Hey! Hope you enjoyed this review of Horizon Forbidden West. Thank you to PlayStation for providing early review code, but more importantly thank you all so much for watching, especially those who generously pledged to the Patreon. As outlined in my update video a few weeks back (and thanks to your unbelievably generous support on Patreon), I'll be focusing mainly on a bigger, weirder project in the vein of that cheese drum kit video-I've already started researching/writing and I'm very excited about it! If that sounds cool to you, if you enjoy the videos and would like to directly help make their production more sustainable, consider heading to patreon.com/writingongames and pledging only what you're comfortable with. Doing so gets you access to things like early, completely ad-free video uploads as well as new patron-exclusive Q&As and commentaries on older videos! I simply would not be able to do all of this without your support. Thank you so much!

@Kelnef

2 жыл бұрын

Mmmmmm cheese drums

@brycesnyder776

2 жыл бұрын

The weirder, the better!

Sounds like the exposition dumping was the main weakness - given that I'm super into Horizon lore, that gets me very excited about playing it

@WritingOnGames

2 жыл бұрын

I guess for me it's more just how it's done than what it is. I *wanted* to be way more into Horizon lore by the end of this than I was, but there are multiple instances of some absolutely wild stuff happening in-game, or a cutscene-some real "I don't know if I've ever seen this in a video game before" stuff-and then it's followed up with a thirty minute shot reverse shot conversation monotonously explaining away all the mystery. There's some interesting stuff to dig into here for sure, I just wish it was more interestingly delivered.

@cyco7229

2 жыл бұрын

@@WritingOnGames the first game has the same problem, the story is quite interesting, but the execution is often wonky, for instance, the opening sequence that shows baby aloy being adopted as an exiled, that follows kid aloy learning the basics of hunting and being told she's an exiled... wait, wasn't that just told me like a few minutes before? there are tons of these narrative decisions that ended up having me put down the game after a dozen hours and play other things, I came back and eventually finished it, and enjoyed it more on my second playthrough actually, maybe my expectations were already set and could gloss over the less well made aspects and had fun with the game. After watching your video I'm actually more excited for the sequel since my most requested features seem to be adressed.

@ninjadodovideos

2 жыл бұрын

imo the narrative and world-building was the BEST part of Horizon Zero Dawn and in that respect it easily outclassed certain more popular open world games with shallow generic worlds and characters that just did more of the same thing we've already seen many times. So if you say you couldn't really get into the original and the sequel's narrative continues in a similar way, that sounds GREAT... and it's good to hear the exploration and world are even better.

@ninjadodovideos

2 жыл бұрын

@@WritingOnGames Thinking about this some more I feel like the sometimes simple or dry delivery of certain exposition in this game, like old audio recordings, holograms and occasionally face to face conversations... where a more flashy cinematic presentation might have seemed more *impressive* on the surface, having these shocking revelations about how things came to be the way they are delivered in such a stark format actually ADDS to its impact. It's so much more shocking and emotional learning all these things without frills or emphasis for effect. It just lets it sit there. There are a lot of "holy shit" moments that are all the more powerful for their seeming mundanity, like people *really* just made these choices and did these things and now here we are... Maybe it's true some in-person dialogue scenes between characters could have used something more cinematically, and there are a couple of story choices that seemed odd or incomplete, but overall I found the storytelling of this game incredibly good and moving in a way I was not expecting...

@JZStudiosonline

2 жыл бұрын

@@ninjadodovideos No, the world lore and even voice logs are fine, it's the interpersonal communication and total lack of relationship between them that makes it very odd. I did all the side missions in HZD and got the most help with the final boss, but people just showed up like "Remember me and that thing we did for 5 minutes? Now you're my best friend." And no, no I don't remember you. The present day story and it's presentation weren't very good.

I am so relieved to hear you say the words "fun traversal option" Personally, the most important thing about an open world game is the traversal being fun, or at least mechanically engaging. To me all of the little nooks and crannies packed with secrets in the world doesn't matter if actually getting to them is a slog.

@SSJ2Phenom

2 жыл бұрын

If you like fun traversal more than anything else, then are you looking forward to Forspoken??

@CurtTheHero

2 жыл бұрын

I couldn't agree more. That and a meaning open world like BOTW elevate open world games from solid to truly great. Traversal is way underappreciated

@cliffturbo2146

2 жыл бұрын

That's precisely why Spiderman PS4 and Miles Morales is such a fun game, even if it's just freeroaming.

