Horizon: Zero Dawn Review|Gamecritics

Horizon: Zero Dawn checks all the open-world boxes and will have no problem eating up a number of hours for people who aren’t tired of this formula yet, but with more focus on its strengths and a willingness to break away from what every other open-world game does, Aloy’s journey could’ve easily been one of the year’s best.

[rivaldoo777]

These dumb guys have U4 5/10 lol idiots

[Majin-vegeta]

These guys are just got clicks just check their history

[rivaldoo777]

Can't even bother to click so just too irrelevant to me and I have a masterpiece to play :)

[GtR35olution]

I have played a lot of horizon zero dawn and i mist say that rating this game lower than like a 9 out of a 10 means you arent credible in my opinion. The game ia amazing

[Genuine-User]

Amateur, unprofessional reviewer.

"Approximately 18 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was not completed."

This website should be delisted from Metacritic. The reviewer didn't even bother to finish the game.

[fiveby9]

I wonder if for Metacritic the average should exclude the bottom 'x' number of scores and the top 'x' number of scores like they do in some Olympic sporting events. Remove a certain portion of the results which skew the average. Not sure what that 'x' number should be but just a thought.

[TripleCs]

@Genuine-User

I hate to say this but I honestly think metacritic should disable user reviews as well. Horizon has been getting loads of 0's from fanboys that can't play the game. It serves no other purpose other than for insecure fanboys with way too much time on their hands to give exclusive games that they can't play low scores so they can feel better about themselves and not being able to play them. The user reviews system is totally pointless to keep around if it's just going to be abused to this extent especially since there is no way of verifying whether or not the people giving these games really low scores on metacritic even bothered purchasing the game.

[JackStraw]

Exactly. They're no better than all the raging fanboys on Metacritic rating it 0/10 just to discredit the game. It's absolutely pathetic.

[starchild]

I got the game today and I haven't played a lot yet, but so far I would have to give it very high marks for its presentation, its gameplay, its polish and sound.

@BadBoyC

Unfortunately, it has been like that for a long time. User reviews on metacritic are absolutely worthless. 90% of them are just fanboys under-rating or over-rating games based on platform loyalty.

[indysurfn]

ummmm I'm playing this now and my jaw keeps dropping to the floor.....So my thought is why do we need a PS5 or a xbox one(2) with graphics this good? On a side note the HDR is amazing! All my tv's are 4k so I can't speak to how good it looks on a 1080p tv but I bet it still has to be the prettiest thing EVER even on one of those!

Trust me there is more to this than graphics, you will care about the characters (except the ones you are forced to hate). The game play is awesome too. And so far the story is awesome and touching (see that is how to not be a spoiler)

[starchild]

@indysurfn

Why will we need a PS5? Well, to get even better looking games of course. Remember how impressed we all were with the graphics of Uncharted 2 last generation? I heard lots of people say things like "can graphics even get better than this?" but now we're enjoying stuff like The Order 1886, The Witcher 3, Uncharted 4 and Horizon Zero Dawn, which all clearly look much better than any game from last generation.

Imagine playing something that looks like Avatar in real time. Believe me, graphics in videogames games can still improve a lot.

That said, I don't completely disagree with where you're coming from. I've been playing Horizon off and on all day and it has blown me away. I game on both PS4 and PC and if I'm being honest I'm not sure there's any other game on either of those platforms that is more impressive as a total package. Horizon somehow managed to one up Uncharted 4's visuals even though it's an open world game. It surpassed my expectations.

[Bimkoblerutso]

He kept using this word, "gangbang."

...I do not think it means what he thinks it means.

[morganfell]

These people forget that the purpose of such media isn't to serve one's self. It also isn't to serve the people. Their job is to serve the truth and the truth in turn serves the public trust. These clowns wouldn't recognize the truth if it popped out of the toilet and bit them in the rear.

They have a right to their utterly ridiculous review.

I have a right to blacklist them the way I have several other ridiculous sites such as usgamer.net that only write reviews for clicks to drive revenue.

Basically they damage gaming for their own greedy ends.

http://www.pcworld.com/arti...

This may seem like a hassle but it is quite simple and once you do it the first time you are set and then it is a case of just opening a notepad file and typing a new address to add a blocked site. I keep a shortcut on my desktop so I can add moronic websites like gamecritic.com in 5 seconds flat. I do not use some of these downloaded browser extensions because most actually take you to the website for a split second before blocking the page. That credits them with a click and I will deprive them of that. This method prevents you ever getting to the site and hits these people where it matters and where they deserve.

