Poll: What's Your PS5, PS4 Game of the Year So Far?

Elden Ring. That is all.

Haven’t played HFW yes, but Elden Ring was an easy pick. If only it performed better on PS5… but the game is still epic AF and is at times… relaxing to play? Compared to something like Bloodborne at least!

Elden Ring. Just incredible.

Horizon Forbidden West, so far. I haven't played Elden Ring yet, though.

Elden Ring. It's a jump forward for open-world games in it's design premise and gaming will benefit from its influence for years to come.
Horizon might be solid, but its influence and innovation will not be remembered or influential in any comparable capicty in the years to come.

I love HFW to death, but it has to be GT7 for me so far. Its pure class!

Definitely Elden Ring, by far
Tbh I have only played two games on PS5 this year so far, HWF and ER, but HFW definitely isn't GOTY lol

Comfortably Gran Turismo 7 for me. Horizon Forbidden West is second, but I should say that I haven’t yet played Elden Ring. It’s been a great year so far, and we still have two thirds of 2022 to go!

Additionally, I’m four or five hours into Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga and I’m having an absolute blast with the game. I can absolutely see this daft Lego game becoming one of my favourite titles on the system this year, maybe even of the generation to date. Nostalgia is definitely strong in this one!

@Loftimus Couldn’t have put it better myself, brother!

Horizon Forbidden West.

But I haven’t played Elden Ring yet. I’m planning on jumping in once it gets it’s first discount. I have a Hate/Sort of Like relationship with Dark Souls gameplay so I don’t want to drop full money on it. I liked Sekiro, I was ambivalent about Dark Souls OG, and I hated Bloodborne.

So my opinion may change once I play through Elden Ring.

A game that’s not even on this list. King of Fighters 15.

Definitely Elden Ring. I've only played about 30 mins of Horizon to be fair, but I will be shocked if anything beats Elden Ring for me this year. Or even this generation, frankly

It’s Horizon but Stranger of Paradise deserves a mention too!

Horizon without a second thought

@shonenjump86

Another game I’m waiting for a sale on.

I was a big KOF nut back in the day, and I absolutely adore XIII to this day.

But I didn’t care for XIV. So I’m being a little cautious with XV.

Plus I’ve heard on numerous fighting game forums that the PS5 version in particular has severe input lag compared to the PS4 version or the Xbox. And I’m not sure if they’ve fixed that yet. Plus I need another fight pad and it’s slim pickings for PS5 native fight pads at reasonable prices.

I’m willing to get the PS4 version if they never fix the input lag problem, but I’ve heard that PS4 version’s load times, even on a PS5, are not great.

Got both HFW and elden ring...

Elden ring without any doubt.

Went back to Horizon after a week of elden ring and just felt bored with it

Horizon Forbidden West for sure.

But Lego Star Wars The Skywalker saga is also Amazing 💥

@QualityGeezer
Same to me

Horizon, no doubt about it.

I actually haven't played any of this year's game. No need to rush

yet to dig into horizon and heard nothing but good things about sifu but they will have to go some to beat elden ring, hell of a game

Elden Ring, although I've only played bits of Horizon and I haven't bought Gran Turismo yet.

Sifu deserves a a special mention, that game was a pleasant surprise

@Darth_Stofi

That’s very true. Horizon is the only recent release I’ve bought this year so far.

After I beat the story I got back into Returnal and finally got the secret ending. Plus the Tower of Sissphus has consumed my life. It’s hard for me to find time for a run, but it’s such an adrenaline rush.

Definitely Horizon Forbidden West.
Elden Ring, it's fine, but it's literally the least surprising game I've played all year.
Horizon just kept surprising me. It's such a confident step forward in every way from it's predecessor that I'm still taking it in. I can't wait to pkay it again when new game plus comes out, and I can't wait to see what Guerilla does with the series next.

Horizon.
Elden ring is the most overrated game I ever played in my life.
Don't get me wrong it is not bad at all, but all the tens and articles gushing over it are not deserved at all.
It is just as repetitive as all open games but somehow nobody mentions that.
The controls are wooden and the camera is often detrimental to your demise.
And two bosses are so badly designed that when I platted elden ring I vowed to never buy a from game ever again. They sucked all the fun out of gaming.
The end game in general is not well done at all.
But I accept that I am a very small minority and hope that everyone who does enjoy it has a blast.

Horizon Forbidden West is definitely my game of the year for PS5 so far!

I haven't played Elden Ring yet, I'll probably wait for a sale and pick it up for Series X. I hear that VRR helps with the frame drops, so yeah.

Uncharted Collection was fun, but those games aren't new. Dying Light 2 has been kinda disappointing with all of the bugs the game has...

This list made me realise that the only new game I've played this year is Pokemon Legends

I see most people are picking correctly

Horizon: Forbidden West

Sifu is in the runner-up.

Played Horizon for about 5 hours and haven’t touched it since Elden Ring came out

HFW is a fine game but it just doesn’t come close to Elden Ring

@OrtadragoonX I’ve heard problems with the PS5 version as well. I have it on PS4 for and for the most part of online matches I have played have been smooth. At one time the was a problem where it did take forever to find a match but I think SNK fixed that.