@CurtTheHero

2 жыл бұрын

@@cliffturbo2146 yess, thats exactly it. Like they have fast travel and I never used it

@jine7123

2 жыл бұрын

You must not have liked RDR2

Horizon has some of my favorite lore and worldbuilding of modern games and that has continued into Forbidden West for me. Learning the reason behind the Utaru naming their gods the way they do and why they have shorter syllable names and what The Ten are in regards to the Tenakth and how it shaped their entire culture is just fantastic to me. I can't comment on the story as a whole because I've not finished it but the characters and world are just expanded on so wonderfully, especially the Oseram.

I could believe my eyes when I did a certain Las Vegas quest… I was just blown away with the beauty.. this game so far is just incredible.. I am beginning to slow down and let myself explore and do some side quests without stressing about progressing in the story :) it’s so good

Mate, I've got to say that your review of this game is one of the best. You really did sell me YOUR point of view and argued it in such a way that I just get it. Brilliant stuff!

@WritingOnGames

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot!

What's interesting about the climbing is, overall it's a pretty efficient way to create handholds. Of course they still have to actually code each one to allow you to grab and climb up it, but in terms of assets they don't have to worry about making ledges obvious or eye catching or making those same ledges seem realistic. Just spray paint a neon yellow line on an already textured wall and bam you have a ledge that is perfectly visible and perfectly realistic.

@TheEveningEconomies

2 жыл бұрын

I'd imagine they're generated based on rules on the terrains / assets. Kind of looks a lot like the system in Death Stranding which used the same engine. I wouldn't be surprised if there was some back and forth of ideas with the 2 teams.

@sasharudyy3587

2 жыл бұрын

@@TheEveningEconomies maybe it's a system like in dying light. I don't think the devs there created every single handhold manually since it would take a ton of time, so it uses some kind of edge detection to determine if something can be a handhold or not

@juanpablo8886

2 жыл бұрын

@@TheEveningEconomies You are absolutely right. While interviewing the Horizon team for Forbidden West, they talked about just that. They talked about how the great thing about PlayStation studios is how they work with each other and exchange ideas. They talked about how they worked with the Death stranding team after Zero Dawn because death stranding team needed assistance with some issues they where having. In turn the Death Stranding team helped Guerilla on Forbidden West. If people knew this they would understand why the Bunge acquisition is super important to Sony. Most studios under Sony collaborate with each other. You can even see this on twitter how the studios support each other by creating skins promoting other games in their games. It happened today with the sandwich tweet and how more and more studios kept tweeting on if they can join and the studios where like there is more room at the table. Seems silly the whole sandwich tweet thing but it just illustrate some thing that is unique and organic with the PlayStation studio family. The next 5 to 10 years are going to be so interesting to watch.

@geovanneteixeira100

2 жыл бұрын

@@juanpablo8886 II think this is the future of the gaming industry, games are starting to take more time and resources to be created, collaboration between studios is important to guarantee a high quality game.

@tristansylvester1079

2 жыл бұрын

@@homeoessential2741 i think going into the future we won't see things like that anymore. I agree it would be nice, but for years now triple A games have held spectacle and visuals over anything else. And i don't see that changing anytime soon.

That Breath of the Wild influence really helped the game find its identity. Now ots not just an interesting open world but an interesting one that has the character of God of War. I wonder how BotW 2 will fare against this much improved sequel

the Horizon series kinda cant catch a break lol the first one was pretty good but had to go up against botw which was quite revolutionary, so the second game adapted and learned from the competition but now it has to go up against Elden ring lol

@akshayarrison7269

2 жыл бұрын

I really don't think the two audiences overlap as much as people think they do.

@raitoiro

2 жыл бұрын

@@akshayarrison7269 The 2 are big AAA open world game, even if it's true that they don't appeal to exactly the same audience, there's still a sizable chunk of people who will opt to buy ER instead or at least wait before buying HFW. Plus, that mean the 2 will have to compete for review and coverage time, which probably won't benefit HFW since the Souls have more brand recognition and ER is available on all platforms. It's kinda sad that ER was delayed, it would have been better for both games if they had come a month apart.

@amenoyoni

2 жыл бұрын

@@raitoiro, well, you are correct, and the people like me would prefer ER to HFW any day any time. However, regarding brand recognition, I would not be so sure if I were you. HZD sold over 20mln copies alone whereas all three Dark Souls games sold over 25mln copies. Granted, there are a bunch of people who are well aware of the DS series and are not into games like that, but the same can be said about the Horizon series.

@raitoiro

2 жыл бұрын

@@amenoyoni Brand recognition and sell number aren't always related. Being a big commercial success obviously helps a lot, but IMO being culturally significant is more important. And the Souls have had a huge impact on the game industry: there's a whole genre named after the series (souls-like), huge series take inspiration from them, and at this point the name is basically synonymous with difficult games. The series is somewhat niche so they don't sell huge quantities but the people who play them tend to love them and be vocal about that fact. On the other hand Horizon does have some brand recognition, mostly because robot dinos are hella cool. But aside from that it was a fairly formulaic open world which didn't had much impact on the industry, especially since it came out at the same time as BOTW. A "proof" of this is that between the release of the 2 games, if you didn't go look for it, you would likely not hear anything about Horizon. Whereas you can expect the Souls to pop up here and there in article, in meme, in best games lists, ...