[UltraNova]

After all this time we should all be wary of scam sites like these and never click-out.

All contributors should aim to report posts like these not approve them, and this goes for all kinds of clickbait posts.

[moegooner88]

And the ones would labeled God of War 3 as a very disappointing finale. Ever since that review, I stopped taking them seriously.

[Blastoise]

God of war 3 is arguably the best in the series. How anyone could think it was disappointing is beyond me, they went above and beyond with that game and its still one of the best in the genre.

[Yui_Suzumiya]

Omg! That was the only God of War that I completed due to how amazing it was!

[Gwiz]

They said that?LMAO....

[Unspoken]

The game repeats what is already out and just puts it in a new setting. Not everyone is going to like this game and since it's on PS4 might as well dock a couple points from any review because of hype.

[DarXyde]

I wouldn't say disappointing, but I definitely enjoyed God of War II the most. III, of the numbered games, is actually my least liked, though I did enjoy it.

As for Horizon, I'm playing it now. I'm playing on a standard PS4 and Good God, I find myself taken aback by the scenery and visual fidelity. Guerilla really knows how to make excellent use of hardware. This only marks the second game this generation to really make me say "holy ****" out loud, the first being Uncharted 4. I can't even fathom this game's graphical prowess on Pro. Jeez, guys.

The funny part is, I would not be surprised if Death Stranding upstages Guerilla using their own engine.

[starchild]

@DarXyde

I'm playing it on my Pro and it blows my mind. The 4k checkerboard resolution looks fantastic. I'm serious, checkerboard rendering is not some crappy trick. I've seen it in a handful of games now and I am quite impressed with how good it looks. Native 4k is still sharper and clearer, but it's not as big of a difference as you might expect.

So yeah, excellent image quality. The framerate is also stable and feels pretty smooth for 30fps.

The graphics themselves are incredible. I've played all the best looking games on PC and PS4 and this may be the most technically accomplished game I have played.

[Relientk77]

They're irrelevant

Btw I started playing Horizon, it's fantastic and looks gorgeous

[Majin-vegeta]

Mines sitting in my car mocking me as we speak 😭

[Aenea]

Grrrrrrr! We Europeans have to wait an extra day! Sigh, at least I got my shipping confirmation this morning for the limited edition, so will have it tomorrow before noon!

[TripleCs]

@Aena

I feel your pain.. The wait can get damn near unbearable. Not sure if you ordered from Amazon but it looks like I may have to wait an extra day myself. Amazon is now telling me that the game has shipped but there has been a "delivery delay". Mind you this "delivery delay" supposedly happened at 5:05PM today yet its only 3:30PM. Very weird but I probably won't be pre-ordering games from Amazon again.. -_-

[starchild]

@BadBoyC

As an amazon prime member I often buy new games from amazon because I get a 20% discount, but I bought Horizon locally and paid full price because I didn't want to wait a couple days to play it. That's how much I was anticipating this game.

[datboyscoop]

4k on pro?

[TripleCs]

They also gave Bloodborne a 7..

Anyone else starting to notice a trend here?

It seems to me like every year when theres a highly anticipated PS4 exclusive that gets released or theres that must play game that you just have to play if you own a PS4 these guys come out of nowhere and give it a low or average review score.

[UCForce]

Yeah, they gave BloodBorne a 7. Even I understand some people don't like difficult game, but this site isn't know what its doing.

[Number_9]

They gave Nioh a 95

[rivaldoo777]

We're talking about highly anticipated games not unexpected gems like Nio

[ShadowKnight]

Didn't they give Halo 5 a 9?

[starchild]

I thought they gave Halo 5 a 5.5? They also gave Nioh a high score. It seems their opinions often differ from the majority, but not always.

[morganfell]

"They gave Nioh a 95"

And I am supposed to suddenly think they are brimming with competence? Either through design or by way of idiocy gamecritics.com is harmful to the community.

Besides, even a broken clock is right twice a day...

[generic-user-name]

When you're not a talented enough writer to get clicks based on your work so you resort to low balling metacritic for easy clicks.

PatheticSkinner.jpg

[Rangerman1208]

They also gave Halo 5 a 5.5 so yeah.

But hey, atleast they were positive with King of Fighters 14, TLG, Until Dawn and Helldivers.

