LightofRohan
Member
BotW is one of the most boring open world games I played, this especially became obvious after playing Horizon.
Zelda world is so empty and uninspired.
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My problems with Horizon Zero Dawn's exploration
- Thread starter Simple Soul
- Start date
BotW is one of the most boring open world games I played, this especially became obvious after playing Horizon.
Zelda world is so empty and uninspired.
Martinski43
Member
For me it was the opposite, played both games back to back, back when they were released.
The world design apart from looking good has nothing on Hyrule in BoTW.
You seem to be the only one with that opinion. Most everyone praises botw's well realized world.
WheelHoss1
Member
Yea OP good loot is where its at
I really dont play games anymore that dont feature that element. Let It Die still scratching my Souls/Destiny action Loot Itch.
I really dont play games anymore that dont feature that element. Let It Die still scratching my Souls/Destiny action Loot Itch.
Strife In a Teacup
Member
I just want them to get AC:O looking as good as HZD. They almost did, for half a second, then Ubisoft happened.
HZD is absolutely beautiful in 4k/HDR.
It is a little shallow in some aspects but damn is it impressive. I wouldn't consider it an rpg at all in the traditional sense. It's more an action adventure game like the Zelda's used to be called or Star Tropics or maybe something like Shadowman.
HZD is absolutely beautiful in 4k/HDR.
It is a little shallow in some aspects but damn is it impressive. I wouldn't consider it an rpg at all in the traditional sense. It's more an action adventure game like the Zelda's used to be called or Star Tropics or maybe something like Shadowman.
JareBear: Remastered
Banned
Witcher 3 is an RPG with action elements
HZD is an action/adventure game with RPG elements
They are not in the same genre.
HZD is an action/adventure game with RPG elements
They are not in the same genre.
LightofRohan
Member
Design wise it's pretty solid, but for me personally atmosphere is very important and there is very little of that in BotW. Which is why you rarely see BotW environment screen shots being thrown around... whereas Odyssey has some of that.
Not saying BotW is a bad game, it just personally bored me.
Martinski43
Member
Yeah you can barely see the map in Horizon since its overly cluttered with icons, it is almost more cluttered with icons than Ubi open world games. All collectibles are on the map too before you find them.
Danjin44
The nicest person on this forum
I highly disagree with you on that. In BotW it actually feels like Im in the wild, especially when it thunder storm hits the grass catches fire. To Horizon is pretty but feels very artificial, the grass doesn't really react to Aloy movements except the ones you take cover for stealth, they even have different colour that rest of the grass to tell you that only play Aloy can use for cover which makes the world very artificial.
Heckler456
Banned
Quality discussion going on in this thread. Semantics and hyperbole. Is that what people meant with "going back to discussing video games"?
Spukc
always chasing the next thrill
The mistake you made here was playing another open world game after zelda.
This ruined horizon for me.
And i still wont play any other open world game besides skyrim.
Danjin44
The nicest person on this forum
Actually I bought my Switch when Mario Odyssey came out and after finishing that game I started playing BotW and currently still going through it. So I already finished Horizon long before starting BotW. Im absolutely loving BotW and made Horizon's open world more dull and boring.
Senua
Member
Skyrim for amazing open worlds really? Get yer ass on Morrowind.
100% agreed. I purchased Horizon around the same time as BotW, and Horizon just couldn't hold a bar to it. It was a real struggle to want to complete it. Traversal was infinitely more limited and frustrating, and while the story was really solid, I really had no reason to explore. I'd almost aruge that BotW / Odyssey were the reasons why I pretty much stopped playing my PS4 for better graphics, and switched to the tremendously more fun Switch.
loved the game, may even be my GOTY but i don't consider it an RPG any more than Far Cry or similar games. i find it hilarious people whine about Fallout 4 not being an RPG but rushing to hold Horizon on that mantle
i even think the "open world" label is a bit generous because while yes it is as such it's a slimmed down facsimile of modern open world games in terms of "go anywhere! do anything!" besides the wacky battle encounters there really is no crazy story you make on your own terms
it's a relatively linear game with genre trappings that open it up a bit, and it does it very well. i guess question is whether the sequel delves more into the open ended territory, if this is Guerilla's test run of sorts, or if this will be what Horizon is going forward. i'm happy either way personally
i even think the "open world" label is a bit generous because while yes it is as such it's a slimmed down facsimile of modern open world games in terms of "go anywhere! do anything!" besides the wacky battle encounters there really is no crazy story you make on your own terms
it's a relatively linear game with genre trappings that open it up a bit, and it does it very well. i guess question is whether the sequel delves more into the open ended territory, if this is Guerilla's test run of sorts, or if this will be what Horizon is going forward. i'm happy either way personally
Ultimadrago
Member
I didn't enjoy exploring in Horizon, OP. I actually hated a majority of the audio logs. The Vantage Points were a neat touch, but there were too few.
