Gaming Horizon Forbidden West (PS4/PS5)

largelyworried said:
I think the fact they've changed it for the new game is a recognition that this was a fairly common complaint. It also didnt help that it got released in the same week as BOTW, it couldn't help but be compared to it. But it was no sort of deal breaker for me, just a way in which a competitor was better.
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Botw changed the way open worlds should be made, it's a stand out major title in that sense. I think we'll see the fruits of that down the line, as behind the scenes game designers took note and all worship it and wish they came up with it. Nobody saw that level coming, so you can forgive the games launched around it.

Although I got bored with Horizon fairly early on, I do appreciate what they did with it and think it's a much better world to build on than most of these kinds of games. It's a tough situation though, they'd love to make it much more interactive and realised, but we do have to remember it's a mainstream console game and with that comes many restrictions.
 
This is pretty much the only game that would tempt me to buy a PS5. Not that I'd be able to get one anywhere soon anyway!
 
Irwin99 said:
Apologies if this sounds dumb and I'm missing something obvious but will most PS5 users who buy physical copies plump for the PS4 version with the free PS5 upgrade in order to save 15 pounds? It's strange to me that they're not following Elden Ring's example of having an equal price between the console generations. I think developers are going to be glad when the PS4 era is finally laid to rest and they can focus solely on the current gen as it seems a lot of compromises are being made.

At any rate, I plan to get this, beat it within a week and then get Elden Ring. :D
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Every other Sony game will have a £10 upgrade fee if you buy the PS4 version but Sony made a total balls of the Horizon price reveal and said initially you couldn't even upgrade the ps4 to ps5 version so they back tracked and gave it for free just for this.
 
Redlambs said:
Botw changed the way open worlds should be made, it's a stand out major title in that sense. I think we'll see the fruits of that down the line, as behind the scenes game designers took note and all worship it and wish they came up with it. Nobody saw that level coming, so you can forgive the games launched around it.

Although I got bored with Horizon fairly early on, I do appreciate what they did with it and think it's a much better world to build on than most of these kinds of games. It's a tough situation though, they'd love to make it much more interactive and realised, but we do have to remember it's a mainstream console game and with that comes many restrictions.
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As someone who's never played it, can you elaborate on what made it different? I've never payed attention to that game because i'll never play it (don't own a Switch, not likely to sadly)

Open world games definitely need to be something special to get my interest and HZD had that intense combat system together with a very pretty natural world. However, I've seen people play AC Valhalla and more recently Dying Light 2 and I just don't think I could do with that sort of thing anymore (no offence to anyone who likes those games, they just don't grab me in any way).
 
I totally disagree that it changed how they should be made (and I love BOTW), it just added another way they could be made with far less limitations, using the environment to your disposal and limited guidance and instead letting you go discover everything yourself. But that's a format that simply wouldn't work for a lot of OWG's, especially if they're very story driven, like Horizon or The Witcher. For sure there were some aspects that other games should try to adapt but not even OWG needs to be like it.
 
Vidyoyo said:
"There are other frustrations. While Forbidden West is not a difficult game to understand, it acts like it is. Aloy will narrate your every move, and I mean every move ("I should scan this." "I fell off and need to find my way back up"), robbing you of all agency to discover anything for yourself."

Not that I was ever going to buy it but am I the only one who dislikes this particular trend? Halo had it to an extent and it also sucked.

malreynolds-firefly.gif
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Blergh. That will get on my tits quickly.

I'm one of those who takes my time with games and it's just going to result in Aloy going "Maybe I should X" and me saying "I know what to fecking do, can you just be quiet?" to a TV screen.

There really needs to be a turn off baby mode dynamic hints mode in games for stubborn cnuts like me.
 
Massive Spanner said:
I totally disagree that it changed how they should be made (and I love BOTW), it just added another way they could be made with far less limitations, using the environment to your disposal and limited guidance and instead letting you go discover everything yourself. But that's a format that simply wouldn't work for a lot of OWG's, especially if they're very story driven, like Horizon or The Witcher. For sure there were some aspects that other games should try to adapt but not even OWG needs to be like it.
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Agree. Horses for courses as they say. Witcher 3 would be plain silly with the mechanics of BOTW, and visa versa.
 