[Bennibop]

Do these guys feature on metacritic? They really shouldn't be f they are

[dumahim]

I checked, they are on there. Not sure if they remove the low and high end stuff though like they should.

[ONESHOTV2]

Rivaldo777---So they are stupid because they gave their honest review of a game ? You guys need to stop trying to push games that some people have no interest in their face. What if I told you to go and play a RTS or some thing like that I can bet you wouldn't like it. Just like me I have no interest in the uncharted series or horizon zero dawn, but does that mean I have no interest in Sony exclusives ? No that wouldn't be correct I love the Yakuza series and the persona series the GT series is nice as well but seriously you guys need to stop.

[Stevonidas]

6 out of 10 for Uncharted 4.

[TheSaint]

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, even if that opinion is wildly wrong.

[Gazondaily]

Obvious case of looking for hits. Uncharted 4 a 5? Bloodborne 7? This 6.5? Bias or they just hate videogames.

To be fair to them, they appear to substantiate their problems with the game in the content of their review but the score just doesn't seem in line with the 'reality on the ground'.

Its also got to be said that its not mandatory to break away from the formula of other open world games if that formula lends itself well here. Obviously their argument states otherwise. In any case, you folks know what to do here. Game is out tomorrow. Critically acclaimed by 90% or so of critics out there and it should be a blast. Make up your own minds. Cant wait for my copy

[MasterCornholio]

Holy crap that they gave Uncharted 4 a 5/10.

[SR388]

Even I wouldn't say that lol I gave U4 like 8, not played HZD yet would like to as my mate says it's not very good and it just a copy of enslaved, which I will say does look like it lol

[MasterCornholio]

@SR388

A ton of people are saying that Horizon is great though.

[Tumaras]

Oh and btw Quantum Break a 7/10. If Quantum Break is a better game than Uncharted 4 and Horizon, I'll have 2 of whatever they are drinking.

[ravinash]

I wouldn't have 2 of whatever they are drinking... who would want to live in that world.

[remixx116]

Picking mine up now!!!!!

[foxdie2k15]

Got mines yesturday morning and its a perfect 10

[tywinlannister000]

Out today for me

[its_JEFF]

I'm actually kind of okay with this score, I disagree with it, but it's their opinion. I don't know if these sites understand how "reputations" work. If you have a reputation or being unjustly harsh or being bunch of liars or click bait who*es... ppl catch on and now you have a sh*t rep and no one trust you... but then again, they could just be completely honest and they just hate most games.

Now, what I find more important is how they score their next "open-world" game and if similar points are brought up and then ignored, or brought up and just as harshly criticized for it. The thing I don't trust is a reviewer or review site that criticizes inconsistently. Just makes you look like giant dishonest and biased pricks!

[Xb1ps4]

I know I'm off topic but I need a little help

Can someone recommend a non biased tv review site?

I just got a 65" Sony Bravia x850d. My intentions was to buy the ks8000 but the guy assured me that the Sony tv was the way to go but damn near every single review I can find online says the ks8000 is the best led.. I'm thinking of bringing it back for the ks8000.

[its_JEFF]

Don't have a 4K TV yet... but for your case, I'd go back and return it. Pick up that ks8000, it's gonna eat you up inside. You'll always wonder, should I have? or I should have! Do it for your own sanity.

[WickedLester]

LMAO! Give me a damn break!

[Nexus530]

Must have been playing a different game to all the other reviewers....

[subtenko]

Dont have to click to know BS when I see it.

[mocaak]

Just checked some of their reviews:

Uncharted 4 - 50
Assassin's Creed 2: 55
Witcher 2: 55
Assassin's Creed Revelation: 50
Saints Raw The Third - 50
Far Cry 4 - 50
Ni No Kuni - 50
Assassin's Creed - 50
Dragon Age 2 - 25
Heavy Rain - 40
Fable - 40

Without a question they are the biggest clowns in the industry. How does Metacritic still accept reviews from them is beyond me.

[Relientk77]

They are a joke. Confirmed

Literally all the games listed deserve higher scores

[dumahim]

At least they're probably right about Dragon Age 2 being the lowest ranked of those titles.

[Bathyj]

Maybe they're scoring out of 60 and no one has noticed

[Deep-throat]

Their opinions. Deal with it.

[ravinash]

Were there any that scored 90% + at all?
Just wondering what they see as a perfect game.

[CP_Company]

click bait :)

[candystop]

Ouch!

[Rhythmattic]

Wow... these guys are fruit loops.. Seriously...
http://www.metacritic.com/p...