Hardly been off GT7 since release but my vote goes to HFW. Yet to complete HFW about halfway through the story trying to do everything on the maps. I adored HZD so much but now HFW so far betters it in almost every way. Not planning on playing Elden ***** Ring till next year when it's massively reduced in sales just incase I don't get on with it, which is highly likely but you never know could fall for it. I'm sure Ragnarok will have something to say about this later on

@shonenjump86 considering SNK's new owner, it would be pretty dangerous for the push square journalists to include it as an option and risk it not winning.

All the horizon voters haven't played elden ring- yet. 😉

Elden ring for sure. Started HFW after finishing (well getting my butt kicked in the end game so needing a break) from elden ring, and though still fun, HFW just does not have the same sense of wonderment and discovery . I’m only part way through so I guess my opinion could change, but I suppose that’s just the nature of sequels as well

Elden ring cause that's the only one I've played. Although looking at the poll, I doubt my choice would change if I had played any other

Haven’t played HFW yet, so it’s Elden Ring. But a shout to Kirby and the forgotten land! Beat it this week, what a wonderful game.

Horizon beating Elden Ring! Blasphemy! Granted I've never played Horizon and certainly plan too Elden Ring is just so freaking amazing

I'll be the outlier here: OlliOlli World! I love it so much. Tight gameplay, relaxing music, excellent aesthetic, and just a generally addictive experience!

Sifu, surprised it isn't higher, I know it might be hard for some people but it was really just plain fun.

Babylon's fall at 1 percent...for those who voted for it blink twice if Square is holding you at gun point

Uncharted ports thus far. I just got Horizon FW though and will be starting that shortly. Once I have a couple 2022 releases under my belt, the ports will drop off the chart.

Then again, Mass Effect Legendary Edition still won my GOTY for 2021... so who knows.

E l d e n R i n g ...

There's been some great others already this year - Horizon, GT7, CP2077 (although I don't really count that as a new new release), Uncharted (which also cant really be counted as new per se) and Weird West (which i've only just started but it's been very impressive in its scale from the start).

Lego Star Wars, while awesome co-p fun and dripping with nostalgia, I would probably rate it lower than the ones I mentioned as it feels more like gaming comfort food rather than a proper standout experience.

Man, it's a great time to be a (PlayStation!) gamer 😁

Wow...that’s quite a selection considering we’re only in April! I voted for Horizon Forbidden West (PS5). I’m about 60 hours in and still not finished. Loving it.

Tiny tina for me

Horizon and Deep Rock Galactic are my two faves this year but also the only two 2022 releases I’ve played thus far. Still chugging through Horizon two months later at 53 hours. I’m enjoying everything about Horizon except the part where I have to fight. Fighting robots in this game is a major step down from the first game and it’s all because they wanted to make loot a big part of it. I only found one ropecaster in the game and that was in the beginning and it was useless. I find myself just using the same bow and blastslings all the time. I hope they don’t go down the loot route again in the inevitable sequel. I’m going to drop the difficulty to easy so I can mow down enemies because I’m not really having any fun fighting. It’s still my favorite game of the year though. Until God of War that is.

Quite easily Elden Ring for me. I loved HFW, but I’m glad I played it before Elden Ring, because Elden Ring set a new standard on how open world games should be done, in my opinion.

Wwe for me, enjoyed platting hfw but thought the story was weak and aloy is now the most boring character in gaming

Elden Ring and it’s not even close.

Horizon Forbidden West and Dying Light 2 are my favourites so far. Finished Ghostwire Tokyo and while good I would rate it at 7. Games I would like to check out at some point are Sifu, Final Fantasy Stranger, Elden Ring. Games on other platforms would be Kirby and Traingle Strategy

You either pick Elden Ring or haven't played it yet

I gave it to dying light 2 but nothing here was exceptional for me.

I would give Babylon's Fall my vote for the saddest deadest multiplayer game since The Culling 2.

Of the games on the list, it's between Wonderlands and Ghostwire, for me. I'd probably pick Ghostwire, as it doesn't exactly play incredibly well but the total package feels fresh from a world design and visual viewpoint.

Expected leaders are expected.

@J2theEzzo I'm looking forward to it but HFW was spectacular, So ER has to be something spectacular in order to impress.

It was a choice between Gran Turismo 7 and Horizon FW, chose Horizon, i enjoyed that just a tad bit more, but both are solid 10's.

A good 3rd, surprisingly, is cyberpunk, i'm actually having tons of fun with the PS5 version right now.

HFW for sure. Sifu runner up for me

Elden ring for me.

Elden Ring for me. With that said, HFW is a top 10 game of all time for me and it is basically 2A to Elden Ring. Also, I’m playing through Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands and that game is so damn fun and might sneak in and knock off HFW.

Don't own a PS5, and still waiting for something to release on PS4 I want lol.

Easy choice, Elden Ring. Extremely strong GOTY contender for me.

HFW was amazing too, but admittedly I liked Zero Dawn better.

Elden Ring. Hands down. Love me some Soulslike

Sifu clicked with me like no other game in a long time. I cannot wait for a follow-up! =)

Horizon is the most complete package so far. The gameplay never felt repetitive or boring and the open world was masterfully built. IMO there's no competition for it yet this year.

@playthedangame Agreed. May as well close the polls for the year already.

Very close between Horizon and Gran Turismo. Amazing games.