Cauldrons weren't great, but I feel their service would be stronger if the world had more intriguing details in general. I feel they're undermined in environments that gave me nothing to look forward to outside of the great creature designs.
Cauldrons weren't great, but I feel their service would be stronger if the world had more intriguing details in general. I feel they're undermined in environments that gave me nothing to look forward to outside of the great creature designs.
humansarehorses
Member
Traversal's a huge weak point for BotW. It's slow and plodding. Running and horse riding don't feel half as good as they do in MGSV; climbing and gliding are nothing compared to gravity shifting, sliding or rocket parkour.
And that's without getting into the frustrating stamina meter or rain.
All you do in BotW is chores to make frustrating design choices less frustrating (like finding korok seeds to increase your inventory limit).
Just because it hides the chores, it doesn't mean they don't exist.
GetSomeSponge
Member
Did we play the same game?
I do feel like BOTW has ruined open world games for me (apart from the Witcher 3 and any rockstar game.) I even left it months after finishing zelda before I played horizon. The open world just feels so "gamey", things like the long grass you can hide in all looking exactly the same and being in neat little clumps. Why cant I just hide in any grass that looks long enough, why is that same grass in every environment.
Another thing with the climbing, you can only climb areas with yellow rope on them, it makes climbing boring.
The world just isn't interactive, it doesn't feel real even though it looks great. I want to see human enemy's using long grass against me, I want to then be able to burn that grass down, that isnt even advanced tech, we've had that since far cry 2. I want reasons to explore not just "oh there's an icon telling me to go over here".
I was playing last night in the devil's thirst and I saw the skyscraper with the vantage point, me being naive I thought I would be scaling the whole thing, climbing inside then climbing outside of it to get near the top ala assassin's creed/dying light. But instead it was 2 minutes maximum to the vantage point just following the yellow ropes, I wasn't even maybe quarter of the way up before I reached it.
I do think if I played it before Zelda I wouldn't have had as many problems with it and I'm hoping all these problems will be solved before horizon 2, I mean look at the difference between uncharted 1 and 2. As it stands now it's a good game, it's on the same level as the Ubisoft open world games but I just wish they took more chances instead of playing it safe.
Toadthemushroom
Member
Yeah, I'd say Horizon is definitely one of those games that's elevated by the quality of its presentation. Which is no bad thing but I wonder what it'll be like to return to it in 5-10 years' time.
Danjin44
The nicest person on this forum
There is nothing wrong for having great graphics but if that all it going for it then novelty will wears off and only thing you are left with is boring open world and thats exactly what I felt when I was playing Horizon. This was also issue with InFAMOUS second son. The visuals were really good but the mission structure for open world was really dull and enemy variety went waaaaaay down, especially compare to InFAMOUS 2.
I personally need way more than the pretty visuals for my games. I'm not really in to taking screenshots every two second while I'm playing the game.
Depends - I reinstalled Horizon and it simply reminds me that it's the some of the best combat (and exploration/traversal) in an open world game that I've played.
I remember trying to replay the Witcher just after Horizon came out and I couldn't remain interested because the act of playing the game itself wasn't compelling, the gameplay doesn't satisfy me. The presentation of Horizon serves the combat especially well.
I find the whole argument against Horizon's movement system perplexing. I haven't played BotW but I fail to see how lacking it's climbing mechanism is inherently negative. There are things you can't do in every game, so I tend to focus on what I can do as opposed to the what I can do in other games.
humansarehorses
Member
Yes. Do you play games that actually do traversal well?
Check out games like Cloudbuilt and Gravity Rush.
BotW's traversal mechanics are nowhere near as enjoyable.
I have to agree. I still love Horizon Zero Dawn and Infamous Second Son, but their open worlds needed to have more interaction and things to do. The visuals in those games are incredible and that does help a lot to create a strong atmosphere and pull me into the experience, but ideally there needs to be more. I really hope that Ghost of Tsushima won't be a big empty world with few ways to interact with it.
On a related note, I really can't stand the day/night cycle in Horizon Zero Dawn. It changes way too fast and is immersion breaking. It feels totally artificial and jarring. Who thought that having shadows race across the environment that fast was a good idea? Let us have time to enjoy the lighting and ambiance of one time of day instead of quickly changing it. The Witcher 3 did much better in this regard. In that game the time of day changes quicker than in real life, but it was still long enough to allow us to get into the ambiance of a given moment and not see shadows speeding across the landscape in a totally unnatural way. The transitions themselves are also smoother in The Witcher 3. All in all the crappy sped up time of day changes in Horizon contributed to its unnatural, movie set feeling.
