Horizon Zero Dawn: Doze Off At Dawn - indiannoob Review

Horizon Zero Dawn is an average open world which is built upon a lot of cliches that have been present in gaming for the past few years. While it's core strength lies in the enemy design and AI (For machines), visuals and lore, it is held down by many of the open world AAA tropes that modern day games follow.

[UCForce]

Hmm, I do know few people don't like Horizon Zero Dawn. This review is understandable.

[guyman]

"This review is understandable "

what? LMAO what a joke, This review is bull##@ there is no way in hell this a 60% game.. I'm playing through horizon as we speak (this "reviewer" is reviewing this game 2 months too late ) - pretty suspicious) and the gameplay is deep and strategic, the story keeps you wanting more and the open world is right up there with the best in the industry. There is a ton of variety in enemies, their behaviour, design, strengths, weaknesses, etc. yet This guy says the gameplay is lacklustre and not deep enough, yet ironically goes on to explain the game's deep gameplay mechanics... it's a review full of contradiction, it's difficult to take it seriously let alone (take seriously) the ridiculous low score. Horizon has lacklustre gameplay? LOL If horizon has lacklustre gameplay then most other open world games surely have trash, garbage gameplay by comparison using that logic.

Reviewer mentions he does not nit pick. Then in a later paragraph he clearly mentions "to now nitpick" (paraphrase) GTFO you contradicting buffoon.

Jesus it's freaking a joke. One useless review made by a no name site takes nothing away from it's 89% metascore and 3 million plus sales. Thank you Guerilla games for this masterpiece.

[thekhurg]

So essentially, you're claiming that if someone doesn't agree with your opinion they're wrong?

You sound like a liberal.

[UCForce]

I think you right about that.

[Toiletsteak]

Not everyone likes the game, just because they don't doesn't make their opinion wrong. I absolutely loved this game but if someone doesn't agree with me I don't call their opinion bullshit. I'm betting there is a few games/movies which you really liked that the majority of people disliked.

[slappy508]

Thekurg better known as thekuck

[holdmyown83]

U mad?

[DanteVFenris666]

The open world aspects are actually pretty bad. It could definatley improve upon it said open world deseign.

When your done their is no incentive to play more.

Story was fantastic though. Don't know how the reviewer that it was bad

[itsmebryan]

You realize that just because you like it doesn't mean everyone does. I hate Kingdom Heart and God of War. But, a lot of people love it. Everyone likes different things. Relax and enjoy your game.

[Kombatologist]

@thekhurg

Says the guy who jumped in to defend Titanfall 2 when someone said it sucked, lol.

[morganfell]

"So essentially, you're claiming that if someone doesn't agree with your opinion they're wrong? "

No. You are wrong.

If this article had been entitled, "What I like" then no one would have cared. And that is what the article happens to be though it is attempting, somewhat poorly, to masquerade as a review. And therein lies the rub.

A review is supposed to be an objective examination, in this case of a game, with the focus on how it would or would not appeal to the target demographic. It may also include as an aside, how someone with no experience in games or at least in these types of open world RPG titles might find the game - but those persons are not the focus. Reviews used to be for gamers, now they are for the person that wrote them, for web hits, for ego.

WHAT THE REVIEWER LIKES OR DOES NOT LIKE SHOULD BE OF NO CONSEQUENCE - THE REVIEW ISN'T SUPPOSED TO BE FOR THEM. But what has occurred over the last 20 years with games journalism is reviews have morphed into simple opinion pieces consumed with the individual writer's personal tastes. Some will say, "Reviews have always been like that" and I will tell you that you are too young to remember...and you are wrong.

[Lamboomington]

+morganfell

lol no. "Objective" here is still very very subjective. Reviews have always been and will always be subjective. What on earth do you mean by 'objective' view of something ? A review involves rating something on a scale of bad to good. Bad and Good are by nature subjective. As a result, reviews are by nature subjective. Some people will like different parts of a game better than others. Some people are completely put off by certain things, while others don't mind those same things.

What you're saying doesn't really make a whole lot of sense

[Lamboomington]

So the reasons the review is bullshit are : -

1) He thinks the gameplay is shallow while you think it isn't. In other words, differing opinion. Nice one.

2) You think other games have shit gameplay in comparison. Okay ? And ? Did you check his/her reviews of other games ? If you do, how do you even compare ? You don't even have any comparisons to begin with anyway. In other words, you have no point here.

3) Something about reviewer not nitpicking and then nitpicking in a later paragraph after stating the same. OMG haha can't even take him seriously now amirite?