I own both HFW and ER and HFW is easily the better game.

The love for ER on sites is mind boggling. I truly dread the effect it may have on games because of its loud fan base.

It’s made up of completely unbalanced combat that promotes grinding to boost stats. So many other games offer so much more.

Cyberpunk 2077 PS5. It was great being in Night City again only much clearer, smoother and a hell of a lot less bugs. Loved catching up with V, Jackie, Johnny, Judy, Vic, Misty and Panam with her fantastic bottom.

As much as I really enjoyed playing Horizon Forbidden West, the story told was a huge letdown for me.

I'm currently playing Lego Star Wars which is fantastic fun.

After playing both Horizon Forbidden West and Elden Ring I’d say HFW just edges it for me. I just enjoy that world more and find it far more interesting and rewarding than ER. Enjoying GT7 as well though so it’s been a good year so far.

Well, since I haven't really played anything on this list other than Cyberpunk 2077 and Rainbow 6 Extraction, I'll throw my vote for R6 Extraction as I'm quite enjoying it.

Elden Ring, easily.
Now that Zelda has been delayed into next year the only competition for GOTY looks like God of War, assuming that doesn't get delayed also.

Please add Shadow Warrior 3 so I can vote. It's the only 2022 game I've played (though I have just picked up Horizon FW).

Elden Ring, not even close. I made the "mistake" of interrupting Horizon when Elden Ring dropped. Now going back to it is so freaking hard. Not because it's bad, it's a very good game but Elden Ring has nailed the open world formula to such an extreme extent that I can't help but feel annoyed whenever I open the map in Horizon.

Hard to pick between HFW and ER but just gotta say the feeling is ER has the edge with its incredible unprecedented full of surprises interconnected vast open world.

Mad respect for Elden Ring and Forbidden West, but I'm waiting on the latter until I beat Zero Dawn, and the former's just not my cup of tea. So, not the most popular choice by a long shot, but LEGO Skywalker Saga has me BEYOND hooked. Probably won't actually take home any GOTY awards, but at least a "Best Family Game" or two, no?

Elden ring.this is pushsquare easiest questions ever.word up son

It's between Horizon Forbidden West and Elden Ring, but I'm going to give it to HFW as elden ring can suck the fun out of gaming for me at times doing bosses more than 15 times just drians me, but the world is fun to explore

Elden Ring by default, since I haven't played HFW yet and don't care about the other titles on the list. Although I played the PC version.

Horizon FW until God of War arrives.

No disrespect to other people's opinion but to me elden ring is just dark souls 4 with a bigger map, lol
So my vote goes to horizon forbidden west

Elden ring without a doubt..personally for me its almost perfect..just not quite but still a real sublime experience..

For me? Definitely Forbidden West.

I have literally only played 1 game out of the list lol. Didn't realize that I missed so many great games.

Horizon Forbidden West gets my vote!

For me it's without doubt gt7,fantastic game on ps5,very addictive and there's so much to do,but I must add I havent played hfw or elden ring or any other biggies that have launched this year so far ,will get elden ring bit later in year,it'll be an interesting one for me as I've never played a souls game before but all these people giving rave reviews can't be ,wrong ,but gt7 the goty for me as things stand

Ok, didn't expect that. I chose Uncharted, my 2nd pick would be Gran Turismo 7.

I haven't played any of these games, but chose Elden Ring because I did quite like Dark Souls (put 80 hours into it - but was burned out on the concept after that - 2 is still sitting on my shelf after all these years ) and Elden Ring is just more of the same IMO (just open world this time).

I voted for CK3 as I know it won't get much love on this site. It is tied with Elden Ring for first for me.

Cyberpunk 2077 (PS5) Judy Alvarez never looked so good! Elden Ring is up there but regardless of the incredible world design it's just another Souls game and DkS1 still holds the crown there.

Elden Ring is the only new game I've played this year.

I guess The King of Fighters XV doesn't count? The only other game on the list I've played is OlliOlli World. So that's my pick. HFW is sitting on deck.

HFW was brilliant but it didn’t leave a lasting impression like the first game did. The story was very disappointing. Haven’t played Elden Ring. I’ve just bought Ghostwire Tokyo but haven’t started it yet. So… I have to go with LEGO Star Wars Skywalker Saga - it’s easily the best LEGO game to date. And very funny.

Edit: special mention to GT7 - very good racing game.

Elden Ring, but hfw could win it for technical achievment and heavier focus on story.

Elden Ring, Forbidden West and GT7... and that is across the board - not just PS5.

I just bought Elden Ring again on PC so I can play it on SteamDeck... now working to get back to where I am on PS5 😅🤦‍♂️

I've only played three games to be fair this year so I don't have a great grasp of how everything is shaping up.

Without a doubt it's Elden Ring so far though. Cyberpunk is better than I thought it would be. Horizon is okay but Elden Ring is incredible.

Correction: I have played 4 games. I forgot to mention Sifu! I must be getting old! Sifu would honestly be right behind Elden Ring at the moment. Excellent game.

Horizon Forbidden West is in the lead, stunning technical achievement that is also a blast to play. Has such a vibrant sense of place. Runner up is Tiny Tiny’s Wonderlands which shakes up the Borderlands formula in very cool ways, for a unique adventure that is actually laugh out loud funny. Honorable mention (in the non-Ashly Burch protagonist category) goes to The Ascent which goes halls deep into cyberpunk style in amazingly, gloriously visual ways.