So the climbing seems to be the one thing that people (even those who love the game) dislike about the game. Just watching a few videos on it, it seems...fine. Obviously, without playing it yourself you can't comment too much, but from what I've seen, the places where you can climb are easily highlighted at a press of a button and seem plentiful.

If it was up to you to find a place that you can climb through trial and error I could see that being very annoying, but as long as it's clearly highlighted (which it is) I can't see it being THAT much of an issue. Maybe I'll change my tune when I get my hands on it.

It does look incredible though. Loved the combat in the first game.
 
Having 2022 game of the year in the title before it is even released is so cringe.
 
Just realised didn't see the Mrs weekend just gone so she will be expecting to see me this coming weekend.

Fake COVID?
Fake my own death?
Dump her?

What's the best option?
 
I really thought I'd be able to get my hands on a PS5 in time for this. Now it becomes a test for my will power - can I hold off or am I going to fold and buy it for the PS4?
 
Recently replayed the first…just an incredible game. Looks to be pretty much exactly the same with some quality of life improvements, so can’t imagine not loving it.
 
Irwin99 said:
Apologies if this sounds dumb and I'm missing something obvious but will most PS5 users who buy physical copies plump for the PS4 version with the free PS5 upgrade in order to save 15 pounds? It's strange to me that they're not following Elden Ring's example of having an equal price between the console generations. I think developers are going to be glad when the PS4 era is finally laid to rest and they can focus solely on the current gen as it seems a lot of compromises are being made.

At any rate, I plan to get this, beat it within a week and then get Elden Ring. :D
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Charging more for the PS5 version is ridiculous. I'll never agree with it. It would be like charging PC players with a better rig a higher price for the same game.

Anyway, I can't wait for this. I loved the first game. It was my favourite game of last gen, and this seems to be a better version of that. The Digital Foundry tech review video has made my hype levels go up so much.

It's this and then The Witch Queen expansion for me. No idea how it'll be possible to finish this in 4 days!
 
This looks downright stunning visually and in terms of physics :drool: You'll have the usual snobs complaining that it can't hit native 4K 60 but 1800p 60 is still truly impressive for a 500 quid console.

 
Its 1800p checkerboarded so I will probably play on 4k 30fps.

Hope they can get 40fps mode like Insomniac has it for Ratchet.
 
Massive Spanner said:
I totally disagree that it changed how they should be made (and I love BOTW), it just added another way they could be made with far less limitations, using the environment to your disposal and limited guidance and instead letting you go discover everything yourself. But that's a format that simply wouldn't work for a lot of OWG's, especially if they're very story driven, like Horizon or The Witcher. For sure there were some aspects that other games should try to adapt but not even OWG needs to be like it.
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amolbhatia50k said:
Agree. Horses for courses as they say. Witcher 3 would be plain silly with the mechanics of BOTW, and visa versa.
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I wasn't talking about the gameplay and flow. As a massive Zelda fan, I can say BOTW is not my favourite. Witcher 3 was before it btw, let's not get strawman here and if we want to go there I'll remind you that the game launched in a mess and still isn't fixed...

I'm talking about the world and how it works. Not the tasks and the gameplay within it. If you want the same old physics and AI as long as they package the game you want, then that's great! But I'm telling you now, Botw was more than just that game, it put open worlds to shame and it is the way forward. On a lowly Wii-U they showed how you can make a world make sense, one that simply works logically. If you want shiney shiney at the cost of innovation, then that's "horse for courses", but if you want gaming to move forward then you can surely see what they did can actually change how we perceive what should be to come.

But hey, let's have dumb ai and the same old mechanics simply because the latest idea is finally 4K or whatever they claim.
 
