PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

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PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by Daehawk »

No thread on this other than mentioned in the E3 threads?

Although the videos state 2016 it is pushed back until 1st March 2017.

HZD seems to be set on a future Earth where robots rule...but not in the way you'd think. They seem to be animals and mish mashes of beasts. Humans are now tribe like and the old cities are dead hulks and not allowed to go there. Robotic animals live and wander the fields and Aloy..the lead you play is a girl from one of those tribes. She hunts the animals with a special bow that can use energy and such. Easier just to read up on it. Aloy may be from a remnant part of humans still having high tech. Sorta Yor the Hunter From the Future like haha...no dont rent that ugh. Hard to explain.

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E3 2015 trailer
Aloy's journey
20 min game play video
In a lush, vibrant, post-apocalyptic open world, colossal mechanized creatures roam a landscape that they have torn from the grip of mankind.

Human evolution has, over time, regressed to a tribal hunter-gatherer existence, surviving amongst towering forests, imposing mountain ranges and the atmospheric ruins of a bygone civilisation – while the savage machines have become all-powerful.

You are Aloy, a skilled hunter who relies on speed, cunning and agility to stay alive and protect her tribe against the strength, size and raw power of the machines. Against overwhelming odds, you must embark on a compelling, emotional journey to uncover the secrets of a forgotten civilisation, the ancient artifacts they left behind, and to learn more about the advanced technologies that will determine the fate of the planet – and of human life itself.
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Collectors Edition

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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by Daehawk »

More game play from the game. One of my most wanted games.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci9j9GtvH8c
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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by Skinypupy »

I have this pre-ordered, looks very cool.
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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by Daehawk »

Pretty much zero interest in this here.

New video

One of my most anticipated games.
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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by Daehawk »

After watching and reading all I can I only hope that from what I gather that Aloy is not from some sheltered ark type people from the past that wants to destroy or retake the world. Why cant stasis people ever be nice? :)
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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by Punisher »

I was interested in this until I found out it was a PS4 exclusive. I don't have a PS4, so too exclusive for me.
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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by baelthazar »

Daehawk wrote:Pretty much zero interest in this here.

New video

One of my most anticipated games.
I am very excited for it. And the reviews have been stellar. My local Gamestop is going a 9:00pm release tomorrow, but my wife said that I would wake up the baby so I have to wait until Tuesday! :shock:
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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by MonkeyFinger »

Out of hours for the month (damn Government contract bs) which means not working Monday or Tuesday. Wait... Tuesday? I'll be home when the pre-order hits the doorstep? Woo-hoo! 8-)
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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by wonderpug »

I'd be all over this if it wasn't releasing on the eve of the Switch and the new Zelda. I'll probably get this as soon as I'm done with Zelda though.
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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by YellowKing »

Though I'm hesitant to buy it while knee deep in Ni No Kumi, I'm going to anyway. Will just spring for the digital download version since I believe I've finally ditched console physical media.
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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by Scoop20906 »

Punisher wrote:I was interested in this until I found out it was a PS4 exclusive. I don't have a PS4, so too exclusive for me.
I'm in the same boat.
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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by Daehawk »

Watched this being played tonight. it looks AMAZING in the graphics dept. Fun too.
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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by coopasonic »

I paid no attention to this at all as a PS4 exclusive and not having a PS4, but yesterday for some reason I decided to take a look. I watched a couple hours of ChristopherOdd playing it... now I have to get a PS4. It reminded me a lot of Tomb Raider crossed with Far Cry Primal... which I guess isn't so much a crossing as well... whatever. It is reminiscent of other games I have enjoyed and it looks pretty damn cool.
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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by ChuckB »

I have played this for a couple of hours on a PS4 Pro on a 55in TV (4k) with full HDR support and the game looks breathtakingly amazing. The screenshots already look nice but they still don't do the game justice, as it looks really good in motion (and this is the game where HDR makes a real difference, visually, as the bright/dark contrasts are very good.)

