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[refreshZ]

It’s been well documented what a looker this game is so I’m not really going to dwell on that (it is stunning though). But, wow what a game...

I’d never thought I’d say this about an open world game but I LOVE the combat. Not initially I might add – in fact I spent a long time feeling seriously underpowered, hiding and whistling/rock throwing was a chore that seemingly never went away, hand to hand combat felt more or less non-existent (playing Witcher 3 style is a BIG no-no) and the bewildering variety of bows/status effects/tear that overlapped in strengths etc. just baffled me. So for a long time I avoided anything larger than a Watcher.

Then it just clicked. I can’t put my finger on what combination of things came together – perhaps it was paying attention to scans, perhaps my accuracy improved, perhaps those extra points in concentration, perhaps it was my first taste of the war bow and being able to corrupt machines, perhaps it was the Ropecaster and slinging sticky bombs. Perhaps it was building a wardrobe of status limiting effect limiting outfits and crucially – knowing when to apply them. Perhaps all of the above.

All I know is this – for a blissful moment yesterday I took down two Level 34 corrupted Rockbreakers by kiting a Behemoth, hiding long enough to corrupt it and watching merry hell unfold – popping up to inflict enough flame damage to take all three with a massive grin on my face. Incredible feeling.

Yes the game has problems – the human AI isn’t great and the storytelling could be better – despite that I love the world and post-apocalyptic vision that Guerrilla fashioned. Seeing the snippets of the world through viewpoints via Aloy’s wonderfully innocent perspective is really very touching.

What say you GAF?

 

[Gator86]

A top 2 game of this year along with Zelda in whatever order. It's really terrific.

 

[Chance]

I say it's my GotY by a very wide margin. 2 playthroughs at launch, I put it aside for months and loaned it to my brother. Now I'm about 1/3 of the way through a new playthrough and all day at work I'm just dreaming about getting back to it.

 

[GuessWho]

Yup it's amazing.

 

[leng jai]

Game isn't even 6 months old and the OT is still pretty active, hardly LTTP.

 

[Jawbreaker]

It's up there with Dragon's Dogma and Metal Gear Solid V when it comes to open world combat and likely my favorite from a Western developer in said genre. It's one of the few titles where I'll go out of my way to fight enemies just because it's exhilarating and plain fun instead of avoiding them. Regular encounters can legitimately feel like boss fights in other games.

For the sequel, I want them to work on the open world/exploration aspect more and on human encounters. I have faith in them to deliver.

 

[Relix]

Amazing, amazing game. The story was the best part for me, followed by the combat which I fully grasped half my way in. Oh and the graphics? Wow. Playing 4k really went a long way. Already have the dlc pre ordered

 

[R3TRODYCE]

Beautiful game but I found it incredibly boring.

 

[RSchmitz]

It´s kinda tied with Yakuza 0 for my goty so far.
Great start for a new franchise, I loved the story and fighting the machines.
For the sequels I want an rpg system with more depth, more dungeons with some puzzles, a little less crafting/gathering, more areas, tribes, machines and longer (maybe branching) quest chains.

 

[Dynomutt]

Game is straight up sexy.

Anecdotal:

Went to help a friend TV shop and used this 4K footage to sell him on a KS8500. They do not even play games and were like damn.

Will admit I wish melee combat was more varied. Maybe vaults or sweeps on human enemies. Other than that creme de la creme.

 

[reptilescorpio]

I agree that the combat was my favourite part. Especially once you get the majority of the weapons and can experiment. The trials were great for this, allows you to try some interesting tactics.

Very well paced as well. Having the more outrageous trials towards the end when you have already overcome the idea of taking down the huge T-Rex so at the end they are just more fodder to you lol.

 

[AmayaPapaya]

I found it disappointing. The world was pretty but interactions ended up boring. I was annoyed I couldn't jump in certain areas that I should have been able to. The story just didn't grab me, and the combat, while great, just wasn't enough for me, in the end.

 

[120v]

nothing groundbreaking in the way of the modern open world genre but my GOTY so far. props to Guerilla for pulling it off

only gripe is it seemed to wrap up prematurely, even doing all the side stuff.