I love Horizon, it’s everything I hoped it would be. Most years it’s my GOTY. Unfortunately for Horizon, Elden Ring came out a week later. 230 hours in, still playing, haven’t touched Horizon since. I'll for sure go back and crush HFW but it’s just not on Elden Rings level.

Horizon Forbidden West. I will continue playing it until the inevitable DLC releases. And then I'll play it some more.

Impossable to chose between FW and ER for me. Though superficially you would think they are the same genre, they are both very different in the experience they want to deliver and how they do it.
FW is like a cross between a narritive story adventure, like a drakes game, and an open world action rpg. It tells a strong story, with loads of insightful humanity on show particularly in the side missions. Its a narritive experience and it tries to lead the player along so you dont miss any of the wonders it has to show you.
Its absolutely brilliant.
Elden ring is very different. Deliberately obtuse and mysterious, its narritive is partly bound up in the incredible design of its geography. The sense of discovery and awe is second to none, and the sheer scale of content they've achieved is quite amazing.

Both different, both 10/10 experiences to me. I guess its fair to say though, I have played a game like Horizon before, but we've never had a game like Elden Ring before.

Still playing hell let loose almost every day. Not bought anything since

Horizon Forbidden West really had pretty much everything polished and perfected. Looked utterly sumptuous, gorgeous soundtrack, great side missions, fantastic combat … so I’d have to go with that despite it only being April.

As for letdowns it’s sad to admit but both Sifu and Ghostwire Tokyo felt severely lacking. Sifu was initially addictive but ultimately a bit empty, repetitive and more frustrating than fun and Ghostwire was repetitive to the point of boredom with flat, cut and paste combat, a dull narrative and way too many collectibles. Shame, as both were high on my most anticipated list.

Lego Star Wars is great fun and easily the best Lego game thus far but despite being an absolute joy to play it can’t hold a torch to Aloy’s adventures and is sadly let down by unnecessarily long load times even on PS5.

And biggest surprise would be Deep Rock Galactic. Still playing after over 200 hours, one of the few games worth cranking out the multiplayer for and it was free. Rock and, indeed, stone!

What if I told you I’ve played Elden Ring and HFW and think HFW is a better game? Though I do prefer Elden Ring’s combat.

I've only played Horizon Forbidden West and Deep Rock Galactic this year so it's slim pickings. That said I thoroughly enjoyed my time with H:FW and the next game sounds like it's gonna be bonkers so I'm all for that.

@SAMTYLER1974 A lot of people really had problems with its open world design though, said it was too derivative and all. Plus the were complaints that characters were uninteresting with Aloy’s single-madness towards her goals being particularly scrutinised.

Does Horizon getting the higher vote have something to with it being an PlayStation exclusive?

In terms of of what I’dpick I’m kinda split between FW and ER in terms of polish for the former and mechanics for the latter.

I wonder if the new god of war game will have a chance to challenge elden ring.

“Easter bank holiday weekend”?? Jesus Christ guys, c’mon…

@Elodin yes

Elden Ring and its not even close. Horizon 2 while great is just more of the same with the tired Ubi blueprint, if not for being a PS game i think it will be ranked lower. To be clear i love Horizon 2 but ER is on another level.

@AdamNovice What Elden Ring does well is the DISCOVERY. That's just it. Yes you see a tower alright in the distance, you think you're just going to waltz through a front door but no, your only way into said tower is scaling the side walls and to your surprise you're in, now how do I get out...What's that Bell tower with legs, how do I get it to stop... you find a way to stop it, you're in but don't know wtf to do in it. This is what its open world hype is about.

Elden Ring. It's the Dark Souls of Open World games. (Sorry, had to make this joke)

@Ashkorsair

I definitely partially agree with this. i platinumed elden ring , but its not this perfect game everyone is talking about. the end of the game literally removed all fun, your almost forced to use particular builds instead of having fun and being creative like mid game.
It does get very repetitive like any other open world game. Theres technical problems, camera problems, the list can go on.

I think it’s overrated. its very very good and addicting, but its not perfect.

Gran Turismo 7 for me

My GOTY 2022 choices:

Easily Horizon Forbidden West with Elden Ring in a very close second. If there was more to Elden Ring than mostly just exploring and fighting and it wasn’t so long that it got real repetitive halfway through it might have been my front runner. Horizon delivered a great sci fi main story, the best sidequests in a open world game since the Witcher 3,jaw dropping graphics, amazing combat with some of the most unique enemies in gaming that are always fun to take down and a world that was so fun to explore.

@Gelly yeah I got the plat too but it’s too somewhat one note that it got repetitive as hell halfway through and I agree with the other things you mentioned. Like my god the camera is one of the worst I’ve seen in awhile and for some reason they love putting you in small rooms with huge bosses and it’s so frustrating

@WallyWest there’s nothing ubi about horizon 2 and it’s the laziest critique you can try to make especially if you supposedly played it.