So far, I really like the gameplay. I would say that it really feels like a cross between Rise of Tomb Raider and Assassin's Creed (I haven't played Dar Fry Primal but I guess that's the best comparison for the setting). In a way, it's a typical "open world with lots of main and side quests and gathering and crafting and limited role playing and character development" game but if you like those, I think you'll like this.

I'm not very far into the game (I'm a slow gamer), still in the starter area but what this game does better than all the other games (so far) above is the whole hunting part of the game. It feels like "hunting" with stalking around, getting information about your prey, setting up traps and then striking fast and deadly. The controls also work great, they are not fiddly and things like the melee strikes feel precise (something I never felt in the earlier Assassin's Creed games where I was fighting the controls and my position within the fight as much as the enemy.) Can't say much about the AI yet but with the beginner prey it feels right, larger herds of the cow/horse-like machines are more passive and are slowly moving around, grazing, while the more agile watchers do what their names suggest and circle the herds, looking for enemies.

The crafting, character development etc. seems good so far (again, rather standard) and the story so far is fine. I guess the background should be good for some nice story elements with the whole high-tech/primal dichotomy.
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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by Isgrimnur »

ChuckB wrote:Dar Fry Primal
I must have missed that one.
It's almost as if people are the problem.
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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by hentzau »

I would love to play this game, but alas. Only an Xbone.
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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by coopasonic »

hentzau wrote:I would love to play this game, but alas. Only an Xbone.
They sell those other consoles. $255 new for a 500GB slim with Uncharted 4 from Amazon.

I am buying a PS4 for this game alone... well I plan to. The game arrives tomorrow. I have yet to buy the console.
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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by Ralph-Wiggum »

coopasonic wrote:
hentzau wrote:I would love to play this game, but alas. Only an Xbone.
They sell those other consoles. $255 new for a 500GB slim with Uncharted 4 from Amazon.
I just started playing Uncharted 4 a few days ago. It is pretty amazing.
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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by Daehawk »

Still need to get UC4.
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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by hentzau »

Ralph-Wiggum wrote:
coopasonic wrote:
hentzau wrote:I would love to play this game, but alas. Only an Xbone.
They sell those other consoles. $255 new for a 500GB slim with Uncharted 4 from Amazon.
I just started playing Uncharted 4 a few days ago. It is pretty amazing.
My daughters would love it...they're champing at the bit for the latest Kingdom Hearts game (even though apparently it's just remasters of other games that they've already played?)
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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

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coopasonic wrote:I paid no attention to this at all as a PS4 exclusive and not having a PS4, but yesterday for some reason I decided to take a look. I watched a couple hours of ChristopherOdd playing it... now I have to get a PS4. It reminded me a lot of Tomb Raider crossed with Far Cry Primal... which I guess isn't so much a crossing as well... whatever. It is reminiscent of other games I have enjoyed and it looks pretty damn cool.
I have played about an hour and I have to say, the story is already captivating me, the graphics are amazing, and the game just seems like it is going to be a great ride! As you said, it has a Far Cry Primal feel, but with some quality of life updates and some more interesting mechanics. The one great thing is that the machine creatures have weak spots, so you can stay hidden and target those for nice damage. I think you hit the nail on the head - it is very Tomb Raider, mixed with Far Cry Primal, and maybe a little Shadows of Mordor thrown in. And Aloy is, so far, a great character voiced by the equally great Ashley Burch.
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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by coopasonic »

I have watched the first 4 hours-ish now. I hooked up the new PS4Pro and am waiting for the game from amazon tomorrow. It's going to be a post apocalyptic weekend!
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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by Daehawk »

I only watched part of the beginning. Didn't want to spoil it but had to know if it sounded like you played Tiny Tina :)
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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by YellowKing »

I was *really* afraid after an hour or so that the Far Cry: Primal vibe was going to burn me out. The problem is I put some 60-odd hours into FC:P, and though I loved every minute of it, the memories are too fresh for me to endure more.