 

[Shadow Broker]

The only game I've Platinum.

Just completed it and the only thing that's annoying me is that there's no more content in game to do. Going to start a second playthrough soon.

My game of the year so far is a 3 way tie between Zelda, Persona 5, and Horizon. It'll be a blood bathe at the end of the year for me.


Edit: Thinking about it more. Horizon is the lead runner for my game of the year. It's the only one I completed and can't wait to go back into the game world to play more of. I mentioned it above but my only real complaint is that I wish there was more content in the game.

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

Groundbreaking storytelling, characters, and combat. My GOTY undisputed.

 

[Allonym]

It's the best game that I've played his year by far and this year has seen such a crazy output of quality titles that it's a real testament to what Guerrilla has accomplished. I'm happy for them and very proud. A lot of people here had no faith in them but I'm glad they usurped their expectations and cemented themselves as a premier studio.

 

[Brandon F]

I’d never thought I’d say this about an open world game but I LOVE the combat. Not initially I might add – in fact I spent a long time feeling seriously underpowered, hiding and whistling/rock throwing was a chore that seemingly never went away, hand to hand combat felt more or less non-existent (playing Witcher 3 style is a BIG no-no) and the bewildering variety of bows/status effects/tear that overlapped in strengths etc. just baffled me. So for a long time I avoided anything larger than a Watcher.

This is where I kind of left off feeling about the game, and have yet to revisit.

Need to spend more time with it, but I fizzled out in the tutorial zone doing early sidequests. Just felt like every other open-world game with all the mat collection, waypoints, and delivery quests that everyone seems to usually whine about. Somehow it rises above those arguments, but I suppose I didn't play enough to see how.

I also was playing on the highest diff(as I often do) and had a hell of a time getting my traps and tripwires to properly stop the hyper-sensitive robot horde. Could be that on that setting it's nearly impossible to effectively prevent the horde from descending on me no matter how sneaky I am, even with perfect trap placement. Just need to bear with it until the game gives me better tools I suppose.

Too many people love it for me to ignore not giving it another chance, so I will.

 

[Radec]

Upgrade those melee skills and use them people. Its fun whacking machines down.

 

[bonchooski]

I found it disappointing. The world was pretty but interactions ended up boring. I was annoyed I couldn't jump in certain areas that I should have been able to. The story just didn't grab me, and the combat, while great, just wasn't enough for me, in the end.

You really have to get later into the game to see the combat and story shine. Leveling up your Aloy and getting better makes the combat awesome. Also the story really unfolds later in the game and then from there it's just amazing.

 

[AEdouard]

I got real bored real fast with HZD, despite the beautiful presentation and all around high quality. I think I have major traditional open world fatigue.

I just can't be bothered with the "go to this point on the map, kill a couple of dudes/creatures, watch a small cutscene" infinite loop. It has to bring something new to the table, à la MGS5 or Zelda.

And people talk about story and characters, but I feel at some point we're going to have to stop grading videogame stories on a curve. Sure, it's not as terrible as it was years ago, but even what is considered solid stories and dialogues in games would be considered subpar crap for a tv show or film.

 

[Dmax3901]

Played on my 4k HDR TV on my PS4 Pro, game looks great and is a new bar for graphical fidelity in open world games, especially impressive considering it's a console exclusive.

Combat frustrated me a lot at first, I hated how far some of the machines could lunge at you and how huge Aloy's hitbox seemed to be. I got OP eventually and got the hang of it. In the end I wasn't wowed by the combat, but for an open world game it kept me interested.

My biggest problem was the shallow world, characters and story. The opening was fantastic, I was so in and so invested in Aloy and this legendary city Meridian that was mentioned by various NPCs. It reminded me of Novigrad in Witcher 3 in that you heard a lot about Meridian hours and hours before getting there. Unfortunately Meridian was a huge let down, again, compared to Novigrad it's feels like a small town. This disappointment extends to the world as a whole.