[GrimDragon]

It's Just their opinion guys. If you bought the game and your enjoying it don't let a few bad reviews take that away. Not every game is liked by everybody. Some people hate certain games more than others. So a harsh review might be expected.

It's like a judge in a criminal case. Depending on how much he hates the crime committed and the attitude of the criminals who committed the same crime he might give one guy 5yrs and the other 10.
I personally don't like games with butch like females so won't be buying this for the same reason I won't buy for honor. Shallow I know. What can I say I like eye candy with my gameplay. But mostly don't care for games tainted with social justice bs. Might not even get mass effect for this reason but not sure yet.....looks too dam good...might have to overlook the Justin bieber looking females.

[jznrpg]

Look at their history over years, they consistently give great games low scores for clicks

[iceman06]

The differences between a judge and a critic are much more vast than just you analogy. The judge has the rule of law and precedent to guide his rulings. Sure, there are extreme judges thapush the envelope. But, that's not the norm. Much like this review is pushing the envelope on a game that the precedent seems to be set at the average score being at least high 80's. People are reacting to that...and past extreme reviews. Either they are click baiting or they are extremely harsh. Neither of these scenarios is normal.

[GrimDragon]

Yeah I get what your saying. But I think by this time most gamers know to take any review no matter how credible with a grain of salt. At the end of the day it's just an opinion. And it should not sway anyone's purchasing power. If a game interest you just buy it judge for yourself I always say.

[trooper_]

Opinions can be disagreed with. Horizon definitely isn't a 6.

[Silly gameAr]

There's having an opinion which is fine, and then there's just low balling for the sake it. The "it's just their opinion" defense just doesn't work here.

[GrimDragon]

Lol but your statement is an opinion in and of itself. Even if this guy dissed every game you love he's pointing out his reasons for it you can agree or disagree. This nonsense about a game sites review conspiracy is rediculous really. But that's just my opinion also.....maybe I work for those guys who knows.

[gwumper987]

I understand your basis for not wanting to get the game (I don't have the same opinion but to each their own), however she is not really a bitch character. Also just because it has a female protagonist does not mean it's the been corrupted by the infamous "SJWs" that people seem so afraid of. The character is a female because thatshe what they chose, and it really doesn't seem to have been chosen to prove some sort of point. Maybe give it a try, or don't, but don't label it tainted with BS when you really have no idea if it is.

[GrimDragon]

Dude let me school you on a few things about this game. Look up the developers and everyone involved in making this game. 90% of them are with the sjw feminist movement. In fact do you know who Ashley burch is? If not look her up. Check out her Twitter feed. She is the voice of the character aloy. She is in fact a feminist icon. You may not realize this but a strong feminist agenda is permeating our game market and ruining the industry with its cancerous existence. Look at this game, mass effect, street fighter, overwatch, for honor, and a growing list of more games looking to take over with sjw bs.

Don't get me wrong iam all for women's rights, equality etc. but I draw the line at feminism and men bashing, I draw the line at forcing social influences into our past time. We have a growing problem in the game industry that many people seem afraid to confront because understandably they would be labeled as bias and prone to marginalization. But the truth couldn't be further from the fact. The constant contradictions of feminist prove a hidden agenda in everything they do. Their biggest tool is guilt tripping you.

But of course that's just my opinion. For your reading pleasure I've included a link to some info you might find interesting about this game.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Ko...

Anyway I don't give my money to liberal sjw feminist @ssh0l3s or those that support such a totalitarian view that has all but destroyed what was once a legit complaint by oppressed women.

[ShadowWolf712]

ZOMG Aloy's not a man and they're promoting her character, it MUST be an SJW Feminazi plot!

Get over yourself, dude. She's an actual compelling character, and she's not "butch". She's quite feminine. Her clothing, her hair, her features, clearly female. Were you expecting her to have her breasts hanging out? Wear a fur bikini? Wear makeup in a pseudo-ancient tribal setting?

