Horizon Zero Dawn

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Teinz

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Finished the game last night. What an experience. The world is beautiful, mysterious and well-thought-out. The story is immersive, filled with characters I easily empathized with. Especially with the heroine, Aloy. Great voice-acting all around. The story leads you through a more or less fixed path, but sometimes gives you the opportunity to react a certain way, or choose to help someone or not, which does impact the story in meaningful ways.

Combat is vicious. Even with end-game equipment, if I heard a Thunderjaw around the corner, I quietly went the other way, my heart thumping in my chest. I may be getting too old for this shit. The game offers various solutions for every combat situation. You can play it stealthily, come out spear swinging, or pepper your enemies from a distance with an array of different bows and arrows.

The game-engine seemed to work like a charm. I noticed some glitching, nothing serious. No loading times if you traverse the world on foot. And it is a big ass world. The eye for detail is impressive. Day and night, weather, animal and plantlife, it's all pretty convincing.

The game made a fan out of me and I can't wait for for any DLC they've got planned, or perhaps a second installment. Best game I have played in years.
 

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Oh, I'm really glad to hear this. It looked so lovely, and robot dinosaurs! But, I'd read it was a die-fest, and that was what turned me off the new Tomb Raider games... I'm willing to struggle through that if the rest of it is worthwhile.

Now, I need the price to drop a bit...
 

Maggie Maxwell

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I thought about starting a thread on this the other day... and promptly forgot. XD

I just started playing and man, I love it. I tell people it's the look and feel of Witcher 3 with touches of Dead Space (the HUD and the pre-apocalypse areas), Mass Effect (dialogue wheel with emotional response choices), and Metal Gear Solid (Stealth portions and detection), with Katniss for an MC. The voice acting is stellar, although the facial movements aren't quite as high-quality when you get close-ups. And like CoffeeBeans said, it's kinda a die-fest and I hate how enemies lock onto you from across the field because you pegged them with an arrow when they've got ten other guys beating on them right there. Too much player-targeting. But it's still lots of fun, and I get the feeling I'm going to get many hours out of it just running around trying to find everything. All in all, I recommend it for fans of action or stealth games.
 

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That's great to hear, because it looked very interesting. Unfortunately I have a couple games I've been meaning to get back to. Just started a new game on Witcher 3 a couple weeks ago because I hadn't played it in so long, then I need to finish The Last of Us. Hopefully the price of Horizon Zero Down will have dropped by the time I finish them!
 

Bufty

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Witcher 3- oh happy hours. Sometimes just riding along enjoying the scenery. The add-ons are great, too - Hearts of Stone, and Blood and Wine. Presently enjoying Mass Effect: Andromeda, but then may have a peek at Horizon Zero Dawn.
 

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I'm having a great time with Geralt and I don't remember why I stopped in the first place.

I also loved Metal Gear (Snake Eater was the best), so Maggie Maxwell's description really has me interested in Zero Dawn. I usually check the reviews for games before I make a decision, so I'll do a little more research. Games are so expensive these days and I hate the idea of buying one I won't like.
 

Maggie Maxwell

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I'm having a great time with Geralt and I don't remember why I stopped in the first place.

I also loved Metal Gear (Snake Eater was the best), so Maggie Maxwell's description really has me interested in Zero Dawn. I usually check the reviews for games before I make a decision, so I'll do a little more research. Games are so expensive these days and I hate the idea of buying one I won't like.

Definitely check out a gameplay video or two before committing, or wait for a sale, but if those're the kind of games you like, then yeah, this is probably straight up your alley. :)
 

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Horizon is kind of a die-fest to start, but once you've spent some time, got better gear, and leveled up it gets easier. My problem was attacking an enemy and suddenly getting ganged up on by enemies out of sight and halfway across the field. I have a blast overriding things though, getting machines to fight each other. I just wish you could give them simple commands, like "attack" or "follow". It was a little sad to override a Thunderjaw only to sit and watch it go back to patrolling it's little area.
 

Richard White

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I just got started on this game - having a blast so far. Most of the time when I get killed it's because I get impatient and rush in instead of sniping things (re: stalkers). Going through my first cauldron right now (so you can see I'm not too far into the game yet).
 

Teinz

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I've started my second playthrough. The game is much easier once you understand the principles of combat. Always start a fight from stealth. Choose your position carefully. Set traps and tripwires where ever you can. Hack machines to come to your aid. Equip armour that protects you from melee, use potions to dampen elemental damage. Oh, and spend those shards and resources, as the game literally showers you with them.
 

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Is Horizon Zero Dawn available on PC in the UK? Or on the PC anywhere?

ETA Thanks for the quick response, Maggie
 
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Opty

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I finally broke down and got this one too. I played through ME:Andromeda twice (it certainly ain't perfect, but I enjoyed it) and had a Gamestop gift card that I used on H:ZD.

Glad I did. It's been pretty cool so far and I'm only about 10% of the way into the story so far.

I probably would've died a lot less if I'd figured out how to use "Concentration" earlier. :/
 

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Nah, the early parts are actually pretty hard. Some of the missions have what feels like significant difficulty spikes to them. Once you get in and get through some side missions, it actually gets pretty easy though.
 

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Okay, just finished it and...wow...what a freaking incredible game!

I recall first seeing the preview for it at last year's E3 and thinking that it looked kind of cool but not sure if it would be something I'd be into. Boy, was I wrong. Glad I took a chance on it.

It didn't just live up to the hype, it surpassed it. And, the ending kicked me right in the feels.

