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SPOILERS AHEAD
Collector’s Edition purchased on Amazon and played on a PS4 Pro with a Ben-Q 2560x1440 monitor.
Much has been written about Horizon Zero Dawn’s jaw-dropping graphics and nearly perfect locked 30 FPS with barely any glitches. Indeed after 80 hours in completing and platinuming the game, I ran into one glitch where the killed machine continued to float in the air. That was the only instance in 80 hours of gameplay. This technological achievement was so impressive that Digital Foundry recommended the game, even though they only comment on the technological aspects of the game, and are not a game-experience review site.
However, as impressive as the technical accomplishments are, the other elements--the character development, story, gameplay, the lore and the cohesive world--and how all the narrative elements offer a coherent interaction for the player, are even more impressive. Guerrilla Games didn’t just slap things together and call it a day, which they could have, especially as dinosaur/animal robots are all but universally appealing. Instead, they really thought through the character of Aloy, and I really can't see this game without her, so tied-in is she with the world and events. They also carefully thought through how the world came to be the way it is.
Also impressive is the pacing of the game. I often got sidetracked into finding the collectibles, but once tired of collecting, I turned to side quests, and once tired of side quests, continued onto the main quest, and so on; I was never bored playing the game. In fact, I was sad when I got the Platinum trophy, but that's a good excuse to play the game again once I can afford a 4k OLED HDR television that the game demands to be played on.
In terms of gameplay (to me, the most important element of a videogame), the combat is very tight, fluid and precise, and you have to be tactical to take down the more fearsome machines. Obviously, I do the R2 heavy attack on the low level Watchers, but for the higher-level, you need strategy, knowledge of their weaknesses and attack patterns, and the reflexes to dodge. A negative aspect of gameplay is that melee is a bit limited, and I hope in the sequel, they can add more machines that lend themselves to melee combat, as in Dark Souls (which remains my favorite game so far). However, in terms of fluidity of combat, precision and complexity, the ranged attacks in HZD are the best I have ever encountered.
The most awe-inspiring and most-fun gameplay experience I’ve had in a long time are the encounters with the Cauldrons, especially the very first one. I feel that there are too few in this game, and hope that in the most likely sequel Guerrilla Games will include more Cauldrons that are longer and more complex.
I also appreciated that it's very rewarding to get trophies organically while playing the game; one gathers the trophies in the natural course. That is, as long as you do most of the quests and errands (for the All Allies trophy). If you somehow do not get a trophy and even pass the point of no return and finish the game, it dumps you back before the point of no return so you can pick up any remaining trophies, with all of your stats, gears and items intact. The trophy system, and that I never once had to put down the controller and look at a guide, demonstrate the game's level of immersion. In so many games, there is very esoteric stuff that you will miss without a guide, so you might not get the full experience if you don’t know to look the stuff up. It’s not very immersive when playing a game to have to consult a guide to make sure you don’t miss any trophies. With HZD, you can play the game blind and experience everything the game has to offer, as opposed to needing multiple playthroughs. This is actually the only game I've seen which does that. (full disclosure: I’m not the best gamer, so I did look up YouTube instruction on how to beat the Hunter Trials, but most gamers won't need to).
In conclusion, this is the first open-world game I have played where all the elements are superb. Often, open-world games might come up short in combat mechanics, or story, or character development, world/lore building, or other aspects, but not HZD. It cost $45 million dollars to develop, but it feels more like a $200 million game.
If you have a PS4, you owe it to yourself to play Horizon Zero Dawn. An "instant classic" masterpiece.