[gwumper987]

@GrimDragon
Firstly, yes i do know who Ashley Burch is. I don't agree with a lot of what she says but you know what, she is the voice actress. She didn't write the script, she didn't model the characters, she didn't make the game. There are definitely going to be some people (of the many) at Guerrilla Games that hold views differing from your own (and my own I'll have you know). I do take great issue with the current third wave feminism movement that is oh so present throughout society. I will be the first person to stand up and speak against the bull shit that the like of Ashley Judd, Anita Sarkeesian, and yes even Ashley Burch. That being said, a game featuring someone like Alloy isn't exactly obsessive feminist propaganda. Alloy isn't a butch character, yes she is strong, and yes she is badass, but simply because she is wearing more than nipple tassels and a G-string, doesn't make her butch. She looks perfectly normal and is wearing clothes that are applicable to her lifestyle, environment and culture. Would you buy this game if the protagonist was male. If so, you seriously need to get over your own preconceptions and judgments and look at a game for... you know, the game part.

Not wanting to get For Honor because of the butch women is kind of ridiculous. They are built and strong because in the context of the game they are fighting giant viking men and adept knights. If they were small and skinny they probably wouldn't fare too well.

I have no problem with someone not wanting to buy this game for a legitimate reason, and if you don't want to buy give money to the people you consider too invested in militant leftist feminism, all the power too you. Don't pretend its because of some moral high ground and that your fighting against the feminist machine.

[moegooner88]

School ?? Loooool, keep crying please, too funny.

[lunatic0001]

I haven't played the game but from what I seen..There is no way (even fanboys) that can rate this game that low...This game looks like an 8 or above and an 8 is already nitpicking imo

[Sevir]

And then you have these.... Lol

[Chaosdreams]

I've grown accustomed to seeing clickbait scores. And you know what?

I never click on the bait.

[PlayableGamez-]

Uncharted 4: 5/10
Horizon ZD: 6.5/10
Bloodborne: 7/10

It's odd how Sonys highest rated exclusives are for some reason getting average or below average ratings from these guys.

[Gemmol]

didnt like uncharted and do not like horizon from what I see.....I probably would give the same score, but knowing how people are on this website, having your own opinion is wrong

[yellowgerbil]

Opinions are free to say what ever they want. Reviews aren't opinions they are a metric of quality through a subjective lens. They hold weight and need to be professional. Giving a game a 65 in my opinion is giving it a D. A game has to be broken or fail at what it is trying to be. By all accounts this game isn't broken nor is it failing at its genre so this review is unresponsible and should not hold weight with metacritic

[PlayableGamez-]

One thing is to have your own opinion.
Another thing is to use your critique platform to downplay an OBVIOUS quality game for clicks.

[MadMax]

It says the reviewer didn't even complete the game, at the bottom of the page. Never heard of this guy before, his fake review means nothing. Most all games nowadays have meaningless filler side quests, which can definately get tedious! Far cry primal was an awesome game in my opinion, who cares if it borrows from that game! I don't care how much filler crap there is in this game, it still looks incredible and it's one of the reasons I just upgraded yesterday to a Pro.

[PGRfox]

"Aloy’s journey could’ve easily been one of the year’s best." Um, it is lol

[jznrpg]

This guy or girl just doesn't like video games or more than likely just needs money and needs clicks to get some, f off no clicks from me.

[Einhander1971]

God of war 3 totally amazing!! they must be idiots lol, Horizon will be purchased without a doubt.

[CrimsonWing69]

Guys, quit your day job.

I know you think you know what being a game critic is all about but when a majority of your piers review a game with 8's, 9's, and 10's and you give it a 6.5 or 5... it might be that you either don't know what the hell it is you're talking about or this just isn't the right job for you.

[Wallstreet37]

I have no doubt in my mind some outlets are paid on the low by others companies to drop scores of certain games coming from certain console companies. Metacritic plays a big role on how ppl percieve a system, its games, its worth etc... and although some if these troll reviews wont tarnish Horizons grandeur or stop it from getting a high score it does lower its score compared to its competitor games who probably wont have troll reviews included. I am not saying ppl cant be opinionated and not like games most like but some reviews are straight ckick bait and bs.

If you think suppposed professionals dont have biases or agreements with other companies (yeah conspiracy theories) what world do you live in? In my world we have politicians who will rezone a whole community just to get its hands on affordable housing or to be able to build certain properties. A world in which companies lie about hardware defects for sales and a world in which a reviewer such as Gestmann in 2007 was fired from gamespot because he gave Kane and Lynch a bad review even though gamespot was running a big banner ad for the game which was worth quite a hefty sum :)

Idk man some of these reviewers do alot of flip flopping lol and have arbitrary review guidelines. Oh this game has no campaign so lets deduct points, which for another game turns into "oh this game is an mp centric game so no campaign is ok lets give it a 95". Lol

[TheOptimist]

Hmm... I wonder if reviewers get paid to give good scores to raise the Metacritic. Having a look at all the 10's that have been showered by sites named after PS (PlayStation Lifestyle's 10/10), and some others, I don't see a reason as to why your opposing theory is not true.