Superb writing, outstanding voice work (Aloy's actress was great and I loved seeing/hearing the consierge from John Wick as Sylens), beautiful maps and level designs (artwork was amazing), and such a great, compelling story. They really created a rich, vibrant, unique world.

I know I'm gushing, but I haven't played a game that hit me like this since the first two Mass Effect games. Still can't believe this came from the same company that had pretty much only made the Killzone games up until now.

Can't wait for the upcoming DLC and the eventual sequel.
 

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They also just released an update a few days ago that gives new armor and weapons, new face paint options, and "ultra hard" difficulty and, most importantly, a New Game+ mode.

Time for a second playthrough!
 

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I'm currently stuck at the boss battle at Grave .... (crud, take a week off from playing, forget everything.) Need to work on taking my time, aiming better and clearing out the goons before taking on the boss. Definitely enjoying all the side quests and just going "Hmm, wonder what's over this way" and going hiking all over the map. If I can ever get out of this last boss battle, I'll enjoy exploring again.

One thing I can tell you - I hate Glinthawks.
 

Teinz

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I'm currently stuck at the boss battle at Grave .... (crud, take a week off from playing, forget everything.) Need to work on taking my time, aiming better and clearing out the goons before taking on the boss. Definitely enjoying all the side quests and just going "Hmm, wonder what's over this way" and going hiking all over the map. If I can ever get out of this last boss battle, I'll enjoy exploring again.

One thing I can tell you - I hate Glinthawks.

The Grave Hoard boss:

is weak to fire. Get it to overheat and then shoot at the golden cooling rods

Glinthawks:

only take two or three fire arrows (only one with some decent fire mods) to come crashing down. After that, well...
 

Maggie Maxwell

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I'm currently stuck at the boss battle at Grave .... (crud, take a week off from playing, forget everything.) Need to work on taking my time, aiming better and clearing out the goons before taking on the boss. Definitely enjoying all the side quests and just going "Hmm, wonder what's over this way" and going hiking all over the map. If I can ever get out of this last boss battle, I'll enjoy exploring again.

One thing I can tell you - I hate Glinthawks.

I thought I couldn't hate anything more than Glinthawks, and then I found the Stormbird. Uuuuuuugh. But I've done all the cauldrons, so I can override them now. Safe as long as I can get it on the ground.

I've also gotten all the collectibles except for a few vantage points. Hit level 40 not long ago.

Aaand I've only just finished the quest in the old Faro building, where you find out who the woman who looks like you is. Heh. I might be kinda sorta easily distracted by side quests and stuff...
 

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I thought I couldn't hate anything more than Glinthawks, and then I found the Stormbird. Uuuuuuugh. But I've done all the cauldrons, so I can override them now. Safe as long as I can get it on the ground.

I've also gotten all the collectibles except for a few vantage points. Hit level 40 not long ago.

Aaand I've only just finished the quest in the old Faro building, where you find out who the woman who looks like you is. Heh. I might be kinda sorta easily distracted by side quests and stuff...
Yeah, the Stormbirds pissed me off. Not even the Thunderjaws gave me as much trouble. For the TJs, I'd just lay down as many blast wires and fire wires I could, then lure the TJ over to me and watch it die when it hit the wires. When there was more than one TJ, I'd lay down the trip the wires for the first one and for the 2nd one, I'd first try to freeze it with freeze arrows and bomb, then tie it down with the ropecaster, then blast off its disc gun with a tear blast arrow or two, and then pic up the disc gun and shoot it to death with its own weapon. I wasn't always successful with that approach, but it was fun to try.

I found the majority of the side quests pretty fun. I tried to do most of them and was able to hit level 50, but not until the very end of the game (I hit 50 right as I beat the game). Only ones that I didn't finish are clearing all of the bandit camps with Nil and beating all of the training ground challenges. I still need to go back and do that, but if I start a 2nd playthrough soon then I might as well just wait and do them during that one.
 

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Look how this player approaches combat.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ywp0QR_tjYo
Nice! I've done similar stuff with wires/bombs, but that person takes it to the next level. I never thought to use proximity bombs against hawks like that. I also never thought to try to jump on robot's backs and then sticky bomb them. That's pretty ingenious.

I think the bombs, trip wires, and traps are some of the most fun parts of combat. Took me a while to get the hang of them but it was really fun once I did.
 
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Maggie Maxwell

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Yeah, the Stormbirds pissed me off. Not even the Thunderjaws gave me as much trouble. For the TJs, I'd just lay down as many blast wires and fire wires I could, then lure the TJ over to me and watch it die when it hit the wires. When there was more than one TJ, I'd lay down the trip the wires for the first one and for the 2nd one, I'd first try to freeze it with freeze arrows and bomb, then tie it down with the ropecaster, then blast off its disc gun with a tear blast arrow or two, and then pic up the disc gun and shoot it to death with its own weapon. I wasn't always successful with that approach, but it was fun to try.

I found the majority of the side quests pretty fun. I tried to do most of them and was able to hit level 50, but not until the very end of the game (I hit 50 right as I beat the game). Only ones that I didn't finish are clearing all of the bandit camps with Nil and beating all of the training ground challenges. I still need to go back and do that, but if I start a 2nd playthrough soon then I might as well just wait and do them during that one.

Man, look at you using strategy and cleverness. Meanwhile I'm just here like "SHOOT IT SHOOT IT SHOOT IT FIRE ARROWS HARD ARROWS WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO TAKE YOU DOWN AAAAAGGGHHHH."

I am not a clever or skilled gamer. I am, however, determined and patient.
 
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