@clianvXAi I think it will just like I think horizon as a chance I mean horizon is winning the poll right now

@Blackjay really the majority of reviews praised the open world,story and sidequests. Aloy is only single minded in the beginning which makes sense but as the game progresses she opens up and sees that having friends isn’t a burden and either is asking or receiving help

@AdamNovice I Ioved Elden even got the plat but you’re spot on. The game has so much rinse and repeat content it’s ridiculous not to mention how much it reuses from previous souls games that other games would get crapped on for doing.

@Niktaw why though what does Elden do better than horizon besides exploring? Horizon does it’s main story better,sidequests better,characters better,it’s better on a technical level and it’s combat is just as fun as Eldens if not more so because the machines are so unique and fun to take down. You’re not just shooting them to beat them you’re using different traps or elements and shooting off parts to disable machines attacks or use their own weapons against them it’s crazy. While Elden does exploring better Horizons world is still a joy to explore with plenty to find . I got the plat for both and loved both they are one and two on my goty list but I don’t subscribe that Elden is some unbeatable game because horizon does plenty better than Elden.

@dark_knightmare2 Dude the Horizon series follows the Ubi open world blueprint heavily and is actually one of the common criticisms of the series. Have you actually played Ubi's open world games? Because Horizon shares so much with AC and FC, its telling a GG dev took issue with ER considering ER laughed at the tired blueprint and done its own thing unlike GG what added nothing to the open world genre and have been in the shadow twice now of games released soon after theirs what changed the rulebook of open world gaming. Horizon 2 is great game and fun to play and beautiful to look at but outside of PS fanboys on sites like this it won't be remembered by the end of the year, overall its just more Horizon whats fine but nothing special overall.

Just loved HFW. I really didn't want to finish. I will probably go back to finish all of the sidequests/content at some point. Cyberpunk hasn't grabbed me as much, though I am digging Lego Star Wars.

Elden Ring is likely way too hard for me

Elden Ring and it ain’t even close

1. Horizon
2. GT7
3. Lego Star Wars

Elden ring and it’s not even close. Horizon forbidden west is a really good game. Elden ring is a once in a generation game.

Elden Ring like most others here, is not just more of the same but a change in the open world formula which has gotten stale in recent years.

@dark_knightmare2 well for me one big thing is I can play Elden Ring co-op. It’s absolutely amazing with a friend, and it’s super easy to do. Of course horizon has a better story and characters, but ER’s understated story fits perfectly with the rest of the game. I don’t want all my games that way, but I find it a refreshing change of pace from the typical cut scene laden plot heavy RPGs.

Played both Elden Ring and Horizon Forbidden West — Horizon Forbidden West wins, hands down in gameplay, graphics, attention to detail, environment, combat mechanics, replayability … Elden Ring is a rushed mess that doesn’t make any excuse for being an empty 3D platforming game. It’s nothing the reviews say it is. Large Open World? HFB has a larger world that comes with a high resolution 3D map to boot! There are more types of terrain to scale, climb, and fly about on as well. “Oh gee — you can jump in Elden Ring now” — HFB you can SWIM and FLY! Plus you have a wider selection of mounts, not just a horse that floats like paper. Elden Ring’s world is so empty, and the characters look like they were designed by the cheapest, most willing 3D student they could pull aside from their university work. The only reason Elden Ring’s popularity is a good thing is so BluePoint can make something better of it. Elden Ring is literally just the same thing over and over from the same series, over and over. There’s nothing new.

Horizon, on the other hand, improves gameplay dramatically from its predecessor. In Zero Dawn, you basically use the same upgraded bow, with the same armor throughout the game. Forbidden West forces you to actually switch between all the weapons on offer — and the monsters are quick and aggressive. Even at the max level, you have to strategize when taking down the bigger beasts to upgrade your more powerful weapons. I’ve had so many memorable battles where I’ve been down to my last healing herb, scrounging around for more in the battle field while dodging attacks and trying to wear my opponent down with smaller ones … it gets intense but not rote as Elden Ring’s battles almost always are.

OK who voted for Babylon's Fall? Had to be a joke right?

@WallyWest I like Ubisoft games especially the AC and Far Cry series and horizon is nothing like them. The combat and enemies are completely different,the story is actually great along with the sidequests, the game has a world worth exploring and you’re rewarded with new armor or weapons doing so I could go on. The first Horizon was somewhat like a ubi game but way better but Forbidden West just isn’t. I also love how you got all defensive when Both games are great and are going to be remembered come goty time so saying horizon won’t is fanboy crap which is comical since you called everyone here fanboys. Oh and you say horizon got overshadowed when the first sold twenty plus million copies and I’m sure the sequel will do even better so I’m sure Horizon will be fine.

@PSfan4Life22 lol

@Juanalf other than not having map markers it’s really not any different from other open world games

Shouldn't even be a contest

Elden Ring

I was a little surprised. I just got the plat for HFW and it was just ok. Definitely not in a Returnal or Ghost class. I enjoyed Cyberpunk and Destiny much more.

But I am getting Elden Ring tomorrow…. So …

@dark_knightmare2 Interesting. I’m taking it that those detractors never played the game to the end or something.

@Jimmer-jammer Environment seemed very bland to call it some big step forward in open world games.

@Anti-Matter I reported that comment as SPAM.