PS- I own both a PC and PS4, but your argument is pretty much a double sided sword.

[Wallstreet37]

Of course, whats your point? That its double sided? I gave an example of a gamespot person getting fired for giving a game a bad score after gamespot was paid to run the games ad and the ad provider expected a high score hmmmm yes these happen. However the overall consensus grom a variety of sites is that horizon is an excelent game with scores averaging 9 or better overwhelmingly so what effect would another 10 have? As opposeed to a paid low ball score of a 5 or 6 lol. A crap game getting low scores overall with some paid 10,s will not affect the game score significantly, a good game scoring higj scores with some paid low troll scores will.

[Specter229]

Getting this game today through gamefly, my Xbox is going to miss me for awhile.

[joab777]

So even if you choose to ignore all the extra open world activities and just enjoy the world and robots and story, it's still a 6.5? I doubt it. Absurd argument!

[Takwin]

I would never click that site. Took it off my Open Critic. If you use Open Critic, remove the trolling/clickbait websites.

[opinionated]

I'm only a couple of hours in but I don't see how 6.5 makes any sense. I don't see how the 10s and "icon" level hype makes any sense either.

[iliimaster]

this game is a tomb raider rip off camp fire saves, zip lines, bow and arrow id rather just do another playthrough of tomb raider

[CP_Company]

robots,dino,guns,pistols,super natural,open world,tribes,yeah,rip off..
what kinf of a fuckinn retard you are?

[iliimaster]

are you serious? u gotta be kidding me everything u listed is in tomb raider except dinosaurs and robots, just because the girl runs weird and fires a bow n arrow different makes this game not a rip off? i get the "loyalty" with ps4 but if this game was a xbox exclusive everyone on here would be agreeing with me

[PFFT]

Bunch of idiots! Horizon is freaking AMAZING graphically, Story and Gameplay wise!
Horizon is a 10/10

[bluefox755]

Quit giving the site clicks and attention, lol.

[TechnoGoat]

LOL piss off.

[Chumdiddy]

LOLOLOLOL

[Scatpants]

If this game is a 6.5 to you you have no business in game reviewing. I know game review are just opinions, but in this instance an opinion can be wrong. It's just for click-bait anyway.

[reaper602]

Nice clickbate site ya have there.......

[MADGameR]

They must be on drugs or mad that we have the FIRST EVER native 4K AAA console exclusive.

[Sm00thNinja]

Horizon isn't native 4k what are you smoking.

[MADGameR]

I just picked up a brand NEW SEALED copy of Horizon Zero Dawn! HANDS down the best looking game this generation! And the fact that you can switch between 1080p higher frame rates and 4K 30FPS is amazing! All I'm missing is my 4k HDR HDTV which I will be getting by the end of March/early April.

[The_Sage]

Don't forget about wide color gamut

[EnsignHiro]

Congrats man. Trust me youll love the 4k/ hdr world its totally worth the upgrade from HD.

[TheColbertinator]

Well written and excellent review. Much respect.

[The_Sage]

You forgot to put /sarcasm at the end. Sadly, I have to admit that I read that article and there is no way that you could be serious.

[saint_seya]

You are pathetic.
Stop annoying in every Horizon thread. I don't know what kind of things Guerrilla did to you. Show me in the doll where they touched you.

[Cryptcuzz]

With no standard / credibility for reviewers in videogames after generations of proving itself that it is a medium with critical success is alarming.

Especially more so when a no name web site like this can have click bait reviews listed on things like metacritic?

With the hour or so I've put in Horizon: Zero Dawn, I can honestly say it is one of the best games I've played...ever.

It has top notch graphics I didn't even think was possible on even the Pro. Music and how dynamic it is depending what is happening on screen. Real time weather system brings the lush landscape to life even more. The voice acting. Character model, questions of where Aloy came from, who are these robotic Dino's and where they came from drives me forward.

So a review for a game like this is not right IMHO.