However, as I've played a bit more and the world has opened up a bit, I find myself captivated enough by the story to ignore those concerns. Having a great time.
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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by $iljanus »

This game looked beautiful on my run of the mill PS4. Just about to start the Proving and still enjoying the thrill of the hunt. Only meant to play this for an hour or so last night but ended up putting it down around 2:30 AM.
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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by Skinypupy »

I switched my pre-order over the new Nier game that comes out next week. I'm terrible at multi-tasking games. :)

HZD is definitely on my radar though. Hearing nothing but good things about it.
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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

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$iljanus wrote:Just about to start the Proving...
You are lucky you called it a night before you started the Proving... dude.
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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by ChuckB »

Isgrimnur wrote:
ChuckB wrote:Dar Fry Primal
I must have missed that one.
Isgrimnur totally missed yuge game! Sad!
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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by baelthazar »

coopasonic wrote:
$iljanus wrote:Just about to start the Proving...
You are lucky you called it a night before you started the Proving... dude.
Seriously... I almost started the Proving at 1:00am and I am glad I did not.

I have to say, I am just past the Proving stuff and into the proper "open world" and - so far - I think this is one of the best games I have played. Everything clicks well together. Ok, so the melee combat is a little fiddly, but since you don't really do it all that much, I can forgive it. I am playing a stealthy Aloy, which is fun, but I could have easily gone the more combat-oriented route. Of course, I always max resource collection skills, which means I have burned around 9 skill points on that tree. What can I say, I love loot.

At this point the characters are engaging, the dialog is strong, and the story keeps me wanting to come back. I am actively not looking at anything that could remotely spoil the story, because I want to be surprised.

I might have figured one thing out on my own. I have a theory as to where the game is located and the identity of the Nora tribe. But I do not want to share it and I do not want any hints.
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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by TiLT »

This game is awesome! I've put in about 15 or so hours these last few days, and it's been a joy. It keeps introducing new concepts and upping the ante whenever I start to feel complacent, and defeating even a medium-sized enemy feels like quite the accomplishment. This is a game that just feels right from the first moment you get to control your character. Very few games manage to do that, and I believe it's a big part of why people enjoy Horizon so much. The stellar graphics certainly help too, of course. This is a game I could easily see myself getting the platinum trophy in, especially since it doesn't force you to complete it at a specific difficulty level. I find the game more than challenging enough on Normal.

I just bought myself a purple hunting bow, and I can't wait to give it a try. It should make things a bit easier.
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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by MonkeyFinger »

So... how much time are we talking about to get through the Proving? It's up next for me but I may not be able to start until late.
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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by baelthazar »

MonkeyFinger wrote:So... how much time are we talking about to get through the Proving? It's up next for me but I may not be able to start until late.
IIRC, the entire chain took about an 1-2 hours. There is limited saving (although I think the game autosaves frequently, if you need to bail) so that is an issue. It is quite a ride, so don't expect to quit it and then get right to bed (unless you are the type that can go from action to sleep with no issues).

This game gets better and better. Last night I ran my first Cauldron. Another FYI, it is not something you want to start at 1:00am, unless you plan to stay up to at least 2:00am. I know this from experience.

I found a Vantage that may have proved my theory about where the game is set. I do not want any confirmation or comment on my theory. Do not read it if you want to draw your own conclusions:
Spoiler:
I think the Nora are remnants of NORAD and the All-Mother Mountain is the Cheyenne Mountain bunker. That makes Devil's Thirst Colorado Springs (this part is almost certain) and Meridian would be Denver.
Ahem... but this game is quickly rocking to my top ten list. It has all the things I loved about Metal Gear Solid V and Monster Hunter mashed into one.
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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by MonkeyFinger »

Thanks!

Interesting thoughts, haven't put too many brain cells into that aspect of the game yet. High level, the Art book notes that it takes place in:
Spoiler:
the Colorado Rocky Mountains area which syncs up with your thoughts.
Perhaps that is common knowledge but it came as a pleasant surprise to me. 8-)
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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by YellowKing »

I've got about 10 hours in now, and I agree that the game gets better as you go along. A few random thoughts:

- I'm continuously impressed at how good the gameplay feels. There was almost no learning curve because combat felt so natural. Dodging is extremely fast and responsive, which makes combat a joy. When you hit something with an arrow or whack it with a spear, it just feels "good."