Never played BOTW but everytime I've seen it or watched a video I've always thought it looked a bit empty. Couple of trees or rocks here and there. Suppose it was something to do with Wii U limitations? Maybe I've just seen crap videos or screenshots.

I do need to play it at some point due to the absolute bumming to death it appears to get online. I'll have to borrow one the kids' switches I suppose.
 
One Night Only said:
Never played BOTW but everytime I've seen it or watched a video I've always thought it looked a bit empty. Couple of trees or rocks here and there. Suppose it was something to do with Wii U limitations? Maybe I've just seen crap videos or screenshots.

I do need to play it at some point due to the absolute bumming to death it appears to get online. I'll have to borrow one the kids' switches I suppose.
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Depends what you are looking for, and also what you want from a game.

BOTW has unlimited options of what to do and where to go, but it doesn't have structure. It's biggest flaw is that it's not a game in terms of leading you around from place to place, but it's biggest strength is letting you actually do what you want when you want but that doesn't necessarily mean a great experience. It's not empty though, far from it.

From my own personal pov, if they keep the world the same but give us a proper Zelda story and path in the sequel than nothing can touch it. I'm not sure that's the plan though.
 
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Redlambs said:
I wasn't talking about the gameplay and flow. As a massive Zelda fan, I can say BOTW is not my favourite. Witcher 3 was before it btw, let's not get strawman here and if we want to go there I'll remind you that the game launched in a mess and still isn't fixed...

I'm talking about the world and how it works. Not the tasks and the gameplay within it. If you want the same old physics and AI as long as they package the game you want, then that's great! But I'm telling you now, Botw was more than just that game, it put open worlds to shame and it is the way forward. On a lowly Wii-U they showed how you can make a world make sense, one that simply works logically. If you want shiney shiney at the cost of innovation, then that's "horse for courses", but if you want gaming to move forward then you can surely see what they did can actually change how we perceive what should be to come.

But hey, let's have dumb ai and the same old mechanics simply because the latest idea is finally 4K or whatever they claim.
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No. Witcher 3 wasn't shiney shiney at the cost of innovation. Different games emphasize on different things. The Witcher 3 focuses highly on its visuals (for its time), the richness of its world, and most importantly characters, dialogue/writing and story. And for that it pushed forwards. Just like Uncharted (not my fabourite series)pushed narrative based action games forward big time. It's not just AI and physics that can push the envelope, other aspects contribute to excellence.

For me Outer Wilds is the most unique experience modern gaming experience. But that doesn't mean other games that aren't as unique don't achieve excellence in their own right. And it's way isn't the only way it make games. Hence yeah, horses for courses.
 
Redlambs said:
Depends what you are looking for, and also what you want from a game.

BOTW has unlimited options of what to do and where to go, but it doesn't have structure. It's biggest flaw is that it's not a game in terms of leading you around from place to place, but it's biggest strength is letting you actually do what you want when you want but that doesn't necessarily mean a great experience. It's not empty though, far from it.

From my own personal pov, if they keep the world the same but give us a proper Zelda story and path in the sequel than nothing can touch it. I'm not sure that's the plan though.
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This I agree with
 
amolbhatia50k said:
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No. Witcher 3 wasn't shiney shiney at the cost of innovation. Different games emphasize on different things. The Witcher 3 focuses highly on its visuals (for its time), the richness of its world, and most importantly characters, dialogue/writing and story. And for that it pushed forwards. Just like Uncharted (not my fabourite series)pushed narrative based action games forward big time. It's not just AI and physics that can push the envelope, other aspects contribute to excellence.

For me Outer Wilds is the most unique experience modern gaming experience. But that doesn't mean other games that aren't as unique don't achieve excellence in their own right. And it's way isn't the only way it make games. Hence yeah, horses for courses.
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Witcher 3 came before BOTW. It's not even close to what I'm talking about, but if you want to talk about it I can point out all the things it's absolutely dreadful at. Yet I still have countless hours in it. Just because it's your best game ever and not even in my top ten, doesn't cheapen the experience for either or us nor does it make bringing it up in this debate relevant.