[XStation4pio_Pro]

i can respect a difference in opinion but that score sucks all the credibility out of the room. having officially played HZD now I can say even on a basic level it deserves better than a 6.5. either this person(s) has an axe to grind, is just trying to get clicks or doesn't know how to review a game objectively. This game is of a super high caliber/quality. The story/writing, while not pulitzer prize winning is interesting, unique and well done (especially for a video game), the voice acting is good, the presentation is f***ing fantastic (only played on 4k/hdr ps4 pro - don't know how base looks), the gameplay is weighted very well, responsive, satisfying, character and world designs are badass and more than anything the game draws you in, actually wanting to discover more in both the story and the world. 6.5 my ass.

[Elda]

What's going on?....with this BS!

[InTheZoneAC]

not clicking, but sites like this should be banned for allowing such a terrible(talking about the reviewer) review to come out and this reviewer should be banned from ever giving insight for another product online.

so tired of games getting negative reviews because they do too many things right and not enough "new" things like this description above stated.

[jerethdagryphon]

So because its open world and follows open world rules its rated lower if it wasnt open world it would have rated lower because it wasnt..

[XbladeTeddy]

If you clicked the link and gave them hits you're a fool and should hunt the nearest troll and offer yourself up as food to it, 'cause that's what you are now, troll food for hungry trolls.

[LastCenturyRob]

Yeah, it's just too bad 99% of the internet these days is troll bait....or porn...As long as it isn't troll porn I guess that part is OK.

[LastCenturyRob]

The hardcore fan-boys need to stop complaining...The game is getting average to excellent reviews with the majority being way above average. The worst reviews I have seen are just "average". Not the end of the world. Most are above that. Not everybody is going to think the game is the best ever.

[MattE]

Man these Sony fans just don't get it.. not everyone loves the brand and games. Simple as that. Get over yourselves. I have to say though, what's with t
he voice acting ? And lip sync issues ? Reminds me of some Japanese dubbed movie from 90s .. just saying

[Brash]

Part of this reviewer's 'review is really just "I wasn't very good at the combat; therefore, the combat is bad."

[yeahokwhatever]

Don't stress the metacritic numbers, guys. Any respectable game publisher doesn't just go off the metacritic overall rating. they have their own list of credible reviewers that they check to base their critical success against.

[cyx]

These guys are insane for that score. Had HZD since the 23rd and its a beautiful and breathtaking experience. I was never sold on the hype but i was eagerly hoping HZD would prove me otherwise and it did. Another motive for getting it was to get a taste of the decima engine and i can see why kojima went with guerilla games . GG did a great job transitioning themselves from the FPS genre to ARPG especially this being their 1st time doing so

[Mithan]

7 hours into it so far (played most of the day). Great game.

[aConIsDemocracy]

Some things in life are bad, it can really make me mad, one of those things are sites who write for clicks. They don't write rather well, in fact they really smell, and most of us just couldn't give a shit. Always......

[windblowsagain]

Haven't got Horizon. But UC4 is a 9.5/10 God of war 3 is a 9/10.

Maybe they don't like Sony?

[aConIsDemocracy]

Those games are worth 10. They hate them alright. :)

[Tankbusta40]

Wonderful world, just wish I liked Aloy more

[Petebloodyonion]

Reviews will always be biased for the simple fact that reviews are written by humans and human are naturally bias.

So yes perhaps this one is biased because he had a bad experience with Sony, but I could say the same from the one who scored the game a 10 on a website with the game advertised, where the reviewer received the free t-shirt, goodie, and others from the publishers. And where he made sure to give the media an exclusive preview interview with the dev team so they could highlight all the great features that the reviewer should experience and enjoy.

In the end remember, Steam restrained the review option to only players who bought the game via Steam because some companies were giving free keys in exchange for positive reviews.

[NecoTehSergal]

Oh hey, another website to blacklist, and also to report on N4G.

[EnsignHiro]

And this ladies and gentlemen is why i take almost every single game review especially from bigger named sites and what not with a grain of salt. People in here are mentioning they gave other big hit games like uncharted 4 a super low score shows they either A have a poor choice im deciding what makes a game legit bad or good, or B they do such obnoxious things like giving well recieved games a low score for clicks.

Again its cool that some people need a review to help them try to decide if the purchase will be worth it but there is such a thing as just waiting til its much cheaper to pay even less for the game. It sucks that many game reviews are hard to trust nowadays.

[kamilkazi]

Been playing games since the SNES days, and this one is up there with the best. No joke, possibly the smoothest controlling open world game I have ever played, a joy. I was not expecting it to be this good!

[Dan_scruggs]

Now that's just mean.

[PiperMCFierceson]

The game is very solid for me so far.

