hurststephen

I could write for 10 pages why this game is absolutely amazing. The setting, mood, characters, mechanics, gameplay loop, music, etc. I also think they made the sequel more streamlined so it can appeal to more players. I personally loved the first one. This is just that but improvements across the board. This captures a lot of human emotion that I can relate to. The stoicism of Sam and his solitude life makes for a great character that is forced to connect others. Brilliant game.

I've left maybe 3 reviews for games over 30 years of playing them. I feel it's my absolute duty to warn people from this game. I'm a lifetime TMNT fan and a huge fan of the new movie. This games advertisement and trailers show off a completely different game. It's almost false advertisement. Loading screen after loading screen after loading screen. 70% of the game is dialog. The first mission you have to do is put on a peaceful protest??? This game has obvious agendas and was developed by a team of people that have no business in the video game industry. The combat is the worst part. The block mechanic is supposed to be a main function but doesn't properly work or feel good. 2 player local only. Games developed 15 years ago allowed hundreds of players to play online together. Why couldn't a game about 4 turtle brother have a 4 player option. Makes no sense. The camera angles are abysmal. The obvious parallel to the political immigration happening now in the US is not subtle in the game. It's shoving a one-sided opinion in your face. The mutants are immigrants needing a place to live in NY. It's up to crime fighting ninjas to stick up for them??? No matter what your views are on politics. I don't want them shoved in my face in a TMNT game!!!! Awful game, wish playstation gave refunds.

Horizon Zero Dawn is a science fiction, open world action game with RPG elements. That is the technical definition of the game. However, the game should be defined as a story about a young girl who loses everything, but rises to be a hero in a harsh but beautiful futuristic world. Gameplay – You play as Aloy, a young girl with a mysterious past. While the game focuses a lot on exploration the combat is the highlight of this game. The player gets a variety of weapons to take down the enemies. It is some of the most creative use of traps and bombs I have ever seen in a video game. This isn’t a game where you can run in guns blazing. Not to say those moments are totally absent from this game, but it isn’t what the developers had in mind. Aloys main weapon is a bow and arrows. Each Unique bow has unique function or type of damage. Along with bombs and traps the player has multiply ways to destroy enemies. The combat is strategic but not in a difficult way. It’s a system that lets you be creative, without having a steep learning curve. Whether you are discovering a cave with a secret piece of armor or surviving a horde of machines the game seems to offer something for just about every type of play-style. Graphics and sound – I played Horizon Zero Dawn on the PlayStation Pro. The developers took advantage of the Pro’s features and turned an already good look game into a visual masterpiece. Blades of grass move with the wind, sunlight trickles through dense tree tops, and rivers splash as they traverse through the land. These little details add so much to the experience. The game has you cross multiple different bio-domes. You start your journey in dense forest areas. Eventually crossing desert and snowy mountains. The game is based in a futuristic Mid-west America. Mostly in Colorado. The developers do a phenomenal job in capturing Colorado’s unique landscapes. They also recreated many real landmarks and locations. There was something eerie but satisfying seeing Colorado in this ruined post-apocalyptic state. This beautiful crafted world wouldn’t mean anything if the sound accompanying it didn’t match. One good example of the level of detail of sound put into this is the creak of rope on Aloy’s bow when she draws it back to fire an arrow. That was probably easy for the development team to replicate. The impressive part is all the futuristic sounds they created that do not exists. The giant robots sound as if they could actually exist. The screech and click as they move. You can hear their joints as they stomp around. Story and characters – The story of Horizon is the best part of the game. It’s the distant future and instead of an advanced society with flying cars and laser pistols, the human race as devolved in a way. Society has reversed back to tribes and more primitive ways of living. Part of the story is discovering what happened to the world and how it got this way. Aloy is kind of an outcast in her tribe. With no parents to look after her, she grows up in the wild, honing her survival skills. After a devastating tragedy on her tribe, Aloy is forced out into the world. There are so many interesting elements to the story the range from revenge to new friendships. But the highlight of the game is uncovering the mystery of why the world fell. Aloy is one of the most interesting characters in any video game I have ever played. Because she was isolated for her entire life, she is naïve about the world. This makes her curious. She doesn’t know deceit or cruelty. These means Aloy has flaws and makes mistakes. This allows the character to grow. While Aloy is most definitely a kick butt character. She isn’t this overpowered super hero. I think that is so important for the audience to have some sort of common ground with the character. While Aloy is the only playable character in the game, she isn’t the only interesting one. As you travel you will meet interesting, funny, and sometimes dangerous NPC’s. The development team proved they can make their own strong female lead. Which seems to be a hot topic now-a-days in the gaming community. Gamers love female leads. Look at Laura croft from Tomb raider, Jade from Beyond Good and Evil, Jill Valentine from Resident Evil. I could go on and on. Aloy is prof we still have smart writers in the gaming industry that can deliver a powerful, unique, and rememberable female lead.