@amenoyoni

2 жыл бұрын

@@raitoiro, I fully agree with you on the matter that the DS series has had a much more pronounced impact on the game industry. As you pointed out, it created its own genre. However, its merits are important mostly to the developers, who are inspired by them, and people like you and me. We know where from it has originated and we value the product and the source. However, I hardly imagine a person who bases their game purchases on the mere factor of the contribution to the industry when there are many other factors to consider when choosing a game, like gameplay, storytelling, difficulty, art design, or graphics. A game could change the industry upside down, and yet it would have much worse recognition among consumers than a regular every-year-releasing shooter. And unfortunately, this kind of recognition sells vastly more.

I felt the same thing when I was playing horizon forbidden west, but I couldn’t put my finger on why I felt that way and didn’t when playing other open world games. So glad that now someone was finally able to explain it. Thank you. Keep up the good work.

I think you'd find Minor Key's 3D games interesting: Eldritch, NEON STRUCT, and Slayer Shock. NEON STRUCT is probably the most nifty of the three.

@user-fo4su9nf1u

2 жыл бұрын

Eldritch is kinda better.

@MegapiemanPHD

2 жыл бұрын

Minor Key's games are great. Did not expect to see someone talk about em here :P

This year is starting to feel like a renaissance for open world games, with both hfw and Elden Ring releasing in the same month.

@Americiki

2 жыл бұрын

Plus dying light 2

@djbeema

2 жыл бұрын

Hopefully it's the year they find a way to justify their existence. No more tedious compulsory checklists of collectibles and reskinned fetchquests to tick off to make up the bulk of the world.

@glowerworm

2 жыл бұрын

Plus Cyberpunk next gen update so I can play that game all over again.

@azuremk__3101

2 жыл бұрын

Cyberpunk next-gen on consoles means more people get to experience the proper game. I played it on PC where there were only minor bugs but now console players also get to play. Zelda BotW Sequel comes out this year as well. That innovated open-world games like nothing else. Horizon, Cyberpunk, Elden Ring and Zelda have made me fall back in love with open-world games!

@azuremk__3101

2 жыл бұрын

@@djbeema that would be amazing! I fully support open-world, so long as games can find a way to incorporate the open world into the core game mechanics. Imo this is why BotW was so influential. It showed that it can indeed be done. Horizon Forbidden West expanded itself to a similar level of exploration as Zelda, which will really help the open world. I hope more games take note from BotW and expand on their formula without straight up copying the game (like Horizon Forbidden West did compared to Horizon Zero Dawn). I don't want to see BotW clones that basically copy the game 1:1 (like Immortal Fenyx Rising). Games like Zelda and Horizon are being unique, and it's great for the industry!

That's a hell of a statement

That’s what I was dreading, the “narrative shackles” you referred to. The questing, exposition, and dialogue in the first game were the blemishes on its addictive gameplay and exploration. Seems like the same weaknesses and strengths exist in the new installment: just with higher highs and lower lows. Still excited to play.

@marls5459

2 жыл бұрын

Funny enough, those expositions were the whole reason I enjoyed the first game. I’m hoping there’s enough of that exposition for me in this game, because open world usually bores me (hated BOTW despite respecting its craft because I really wanted a strong main story) Sounds like I’m gonna be fine

@peterbailon7773

2 жыл бұрын

@@marls5459 Same here. I took joy absorbing every bit of lore from the world of Horizon.

@darinherrick9224

2 жыл бұрын

@@marls5459 Thanks for this. I disliked the constant combat and the huge amount of traversal needed to get through the game on the first go. For me the strength of hte game was the exposition, questing, and dialog. I enjoyed the game much more the second time because I could skip a lot more of the tedious combat and traversal and get right to the quests, narrative, and exposition that I enjoyed. Also nice to know I can safely skip BOTW.

Great review, man. Comprehensive, well written and honest. Cheers.

I enjoyed the first one despite the flaws. It seems like I will enjoy this one too... in few years when I can play it on PC.

@jackreeves7

2 жыл бұрын

Hopefully you get to play it soon

@iempire100

2 жыл бұрын

As long as you get the opportunity to play it, all that matters.

@mduckernz

2 жыл бұрын

Indeed. And, hopefully without the story having been spoiled for me too during that time

@ElHombreDorado

2 жыл бұрын

I said the same thing, unfortunately I have to know what happens next.

