Fairly often, games come out and they are touted as "the best this or the best that ever" and ultimately they end up being just slightly better versions of something else or super over ratted once the dust settles. Even from the very first E3 glimpses, I had this really great feeling about Horizon, long before the hype train took off. There was just something so unique about what I was seeing in the footage that prompted me to pre-order the game, something I haven't done since being completely burned by doing so with Metroid Other M for the Wii.
Even before the game shipped, critics were praising Horizon to the heavens and the five star reviews were pouring in from all over on Amazon. Ignoring the hyperbolic gushing praise, I received the game and started it for myself without paying much attention to the runaway hype train. What I found was something not only worthy of the heaps of praise it had been getting, but something that far surpassed my own lofty expectations. Horizon Zero dawn is nothing short of a master piece of game design. It's a time capsule we'll look back on and remember how it changed gaming forever. It's a technical achievement like no other and that includes the technical marvel that is Uncharted 4. Horizon far surpasses anything else that's come to the Playstation swiftly and without a doubt. Every single facet of this game, every nook and cranny of this giant world to explore is perfectly realized. It is absolutely astounding the attention to detail this game has. It is also polished to the Nth degree. In no time during my play through did I find glitches or annoying problems that seem to be a staple in shipped games this generation. Despite putting almost 90 hours into the game, I never once felt overwhelmed or got "gamer's fatigue". I was just having so much fun in this world, there was no rush to leave it.
As the game progressed and I got a thrill every time I faced a brand new machine or completed a new cauldron area or interesting side-mission, I kept thinking as the end loomed nearer and nearer, that please oh please dear gaming gods-let them stick the landing. Let this game give me a satisfying conclusion to the very intriguing and complex story that has so cleverly unfolded throughout my play through. I am happy to report that for me, they absolutely stuck the landing and gave me a final mission where I felt that the final threat had indeed descended upon me, and it was up to me to save man-kind. I literally completed the game 20 minutes before writing this review and I am still coming down from the high.
What I like perhaps most about Horizon is that it's a "fair" game. It is challenging, quite challenging in fact in certain areas, but it's always fair. When a monster kicks your rear-end and you die, you realize it was because of something you didn't do right, not because of manufactured difficulty on the developer's part. Maybe you need to tweak your weapon's mods. Maybe you need to Terrablast a certain troublesome machine part before you nail the machine with rounds and rounds of fire arrows.
There are a lot of challenging bits to Horizon, but they are always satisfying and you leave you frustrated. Even if I did VERY RARELY get frustrated because I couldn't find a way up the mountain or something else, I had a problem holding it against the game. It was always something that was there right in front of me and I just missed it. Oh and Aloy. How can you not like Aloy? She's a sassy girl when she needs to be, but level headed and determined. She's pretty much instantly likable once you take control. I don't know how many times her responses to certain NPC's made me smile or chuckle. She'd be a great girl to hang out with. She's also a joy to control as she moves fluidly and perfectly as directed.
To summarize my thoughts on Horizon, if you are sitting the fence on this one-it's a no brainer. Anyone who could find fault in this masterpiece is really, really, REALLY nit picking. This game is polished to a fine shine and I think it's probably going to ruin some other games for me going forward by comparison. All I can say is that the already great new Tomb Raider series and the Farcry series to which Horizon takes the most inspiration from are going to have to raise their A game for their next installments because they've been trumped in every way possible. This game also takes inspiration from Uncharted, a tiny bit from Assassin's Creed and even the Arkham games but these bits are not blatant and serve to do similar things in the most optimal ways they've been done to date.
Make no mistake about Horizon Zero Dawn-this is a system seller if ever there was one. If you don't have a PS4 already, now is a great time to get one. Get your PS4 for Horizon and stick around for Uncharted 4 and the Uncharted Collection, The Last of us Remastered & Ratchet and Clank. It took PS4 a while for me personally to achieve greatness, but it has now officially arrived.
Great job Guerilla games. Can't wait to see what comes next.
