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[T0minator]

I've skipped out on HFW when it first came out but lately I've been getting into it, I've never been so compelled to hit record and screenshot in a game more than Forbidden West. I was even inspired to make my own videos of some of my highlights, the controls are so well done and combat isn't too hard or too easy. I am really blown away how much I'm enjoying this game. Anybody else think this game deserves more recognition than it's gotten?





I really had a good time making those videos, hit the like of you like!

 

[TheInfamousKira]

It's 25% less amazing because the PS4 can't handle it.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

well, bad writing/characterization/pacing shits over a technical masterpiece.

 

[Crayon]

It's pretty good.

 

[Shambala]

Damn right it is

 

[SeraphJan]

I mean for people who are not against Ubi-style open world, its great. However there is this on going hate train of that style for years now.

IMO its just preference, some people likes Elden Ring style of "cool I found a place" type of experience, some likes "I just wanna relax and follow the guide" type of experience.

I'm ok with both, I mean if one day every game start to clone the former type of design, people will start to miss the latter.

----------------------

Edit: A side note, HFW is a perfection in terms of DDE framework, the design framework which focuses on user experience and storytelling (storytelling does not equals to plot, it focus on many things include Camera, Visual Language, Audio Language, etc. You could dislike its plot as much as you like, but its Storytelling technique is great) instead of just mechanic. And I believe this is where the salt came from, from that game dev drama last year, in their mind "We did everything to polish the user experience, while Elden Ring did nothing" is actually a valid point, it just shows game critics doesn't understand game design to appreciate diversity.

 

[RGB'D]

It's pretty boring imo. Sony misses me with the Horizon and GOT. But I love GOW, spiderman, uncharted and tlou so who knows.

 

[GooseMan69]

It’s fucking incredible. It doesn’t get enough credit for how many things it gets right.

 

[ChiefDada]

well, bad writing/characterization/pacing shits over a technical masterpiece.

In terms of narrative direction, yeah pretty much this. Which is a shame because the story in HZD really pulled me in and left me wanting more. Lol and to make matters worse, the writing/dialogue in the DLC is worse *facepalm*!

Having said that, Horizon Burning Shores from a graphics perspective is the most impressive looking game I've ever played and in terms of environmental complexity, even manages to make Forbidden West look like and play like a very good looking cross-gen game (yeah I said it! Fight me!).

1. Environment density is insane
2. Draw distance is the best ever in any game. Period.
3. Lighting has significantly improved - Afternoon and night time of day in particular look much better than in HFW
4. Both particle effects and destruction have been boosted.
5. Sound design during combat now rivals the likes of Returnal.

The last two points above make the gameplay much more immersive and enjoyable. Here is some of my gameplay capture I previously posted in the graphics thread (it's compressed to shit regardless but 1080p selection makes it a tad better). I personally recommend playing in the 4k resolution mode even though you have to put up with 30fps. Take it from me as an OLED owner who typically prefers 40fps and above, the density and draw distance makes a strong case to put up with 30fps at native 4k. I know some others here have/may disagree and I respect that, but I recommend everyone try for themselves you might be surprised. This really is what PS5 players should have received from Forbidden West.

 

[Pelao]

Closest thing to buyer's remorse I have experienced this generation. I think I'm done with this franchise.

 

[Danjin44]

Closest thing to buyer's remorse I have experienced this generation. I think I'm done with this franchise.

I was done with franchise after the first game......never again.

 

[PixelatedBeast]

It's one of the best new IPs to release, and the biggest victim of the console war and anti-woke propaganda of this generation. It has the best graphics we've seen of any game, outside of an Unreal engine 5 tech demo. Definitely gets more hate than it deserves.

 

[Hoppa]

It’s a great game, best looking game I’ve ever played. I just don’t think Guerilla knows how to make compelling or interesting main characters and it’s a waste in the world they’ve created - I thought it was just an Aloy thing but same applies to the main character in the VR game. Imagine the series with an acrobatic feral beast woman raised by the machines! Or a dude with a pet Sabretooth bot!

 

[KGEN]

Technical achievements aside, it was amazingly boring game. Characters, story, pacing, dialog, lore, combat, skills...everything was sacrificed in the name of the open world. I got bored as early as the prologue, unfortunately.

 

[A Most Virtuous Cat]

well, bad writing/characterization/pacing shits over a technical masterpiece.

This. The Awful writing, bad characters and extremely on the nose "progressivism" ruined it. To top it all off, Aloy is the ultimate Mary Sue.

 

[Justin9mm]

The game looks and runs fucking amazing! That. Is. It.

I mean I didn't like Zero Yawn anyway but this is just as boring!

 

[Danjin44]

Aloy is the ultimate Mary Sue.

Heck "Mary Sue" characters can be interesting like Nausicaa (especially the Manga version) but Aloy was just dry as fuck and annoying keep talking to herself like she had memory issues.