Danjin44
The nicest person on this forum
I love Gravity Rush and GR 2 is one of my favourite games this year. No game can match traversal mechanics like GR but with that all being said, to me BotW has the best traversal in open world game which you have no super powers. Going through BotW open world felt amazing, it actual felt I'm getting throug actual wild. I love the fact weather codition actually matters and when thunder storm happens you need take shelter under tree or it gets too cold you can chop some woods and make some fire while cooking some meat. I love that when you first capture a horse that horse doesn't really listen to you or even some of them down right crazy wild and will try get you off. I love that I can fill my curiosity of up there to those mountain by actually going In there and after that gliding gown while enjoying the beautiful scenery.
In Horizon they try to achieve the feeling "traversing the Wild" with visuals but actually going through the open world it felt very limiting and artificial. When I want to get in top of the mountain I have to go around it hoping to find man made yellow rope for me to climb which wierd because at beganing of the game there is montage shows Aloy practicing to climb be in reality she can't climb for shit. Weather conditions doesn't really matter, I mean she does comment of how cold she is but that as far as it goes. Just like someone else said the transition between morning and nigh is too fast and felt unnatural.
humansarehorses
Member
Running and horse riding are also miles behind MGSV as I said in a prior comment (a game that lacks super powers). BotW really doesn't do traversal mechanics well. At all.
I mean, it doesn't do anything well, but that's another conversation.
I haven't played Horizon yet, have the complete edition pre-ordered, but I'm not going in expecting good traversal. I'm going in expecting good combat and enemy encounters since that's what they've been highlighting.
Danjin44
The nicest person on this forum
Then agree to disagree because I personally loving the traversal in BotW.
pretty done
Member
To me it felt like an open world shooter. I don't see what makes the game an RPG.
CoD has classes and perks and builds but it's an online FPS, not an RPG.
CoD has classes and perks and builds but it's an online FPS, not an RPG.
Kagero
Member
in Horizon, Im in awe of whats in front of me. The graphics, presentation, and combat. In BOTW, Im in awe of the world. When I look beyond whats immediately in front of me and see a giant structure far off in the distance I feel a sense of adventure and curiosity. The two games do very different things for me. Both are equally great and for those that compare them and try to paint them in the same light are failing to see the bigger picture in that these two games are trying to do very different things.
Danjin44
The nicest person on this forum
To me Graphics should never ever be selling point of the game. Im sorry for me Horizon combat was solid but no were near good to justify the boring open world design.
OldBoyGamer
Banned
HZD was a mixed journey for me. First impressions from the E3 video was off the scale and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. My expectations were for an open world Monster Hunter with western design sensibilities.
Very quickly after starting the game I realised it want that. It's an open world action adventure with a quite linear story.
It didn't put me off though. But what did was that I struggled to understand the rules of engagement and early doors I was getting killed willy nilly and I struggled to play the game. I persevered and am glad I did because about half way through, I got it. By the time I finished it I was kicking arse in the game. But the enjoyment came very late in the day for me - too late tbh.
It has two major failings imo.
1. The backstory was good. The plot and storyline you followed were not. They could have done a lot better with it. And also the dialogue and VO were horrendous. Honestly I was so offended by how utter drivel they were. I genuinely almost stopped playing just because of the dialogue.
2. I felt the game failed to explain the rules of their world clearly and for ages I didn't really understand how combat workis d, how diffferent arrows worked, how different AI worked etc.
By the the ms of it, I grew to love it an forgot its limitations.
And then BotW came along and changed my life: I know I'm gonna get hammered for saying it but all other open world action adventures / RPG's don't quite hit the mark the game at BotW does.
Very quickly after starting the game I realised it want that. It's an open world action adventure with a quite linear story.
It didn't put me off though. But what did was that I struggled to understand the rules of engagement and early doors I was getting killed willy nilly and I struggled to play the game. I persevered and am glad I did because about half way through, I got it. By the time I finished it I was kicking arse in the game. But the enjoyment came very late in the day for me - too late tbh.
It has two major failings imo.
1. The backstory was good. The plot and storyline you followed were not. They could have done a lot better with it. And also the dialogue and VO were horrendous. Honestly I was so offended by how utter drivel they were. I genuinely almost stopped playing just because of the dialogue.
2. I felt the game failed to explain the rules of their world clearly and for ages I didn't really understand how combat workis d, how diffferent arrows worked, how different AI worked etc.
By the the ms of it, I grew to love it an forgot its limitations.
And then BotW came along and changed my life: I know I'm gonna get hammered for saying it but all other open world action adventures / RPG's don't quite hit the mark the game at BotW does.
GermanZepp
Member
The problems:
1- Automatic/unfun climbing/jumping . I like the phisics climbling in grow home.