- I'm playing with a stealth focus, and my first time taking out an entire bandit camp without being detected was so much fun. It's all the goodness of ambushing enemies Assassin's Creed style, but even more satisfying.

- The game world feels huge, but even so I rarely use fast travel. Right now there is more than enough to do in my immediate area. Between main quests, side quests, bandit camps, collectibles, hunting camps, errands, and searching for crafting components, there's never any shortage of things to do next.

- The characters are among some of the best in-game characters I've ever seen, enough so that they occasionally fall into uncanny valley territory. They're not perfect (lip-sync is off a bit at times, and Aloy seems incapable of opening her jaws when she talks), but something about them feels incredibly realistic compared to a lot of other games. Aloy in particular feels like she could be a real person, and it makes me that much more attached to her. They really did an outstanding job making her a character you really care about.

- I finally fought some tougher creatures after hours of running around one-shotting watchers, and man the combat can get really intense. The first truly big fight had my adrenaline pumping overtime. I love the flexibility you have in bringing creatures down. I never feel like I'm locked into one specific strategy, but can adapt on the fly.

It's rare you get a game that does one just aspect well (combat, stealth, open world balance, etc.) Yet this one seemingly does all of them well. Kudos to Guerrilla - they knocked this one out of the park. And if it's any indication of what a huge IP this could be for Sony, one of my Xbox fanboy friends - who ridiculed me for months and months for buying a PS4 - is planning on picking up a PS4 Pro just for this game.
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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by ChuckB »

I also put some more time into the game and I enjoy it quite a bit. Some notes:

* I really like the fighting and the stealth/hunting mechanism. Didn't like the fight where they introduce the corruptor, maybe it was my mistake, but that was (for me) one of these button-mashing, "not sure what I'm doing" frantic fights where there was a lot of aimless jumping and rolling around on my end and I didn't know what I was supposed to do and when it was over, I was also not sure what I did right or wrong. Hope these types of fights remain a minority.

* Totally agree with YelloKing on the characters in this game - almost all of them feel very "real" and not "computer game real" but "real life real". It's not the typical computer game heads that come in male/female and white/brown/dark but most of them look like people you encountered in real life, at least on a phenotype basís. Best example for me is Erend, the guy with the mohawk and the funny beard you meet at Matriarch Lodge before the blessing. He looks not only very realistic but somewhat unusual for a video game but in a "real life" way - I have seen this guy before in real (probably in an indy record store)

* I hope I'm not getting lost in the open world; what I mean is that while types of games are great and give you a lot of do, I tend to anxious about missing stuff, tend to do much side quests to cover "everything" and then sometimes burn out along the way ...
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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by coopasonic »

YellowKing wrote:one of my Xbox fanboy friends - who ridiculed me for months and months for buying a PS4 - is planning on picking up a PS4 Pro just for this game.
That's me as well. Was this game worth $450 to play? That's yet to be determined, but so far it seems worth it.
ChuckB wrote:Didn't like the fight where they introduce the corruptor, maybe it was my mistake, but that was (for me) one of these button-mashing, "not sure what I'm doing" frantic fights where there was a lot of aimless jumping and rolling around on my end and I didn't know what I was supposed to do and when it was over, I was also not sure what I did right or wrong. Hope these types of fights remain a minority.
I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 25 hours in the game (not entirely sure there), level 30 and I have fought probably 70% of the creatures in the game including the first of the hunter's guild trophy fights. Despite all of that experience, including numerous corruptors, stalkers, bellowbacks, sawtooths (sawteeth?) it still gets pretty damn frantic when I am fighting one of the stronger enemies. I know what I am doing, what I need to hit and with what elemental effect, but it's still kind of crazy. Remember you can hit the whatever you call the giant middle button and go to the creature info to figure out the details in the middle of a fight if you need it.