Horizon: for once, I have bought new games including Elden Ring and GT7. And Horizon is a much more balanced and varied experience than others. ER is ace, but there is a lot of repeated enemies man, bosses and locations, and the camera on larger enemies is just messy. Towards the end of ER, it becomes quite imbalanced in terms of difficulty as well (even soulsborne vets are saying bosses have been sped up to have longer, unpredictable combos whilst the player is trapped in Dark Souls moveset). Essentially, it forces players into broken builds such as ridiculously over-powered mimic tears and magic builds. I loved it and ER is fantastic and the world is a joy to explore but it’s not without some flaws (never mind the probs on PC).

HFW is so well balanced. You feel in the right place at the right time. The combat is ferocious, and flows so well: the combat wheel on that game is so well designed, you can craft, find items on the battlefield, dodge attacks, fire back-all in a manner of seconds. No other game does this so well. It takes the essence of Monster Hunter and ramps it up (there is no game that comes close to it in terms of open-world combat at all: even Elden Ring). Enemy variety is spot on, RPG mechanics and systems are weaved into crafting (eg taking out enemies in certain ways to get key items m, which then improve weapons and armour). It does subtle things with exploration: move to a question mark and you can find anything: new enemies, high level enemies, puzzles, combat, relics of older world, cool landmarks, cauldrons - some of the side content in HFW is actually better than other games main content. It looks amazing, animations are top, traversal is interesting and varied now (taking good inspiration from BOTW but it’s still Horizon) and underwater sections are like nothing I’ve ever seen in a game before. It’s story could be better in my view, just preferred HZD but it’s still an epic, fun time. Yeah Horizon takes it, for me.

GT7, third. But we all know GOTY is silly, right? Just enjoy the games.

@tselliot
Wut? 🤨
I mean i like those PS5 games (Kao the Kangaroo, Zorro: The Chronicles)
Was that wrong with my choice ?

@theanimaster I think you will find your opinion is just that an opinion and not a fact like you think it is. The fact you think a large map is a sign of Horizon being better is hilarious, by that logic Valhalla is better then Horizon because its map is way bigger. ER's map might be "smaller" but its way more dense and memorable and begs to be explored unlike Horizon's what has everything of note on the map meaning you never need to explore.

@WallyWest absolutely not true you can turn off every map marker which is how my friends and I played

@dark_knightmare2 "Towers" to unlock map? Check. Bandit Camps? Check. Needlessly busy map full of icons? Check. RPG lite systems? Check. Horizon's open world is a Ubi world just done better, its still tiring though and after finishing FC6 not long before it yeah its very much alike open world wise.

Yeah Horizon was overshadowed by this little indie Gem called Breath of the Wild and like with that Horizon 2 is over shadowed by Elden Ring. Horizon 2 won't be winning many GOTY awards not when Elden Ring exists and then later this God of War and Starfield. Horizon 2 is a great game but its a game of the gen level game like ER. Horizon 1 was a great game but like Horizon 2 its not one of the best.

@Blackjay I don’t know and I didn’t say that. Every game,movie,book etc is going to have detractors and if that’s how they felt so be it but the fact is Aloy is only like that for the first half of the game if that because like characters are supposed to do she grows throughout the story

@dark_knightmare2 I know you can do that but the game is not designed with that in mind, its like in Valhalla you can turn them off but the game clearly wasn't designed around you doing that

@WallyWest first off the you don’t have to do tallnecks not to mention there is only six in the game and each one is fun as hell to do because they are a puzzle you don’t just simply climb them, the bandits camps aren’t just there they have a story attached to them not to mention there’s only 17 small ones and 6 big ones throughout the huge map of horizon and you must have missed the numerous enemy camps in elden,the skill system isnt light it can completely change the way you play the game and you can turn off every icon if you want it’s called giving gamers options which is never a bad thing. It’s your opinion it won’t win any goty awards which is comical but we’ll see at years end. Pretty funny it’s supposedly nothing special but IGN already put it on it’s top ten best open world games list just like this website did because yes it’s that great of an open world game.

@WallyWest you’re right in Valhalla it wasn’t but you absolutely can play Forbidden West like that or how else did I platinum it and my friends beat it. There’s plenty of unique landmarks and settlements to find you’re way around the map and it’s a joy to explore that way especially with how beautiful the map is with its different biomes and sights to see. Plainsong is one of the most beautiful and awe inspiring locations in a open world game yet.

@ReadySlayerOne Returnal is so great but it’s a different kind of game and Ghosts is amazing too but Forbidden West is way better than that

Can't we just crown both HFW and ER and call it a day?

@Anti-Matter Those games aren't out yet, never heard of the Zorro one and Kao looks like a Bandicoot game with a Kangaroo. I do enjoy platformers but after playing other games most 3D ones just feel bland in comparison!

Horizon, easily. Haven't played Elden Ring, tbf, but HFW tops everything else no question about it.

@wallywest

All those same elements are in Elden Ring. There is repeated side content: catacombs (that are all the same with similar bosses and layouts; there are urdtrees- with the same bosses; there are map markers that open up more of the map; there are bandit camps and travelling parties to attack: again pretty similar throughout). I mean it’s more disguised but if you play open world games a lot, it’s all the same tricks.

