Horizon: Forbidden West Review Thread

Casual Shinji

Should've gone before we left.
Legacy
Jul 18, 2009
19,690
4,474
118
I can see the intentional downgrade even there. Mostly in the cheekbones. "Pretty much all" isn't totally assuring.
OH NO, NOT THE... cheekbones?!

Horizon: Zero Dawn
horizon-zero-dawn-pc-patch-makes-aloy-walk-straight-1602599266869.jpg
Horizon: Forbidden West
horizon-forbidden-west-review-1644515572232.jpg

Yeah, the intentional downgrade resulting in a far more detailed and attractive face. Guerilla just went and ruined Aloy's rubber skin and empty eyes to appease the crowd who hate.. women looking... better? Due to more advanced rendering, lighting, and facial capture?

'Intentional downgrade' my ass. This is fucking puddle-gate all over again, but somehow even more sad.

And 'pretty much all' as in 70+ hours of playtime without even having encountered that particular scene, and every cutscene within that time frame having been rendered in real-time. So seriously, what's with this weird attitude as if this one shot of her looking not pristine makes the whole game lose value?
 

Ezekiel

Elite Member
May 29, 2007
1,056
558
118
Country
United States
That one does look more flattering. Why did they show her in that state in the first place?

Still wish she had stronger arms, but that bothered me in the first game too.

And 'pretty much all' as in 70+ hours of playtime without even having encountered that particular scene, and every cutscene within that time frame having been rendered in real-time. So seriously, what's with this weird attitude as if this one shot of her looking not pristine makes the whole game lose value?
Huh? I wasn't asking if you saw her look like that at any point in the game, I asked if it was all in-game to know if she could possibly ever be edited 100 percent with the install folder.
 

Casual Shinji

Should've gone before we left.
Legacy
Jul 18, 2009
19,690
4,474
118
That one does look more flattering. Why did they show her in that state in the first place?
Probably because when they first revealed the game they were still in the process of optimizing the graphics. Also, that whole scene apparently isn't even in the game, it was just for the reveal.

Still wish she had stronger arms, but that bothered me in the first game too.
One actual downgrade is that they got rid of what little ab definition there was in the first game. Tummies look almost unnaturally flat in this game.

Huh? I wasn't asking if you saw her look like that at any point in the game, I asked if it was all in-game to know if she could possibly ever be edited 100 percent with the install folder.
I wouldn't know about that, but considering pre rendered cutscenes were barely a thing in the first game (or really any AAA game at this point) I'm guessing the same is true for Forbidden West.
 

Ezekiel

Elite Member
May 29, 2007
1,056
558
118
Country
United States
Nah. They thought they were being progressive and then changed their minds after a bunch of people like me (Not me, because I didn't pay attention at the time.) posted meme pics and complained.



This doesn't strictly come from being in the process of optimizing graphics. It's ideological. I'm just glad everybody made fun of them.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: gorfias

Casual Shinji

Should've gone before we left.
Legacy
Jul 18, 2009
19,690
4,474
118
Nah. They thought they were being progressive and then changed their minds after a bunch of people like me (Not me, because I didn't pay attention at the time.) posted meme pics and complained.



This doesn't strictly come from being in the process of optimizing graphics. It's ideological. I'm just glad everybody made fun of them.
Bull. Shit.

People "like you" were still complaining after the game's release because Aloy had teenie tiny peach fuzz hairs on her face, another supposed example of making her ugly on purpose for progressive reasons. Almost as if people (like you) were purposefully looking for things to find ugly, like fucking cheekbones. Cherry picking the few shots in that reveal trailer that show her face not being 100% photogenic, as opposed to the rest of the footage where her face looks totally fine, which were ignored so your crowd could push the narrative that their sexy ladies were being taken away from them by the woke mob.
 

hanselthecaretaker

My flask is half full
Legacy
Nov 18, 2010
8,738
5,905
118
Probably because when they first revealed the game they were still in the process of optimizing the graphics. Also, that whole scene apparently isn't even in the game, it was just for the reveal.

One actual downgrade is that they got rid of what little ab definition there was in the first game. Tummies look almost unnaturally flat in this game.

I wouldn't know about that, but considering pre rendered cutscenes were barely a thing in the first game (or really any AAA game at this point) I'm guessing the same is true for Forbidden West.

I really don’t understand why they would even need any pre-rendered scenes in these games at this point, unless it’s a carry-over due to hiding load times on 8th gen hardware. The rest of the game looks fantastic in real time so it can’t be about needing better visuals.
 

CriticalGaming

Elite Member
Legacy
Dec 28, 2017
10,891
5,421
118
The rest of the game looks fantastic in real time so it can’t be about needing better visuals.
I had to buy a new 4k TV last week and this game looks fucking ridiculous on a 50" 4k TV. I'm tempted to restart the game just to see all the shit i missed playing on my shitty 1080i tv. But then again they just added NG+ last week so I guess I don't have too.
 

hanselthecaretaker

My flask is half full
Legacy
Nov 18, 2010
8,738
5,905
118
I had to buy a new 4k TV last week and this game looks fucking ridiculous on a 50" 4k TV. I'm tempted to restart the game just to see all the shit i missed playing on my shitty 1080i tv. But then again they just added NG+ last week so I guess I don't have too.
I know they’re going to do at least one more Horizon but I really, really, really really really really want to see GG do another Killzone, only with actually good writing and aiming to top KZ 2’s balls-to-the-wall presentation in particular. With haptic feedback, pressure triggers, Tempest audio, etc. that could get me interested in shooters again.
 