Great review mate! Really, really pleased to hear they've opened up the gameplay a bit and taken a proper cue from BotW in terms of freedom and exploration. I enjoyed the first game plenty and I think it came close to greatness but was really held back by it's reliance on a tired old formula. It really didn't help that I played it not long after BotW either. Still, excited to get back into that world and exploring again!

This game is absolutely stunning to the point where I lost interest trying out elden ring on launch day. I hold off my purchase and thought it would be extremely rough going from this technical marvel to "another souls game". Fast forward 70 hours into elden ring in past week , it is now rough to go back to HFW. Shows how much formulaic even Sony games are.

@creviosso9216

Жыл бұрын

This is literally my experience

Great to see Horizon Forbidden West getting amazing reviews, really excited to play the game 👏🙌😃 really good review 👏

Glad you got a review copy! Love hearing your thoughts man.

@WritingOnGames

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot! Glad you enjoy it.

I actually didn’t mind the exposition dumps as much, but I can tell how there are more compelling narrative methods. There was definitely an upgrade in mocap and vo performance during the dialog trees that it was enough sugar to help the medicine. I will say that the CEO thing (if you know you know) was a great way to build tension and reveal secrets that didn’t involve a deep dialog tree.

Can't say how happy I am a review like this exists. I was expecting Horizon: Forbidden West to get high scores because its a Sony Exclusive with all the same trappings with no second thought. Who cares if GOW camera sucks and fails and what it needs to do!? It has Kratos looking sad in the middle distance cinematically!! So when a Sony game is praised from someone who sees those trappings it makes me feel more confident in being excited! I haven't bought H:FW because Elden Ring is just around the corner and I don't want to feel like I need to rush through either game to get to the other, but this review was very, VERY helpful and insightful!

@chazzergamer

2 жыл бұрын

@@sanskarmishra5309 More like “this company was following a formula that I wasn’t a huge fan of and now someone who noticed that formula has made a balanced review explaining how the game does/does not fall into it.” If anything I’m the OPPOSITE of what you’ve said! I’m happy my opinion ISN’T validated so I have more things to enjoy! Why do people online gotta make things confrontational regardless of anything?

@itcouldbelupus2842

2 жыл бұрын

@@chazzergamer I love the camera in GOW.

@chazzergamer

2 жыл бұрын

@@itcouldbelupus2842 I appreciate it on a technical aspect, I’m sure showing off that much detail in one cut with no obvious load screens wasn’t an easy task. But the fact it doesn’t make combat clear and easy to read was a constant source of frustration for me.

@itcouldbelupus2842

2 жыл бұрын

@@chazzergamer a more customizable combat camera would have been good for those who struggle with it being so close, I enjoy the limited visibility because it makes positioning more important, and I like being able to see what I'm hitting and feel like I'm right in there instead of watching it happen from far away. I couldn't keep playing AC Valhalla because the camera was so far away and the weapon feedback was terrible, it just felt so bad. But we probably have very different tastes and requirements of a Gabe's combat, a simple slider to adjust the combat camera distance in any game like this wouldn't be that hard to do and would make everyone happier.

@chazzergamer

2 жыл бұрын

@@itcouldbelupus2842 To me positioning doesn't matter in most combat games nowadays because the player character and the enemies will hone in on whatever the player is currently attacking. I'm sure you've seen either your character or an enemy slide across the ground to hit you in a way that doesn't mimic the movement of the animation. GOW has it, Ghost Of Tsushima certainly has it, along with the AC games. The only 3D combat game I can think of that doesn't have this is FROM games (they have some weird Grab tracking but their animation is consistent) and Devil May Cry 5, which is the best combat game ever made. Being able to see what you are hitting is important but also seeing whats coming to attack you in also just as important, but GOW doesn't share the same values. The Threat Circle is the half-assed answer which isn't accurate at all and the constant ranged enemies means that combat for me was never challenging and fun, just constantly being hassled by ranged enemies I can't see when I'm trying to get into the groove. If GOW had a camera like The Arkham games which effortlessly transition from close narrative camera to wider combat camera, it would have solved one of the major problems with the game for me.

Man, I love listening to your voice talk about games! Never change my dude!

I wonder if working with Kojima on improvements for death standing gave rise to ideas for improved traversal in forbidden West

I was going to wait for a sale or until I’ve cleared some backlog but this video really makes me want to pick it up. This seemed like a very fair and unbiased review.

To me this was what every sequel should do. It expanded the worlds lore, both from the perspective of how different current factions are and more information on the old world. This is what tlous2 lacked. It focused so much on ellie that it missed an opportunity to show more of the world itself.