From the manufacturer
Experience A Vibrant, Lush World Inhabited By Mysterious Mechanized Creatures
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A Lush Post-Apocalyptic WorldHow have machines dominated this world, and what is their purpose? What happened to the civilization here before? Scour every corner of a realm filled with ancient relics and mysterious buildings in order to uncover your past and unearth the many secrets of a forgotten land. |
Nature and Machines CollideHorizon Zero Dawn juxtaposes two contrasting elements, taking a vibrant world rich with beautiful nature and filling it with awe-inspiring highly advanced technology. This marriage creates a dynamic combination for both exploration and gameplay. |
Defy Overwhelming OddsThe foundation of combat in Horizon Zero Dawn is built upon the speed and cunning of Aloy versus the raw strength and size of the machines. In order to overcome a much larger and technologically superior enemy, Aloy must use every ounce of her knowledge, intelligence, and agility to survive each encounter. |
Cutting Edge Open World TechStunningly detailed forests, imposing mountains, and atmospheric ruins of a bygone civilization meld together in a landscape that is alive with changing weather systems and a full day/night cycle. |
Embark on a compelling, emotional journey and unravel mysteries of tribal societies, ancient artifacts and advanced technologies that will determine the fate of this planet, and of life itself.
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Horizon Zero Dawn - Earth is Ours No More
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Reviews with images
Amazing Collector's Edition for an amazing game
This is just a review for the Collector's Edition, not the game itself. I was a little disappointed when it was announced that the soundtrack was not included, but I found it on Spotify, so that's not a big deal. The steelbook for this is beautiful and fits in well with the other steelbook games that I have.The statue is amazing. It has a high level of detail and looks great sitting on my entertainment center. The bowstring was detached on one side when I got it, but that was easily fixed with a dot of super glue. The statue is also a resin rather than ceramic like some other statues I've gotten which makes the smaller parts flexible and much much less likely to break. Overall I could not be happier with the statue and I will probably order the Thunderjaw Collection later to set next to this one.The outfits and bows are good but I don't think it would be worth it to upgrade to the digital deluxe edition of the game just for those. There are other in-game items that are just as good. I actually liked the Gamestop exclusive outfit and bow that was given out with any version of the game more than the collector's edition items.The artbook is the only thing that I was disappointed with in this. It is extremely small making it hard to see the art in it, and it is very short so there's not a lot of content in the book. This was one of the things that got me excited for this collector's edition so it was a let down when I realized a little before launch that it was that underwhelming of a book. My wife decided to order the bigger artbook on Amazon and we will probably put the one that came with this away as it doesn't really add much to the collection.Overall my wife and I were very satisfied with this collector's edition and it has been a great game so far. It was more than worth the price and it will be a center piece of my collection for a long time.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2017
Platform For Display: PlayStation 4Edition: Collector'sVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2017
Platform For Display: PlayStation 4Edition: Collector'sVerified Purchase
Top reviews from other countries
Eduardo Moreno
Exelente juego y figura!!!!
Reviewed in Mexico on March 19, 2017Platform For Display: PlayStation 4Edition: Collector'sVerified Purchase
red 5
Great game!
Reviewed in Canada on March 12, 2017Platform For Display: PlayStation 4Edition: Collector'sVerified Purchase
JCB
One of the best games I've played this gen
Reviewed in Canada on March 10, 2017Platform For Display: PlayStation 4Edition: Collector'sVerified Purchase
Ivan GH
Opinión
Reviewed in Mexico on March 24, 2017Platform For Display: PlayStation 4Edition: Collector'sVerified Purchase
Juan Rosales
Excelte juego
Reviewed in Mexico on March 22, 2017Platform For Display: PlayStation 4Edition: Collector'sVerified Purchase
Juan Rosales
Reviewed in Mexico on March 22, 2017
La figura de Aloy está muy detallada, está hecha como de plástico. El libro de arte secme hizo muy pequeño aunque el contenido si es de buena calidad. La caja metálica me encantó tanto el interior como el exterior, lo único malo de esto es que las características del disco solo están presentes en la caja exterior del paquete, me hubiera encantado tenerlo impreso y dejarlo en el interior de la caja metálica, para cuando prestará el juego se pudiera saber tanto la capacidad necesaria como los aditamentos que contiene.
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