The way the script talks about all these different tribes and the history of the red raids etc, it makes it sound like a huge nation bordering other nations but as the game shows us it's a tiny amount of land. I feel the land doesn't reflect the scope of the script. Witcher 3 was great at this (although a bit unfair cause it's based on novels). I'm not saying I wanted bigger land, but I would've like the script to better reflect the scale of what is visible in the game.

Outside of the dynamic between Aloy and Rost, most of the characters failed to elicit any emotion from me. Sylens was actually annoying most of the time, which you could argue is deliberate, but at some point it's like... give me something to work with, please.

The story stuff I won't go into unless someone really wants to hear what I think, lol.

Solid 8/10 game though. Looking forward to the improvements a sequel could bring.

 

[TheExhaustedWalrus]

I dunno what it is about the game but I can't finish it. It just feels... hollow. The world doesn't do it for me and the game plays smoothly and nicely but something about it just didn't gel with me. Graphically I will say it's amazing, though. Maybe I'll return to it sometime this year.

 

[Bronetta]

I thought the story and writing was very well done and a standout in an all around outstanding game.

 

[Kolx]

Amazing story and the best combat ever in an open world games. Fighting a stormbird never got easy or boring.

 

[Phediuk]

Horizon made me do 2 things that I almost never do in games:

1. Go out of my way to fight enemies, just because it feels so good to fight them.
2. Actually give a shit about the story.

I consider it a gigantic success for those two reasons alone.

 

[Cat in the Hat]

I just platinumed this today, which is my first in like 9 years. The story, monsters, and combat were real standouts. I loved everything about it, my only gripe was that it ended. The fact i played this and Doom in the same year is amazing to me, what a year.

I also think it is worth mentioning that Aloy is the best female character in a videogame ever.

 

[Lys Skygge]

My current GOTY. I can't wait for the DLC later this year!

 

[MarineMountie]

I've played all of the big releases this year and it's tied with NieR Automata for GOTY for me.

The story is top notch in the sci fi realm, visuals are unmatched, Aloy is extremely likeable and best female protagonist I have ever played, the characters are diverse and relatable, and the world is just so packed with awesome combat encounters.

 

[Haines]

The graphics and the enemies are top class.

But Zelda kind of ruined a lot of it for me.

Zelda so good.

This game feels like a way better far cry and Zelda feels like it makes far cry look outdated.

But again hdr 4k is jaw dropping and the enemies are just best in industry

Haven't finished story yet but I've heard good things

 

[GodParticle]

I actually couldn't stand the combat in this game. That and the annoying crafting. I liked the world, but hated everything else in it

 

[Morrigan Stark]

Horizon made me do 2 things that I almost never do in games:

1. Go out of my way to fight enemies, just because it feels so good to fight them.
2. Actually give a shit about the story.

I consider it a gigantic success for those two reasons alone.

This. And also use the hell out of the photo mode.

 

[Ricky_R]

Once I got the tearblast arrow I stepped my game up. Pretty awesome and satisfying combat for an open world game tbh.

 

[WordsintheWater]

Absolutely love this game, GOTY for me, fighting machines never got boring.

 

[Keylow415]

My favorite game this year so far

 

[sugarman]

Best combat in an open world RPG to date? Can't think of anything else. RDR maybe as far as open world games go.

 

[StriKeVillain]

It and Zelda sit at the top of games I've played this year. Absolute class.

I did not expect that from Guerrilla. I honestly think this is the only above average game they've made and they knocked it out of the park.

 

[Bold One]

GOTY such a great experience nails all its themes and executes an engaging mechanic.

But, man, it sure would be great if we could have a single thread about Horizon without Zelda evangelists giving their two cents.

 

[HoJu]

Can't get into it. The combat seems great and the setting is interesting, but traversal is a slog. Not too far into it, but the story seems generic so far.

I dunno, everytime I start playing I just want to turn it off after 10 minutes. Maybe it'll click soon.

 

[Kabuki Waq]

Would be GOTY if not for that other game. I don't usually finish open world games but I finished this one.

Game was epic, combat was fun just wish the world felt a bit bigger.