I just hope everyone gives it a chance and continues through those first six hours.

Hey Writing on games, you're one of my absolute favorite youtubers :) Cheers !

You do the best videos on KZread. I hope you know this. When times get tough I turn to your content to ground me and get my mind going. Keep it up!

Good to hear you enjoyed it (and so are many others). Horizon: ZD is one of my recent favorites, a game that, to me addressed most of my complaints about open world games at the time. But most other people were playing Breath of the Wild and saying it's the king. I didn't even care mainly because 1) Nintendo does its own thing, but more importantly to me 2) Horizon: ZD was still beating out most of its competition in past years, taking a lot of the stale, dull, and awful things about open world games and making them really worthwhile. It was stuffing instead of filled with filler. Its flaws were absolutely forgivable. And I'm so glad Guerilla (seemingly) weren't rushed to push a sequel out there, making this follow-up look like one where they really iterated well on things lacking from last time.

As someone who enjoyed HZD much more than LoZ:BotW, I think I will enjoy this immensely. BotW was innovative from a gameplay perspective but as a complete package it missed something for me, it as someone once said to me it felt like playing the epilogue of another story. HZD from a gameplay perspective was a quite bit more by the numbers but the story/narrative really worked for me (also difficulty options and unbreakable weapons helped a lot). Now it might be because I'm weird but these two and other experiences have shown me that I am not driven by pure player driven exploration (at least in games), sure nice vista are nice but I can get those by jumping on my bicycle and going out, from a game I want something else. All things said here I think this is still a pretty fair review!

@MrSkullMerchant

2 жыл бұрын

I played botw after i beat hzd and imo it sucked in comparison lol i didnt even bother beating it

@NotCharAznable

2 жыл бұрын

Casul

@Road_to_Dawn

2 жыл бұрын

I’m a lifelong Zelda fan and I also couldn’t get into BotW at all. It really threw out everything I loved about the series. Conversely, I absolutely loved HZD and ended up getting the platinum within just a few weeks of starting it.

@BotchFrivarg

2 жыл бұрын

@@Road_to_Dawn Did finishes BotW but had no interest in the DLC (or exploring that world any further), but got the DLC for HZD nearly sight unseen and still jump in every now and then to finish a side quest I hadn't yet!

@BaneOfMan

2 жыл бұрын

If LoZ2 didn't exist I'd say BotW was the worst of the series. I'd take A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker over BotW any day. There's literally no benefit to fight anything outside the shitty forgettable bosses. Risk breaking a weapon for what? No xp or meaningful loot. Waaaaayyyy too many shrines...only a few were any fun. Huge open world with a lot of boring shit sprinkled about. I don't get the love.

huh, i didnt realize that in BotW you could ONLY traverse the environment by menas of specific designed marked paths...oh wait, BotW DOESNT have that and lets you climb on ALL surfaces that look like you SHOULD be able to.

Excellent review as usual! Love your content friend 🙏❤️

I mean, I can appreciate the freedom of BotW's and Genshin Impact's climb-anywhere/anything systems, but that often comes across as somewhat immersion breaking to me, since, sans something like the even older Gravity Rush's ability to make walls into floors via gravity manipulation or Spider-Man's specific ability to stick to objects, walls and sheer cliff faces aren't something that people can climb all willy-nilly, and even mountain goats, much less human mountain climbers, need protrusions and divots to cling onto.

@akshayarrison7269

2 жыл бұрын

Exactly!!! Also the stamina meter in BOTW was immersion breaking and the constant rain as well! Also Gravity Rush rules!

Nice review style! Thanks

@WritingOnGames

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

Thoroughly enjoyed that great review, tyvm.

Thanks for the review! Hope it comes to PC eventually so I can play it. 😉

Damn talk about early! I'm getting my copy in the mail on Friday so I'll hold off on watching until I've been able to play it some

I find I'm into the conversations in this game like, half the time. My method has been if I'm chillin and snacking or something, i'll take the time to ask every question I can because it gives me time to eat food. But sometimes I'm like, I just wanna play more. I like the option, and I feel like I understand the world enough without being told. It's good supplemental information. I do wish it had more of the "talk while going to point B" style missions that make Red Dead's world so engrossing

I play games for the plot and story rather than “bask at the epic graphics and world around me,” even as glorious as it may be…so according to this review, yet despite the negatives presented, I will absolutely love this game!!!

Sometimes in the first Horizon the exposition would bog down the game too. One thing I really appreciated about the first game were the side quests. I felt like they were so well done; making you think was this a side quest or part of the main story.