One tip it took me a while to figure out: One fire arrow does some damage but doesn't get you the real burning effect. A fire circle appears on the creature. Keep shooting until that circle fills, once it gets a white outer circle you've achieved the burning effect, lay off the fire arrows until that finishes. Same thing with shock and freeze and probably corruption but I haven't used that one yet.

Tearblast (one of the alternate arrows on the sniper type bow) doesn't do regular damage, it tears pieces off. On a big fight I'll generally start with a couple of those that will take away some of the machines extra attacks and simplify the battle a little bit.

You will probably end up with multiple bows on your weapon wheel. Variety is the spice of life... or survival in the game.

I'm still loving it. Some of those hunting ground challenges are HARD!
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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by baelthazar »

Coop, we can come up with other games for you to justify that $450 purchase! :D For one, once you are done with Horizon, you should check out Nioh (unless, of course, you hate Dark Souls-type games). That said, Nioh is a Dark Souls-like that I can enjoy for a variety of reasons (the biggest one being that I hate the confusing open map of the Dark Souls series). There are also some neat exclusive JRPG and other tactical PS4 games (I love Disgaea and Persona 5 is coming next month).

Back to the topic at hand. I saw IGN had an article that Aloy is one of the best female protagonists in years. I might argue, after about 15+ hours in, that she is one of the best protagonists of any gender in years. She is sardonic, jaded, occasionally vengeful, but also heartwarming, compassionate, and inquisitive. She feels like a real person (as was said above). I have a relatively new daughter (10 1/2 months) and I think that really made me connect with the relationship between Rost and Aloy in a very short time (the intro and prologue was, IMHO, a masterpiece).

Now I do not have a Wii U anymore or a Switch, so I have not been able to play Zelda: Breath of the Wind, but there is an obvious comparisons here given that these two released nearly at the same time. In contrast, Link has always been a cipher - a blank slate with little to no personality except what all the other character and the player put on him. He never speaks. Contrasted to Aloy, he just seems empty. Are they achieving different things? Maybe. But I wonder if the nostalgia vote is what pushes one IP's scores above this new IP's review scores.

I rarely get as connected to a story in a game like I do with the stories in books. Oddly, the last time I connected with a story like this in a game was Bioshock Infinite, and there are personal reasons for that (and I realize that the story was not the best in that one).
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Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by $iljanus »

Random thoughts:

Was startled when Aloy was talking to herself in the mountains and her voiced actually echoed.

In a big battle with some Corrupted there were so many things on fire that the area was filled with smoke for a little while and Aloy started coughing.

Loved when after a big fight outside the gates of a fort the folks up on the ramparts started cheering for themselves and praising their Sun god and Aloy has a sarcastic response about how she did all the work.

I'm trying to stay somewhat spoiler free because uncovering various clues and historical tidbits about the old world is a lot of fun. I'm just wondering why I haven't seen any organic life form larger than a boar at the moment.
Black lives matter!

Wise words of warning from Smoove B: Oh, how you all laughed when I warned you about the semen. Well, who's laughing now?
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MonkeyFinger
Posts: 3223
Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2004 10:23 pm
Location: South of Denver, CO

Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by MonkeyFinger »

So. Good. :D

Love all of the small comments she makes... one that caught me a bit off guard was when I was sneaking through tall grass, hunting, when she says "Great, now they're hunting me". Wait, what? Need to keep my head on a swivel. LOL
-mf
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AWS260
Posts: 12664
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2006 12:51 pm
Location: Brooklyn

Re: PS4 Horizon Zero Dawn by Guerrilla Games

Post by AWS260 »

I'm also really enjoying this. So many side quests!
ChuckB wrote:* Totally agree with YelloKing on the characters in this game - almost all of them feel very "real" and not "computer game real" but "real life real". It's not the typical computer game heads that come in male/female and white/brown/dark but most of them look like people you encountered in real life, at least on a phenotype basís.
I saw a TV ad for HZD featuring the actor who plays the first merchant you meet. I knew this because he looks exactly the same in real life and the game.
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