 

[ty_hot]

Then it just clicked. I can’t put my finger on what combination of things came together – perhaps it was paying attention to scans, perhaps my accuracy improved, perhaps those extra points in concentration, perhaps it was my first taste of the war bow and being able to corrupt machines, perhaps it was the Ropecaster and slinging sticky bombs. Perhaps it was building a wardrobe of status limiting effect limiting outfits and crucially – knowing when to apply them. Perhaps all of the above.

I feel like every person that doesnt like the game didnt go through this. I feel the same about the combat, at first it was hard, I had to hide a lot and think a lot before doing anything stupid (and doing it still, making me die)... but then, at some point, things just started to work out. I could do whatever, I had the weapons, I knew my abilities, I knew their weaknesses, so I knew I could defeat anyone even though I would get killed if they were too many. But even when I died it felt good, I knew I died because of me, not because the game was cheating on me, or because of some wierd bug... it was me. So I would just try again, different strategy. I guess all those trial and errors that led to many deaths at first helped a lot in the process of learning how to master the combat.

But I can see people that are used to harder games just picking it up and not having any problem at all since the beginning, and thus not feeling the joy that it is to kill a machine, because for them it was easy all along.

 

[Deleted member 471617]

Horizon is awesome and easily the game of the year. As an overall package, not a single game this year has or will come close and the only game that I would put ahead of it this generation is The Witcher III.

Can't wait for the DLC later this year.

 

[HardRojo]

The story caught me off guard, I wasn't really expecting such a nice story and backstory that would get me hooked. I kept wanting to know more lol.
I hope they add something like a toggle during the Weapon wheel menu so that you can quick access even more weapons, maybe for the sequel.

 

[wiibomb]

I JUST finished it right now. I love this game.

From the open world which isn't huge, instead it is condensed, it has a lot of things and just enough to entertain, but not bother too much; to the beatiful and unique scenery in every corner.

I actually found the story to be very good, well written and presented in an interesting way through blasts from the past. Sometimes I feel it could be a little better presented, but still there is quality there

The combat is really good, it isn't full action, it isn't full RPG, it isn't full survival, it's more like a mix of all of them, I loved each time I threw an arrow or a set a trap in this game.

The characters in my honest opinion shine in this game, guerrilla put a lot of effort in making every character unique in their own way, with smart dialog and a lot of respect put into each, I would say this is where I most like this game.

Just some bits I've been thinking long ago, but I wanted to say after I finished it. Love the game.

 

[ornery]

any sales on this game anywhere?

 

[flipswitch]

What a turn around for GG after the bad reception SF caused ( which I happened to like).

Is H:ZD 2 on ps5 now a possibility? Borderline CG?

 

[Skux]

Game of the generation for me so far. The story. The gameplay. The presentation. The music. All amazing.

 

[hydruxo]

My favorite game that I've played this year, and one of my favorites of this gen. The combat is just incredible. The story is enthralling. The graphics and environments are stunning. I've fully 100% the game and platinumed it and sometimes I just pop the disc in and go kill Thunderjaws for the hell of it. Just really an amazing accomplishment by Guerrilla Games tbh.

 

[Hero]

I had a lot of fun with Horizon, the combat mechanics against the robots was stellar, but anything involving humans was terrible. The whistle skill is the most broken ability in the game. I would say stealth is way too overpowered, as after a while I found myself just trying to stealth kill everything since it was easier and rewarded me with extra experience.

I didn't care for the story too much. I guess just based off the e3 stuff I had something else in mind. It was interesting but not what I wanted out of it.

NPCs were forgettable. Loved Aloy though, even though I think the way she spoke was out of place for someone that only grew up with one other person to talk to.

 

[Shambala]

GOTY such a great experience nails all its themes and executes an engaging mechanic.

But, man, it sure would be great if we could have a single thread about Horizon without Zelda evangelists giving their two cents.

Thank you. Y is Zelda being brought up lol. Horizon is an amazing game. I love it. Yes there are little issues but man it's my Goty so far. Simply sucked me right it. Playing in 4k was breathtaking

 

[demosthenes]

Started like 2 weeks ago and I'm like 40 hours in. Amazing game. I've loved my time with it so far.