 

[Represent.]

It’s the most beautifully crafted open world game EVER made. Point blank.

Never have I been so lost in a games world like in this game.

I took hundreds and hundreds of screenshots.

I was lost in this games world while everyone was going nuts over elden ring. Essentially myself and a few others in the OT. Good times

No one can tell me graphics don’t enhance an atmosphere/experience because this game is living proof of it.

Fan.Tastic.

 

[T0minator]

I was done with franchise after the first game......never again.

I'm not sure why, but I really don't understand the dislike of the series for some. I think the style is incredible, the machines are amazing in design, the soundtrack is great, there's of alot of variety in gameplay.

But I get not everyone will likes every game. I'm personally blown away by it, I'm really looking forward to what they've got coming in Part 3

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

In terms of narrative direction, yeah pretty much this. Which is a shame because the story in HZD really pulled me in and left me wanting more. Lol and to make matters worse, the writing/dialogue in the DLC is worse *facepalm*!

Having said that, Horizon Burning Shores from a graphics perspective is the most impressive looking game I've ever played and in terms of environmental complexity, even manages to make Forbidden West look like and play like a very good looking cross-gen game (yeah I said it! Fight me!).

1. Environment density is insane
2. Draw distance is the best ever in any game. Period.
3. Lighting has significantly improved - Afternoon and night time of day in particular look much better than in HFW
4. Both particle effects and destruction have been boosted.
5. Sound design during combat now rivals the likes of Returnal.

The last two points above make the gameplay much more immersive and enjoyable. Here is some of my gameplay capture I previously posted in the graphics thread (it's compressed to shit regardless but 1080p selection makes it a tad better). I personally recommend playing in the 4k resolution mode even though you have to put up with 30fps. Take it from me as an OLED owner who typically prefers 40fps and above, the density and draw distance makes a strong case to put up with 30fps at native 4k. I know some others here have/may disagree and I respect that, but I recommend everyone try for themselves you might be surprised. This really is what PS5 players should have received from Forbidden West.

one observation is how guerrilla managed to accomplish a level of "pictoric composition"....in the open world.

you have Foreground, Midground and background it feels like you are watching a carefully crafted concept art. and is of course due to the level of density...but I wonder if some procedural technique was used specifically with this in mind or if an artist refined the placement of certain assets....or just are "happy accidents".

 

[Danjin44]

I'm not sure why, but I really don't understand the dislike of the series for some. I think the style is incredible, the machines are amazing in design, the soundtrack is great, there's of alot of variety in gameplay.

But I get not everyone will likes every game. I'm personally blown away by it, I'm really looking forward to what they've got coming in Part 3

For me I felt I was playing third person FarCry game, Im sure some people enjoy that series but I'm not one of them, It also didn't help I never liked Aloy or her story, the only thing that remotely interesting Zero Dawn project but mostly told through audio logs.

 

[lh032]

For me its a good game with flaws.

1. i don't give a crap about tribes
2. Too many elements. Seems to be too complicated than it needs to be.
3. Game is quite grindy in higher difficulties.
4. Icons on the map were too excessive. Too many repetitive "side quests".
5. Aloy is kinda...meh?
6. Higher difficulty makes the game a chore to play, need alot of strategy, certain machines takes too long to kill.

Overall, gameplay design is very similar to ubisoft AAA game, just bigger , better and polish, but in the end still an ubisoft-ish game.

Will I buy the 3rd sequel day 1? yes.
But is it one of the best games? no.

 

[A Most Virtuous Cat]

Heck "Mary Sue" characters can be interesting like Nausicaa (especially the Manga version) but Aloy was just dry as fuck and annoying keep talking to herself like she memory issues.

Agree

 

[JimmyRustler]

Loved the first one. FW was so boring it made me question gaming as a hobby and I actually stopped gaming for 2-3 months after that.

Needless to say, I’m done with this series.

 

[ByWatterson]

A year ago I made a whole thread about I really didn't like it.

I was wrong. It's very excellent.

 

[DenchDeckard]

 

[K' Dash]

The game is a good looking piece of shit.

Edit: I want to elaborate more:

HZD was a good first effort, it was a very flawed game with lots of potential, so I was eager to play the sequel… and everything except the graphics is way worse than the first game.

I’m done with the IP.

 

[Flutta]

 

[GymWolf]

Praising horizon on gaf?

You have balls op, i give you that.

 

[Whitecrow]

well, bad writing/characterization/pacing shits over a technical masterpiece.

Its not even a technical masterpiece.
Lighting is pretty bad, and the game just looks like a bunch of hd textures ducktaped together without any kind ambient occlusion.

But yeah, Alloy is insufferable. She just looks everyone over the shoulder, and Im pretty sick of the 'look im the hero here, i have to do this alone' thing going on.