I understand the exposition can drag but I can’t see another way to replace the Mass Effect styled dialog wheel. You do get some exposition if you accompany another AI character during certain quests. The only other way is hiding exposition in data points but I personally don’t like having to read through pages of text. I’d much rather have it explained to me through voice actors. It’s clear the base was inspired by the Normandy in the Mass Effect trilogy games where you could have lengthy conversations with your crew. I personally don’t mind taking a break and chat with characters for a few minutes. If you think the dialog wheel drags it out too much just click on the option that exits or begins the quest.

This reminds me I need to finish up the first game. Are there flying mounts in the new one?

@-tcbms-8849

2 жыл бұрын

Yes! There are. I’ve seen some gameplay clips if it

I found this page after the GT7 review. It’s great

I can relate to your feelings about the narrative, having only played the first game. After the first few hours, I just ended up skipping most of the dialogue. I also found a lot the story missions boring "hold left stick foward to next lore dump". However that didnt stop me for immensely enjoy the world and combat. Looking foward to this, whenever I end up getting a PS5...

One question I haven't seen an answer to. What level (if any) of new game + does it have?

1) was he saying God of War (2017) had a lame story and stiff gameplay? 2) was he saying Breath of the Wild was amazing... even though it is 10 years late in the openworld "genre" and mainly cherished because of the franchise attached to it?

@XavierMacX

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah that was weird. GoW4 has some of the best organic gameplay and story of any game, almost ever.

Man, I'm up at 2AM and seeing all the review embargos go off. I knew my pre-order would be warranted, and I'm so glad this game has truly become the best version of itself. Can't wait for this to come in my mail!

I didn’t watch the video yet but the title is sooo fax’s! It’s just like a ps5s breathe of the wild mannn it feels so smoothe all around , every area is a work of art, and switching between resolution and performance is so refreshing cause they both deliver in a different way

I dont understand your disdain for "Sony linear narratives". I enjoy those far more than expansive open world games.

@WritingOnGames

2 жыл бұрын

That's fine! People are allowed to have different tastes.

@therupoe

2 жыл бұрын

@@WritingOnGames no only mine! Unsubbed! Jk love this channel. I said that hoping you or someone else would expand on it. I like to hear differing viewpoints. To me, open-world = time sink. Too many things to do over a huge map... I just don't have the endurance. (And that sucks bc I want to see where the story goes - I never finished the first Horizon game) I loved God of War because it was a focused journey and I kinda knew what I was in for when I signed up. I feel like a focused story allows for more polish.

@WritingOnGames

2 жыл бұрын

@@therupoe sorry for my terse response, it's just I get people telling me they don't get my general coldness to those games a lot. Honestly it's not really to do with preferring open worlds over linear narratives-I'm no big fan of generic open world time sinks myself, and I very much include open world games like Ghost of Tsushima among the label of Sony Prestige Titles. I just find myself thinking with a lot of these games "what would actually be here if you stripped away the Hollywood-esque sheen? Big set pieces might look pretty but what am I actually *doing* to move it all along? Am I doing anything?!" I guess I think that at its core (and probably the main reason I so adore games like Hitman, which is probably a better thing to put up against GoW rather than simply open world games) the strength of games as a medium lies in its ability to allow self-expression-for players to, at least in part, craft their own stories. It's the reason I love Hitman so much. Most open world games don't allow you to do that, which is why I don't think the choice between "God of War or open world game" really works for me here. But to use GoW as an example, that's a game where I just found myself holding up on the analogue stick a lot of the time and watching (albeit very slickly produced) cutscenes where a dude says "BOY" a lot. Guardians of the Galaxy was another example of this despite not being a Sony game-I found myself genuinely astounded at how long the game was making me just hold up to go through yet more corridors with absolutely zero flexibility. At some stage, we're reaching the realm of "badly paced TV show" rather than "compelling action game" (although I will say the Sony stuff is way better than GotG). As I say, the big budget Sony title is a kind of game I've softened to in the last couple of years (I went from outright loathing Ghost of Tsushima when it released to having a decent-enough time with it for a video last year, and having played the recent PC version of GoW, I'm not bouncing off it quite as hard as I did on PS4) but I guess my biggest thing is that the way these games get held up as high watermarks of the medium, to me is the same as if someone took the latest DreamWorks film and held it with the same reverence. These games are pure fluff, pure popcorn to me-which is fine, sometimes that's what I want-but certainly nowhere near approaching the "generation-defining masterpiece" level reverence with which people tend to hold these games. Like I say in the video, there's a sterility there, a kind of fidelity-over-substance approach that I just can't shake with any of these titles. I like the art I experience, the games I play to have a bit more... bite to them, I guess.

@therupoe

2 жыл бұрын

@@WritingOnGames really great response, thanks! I get where you're coming from now.

@joeyxl3456

2 жыл бұрын

Ikr. Look at Last of Us 1 & 2, absolute masterpieces.