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Product information
| Computer Platform | PlayStation 4 |
|---|---|
| Global Trade Identification Number | 00711719503484, 00711719824565 |
| UPC | 711719503484 711719824466 711719824565 |
| Compatible Video Game Console Models | Sony PlayStation 4 |
| ASIN | B00ZQC73O8 |
| Release date | February 28, 2017 |
| Customer Reviews |
4.7 out of 5 stars |
| Best Sellers Rank | #31,672 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games) #1,455 in PlayStation 4 Games |
| Product Dimensions | 0.56 x 5.56 x 6.75 inches; 4 ounces |
| Type of item | Video Game |
| Language | English |
| Rated | Rating Pending |
| Item model number | E3Horizon:ZeroDawn_PS4 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Item Weight | 4 ounces |
| Manufacturer | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Date First Available | June 14, 2015 |
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From the manufacturer
Experience A Vibrant, Lush World Inhabited By Mysterious Mechanized Creatures
A Lush Post-Apocalyptic World
How have machines dominated this world, and what is their purpose? What happened to the civilization here before? Scour every corner of a realm filled with ancient relics and mysterious buildings in order to uncover your past and unearth the many secrets of a forgotten land.
Nature and Machines Collide
Horizon Zero Dawn juxtaposes two contrasting elements, taking a vibrant world rich with beautiful nature and filling it with awe-inspiring highly advanced technology. This marriage creates a dynamic combination for both exploration and gameplay.
Defy Overwhelming Odds
The foundation of combat in Horizon Zero Dawn is built upon the speed and cunning of Aloy versus the raw strength and size of the machines. In order to overcome a much larger and technologically superior enemy, Aloy must use every ounce of her knowledge, intelligence, and agility to survive each encounter.
Cutting Edge Open World Tech
Stunningly detailed forests, imposing mountains, and atmospheric ruins of a bygone civilization meld together in a landscape that is alive with changing weather systems and a full day/night cycle.
Embark on a compelling, emotional journey and unravel mysteries of tribal societies, ancient artifacts and advanced technologies that will determine the fate of this planet, and of life itself.
Videos
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A fantastic journey.
Let's get this out of the way right off: this game is gorgeous. It is probably the best looking game on any system right now (I played on a PS4 Pro with HDR and a 4K screen). Even after putting 60+ hours into the game I often found myself stopping to enjoy the vistas (and even taking a few pictures with the fantastic photo mode). A feat that is all the more impressive for an open world game where you can go anywhere and do anything. The crux of the game revolves around primitive humans fighting giant robot dinosaurs with frickin' laser beams in lush and varied environments. To that end the game is fantastically successful. There is a certain thrilling juxtaposition in watching a defeated machine twitch and spark as the sun sets on a beautiful windswept meadow. To hunt these mechanical monstrosities (and yes you have to hunt them to scavenge precious components) you have stealth, spears, bows, slingshots, various traps, and most importantly your wits. There are additional weapon types that can be taken from humans and machines and used temporarily. There is really no end to the number of ways that a battle can unfold. I spent hours just pitting different kinds of machines against each to see who was stronger (later in the game you can corrupt machines or even hack them to fight with you). Primitive humans and robot dinosaurs? How does that happen? There is a fantastically detailed story that explains everything. As good as the combat and graphics are the story itself is probably even better. The story has as much or as little detail as you want (and you will probably want it all). Peppered throughout the world are artifacts that flesh out the pre-apocalyptic world. These text, audio, and hologram logs provide not only story but also context of the people's lives before and up to the apocalypse. There is only one imbalance in this almost perfect game. With the exception of the absolute best weapons (which you have to earn through trials) and armor (available near the end of the main story) the 3 tiers of weapons are available too soon in the game. I don't feel like I earned the top tier items. There was almost no reason to even have tiers.
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2017Platform For Display: PlayStation 4Edition: StandardVerified Purchase
- Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2017Platform For Display: PlayStation 4Edition: StandardVerified Purchase
Top reviews from other countries
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ままReviewed in Japan on January 16, 2019
感動そのもの
Platform For Display: PlayStation 4Edition: StandardVerified Purchase - ShabbaReviewed in the United Kingdom on February 18, 2020
Beautiful
Platform For Display: PlayStation 4Edition: StandardVerified Purchase - Taha TarmoomReviewed in the United Arab Emirates on August 29, 2019
Fun game + good price
Platform For Display: PlayStation 4Edition: StandardVerified Purchase - Got for wife, got was good, she likes it, thumbs up for this oneReviewed in Canada on September 24, 2023
Great game
Platform For Display: PlayStation 4Edition: StandardVerified Purchase - ANSHUMANReviewed in India on November 19, 2024
Great
Platform For Display: PlayStation 4Edition: StandardVerified Purchase