Well, I can say you've certainly convinced me 100% with your reasons. Great work. Somehow though, I'll stick with 'maybe he just didn't like it a lot'. See, this conclusion requires a lot less mental gymnastics and nonsensical reasoning. Not to mention it's what you expect because there are people like this for EVERY SINGLE GAME. I mean, basic common sense and statistics would tell you that even with very popular games, you're going to get a few honest negative reviews.

It's hilarious seeing this comment section react to negative reviews on favourite games.

[CorndogBurglar]

@ Morganfell

Yeah, reviews are supposed to objective. But the problem lies in the fact that everyone is different and has different opinions. Otherwise, ALL reviews by ALL reviewers would be the same, and give the same scores for everything.

For instance, if you and i are reviewing the same game, i might think the graphics are an 8. But you might score them a 7. The two scores are very close, but maybe you played some other game that I haven't that had amazing graphics which led you to not be overly impressed with the graphics of the game we are reviewing. See how that works? It isn't objective. Every reviewer's score is going to be affected by their own experiences.

[Ashunderfire86]

Its a no name site that is too little to late, when most of the gaming population already played this game and love it! I played beat it and love it! Now I am going to Platinum this game.

#thekhurg
"So essentially, you're claiming that if someone doesn't agree with your opinion they're wrong?

You sound like a liberal."

What the F your talking about #thekhurg? What's up with you people on this leftist and rightest mentality? A black brother like me and my community been lied to by the Left and Right anyway. I voted for Jill Stein(even though I knew she was not going to win) to make a point. I neither like Hillary or Trump both are 2 sides of the same BS coin!
http://estonianworld.com/wp...

This movie Trickbaby at the dinner scene says it all:
https://www.youtube.com/wat...

[Tussin187]

Don't take it to heart. Everyone's​ not going to like it as with all games. Just move on. You liked it and I'm sure millions of others did too. Including myself.

[morganfell]

@CorndogBurglar

This is why the reviewer was not the end all be all of a review. This is why once upon a time publications, back in the print days, had an editor in chief that went over the reviews after they were complete with a fine tooth comb and helped to strain opinion out of the mix. Reviewers used to talk about bouncing findings off of other people that worked at the magazine before they went to the editor. Often reviews would also have an addendum with a second take on, for example an RTS, buy a staffer that was not an RTS gamer. They did all of the above to round out the final review. But in this day of solo sites and rockstar succubi that leech off an industry in which they do not work, the above methods are gone.

[rocketpanda]

It's BS because you don't agree with the review. How sad!

As soon as its score is higher or near perfect then you agree with the score regardless of what was written about the it. But because it's verging on "good" it's BS. What's BS is people calling out reviews as BS because it doesn't match their view of the game.

The review is valid because it's an opinion.

[Benchm4rk]

You have to remember that a review is just that person's opinion of the game. They don't need to align with yours. Some of my favorite games got bad reviews but it doesn't stop me from enjoying the hell out of them. Unless a game is completely broken who cares if someone thinks it's a 6/10 or a 10/10. Just play it and enjoy it

[OB1Biker]

@morganfell
Totally agree with you.
Nowadays 'reviews' are some sort of essays pushing an individual biased opinion and trying to justify an arbitrary score.
Reviews should help readers to figure out if they, with their own tastes, may or may not enjoy a game. In a word they should focus on the game instead of focusing on the writer state of mind and personal 'feeling'
And no, they don't need to express a 'strong opinion'

[GamesMaster1982]

I like horizon but you have to know everyone is entitled to there own opinions not everyone will like what you or enen i would. Like me for example i really dont like the new zelda i played it for a few hours then sold it because it was not for me. Opinions , everyones entiltled to them. Thats why i dont listen to any reviews, if a game looks good to me i'm going to try it regardless.

[NotanotherReboot]

Wow someone likes their Playstation a little too much

[PlayableGamez-]

How are you not flagged?

[PistolsAtDawn]

While I agree that the score is too low...they are entitled to their opinion...but the "2 months late" comment is actually backwards. I'm more willing to trust a review 2 months late than one that rushed to join the hype. This reviewer is actually more likely to have played the whole game before putting their review together...and did it with a fuller picture of the game. Like for instance, if I was reviewing UC4...the first 75% of the game I would have given it a 95/100, but the last 25% knocked it down to about an 80/100 for me. Had I needed to rush the review for release...I might have published a score that wasn't in line with how I ultimately felt about the game.

[DJustinUNCHAIND]

How upset did this review make you?

Just shake it off, man.

Horizon is a great game, but not everyone is going to fawn over it.

[Old McGroin]

@Guyman

Relax, it was never an 89% game anyway.