I just got a ps4 (been using a pc forever) and I think I might pick this up after this review!

I watched some of your Dark Souls videos before this... I love that even with weaknesses in games you don't just blindly shit on them. the chill vibe is much appreciated

Good video👌 Have played this game on a gaming monitor and 4k tv. Beauty of a game never seen this before 😶🔥

I know it 'looks good', and maybe its just me, but cinematic nature-esque realistic dramatic vistas being the primary aesthetic for another third person single player game is just so tired and overused, the fancy lights and dots on top of that feel like a clash more than a synergy

I play this game walk 100m and think wow what a beautiful game walk another 100m and think wow what a beautiful game. Just stunning

i have no idea why everyone is comparing hfw to bow like both are very veyr very different

Great review, this game is something special so far re-invigorating the genre for me.

thank you for this review!

Great video. Was really not bothered about this....the fatigue of the open world bloat of the original (and pretty much every other AAA title) had made me pretty much disregard it entirely!

Thanks for the vid

Great review!! Very well written. I do mostly agree that the story despite having really cool ideas is executed in a sort of hollywood style of assuming the player/viewer is an idiot, and over explaining the mechanics of EVERYTHING. With that said, the majority of the games heavy handed exposition is completely optional, so players who find that kind of lore interesting can literally drown themselves in it lol. However, the times where the main story sits you down and forces you to listen to expository dialogue for 30 mins straight definitely stand out as constraining and annoying. Overall, still an incredibly well designed open world and the core gameplay of hunting these giant, dangerous machines is still fantastic. I would really recommend playing this game on at least Hard as well! It only enhances the sense of danger of the world, and will really make you utilize stealth and avoid bigger machines until you're ready. Going off on my own and trying to take down a giant Thunderjaw early in the game without many skills or weapons was a complete blast and this game has really scratched that explorative, experimental itch for a truly OPEN feeling open world

Bounced off the first game twice now, seems like it's worth getting through for this.

The shot-reverse-shot dialogue exchanges of the first game felt about 15 years out of date. Such a shame for what is an interesting story and an otherwise engaging experience

Please tell me what the first song in the video is man Please

@WritingOnGames

2 жыл бұрын

I make all the music for the videos. Glad you like it! The music is available to patrons at a certain level.

@robbdoggo

2 жыл бұрын

@@WritingOnGames You got amazing talent That track is a vibe Your videos are always chill to listen to aswell Will become a Patreon once I have money Thank you for answering& letting me know where to find it!

For everyone who played zero dawn, how long did it take to get to that revelation he alludes to in the video that forbidden west assumes youre already up to date with?

@eventua8474

2 жыл бұрын

I've not played Forbidden West yet and am trying to avoid spoilers but I *assume* it's the pretty big twists/revelations that the game reveals in the story quests at and after "Maker's End" -- that quest and most of the main story quests after recontextualize pretty big things in the world, explaining how the post apoclaypse world reached its stage, Aloy's parentage, the behaviour of the machines etc. Those are all pretty far into the game --- recommendation is to finish the first game's story

PLEASE TELL ME! That there os a ton of new machines that we haven't seen yet (but u have) I hope there is a lot more!!!!!!! I am so hyped!!!!

Horizon’s greatest strength is it’s world design imo. Many open world games wants to go bigger and bigger but Horizon’s world map is even smaller than Skyrim’s, an almost 15 year old game. Walkable open worlds makes them far far better than huge wastes of empty spaces. Not only world is designed with walking in mind it’s also completely optional with robo horses, game even rewards you towards the end with sunwing. A rare instance of an open world game that doesn’t want to waste your time.

I like Horizon Zero Dawn more than BOTW. I remember getting so many people telling me how BOTW is so much better in 2017 whenever I said it. I stand by it being more fun to play too.

@MrSkullMerchant

2 жыл бұрын

I agree zero dawn is alot better 👍 botw bored me lol

Good god, you managed to put so much detail in 15min. Overwhelming.

Big thanks

I agree. Horizon is now with the big dogs of open world. Right up there with witcher 3 and botw for me

I bounced off the first game so hard that only looking at article titles mentioning this one was turning me off. Your video convinced me otherwise, well done sir

Really fun game man, improved upon Horizon Zero Dawn, the graphics are stunning , the open world is gigantic and a joy to explore, it’s my personal showcase game for the PS5’s graphics and my pick for game of the year 👏👏👏👏 Still enjoy exploring the open world after getting the platinum, it’s the type of game you can explore the world for hours 🙌

Great Review.

Hey! Was that a watcher? 11:23 I'm 43 hours in and I still haven't seen one yet. I thought they took them out.

@kalamies.

