the next big hitter is persona 5 which is another 3rd party exclusive
 

Loudninja

Member
This sounds really good
But more than cultural disagreements, Horizon often dives into the nature of interpersonal conflict as well. Each of a dozen or so major characters have strong, uncompromising perspectives. The dialogue comes from where most of the best dialogue does, when these personalities clash with equally valid points. I found myself frequently sympathizing and understanding where each participant.
http://www.shacknews.com/article/99101/horizon-zero-dawn-review-well-oiled-machine
 
If we are on the topic of the Xbox One - I've considered getting one only because of the backwards compatibility. That cannot be a good sign if someone who has been playing video games since the ZX Spectrum looks at your console and thinks its only function would be to play old 360 games. I have a PC and I have a PS4 and unless you are a super fan of Gears, Forza or Halo I see no reason as of yet to get a Xbox One or Scorpio. Hopefully they can bring some fire soon.
same here. i've been yearning to play gta4 again since I've been working and living in nyc for over a year now and I can do that with an xbone without having to drag my tired old fat Ps3 around.
 

Mosse

Neo Member
Its just a discussion point. There is nothing wrong with comparing and contrasting the two's lineup especially in the context of a major platform exclusive hitting, and receiving a lot of praise.

If people can just be mature, its a worthy topic worth talking about.

Oh I have no problem with the discussion as long as it stays civil, but I've seen these discussions quickly turn into console wars before. I just came back to this thread after a few hours and it just seemed really off topic.

Edit: I was thinking if it was better suited for a new thread, but the thread title alone would probably attract those not interested in a serious discussion
 
Oh I have no problem with the discussion as long as it stays civil, but I've seen these discussions quickly turn into console wars before. I just came back to this thread after a few hours and it just seemed really off topic.

Yeah I don't disagree. It can go off the rails hella quick.

I think we got on the topic from Jason's Tweet
 
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