Again, I'll say it, I'm talking about the world and how it works. I'm talking about the physics and how it all comes together. If you honestly think BOTW hasn't genuinely made designers sit up and take note then I don't know what to say. I'm not, and never did suggest it's the greatest simply because of being a zelda game...it's not even my favourite Zelda game...but it is a benchmark. Say there was to be a witcher 4, would you not want it to move forward? Do you not want physics to move forward? Would you not want worlds in the future to feel more living and breathing? How does that even change your favourite games in any negative way? How does that make the witcher 3, for example be worse?

And you know I love Outer Wilds, I don't need to be told every game has to be the same. Again, you've missed the point in what I originally said. Instead of getting that, you responded to what spanner took from it. And he took the wrong thing, admittedly that's my fault though as I could have been clearer...

But the point still stands, and it will be proven. Botw is the new benchmark for what a gaming world can and should be. The game within it, that's a different story up to what we make of it.
 
But we do agree, there's not just one way to push a genre forward.

Witcher 3 did that in terms of the rich world building and story, Botw did it in terms of how the world works and the insane options.

Back on topic, I wasn't a massive fan of Horizon originally. It is better on PC with proper aiming, but still I found the gameplay lacking and somewhat basic. Yet it did bring back memories of Fallout, and the story did at least resonate. I know I should also hate it, but I never had a problem with the climbing/mobility either, I think it worked in this game.

If they can build on that, then I'm on board. Though I do bulk at the idea that adding swimming sections is ever a great idea (and feck you Nintendo for that! :lol:)
 
One Night Only said:
Never played BOTW but everytime I've seen it or watched a video I've always thought it looked a bit empty. Couple of trees or rocks here and there. Suppose it was something to do with Wii U limitations? Maybe I've just seen crap videos or screenshots.

I do need to play it at some point due to the absolute bumming to death it appears to get online. I'll have to borrow one the kids' switches I suppose.
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It you have a somewhat decent PC you can emulate it on CEMU - a Wii U emulator. Can even be played in 4k at 60fps and you can disable some of the annoying aspects of BOTW such as stamina and weapons breaking.
 
I caved and payed the scalper price for a ps5 so I can play this baby. Looks absolutely stunning!
 
MiceOnMeth said:
I caved and payed the scalper price for a ps5 so I can play this baby. Looks absolutely stunning!
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I've considered doing the same and then selling it afterwards because there aren't any other games that I'd want to play anytime soon. Seems a bit drastic just for 1 game though.
 
I have to admit I’m slightly less excited after watching the skill up review. I really enjoyed the first game on the whole (got a platinum) but I tried to go back to it recently and honestly the gameplay is pretty average. The story was also largely forgettable and personally I didn’t like the sci-fi elements that much so to hear they are going all in on that element is concerning. Despite that, I’m glad to hear the haptics have been improved and visually it looks stunning. I guess I was just hoping to get some better quality of life UI upgrades to make it look abit new and fresher. I’ll probably still end up picking it up on release as I have zero willpower!
 
My copy has just been shipped fingers crossed its here tomorrow :D
 
I just hope the story/writing is better this time out. That was the one thing that held it HZD being a really really great game - writing was generic. I'm not expecting HFW to be elite in this regard but hope it's an improvement.
 
I'm no doubt in the minority here, but I couldn't give two shits about the story. I think it's just the way I consume games. The story is very much in the background to gameplay and performance. There are some exceptions, of course, but generally speaking, I don't play games for the story.

As long as the world is interesting and holds up visually and in terms of performance, while also having very solid gameplay, then it's all good for me.
 
One Night Only said:
Don't they stay locked anyway due to online connection and updates?
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You can still play the game. The day one patch is available already. The only thing I'm unsure about is the upgrade to the PS5 version. I haven't seen any discussion about that. I assume it'll only become available as the game releases.

I ordered my copy from SimplyGames. I didn't get a shipping email today, so it looks like I won't get it until Friday.
 
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