In all fairness to HFW: tallnecks take the ‘tower’ thing and push it in really interesting ways: they move round and involve multi-stage sequences including traversal, puzzle and combat: and they are often spectacular to do and are varied from each other. Cauldrons are some of the brilliant side content I’ve ever seen in a game: and again, huge variation and always worth exploring (I got sick of the catacombs in ER a little). Traversal in HFW is way more varied, especially underwater, just amazing to experience. I like AC: Valhallah: it is solid but it doesn’t do anything like that. The RPG system is not light either: I love that you have to take down enemies in correct way to get high end items for crafting. Elegant game design that loops combat to RPG mechanics and provides incentives to master the mechanics. It’s top stuff.

Both are excellent games though but we shouldn’t reduce them at all. Saying HFW is just an Ubi open world reduces what it does in the same way that saying that Soulsborne games are just all about hardness and nothing else (when they are so much more that). Peace, my friend, people can enjoy different games.

@dark_knightmare2
Meh. I have all those platinums. Horizon was a Ratchet and Clank kinda game. Had something that was perfection and then everything else above average. Returnal, Ghost, GoW, TLoU2, Spider-Man - those games did many things exceptionally.

I thought Zero Dawn was top class on PS4.
Forbidden isn’t in my top 5 PS5.

Elden Ring and HFW for sure. But I’m not getting the “redefines open world games” claim for Elden Ring. Horse riding and dungeon crawling has been the norm for a long time. I’d say Witcher 3 had a better story and characters. Combat not as good for sure as Elden Ring. I guess if you don’t play many games, sure? It feels like a mix of Breath of the Wild, Elder Scrolls and Dark Souls. Wouldn’t say redefines, more like a nice mix.

@dark_knightmare2 At the time there was alot of naysaying about the game one specific sites i.e. metro to the point I was kinda put off from continuing with it. It didn’t help that many felt that the open worlds design was inferior to the one Elden Ring had which was further accentuated by the latter coming out a week after the former. I am considering going back to it when I can.

HFW all the way. Couldn't stand Elden Ring.

@tselliot hm, never called it that…concerning the “bland” environments however, I simply couldn’t disagree more. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure and all that 😄

GT7 for me, just does what it says on the tin 🤠

After playing Horizon 1 to platinum I found HFW rather boring, but we are all different

Judging by gameplay, visuals, mechanics, music, sound, acting, story, technology, design etc etc its HFW for me.

@playthedangame I’ve only just finally snagged a ps5 without paying ridiculous scalper prices so I have not yet played Elden ring but I am looking forward to it considering all the hype.

Horizon dawn looks beautiful graphically but I just can’t stand games with robotic enemies, idk why I just find them so mundane that playing the first one I lost interest quite quickly. A shame really as like I said it’s a great looking game.

GT7 for me, though to be honest it's all I've played, not had much time on the PS5 this year.

I still can't decide if I want to try Eden Ring or not. I've never been into Souls type games and don't have a huge amount of game time. Is it something you can just pick up and play for 30 mins or an hour now and again?

Really difficult to decide between Elden Ring and HFW. In the end I opted for HFW because I have finished that game, whereas I am only part way through Elden Ring. It is entirely possibly that my choice will change once I have completed Elden Ring...

In many ways, yes, @SJBUK. Many of the dungeons, caves or battles etc, are between 5 and 15 minutes long, with occasional longer ones. Done right, Boss battles can be over within a minute or two (though often need to be repeated after demise). To my mind, this is one of the easier Souls games I have played, mostly because there is no strict route you need to take, and if a Boss or event it too difficult, you can just return to it and then totally own it having levelled up. There are plenty of grunts just wondering around the vast world that are an easy route to levelling up. However, the game is vast. In fact massive, with almost as much occurring under the ground as above it, so it is not a game that you would likely complete quickly. Indeed, played in 30 minute intervals, it would probably take you the best part of a year to complete. I'm around 100 hours in and I would be surprised if I have completed half of the game. I do like to do everything and go everywhere mind. All in all though, it is probably the best entry point for any Souls-like game, and it is as good as everyone says...

Horizon Forbidden West by a mile! Didnt care for Elden Ring much, I'm actually more excited about Salt and Sacrifice.

If Elden ring doesn’t win it’s because this is a ps website and fanboys 😂

I picked HFW I played a hour of Elden Ring got turned off by the graphics after completing Forbidden West

Horizon just pips GT7 for me but it's a close call, I've got Elden Ring but not started it yet, suspect that will be a GOTY contender come the end of 2022. Great year so far for gaming!!

@ReadySlayerOne I love ghost but how would you rank it above horizon forbidden west especially when you think the first horizon was top of class on ps4 when it was just a great first concept. The sidequests are infinitely better in Forbidden West compared to Ghosts,the main story is better,the combat is better and more in depth even though ghosts combat is also amazing,the world in FW is more diverse and worth exploring compared to ghosts and FW is a lot less repetitive. Ratchet and Clank is a great game so I don’t agree with disparaging it but FW is making top ten best open world all time lists already because the game is that special. I mean look how many years it took before an open world game had sidequests as good as Witcher 3 that alone is crazy but then you look at the rest of the package and it shows why FW is held in high regard

The world in HFW is exceptional. The environments and smoothness to the biospheres and how the machines interact are next level. The voice acting, gesture capture and sound effects are reward worthy. But everything wasn’t as satisfying or memorable as the first game.