[ibrake4naps]

So, are they just sony haters or what??

[Psychonaut85]

Hahaha. Wonder what it feels like to be a whore for something as insignificant as clicks? They won't get mine

[jjb1981]

These are the guys on metacritic that voted it a 0 and have no other history beside giving Halo 5 a 10

[Skillz1215]

6.5 lol GTFO

[mad-dog]

Do you think people will ever give your site a click again? Is this fake-review worth the one click in a lifetime for you?
People have actually played the game. And while i know you could technically defend this "review", all people who played this game know it's way and above a 6,5. You should stop and find something you really like doing.

[MagicBeanz]

LOL, salty reviewers make me laugh. Picked it up earlier today, maybe spent about eight hours or so in the game so far and from that alone I can tell you this review is total bullshit, pardon my french.

[Raiden]

Lol, we live in a world where we all have our own opinions, what someone may like you might not, this is life, the only comment I have on HZ is the lack of replay and multiplayer mode.

[krypt1983]

Its there opinion and they are entitled to it why are you so butt hurt ? If you enjoy the game that's all that matters

[chris235]

uncharted 4 was not better than a 5... you fans did not realize it, but the formula was beyond stale when u4 got released. i am all for nostalgia, but fans sometimes can be strange in their diluted perception. u4 was boring. so why rate a boring title higher? just because it got your favourite brand and logo inside? c'mon. so i am believing this score. zero dawn thing may be nice the first 1-2 hours but then it shows its staleness. now there are people out there who do not care about staleness. i do. so, my wallet will be closed until they come up with something worth the while.

[Gwiz]

" It's just an opinion " fair enough,but in all fairness it's also easy to exploit this freedom of expression.
That's why I stay away from grading games as a an indicator to buy something.

When a majority of reviews is below average you might want to still give it a chance,as you could be a minority ending up liking it.

[rohail88]

There's always someone trying to be a hipster

[MultiConsoleGamer]

This reminds me of Gertsman's 8.8. Obvious click bait.

[SharnOfTheDEAD]

Just mental

[Dixiedevil]

Lol! Yeah, ok. Its always nice to be aware of shitty clockbait gaming sites. The game is fantastic. Very deserving of all the 9s its gotten.

[Antnee534]

After playing this game all day yesterday this review can easily be claimed as just click bait. The game is such a fresh experience I lovr how big the game is only 15 minutes in and j love how awesome using the bow in this game is. This Wil be my game of the year till the next big game contest with it.

[Exvalos]

i respect everybodys opinion and if they legit didn't like the game, fine.... But when one of your bullet points is the combat is to hard you loose all credibility with me.

[Exvalos]

WOW, #1 they reviewed the game after only 18 hours which is not even half the game, and they downgraded it for only have room for 4 weapons??? you serious??? 4 weapons is a lot this review is very immature and unprofesional

[kaiserxblue]

Yeah this is a hot topic alright. Seeing these losers in the comments getting mad cause their so called master piece gets a 6.5/10. I bet most of you didn't even read the fucking review. Anyway it's enjoyable seeing you fanboys rage on something so insignificant.

[C-H-E-F]

Do you guys realize your reviews can cost someone a freaking job? Yall are so hungry for clicks, which i will never click on a site that goes so far against the grain of what the general public is saying about something. but sheeesh like these people have families they have to feed and you are willing to stoop this low just so you can get a freaking click... I guess you feel like one of you have to eat so you might as well sell your soul to the devil now to feed your family huh? smh and you wonder why the world is upside down.

[yeahright2]

Sorry gamecritics.com, I don't do click bait.

[dumahim]

Why do people keep giving sites like this clicks?

[RebDomine]

This game is Goty and you gave it a 6.5?? pathetic and stupid.

[InTheZoneAC]

just wanted to add from my previous comment that after I spent around 4 hours yesterday playing this game that no opinion from any person would ever have this game below a 9 out of 10. I will say the lowest, at the extreme trolling level would be 8/10, but you are absolutely trolling if you think it's a 6.5 or 5/10.

Not only did this game look amazing, not that it affects reviews, but it ran smoothly, the sounds and experience were also top notch. HDR and 4k only enhanced the experience for me but the story has pulled me in. Even when I woke up this morning I was wishing they'd just release a movie of this as well because everything about it is great so far.

Please ban yourself from any publication, thanks.

[drunkenspy007]

And the hottest story on N4G is..... click bait... again.

[PressPlayBros]

What a joke hahahah