Horizon: Zero Dawn

[Count Nerfedalot]

I am so pleased with what they pulled off in HZD both technically and story wise that I'm not even that interested in trying to guess where they might go next, figuring whatever it is will turn out to be better, deeper thought, and more surprising than anything I come up with anyway!

[Surlyboi]

Anywhere they go with a sequel, I'll follow. This game was that good.

[Riggswolfe]

I'm very late to this party but I picked this up for $40 off of Amazon last week and it totally consumed my life until I finished it. I didn't do a 100% but I may backtrack and do a few things I missed.

Anyway, amazing game. Best of 2017, even better than Persona 5 which I loved and I'm really looking forward to the expansion pack.

[Teleku]

I am also very late to this party, but just finished this.  Binge completed the whole thing, with most achievements, in less than a week, heh.  Been a long time since a game did that to me.  While by the end I was ready to finish it and walk away, the experience was great all the way through.  Great looking game, fun combat, and wonderful plot I can find few problems with.

Some final spoiler thoughts, along with a response to this:

My ending/new game theory.

[Mandella]

I'm playing through the first DLC (The Frozen Wilds) and so far it's not quite living up to the high bar of the base game. I think it's trying to take a lighter tone, and right now I'm in the middle of a quest that's right out of Tomb Raider. Lot's of climbing, big floor puzzles, turning valves, that sort of thing. Going to Spoiler the rest since I may get into plot/discovery stuff...


On the other hand, some of the humor is funny. There is a character that constantly made me laugh at the same time I was wishing they hadn't put him in the game (or at least gave us different dialogue). The environments are still beautiful, the fights interesting (a few new critters too), and they let you upgrade your spear. And it looks like we are going to get some reveals on Silens' background.

To Teleku's spoilered points, also spoilered:

[Surlyboi]

Arise!

The sequel was announced today during the PS-5 event.

Horizon: The Forbidden West.

No release date yet.

I'm still hyped as fuck and hoping we as a species survive to see and play it.

[SurfD]

Played this a while back, and since the sequel is coming, figured I would comment on this:

[Soulflame]

Also HZD is being released on Steam Real Soon Now.

[Teleku]

Played this a while back, and since the sequel is coming, figured I would comment on this:

Anyways, super excited about this!  Loved the first game, and this looks pretty great.  Not sure how it's going to fit into the overall story (But it for sure will at least include Bay Area/Silicon Valley, which is an obvious setup for some sort of AI sub system to be located there), I was expecting something more obviously dealing with Ted or whatever.  But they did such a great job with the narrative of the first, giving them full benefit of the doubt!

[SurfD]

I don't know, I honestly think the rest of the world would be pretty pissed if they found out you were directly responsible for

[Khaldun]

I have started this and played for the first 10% or so of the game four times now. I don't know quite why it doesn't fully grab me--it's not the game's fault, I like it. I think maybe it's that it's actually difficult enough to remember the full array of functional game interface stuff that each time it feels like I have to do it all over again just to be capable of progressing and then I get bored doing the stuff I've done already.

[Trippy]

Yeah I mentioned this the pandemic backlog thread but I've forgotten how to play the game too. It's also not just the UI that makes it difficult to relearn. There's a lot of knowledge you accumulate as you play that you forget over time like the strategy and tactics for individual creatures and the game requires much more precise aiming on fast moving targets than many other console shooters.

When it comes out on the PC I think I'll replay it then to prep for Horizon Forbidden West since I'll at least be able to skip over the console shooter aiming part of the (re)learning curve.

Edit: when

[Sky]

I was bummed when I went back to play the Spider-man DLC and had completely forgotten the controls and combos/strats. Got lucky with HZD as a late-comer, played straight through the game and DLC.

Now I'm hesitant to play a great game until all the DLC is released!

[Trippy]

Some more details / reveal trailer color commentary from the director: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIyz_7Hz3U4

Main tidbit is it isn't a launch title -- planned release is sometime in 2021.

[Trippy]

PC release date for original August 7, 2020.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1151640/Horizon_Zero_Dawn_Complete_Edition/

Also available on the Store That Shall Not Be Named.

[Falconeer]

Tempted to repurchase it and replay it. This is gonna be EVEN BETTER with a mouse and boosted visuals, and it was already fantastic.

[Tale]

Hmm yes, I paid very little for the PS4 version and am only a few hours in... would much rather play it with mouse and keyboard!

[Trippy]

I'll be getting it so I can play through The Frozen Wilds which I have on the PS4 but by the time I got around to trying it I had forgotten how to play and couldn't get past the initial Ravager like I mentioned in another thread.

[Khaldun]

Yeah, I'll re-up for PC. I just cannot really get too into PS4 games because I feel like I'm monopolizing the common space of the house too much.

[Soulflame]

I'm also probably going to repurchase on PC so I can play with mouse and keyboard.

[Zetor]

I never played HZD (don't own a PS4), so I'm pretty pumped for this!

[Tebonas]

Good, couldn't get into it on the PS4 because console, might fare better on the PC.