Topic: Horizon: Zero: Dawn

@Kidfried Yeah, if I had known it would be like this, I would've started NG+ sooner. Granted, the story stuff isn't as fresh but the machine battles are totally worth it. I am dreading some of those Hunter Lodge challenges on UH though. O.O And then there is Redmaw.... (shudder)

So Im 50% completed on Horizon so far. Brilliant game.

I would like Guerilla to have a team element like mass effect or final fantasy next time out. They dont have to go crazy or anything, but a few chums by Aloys side would be nice. And to expand the choice element.

@starhops no way am I undertaking ultra hard, that sounds brutal.

@themcnoisy Team mates would really spoil the excellent combat system IMO.

@kyleforrester87 To me Horizon in many ways feels like a mass effect game. The great voice acting, cool locations, various mini quests etc. Its just missing something and I think its that. Maybe your teammates could be bystanders passing you ammo and stuff rather than getting involved?

@themcnoisy That sounds horrible haha. To be honest, I prefer it being a "solo" game. It is missing something though, as you say... I think it's just down to it being Gorillas first open world attempt. No surprise that the combat works so well with all that Killzone experiance.

@themcnoisy There's actually one quest in the new Frozen Wilds DLC that sees you working with an AI partner to solve some very simple puzzles. More Uncharted than Mass Effect, but it makes that quest a little less lonely.

@themcnoisy Being solo went well with the story in my opinion. For Horizon 2, I certainly think it needs a Peter Dinklage voiced robot sidekick.

In my opinion, I think they needed to better tie the amazing world and creature fights to the missions and side missions. I loved the game but I had as much fun just running into these major encounters by accident and choosing fight or flight then I did with going to point A, fighting those annoying hawks and then running back. If they could get missions to reflect that, it would be near perfection.

@get2sammyb Im looking forward to that! once I hit level 50 on the recommendation from your review.

@kyleforrester87 @Rudy_Manchego maybe your both right. Totally agree the quests are ok/a means to an end, the inconsequential meetings in the openworld however can be really special.

I liked the manor mini mission, dude wants the inheritance to himself and locks his sister up in the manor with a beacon. Hahaha. I need one of those beacons.

Snow physics are impressive. I never thought they would add something like this in the game, it looks great!

@themcnoisy NG+ UH is brutal for the casual encounters as @Rudy_Manchego was talking about that makes this game so much fun. The adds can really make or break your fights, so best to clear the area, especially for the big machines or the pesky glinthawks. So far, the stormbirds are the worst, especially since the camera has a tough time tracking them since the fly so high. I took down my first thunderjaw last night. Very similar fight to normal game but it just didn't want to go down, haha! There are no health bars for the machines so you don't know how long the fight can last. It's exciting. The 3 ravagers gave me a tougher time. I think I need to farm the Adept weapons. That extra socket would be helpful.

@kyleforrester87 Playing through again, there is something missing. I'm not quite sure what it is as the game does so many things very well. Maybe that's it; it has so many different areas and elements. You have the base tribal areas, with hunting and lore. You have the machines and discovering their secrets. You have the cities with their politics. You have the crazy madman you need to stop. You have the cauldron dungeon areas. You have the light RPG elements with skill-tree.

But, damn... this game is worth every penny just for the machine fights.

@starhops haha, I mean on an emotional level. The start of the game was really great but a bit overwhelming and moved far too quickly. Then the only emotional crux in the game was blown away. Im now a lone wolf taking on tasks just because I can.

There was a great base to move on from and Aloys met some npcs but I cant remember their names.

For me theres no real feeling of place for the NPCs and some game mechanics. You will find a shop person sandwiched between two lots of wild beasts without a care in the world, random flowers and cups like your the first person to ever look in that spot, loads of invisible walls and even the dreaded "turn back you are leaving the game area". The save bonfires are also weird, used in a ff esque night camp scenario it would fit in but even when Im getting battered you can run over to one and save on the spot. The vantage points and the giraffe type radars are great and you can understand them within the game world but the cups and flowers are just crap tbh.

Im being quite negative, and contrary to all that Im enjoying the game alot. In fact it could be my second favourite game this year.

So I've put in a few hours now into The Frozen Wilds and...Wow!!!

I don't know how this game can look THIS good. That opening cinematic pulled me right in.
I've encountered a couple of new machines and I'm impressed. Quality over quantity.
The first 'boss' battle felt like something straight out of Bloodborne. No idea how the level recommendation is so low. Got my a**e handed to me a few times at level 50 (very hard).

@Fight_Teza_Fight I concur, faced my first Scorcher at level 50 (and normal) good god, glad I faced him with the shield weaver on and was fully stocked up. If people go in at level 30 and on ultra hard then god blees them.

@themcnoisy I hear you on those points, and it's okay to be negative about some of those gaming aspects. I guess for me, the game world is still a game world with the common elements of save points like the bonfires. Since it's all fantasy anyway, I have no problem with these game mechanics (Yeah, the vendors in the middle of nowhere could be removed--fast travel allows you to go anywhere/anytime). True, the flowers are strange no one has seen them until Aloy shows up. If they made her Focus the only way to see them, then that would make more sense. Now the coffee mugs I thought were cute. The vendor for those cracked me up! And keep in mind, people roaming the old ruins were considered outcasts and it was looked down upon to search those areas.

I like to escape into a game, not get frustrated or stressed out. Fighting a machine can be challenging, but not stressing for me. Now, Bloodborne stressed me! I loved it. One of my favorite games, but it really did stress me out with its gaming mechanics. Haha!

@adf86 Yeah that caught me off-guard as well. Been a few months since I last played, so I thought it was a Sawtooth. That first encounter didn't end well.

I just started the expansion and this game is still the best looking game I have ever played. It's still the best use of the Pro IMO.

@get2sammyb @Splat @Fight_Teza_Fight @starhops @adf86 @Rudy_Manchego @Kidfried @kyleforrester87 As we are all playing Horizon still, if you have a boss screenshot from Horizon I have just set up a quick competition in the pushsquare communities section on the ps4. Reply to my original comment in the community and insert your picture as a reply. The best picture wins! Already had a couple of replies!

@themcnoisy Awesome okay, I may upload one!

@themcnoisy I need to get on the PS4. I imagine that most of my photos will be of me sailing through the air after being heat by a dino beastie.

The combat is still top notch.