2 жыл бұрын

They are still Redeye Watchers

Wonderful review. Mirrors my thoughts in many ways. It’s a great game.

I was wondering if this had flying

This might be weird to say, and not at all relevant, but I think you’ve got a great voice man. The vid’s fantastic too, of course

Are you a bit better now? Hope you are.

Are there any major cities in this one similar ro Meridian in zero dawn?

@PAXperMortem

2 жыл бұрын

@Tahir Yeah?? Like, populated once or just ruins?

@PAXperMortem

2 жыл бұрын

@Tahir Wow, you just brought my hype levels up to a million! Have you been able to play early?

the only thing this series needs to be as big as Zelda is time... Zelda was built around nostalgia and great games, interesting land and races. even if this games are miles better and more polished than any Zelda it still needs to build that nostalgia and curiosity around its world, cultures and Aloy herself. can't wait for Friday.

wonder where they got that glider idea from

@sodfheisnbc8395

2 жыл бұрын

Isn't it obvious? From shadow of the colossus!

@gnanay8555

2 жыл бұрын

Just cause ?

@ninjadodovideos

2 жыл бұрын

People who have only played BOTW seeing their second game: "getting a lot of BOTW vibes from this".

Zero Dawn was the first game I ever Platinumed. Really looking forward to the next iteration - now if I could only get my hands on a PS5....

The BOTW comparisons I keep seeing are laughably wrong but sure.

Yeah I quit after 5 hours of the first game, I must have just missed the game clicking like you said. I might re install one day

Insane gfx

Man I was hoping for a good story, I loved HZD's lore and I hope that we just have different opinions and that I will enjoy the story.

@WritingOnGames

2 жыл бұрын

I sincerely hope you enjoy it too!

@ninjadodovideos

2 жыл бұрын

Since he indicated he didn't like HZD 1 that much it's probably fine since it sounds like it continues similarly. Horizon 1's story was *excellent*.

@ziadbaha1699

2 жыл бұрын

@@ninjadodovideos I hope so

At this point I don't understand why all open world games don't have a glide mechanic. This was figured out back with games like far cry 3 and prototype. Where's my magic wingsuit damnit?

I hate the jumping, Aloy can’t jump forward. Even when you are coming out of a sprint. It’s like your forward momentum stops when you jump in the sir. Furthermore the climbing needs to be fixed. if almost seems like she has a hard time gripping onto things because you fall off ledges easily and you stutter and fall into the ground on occasion. So strange things really need to overhaul and fix the climbing and the movement and the traversal aspects of the game.

A triumph? Maybe a triumph in mind numbing boredom

It's interesting how people can have wildly different reactions to games. I loved the first horizon game but have just bounced BOTW multiple times.

I was so excited for this game. Unfortunately, I just don’t enjoy video games anymore. It’s a tragedy for the ages… 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

I had zero interest in the first game even though it looks great and the enemies are amazing, but the combat wasn't appealing to me. This game looks so much better in every single aspect.

@DACatface

2 жыл бұрын

I played the first game without doing any of the extended tutorial missions because they aren't required, so I never got the combat down I just spammed stuff with the same few weapons, dodging and chipping damage. until I decided to go back and platinum it with the dlc. I had to do the training to unlock stuff and once I knew how to fight the beasts and It made me regret playing the game through the way I did the first time.

BOTW spoiled everyone on climbing. ZD was beautiful, but frustrating that you could only look but not touch. Conversely, you didn't want to climb because getting back down was so annoying. Looking forward to FW.

How is the crafting system? Zero dawn’s crafting system is kind of annoying. Pouch too small. Very easy to get full. So ended up having to dissemble stuff constantly. I hope they improve the system.

@kalamies.

2 жыл бұрын

You can upgrade you pouch to be larger fairly easily

I like the video title. Truly Horizon Forbidden West is a triumph against "modern gaming" microtransactions, atrocious money-grabbing schemes, and unfinished game design.

Exposition dump skipping!? So THAT’S what I’m currently doing with Dying Light 2! 🤣🤣😂

Did they fix game breaking bugs present in the first game? Couldn't beat it because game simply wouldn't let me lol

I didn't care at all about Zero Dawn's story and neither do for Forbidden West. But the gameplay, the world, defeating awesomely designed machines is absolutely worth every second, even when skipping every single dialogue.

The last open world game I truly enjoyed was Xenoblade Chronicles X, I mean I've played many since but I think it ruined open worlds for me because of how well it was done. Monolith Soft's work on botw really becomes apparent after playing that. Although I personally didn't like botw in the slightest, (I tried, many times) it looks amazing and I can see the wonder, I just don't wonder if I am interested in playing it. If this has much of that dna, I'm not too sure now