CriticalGaming

Elite Member
Legacy
Dec 28, 2017
10,891
5,421
118
I know they’re going to do at least one more Horizon but I really, really, really really really really want to see GG do another Killzone, only with actually good writing and aiming to top KZ 2’s balls-to-the-wall presentation in particular. With haptic feedback, pressure triggers, Tempest audio, etc. that could get me interested in shooters again.
I doubt that will be anytime soon. The market is saturated with shooters and even when they finish Horizon, I'm willing to bet that GG is going to want to do another RPG series because of the popularity and success they saw with Horizon which they never saw from Killzone.
 

hanselthecaretaker

My flask is half full
Legacy
Nov 18, 2010
8,738
5,905
118
I doubt that will be anytime soon. The market is saturated with shooters and even when they finish Horizon, I'm willing to bet that GG is going to want to do another RPG series because of the popularity and success they saw with Horizon which they never saw from Killzone.
B…but Killzone put them on the map and made Horizon possible. They can’t end the series on the sour note that was Shadow Fall. Nope. Refusing to accept it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BrawlMan

CriticalGaming

Elite Member
Legacy
Dec 28, 2017
10,891
5,421
118
B…but Killzone put them on the map and made Horizon possible. They can’t end the series on the sour note that was Shadow Fall. Nope. Refusing to accept it.
Has Killzone sold as much as Horizon? If not....then there is your answer. Killzone was Sony's attempt at their own Halo or Gears and I don't think enough people cared enough.

EDIT: I just checked. Killzone Shadow Fall sold 2 million copies and Horizon Zero Dawn sold 20 million copies. HA Forget it. Killzone is dead.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BrawlMan

BrawlMan

Lover of beat'em ups.
Legacy
Mar 10, 2016
27,113
11,372
118
Detroit, Michigan
Country
United States of America
Gender
Male
B…but Killzone put them on the map and made Horizon possible. They can’t end the series on the sour note that was Shadow Fall. Nope. Refusing to accept it.
While true, Shadow Fall is not a good game. It's another linear corridor shooter, that discourages from going off the beaten path. In fact, it does that stupid thing where you automatically fail if you're not going to designated area and has those stupid warning signs. Your best bet is just a pretend it doesn't exist and that the series ended at the third game.

Has Killzone sold as much as Horizon? If not....then there is your answer. Killzone was Sony's attempt at their own Halo or Gears and I don't think enough people cared enough.

EDIT: I just checked. Killzone Shadow Fall sold 2 million copies and Horizon Zero Dawn sold 20 million copies. HA Forget it. Killzone is dead.
Yep. Halo, Gears, COD, and Wolfenstein (Nazis, but in space!).
Killzone is dead.
Killer Is Dead...
 
  • Like
Reactions: hanselthecaretaker

bluegate

Elite Member
Legacy
Dec 28, 2010
2,343
945
118
I had to buy a new 4k TV last week and this game looks fucking ridiculous on a 50" 4k TV. I'm tempted to restart the game just to see all the shit i missed playing on my shitty 1080i tv. But then again they just added NG+ last week so I guess I don't have too.
Why did you ever get a television that at best could do an interlaced image? Any fast moving game would have looked horrible on your television these past fifteen years.

Go back and replay everything you've touched in the past decade and a half.
 

CriticalGaming

Elite Member
Legacy
Dec 28, 2017
10,891
5,421
118
Why did you ever get a television that at best could do an interlaced image? Any fast moving game would have looked horrible on your television these past fifteen years.

Go back and replay everything you've touched in the past decade and a half.
I had a 4k gaming monitor for a long time. But when I moved I needed a real TV and my Dad gave me his old TV. The moment I tried playing anything on it I ran over to Target and got a real 4k TV because I couldn't stand it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bluegate

Silvanus

Elite Member
Legacy
Jan 15, 2013
11,200
5,874
118
Country
United Kingdom
EDIT: I just checked. Killzone Shadow Fall sold 2 million copies and Horizon Zero Dawn sold 20 million copies. HA Forget it. Killzone is dead.
2 million isn't massively outstanding, but it's not exactly failure. Not every game needs to be the biggest thing ever.

Of course, I also recognise that the attitude of AAA publishers very much is that every release needs to sell tens of millions or its not "met expectations". Your post is in line with the industry approach, I get that. I'm just saying it's an unhealthy way of looking at it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BrawlMan

hanselthecaretaker

My flask is half full
Legacy
Nov 18, 2010
8,738
5,905
118
2 million isn't massively outstanding, but it's not exactly failure. Not every game needs to be the biggest thing ever.

Of course, I also recognise that the attitude of AAA publishers very much is that every release needs to sell tens of millions or its not "met expectations". Your post is in line with the industry approach, I get that. I'm just saying it's an unhealthy way of looking at it.
It was also a launch title aka system seller. I think if they did another one with the same treatment that GoW received, it might not sell quite that much but it would still be a big hit.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: BrawlMan

Silvanus

Elite Member
Legacy
Jan 15, 2013
11,200
5,874
118
Country
United Kingdom
Completed the game yesterday, and got the platinum trophy today after very little post-game cleanup.

The trophy requirements for Forbidden West are a looooot lower than they were in Zero Dawn. At the hunting grounds in particular.