The combat isn’t better - it’s not polished either. Ghost had the legends mode because of the different specs and builds you could make (like real stealth). Horizon falls into a bland attempt which is hindered by the combat cycle of breaking an enemy with it’s weakness SE and then using either a valor surge or spike to quickly finish them off. No need for a build - you could do a lame stealth attempt at clearing outposts/camps but it’s pale in comparison to ghost.

Don’t get me started on the overrides - they put all their eggs into mounts. I challenge you find the campsite where there is a TremorTusk, Apex Clawstriders and Scorchers all in a 100m or less proximity - override the scorchers or the tusk and watch them stand at an invisible boundary and won’t attack unless you kite the clawstriders right up to them. Same with the two ravengers next to the shellsnaper at the beginning of the desert (they won’t even walk over the small hill) - pathetic actually when I have a dozen or more instances I can name off the top of my head. They felt awful compared to the first game.

Now, the enemies are so cool but they all fall under a big problem - not truly diverse. As they will signal an elemental attack or lunge on a tether to the player through roofs or around and over cover - it’s a joke if you’ve been playing the tower in Returnal. Same with their projectiles, TremorTusks can throw rocks through their own body if you get to their flank fast enough, same with large humans. It was so easy and boring to kill Slaughters, Sitherfangs, Dreadwings or Tiderippers that you don’t truly feel that same peril as you did fighting Thunderjaws in the first game.

Then there is a huge complaint that many people have - so many levels and pacing is so off that it’s clear that they made it to coincide with story progression (in an open world game) I’ve never been max level so early in the game. I got the plat with with almost 40k shards. This is an issue with trying to make an overly accessible game.

Music is repetitive and completely forgettable, I stopped caring about records or any dialogue outside the main story, it wasn’t compelling at all. And I didn’t do that with Cyberpunk, Mass Effect 1-3, Guardians - all of which I have platinum’d in the last 6 months.

While this is a very good game - it showed me more 7.5/10 type of things while Ghost was a constant 8/9 out of 10. Hell, Arguably the best part of HFW is the graphics and world and I didn’t even stop to take a capture because so many other things weren’t compelling and just there to get through. Plot, dialogue, intrigue all fell flat, combined with less than polished ‘Horizon’ combat, a 7.5 or 8 out of 10 is fair.

So as subject as these things are - I won’t be buying the next Horizon at launch. They lost a day one fan here.

1 HFW for sure , 2 ER got the plat all ready easiest souls game ever !

@Ashkorsair yet you get the platinum for it..
"This taste so horrible, can I have more?? Om nom nom"

@Humaniac
It's called perseverance.
Not only that, the game was OK not horrible.
So your comment makes no sense.

As of now, it's **Horizon Forbidden West**. I also want to help it beat out Elden Ring. Haha

Runner up would be **Dying Light 2**.

However, I stopped playing until Techland puts cross-gen co-op back into the game.

3rd place is **Ghostwire Tokyo**

I've been having a blast with it. I love the setting, I love the traversal mechanics despite them being a bit touchy, and the idea of combat is great, it's just a bit too basic unfortunately.

Where is '**Nobody Saves the World**' or '**Death's Door**' in the list?

I binged a whole day of **Nobody Saves the World** this weekend, it's a lot of fun. We'll, until they introduced the ward mechanic, I find it a tad annoying so far. That, and the enemies auto leveling up with you. I wish that was optional. Sometimes I want that, other times I like to overlevel and steamroller through enemies like a boss.

@Fiendish-Beaver Thanks, sounds like it might work for me. I might pick it up in a sale at some point.

3 words. Horizon Forbidden West. and by the looks of the poll...the majority of people agree.

@Jaz007 that's freakin hilarious. I pray to god that no company I like adapts elden rings open world design. and you haven't even played horizon...I can tell.

@OrtadragoonX does this poll end or does it go on? I would like to come back and see the final results

@R1spam and they did.

@middyone I’ve played the first Horizon, but not the sequel.
Elden Ring nails exploration. You search and find areas that just look interesting. It’s entirely “what’s over there” driven instead of quest markers. It’s about your curiosity of what you’ll find rather than any sort of guide from the game.
Horizon makes the machines interesting, but aside from that follows a general open world formula and doesn’t make the world itself something explore beyond what you’re asked to. And no reviews claim that part of the game changed from the first one.
I’ve said all of that, but you really didn’t say a throng specific int our response so there isn’t much if anything do aside from compare the games a bit.

@AdamNovice
I mean people saying silly things doesn’t mean much. I don’t think ER is ‘revolutionary’ but it’s doing what FromSoft always does but in an open world setting (with legacy dungeons too).
I actually thought From soft doing open world is great even before any reviews or pre views. That’s because the way they are obscure like you said yourself and also rewards exploration like they always have in previous games.
The only ‘revolution’ is now more people pay attention to what they do and it’s more apparent because of the open world formula.
I’m sure you go back to it and ‘discover’ many things still because the games are obscure by nature.
Now people like it or not is all what it’s about. There s no truth as in what is ‘best game’ but only individual perspectives as always.
I still think it’s a new bar for open world because now it’s establish in that genre.

Edit
The fact that the player isn’t as restricted as much as in other ‘open world’ to games to explore and the sense of adventure going into the unknown seems unmatched to me.

@middyone Can you explain your issue with Elden Ring's open world design?