Topic: Horizon Forbidden West

Couldn't find a thread for it.

I was looking at the pre-order prices, and I was wondering; Is there any reason NOT to buy the PS4 version? It's cheaper, you can upgrade for free, and it also plays on PS4, if you want that for whatever reason.

@Octane The reason I could think of is the fact that you'd have to download the entire game to play the PS5 version, which could be an issue for people with datacaps (which are apparently a common thing in the USA).
The only other thing is having the PS5 logo on the box

Honestly I was wondering if they're going to update the pricing to match the PS4 version but it hasn't happened yet.

No, there doesn't appear to be any reason to buy the PS5 version if you don't care about having that version of the game on disc.

@Voltan At least the PS5 version is €70 I think. I've seen some stores setting the pre-order price at €80, which was the price of Demons' Souls. But if they're 60 on PS4 and 80 on PS5, the €10 upgrade makes even less sense. We'll have to wait until the next big game to see how they will handle that I guess.

@Octane it's €69.99 for PS4 and €79.99 for PS5 but I'm sure some retailers sell it at a lower price.

It's crazy if they don't update the pricing so that they are both the same. I don't think you can see the PS4 version of the game if using the store on the PS5 so that will mean most people will end up paying more for the same product?

@velio84 That's good then although it would rely on people being aware that the PS4 version is effectively the same thing and ordering it via the app rather than the store on the console.
The steel case does look nice and although the figurines look great I'm just not interested either.

According to r/legoleak there is a LEGO tallneck set coming in 2022. Would be awesome if they announce a partnership with Sony and/or gaming in general. Overwatch 2 sets are also confirmed for 2022.

No new footage but they talk about the hands-off preview they did and honestly it all sounds pretty amazing.

@Voltan You mean you might finally stop playing Guilty Gear Strive to play this when it comes out?

I'm purposely avoiding watching anything, but it's good that it sounds like it's going to be great. I had little doubt of course given that the first one is still one of the best games of it's kind. Granted it's only 4 years old, but I'm having a blast with it all over again to get ready for Forbidden West.

@KilloWertz Lol, I DEFINITELY do play other games too! I will admit that I’ve been playing GG even more since I got the VIP status
But anyway, I pre-ordered HFW as soon as it went live and it’s definitely one of my 2 most anticipated games of next year, along with God Of War!

As for that video - they mostly talk about the improvements to settlements, as well as skill trees and crafting. They also said that Guerrilla is very careful about not revealing too much about the story and stuff.

@Voltan I never see you playing anything else, so prove it.

Thanks. Knowing that, I will likely watch the video at some point then.

@Voltan I saw that advertisement last night during the College National Championship game (great game btw) and HFW looks astounding. From the promo, it looks to have it all — dynamic appearing gameplay, exceptional art design, and compelling narrative setting. I mean, it’s nothing that we here didn’t know, but I’m certain that it caught a few ‘casual’ viewers by surprise. Really glad they are upping the marketing and there’s a chance this game could be huge. When a PlayStation or Xbox ad comes on during a football game, my ears and eyes always perk up (I tend to ignore commercials otherwise and just use the break time to check my phone or go to the bathroom, etc) but I am always disappointed by a generic ad for something like FIFA or COD, or one of their overarching ‘Play Has No Limits’ montages. But that Horizon ad really got my blood pumping. It seemed to work on me because I’m now considering buying it at launch after all. I’ll have to see if I can resist.

@Th3solution Cool, sounds good I'm really excited for this game!

@Voltan What immediately strikes me is the use of color in the footage. It’s spectacular. Even the robots just pop off the screen with more life and the game seems to have taken one of PlayStation best looking games and made it even more eye-catching.

Some people may not like the vibrant colors in use and prefer a darker and grittier feel, but I love it.

@velio84 It’s a good question since despite all its praise, Zero Dawn had some issues.

For me, the biggest problem was I felt it dragged in the middle. Some of that is my own obsessive-compulsiveness at chasing every icon and side quest before proceeding with the mainline story. It’s my own character flaw and has locked me out of finishing epic games like Witcher 3 and Dragon Age Inquisition. Nevertheless, I’d like the pacing of the game to be a little more consistent. I don’t want to feel the slog in the middle trying to cross huge territories to get to a plot point, only to find 15 hours later that I’ve done a bunch of side content on the way and totally forgot where the main plot was going. It worries me that the article recently posted on the main page says the length of the game is ‘roughly similar’ to Zero Dawn’s length because I felt that it was a tad too long.

My second issue has to do with the early bits with the child Aloy looking a little freakish and some of the character animations being way too wooden. There was a lot of uncanniness in the head-bobbing and blank looks, especially on NPCs. It’s a problem common to many games, so I didn’t really let it ruin my enjoyment of the game, but now with the PS5, I expect better facial animation. At least on the order of Detroit Become Human or the latest Naughty Dog games.

Based on the little bits and pieces we've seen - I think the interactions between Aloy and NPCs seem to be improved with better, more expressive performances. I loved Zero Dawn's lore, the audio logs and all that but always thought a lot of the dialogue (especially the parts where you had dialogue choices) fell very flat in comparison.
Also they talk about how side quest structure is improved, which sounds good too.

@velio84 like you say the traversal and melee looks to be improved… I’d also like to be able to ride the flying beasts too. It’s been hinted at but no solid info.

@Voltan I agree — the lore and world building was top notch. I’m a big fan of the tribal / primitive setting, yet with the Sci-fi background. It really is one of the most unique and creative settings on all of gaming. And so perhaps it makes the individual and one-on-one interactions feel so vacant, just by sheer stark contrast. I never felt invested in any of the NPCs or their plights. Aloy was about the only character I really connected with. I’m not sure if it was shallow writing and lack of depth in the dialogue, or subpar performances, or technological shortcomings, or likely a combination of all of the above. Whatever the cause, I felt like I was often going through the motions to do a side quest or have an NPC interaction, just so I could get to the next cool gameplay moment. Here’s hoping that with Forbidden West that they create expanded narrative that makes the player really ‘care about’ the extraneous storyline.

Another issue that impaired my enjoyment initially was that it took me a while to appreciate the full spectrum of skills and equipment available. The first half of the game I relied on simple shooting, stealth, and melee. Again, this is probably a ‘me problem’ rather than the game, but once I figured out that I needed to be experimenting with other equipment and weapons, then the game opened up more for me to enjoy. I’m not sure if anyone else had this problem, but maybe the game was a little lacking in the tutorial department. It’s a thin tightrope to walk for game designers to do enough hand-holding to get a player in the habit of trying out all the features without being overbearing and menial in the process. For me, Zero Dawn was a shade too restrictive at first with getting me accustomed to new tools.