2-No risk/rewards situation. I like souls aproach to this.
etc
1- Automatic/unfun climbing/jumping . I like the phisics climbling in grow home.
2-No risk/rewards situation. I like souls aproach to this.
etc
Witcher 3 is an RPG.
How the hell is Zelda an RPG? At least Final Fantasy/Witcher series has some control be it through story, gameplay, or both.
Zelda, you have no affect on Link or the game world, or the story.
See, I'm not going to comment on your taste and hate for this game as I think you are looking at things through your own forced reality.
HORIZON is an action game designed around story and combat, period. It does have elements of other games but it's an action game. What you're doing is the equivalent of complaining about why NEIR doesn't have climbing elements or day/night cycles. It's just not what HORIZON is about. Each area in HZD is a material area meaning it's purpose is to collect that material for, you guessed it, combat. Things like grass cannot be destroyed as it's apart of the COMBAT setpiece.
Now if you look at the combat you'll see it's basically a shooter with GG is good at doing. Everything you see in the game is meant to enhance the combat or push the story which is what the game is about. Once you realize this, the game clicks and becomes more enjoyable. And the level of enjoyment is based off if you are a fan of shooters. If those things don't appeal to you then this is not the game for you.
Why shit on every HZD thread?
Xenobureido
Banned
He didn't 'shit'. He gave an elaborate explanation for why he thinks the way he does.
Martinski43
Member
Some people just cant handle criticism of their favorite games.
All this talk about BOTW, as a game I think of it as Nintendo's survival adventure; without the building. I see nothing ground breaking about sticking to any surface to explore an empty environment. The game is systematically reactive with it's own set of rules to make it run but I've been there done that with game that are in the survival adventure genre.
The there's the complete lack of story and VO. How anyone can justify this over HZD or any game for the matter is beyond reasoning.
Combat is another shit show with brain dead path finding vessels called NPCS. Running into walls poor boss battles with poor patterns in the name of pushing half baked machanics.
The controls are horrid, slow, and stiff when compared to any other AAA title falls short.
All and all it's an ok games with a Nintendo skin and charm.
The there's the complete lack of story and VO. How anyone can justify this over HZD or any game for the matter is beyond reasoning.
Combat is another shit show with brain dead path finding vessels called NPCS. Running into walls poor boss battles with poor patterns in the name of pushing half baked machanics.
The controls are horrid, slow, and stiff when compared to any other AAA title falls short.
All and all it's an ok games with a Nintendo skin and charm.
He always comes to these threads with the same invaild explanations. If you don't like the game move on. I'm not in HALO threads complaining about the developer's design decisions. It's like complaining about why HALO doesn't support climbing. Well, the developer's didn't want it.
It has nothing to do with that. There are many flaws with many games but specifically with HZD i would like non-automated platforming and better side quest. I want the weather to have an effect on the character like damage. But then I realized what's there was deliberate. So I really can't fault it.
Xenobureido
Banned
'Invalid explanations', what.
One can criticize a game for anything one feels is a flaw. Different people will feel differently.
However, trashing BotW in such a petty way in a thread that's not about BotW is kinda embarrassing.
Picked the game up on an early black Friday deal. I'm enjoying the gameplay so far, but man, it's the writing that has me baffled. It's not outright shit, but it is insanely formulaic and downright silly at times. This is the fucking amazing story I've heard so much about? Does it just get points for being feminist?
Besides that, at least so far, this is video game story 101. Incredibly formulaic, and one-dimensional characters.
Maybe it gets better, though.
Besides that, at least so far, this is video game story 101. Incredibly formulaic, and one-dimensional characters.
Maybe it gets better, though.
Danjin44
The nicest person on this forum
Do you ever see me calling this game "overrated"? I just didn't like the game and last time I checked forums is about expressing your opinion. Sorry my opinion offends you but thats how feel.
Truthfully it should have never been brought up in the first place. But that's how I feel.
I never said you did. But bringing another game in a HZD thread to validate your opinions kinda kills your validity. If the game was fundamentally flawed I'd be inclined to agree but this is how the developers wanted the game to be. Can't bitch about sports games lacking shooting mechanics.
It's fine to not like something but you're forcing your opinion on others who like the game.
Ancient Gray
Member
The writing doesn't get better but the premise gets better.
Danjin44
The nicest person on this forum
The game has OPEN WORLD!!! Is it that crazy for me expecting reward for exploring its OPEN WORLD!!!?
That's fine. I mean, like I said, it's not outright shit. It's pretty bog-standard video game fare. I was just expecting a bit more after all the praise.
The setting is pretty rad, and some of the backstory is cool. But the characters and dialogue are just so laughably trite.
Kagero
Member
Of course graphics is a selling point. Just because it isn't for you doesn't mean it can't be for anyone else lol. What a silly thing to say.