The only thing not letting me down is the gameplay.

 

[SJRB]

It really is a "love it or hate it" game, isn't it. There's barely a middle ground.

 

[ToTTenTranz]

Graphics and immersion in this game are the best ever I played. It's not even bested by Jedi Survivor which I'm playing right now on a >2x more powerful PC.


But although the overall story isn't bad, Aloy is a terrible main character reduced to a hyper-stoic man with boobs who's simply better at everything than everyone else.

 

[Dreathlock]

Technically good. The rest is mediocre at best. Its bloated, FOV is shit, loot system is horrible, story is dumb and boring. But it looks good.

 

[[Sigma]]

I'm absolutely struggling to pick this game back up. Game says im 20% through the main story and 14hours played. Things are just so uninteresting to me in the early game. I just don't feel like picking this game up when there's plenty of far more interesting games I could be playing right now and i'am doing that. I may come to your conclusion in the end once I do have the will to pick this back up and finish it but right now, this game make me feel like im done with the franchise already.

 

[Markio128]

Yeah, GAF is barely the place to share positive thoughts on Horizon in general. I fucking love both games. I can play FW any day and have a great time for a few hours, even after completing it twice. The game is just pure fun for me.

 

[Ywap]

I believe you and i wanna play it on PC

 

[The Cockatrice]

It was my goty so glad you like it op. People on gaf hate it because its feminist, and they're not wrong, but it is a technical marvel and the gameplay is really fun as well.

 

[T0minator]

It was my goty so glad you like it op. People on gaf hate it because its feminist, and they're not wrong, but it is a technical marvel and the gameplay is really fun as well.

For the people that don't like the game I'm seeing the common issue is that it's "boring"
I playing the game going from quest to quest nonstop and it's been very entertaining. I didn't realize the game was so divided on here.

Burning Shores has been incredible it's even better than the standard game at times

 

[Just_one]

such a great franchise

 

[Roberts]

I haven't played the second one, but the first one was good enough for me to actually finish the main story. I don't remember much about it other than that it had a guy with a handlebar stache and that the fights with big robots were kind of fun, but the second one has to be substantially better for me to return to that world.

 

[AlphaDump]

I just finished the horizon fw dlc. Horizon has an incredible concept for a game world and Guerilla decides to focus on the most boring and uninteresting characters and awful plot points.

Despite everyone being reverted back to cave people the characters in the game world all come off as gigantic pussies. There are no badass tribe people. None. No Conan types. It's like every tribe is dominated not by warriors but an HR department. And the hair styles are dumb as fuck. They even managed to make Vegas uninteresting.

The DLC story is awful. How alloy keeps talking to herself and toeing around her feelings with her friend was fucking embarrassing. Such a cool world and they focus on this shit.

 

[KungFucius]

This. The Awful writing, bad characters and extremely on the nose "progressivism" ruined it. To top it all off, Aloy is the ultimate Mary Sue.

So you are one of those people who looks to get offended by some non existent political agenda. It has rich people who are bad therefore it is some progressive nonsense right? How else are they supposed to have a post apocalyptic setting with evil robots? It is just a sci fi trope, not a fucking agenda.

 

[FunkMiller]

Beautiful graphics… terrible story and characters.

 

[noise36]

Like many have said its a bad game wrapped in a beautiful package. Lasted 10-15 hours maybe before I was done with the series for ever.

 

[ProtoByte]

For how much I see "story doesn't matter" around here, people seem to have a lot to criticize about story, and practically nothing else.

 

[samoilaaa]

well, bad writing/characterization/pacing shits over a technical masterpiece.

you know a game isnt anything special when most of its praise comes from graphical standpoint

 

[abstract alien]

I haven't played the second one, but the first one was good enough for me to actually finish the main story. I don't remember much about it other than that it had a guy with a handlebar stache and that the fights with big robots were kind of fun, but the second one has to be substantially better for me to return to that world.

My biggest issue was traversing the world in general. Although wasn't bad, playing it after BotW where you had so much freedom in where you could go, and you could actually see intriguing placing far ahead and reach them, Horizon really felt limited in that manner. They fixed this in Forbidden West with more traversal options and a map built around them, so it feels much more natural to play.

 

[mrmustard]

For how much I see "story doesn't matter" around here, people seem to have a lot to criticize about story, and practically nothing else.

Just a wild guess, but maybe the "story doesn't matter" people didn't play and criticize it, only the "story matters" people do.

 

[RoboFu]

So it’s great because some scenes look really good?

 

[NightmareFarm]

I didn't like it much. The story wasn't as cohesive as ZD and didn't have the same intriguing unraveling of the past. Gameplay felt weaker for various reasons like the tacked on out of place super modes, holding heavy to knock down machines, machines being overly spongey.

Even the graphics which people praise so much, so many areas in this game just looked grainy.