[Shadyceaser]

Do you have shares in the developer?... You are a little pissed off because someone else has a different opinion than you ... Sheesh

[slappy508]

Everyone who is saying the reviewer has a right to his own opinion: Guyman has a right to criticise it no matter how passionate it may seem. At least he gave reasons why he disagrees with the review, it's not like he just commented "click bait" and moved on which is what you see so many times here

[Dee_91]

@thekhurg
Completely ignore context? you sound like a conservative. The only person to say the opinion is wrong was you. You know your point is crap if you have to fabricate the base of it.

To everyone saying they have a right to an opinion, we also have a right to call said opinion stupid after scrutinization.

[Ben Dover]

Lol.. You actually consider a 6 to be accurate? You wrote this review by any chance?

[Ceaser9857361]

Agreed.. Not everyone has to like a game. I personally dont enjoy HALO, FORZA , Metal gear.. Loved HZD... but imo the gameplay was amazing and the story was deep and focused.. Kudos GG..

[MatrixxGT]

It's ok for someone to not like a game that achieves critical acclaim. However, this review demerits Horizon ZD for lackluster story, and poor gameplay amongst others.

How in the hell can you give props for amazing enemy design and AI, smooth gameplay, and then turn around and say it's shallow? You should smell a BS review a mile away and this smells just like what it is. Contradicting, rage click baiting, BS.

[DanteVFenris666]

6.0 doesn't mean you don't like it

[HollowKnight]

I bet you are one of those clueless people that compare Horizon Zero Dawn to games like Thimbleweed Park *cough Phil Spencer* smh

[Vknsnoob]

i didnt even finished the game....sold it...graphics 10, cyborg animals 10, story for me dont work, missing something...my problem is that after witcher 3 no game is good...witcher 3 syndrome...my next buy is nier automata....

[moegooner88]

Your next buy should be a grammar book.

[Ceaser9857361]

I feel you didn't even buy/play the game in the first place... You gave Gfx10, animal design 10 and you didnt even complete the game and you say the story didnt work for you. Doesn't add up..

[Vknsnoob]

For your information I played that game, I did not finish it because the story is shit. The main character is okay, but the rest are all there just to have the main character with whom to talk. Everyone was spitting on Mass Effect's facial animation, but in a game such as Horizon Zero Dawn, which has been under development for six years, this is unacceptable. The design of the machines is impeccable, super and I like it. Graphics are equally good. I also have no objection to the environment. Characters such as Erend are a terrible, infatuated warrior, grumbling idiot if you ask me. I do not know what's going on because I did not even finish the game. I came to the City of Sun and that is it, I opened the entire map, saw what I wanted to see and simply sold the game. Is grammar better now? Ili možda da na hrvatskom jeziku pišem. moegooner88 obožavam trolove kao što si ti na internetu koji napišu nešto prije nego promisle dva puta. Jesi li sada razumio seronjo jedan, ili ti možda treba riječnik?

[Skillz1215]

lol fuk outta here

[WharenPeace]

This review gave me aids.

[subtenko]

found the shill. You know dang well Horizon is good! YOU KNOW DANG WELL! :p

[amazinglover]

Ive been plodding through this slowly it just hasn't grabbed me I can see the level of polish they put into this game it's just not for me so I can see where this review is coming from. If I had to give it a score I would give it 9/10 even though it's not my cup of tea I still have to give credit where credit is due.

[oakshin]

Sounds like me and the last of us great game just didn't do it for me depressed the crap out of me though

[vegasgamerdawg]

You're in for it man. Nobody is allowed to have a difference of opinion on N4G. It's just wrong. Trigger warning. Thumps up on a 100% correct fact rooted in reality.

[NotanotherReboot]

Thanks for understanding, bro!!

[ChronoJoe]

Ironic because the review is actually hard to understand. For instance...

"The sound design on display here is complete"

Complete isn't usually the word one would prescribe to a games sound design. It doesn't quite make sense. In general I get a persistent sense that English isn't the authors first language (the sites title also points towards this). It's not a huge issue, but 'understandable' certainly isn't a word I would use to describe this review.

[UCForce]

Even high rated games like Zelda, Persona 5 and Horizon do gave few low review score from other sites.

[galmi]

emmm...3/5 is not a low review score

[DragonDDark]

I think he means compared to other reviews

[rocketpanda]

You underestimate the views of fanboys of what a low score is! Remember when Zelda got a 7 and the aftermath from that?

[Eiyuuou]

The lowest Persona 5 got was 8/10 though.

(Metacritic)

[Dark_Knightmare2]

He's talking about no name sites that aren't on metacritic like this one

[Eiyuuou]

Can't find a single one below 8 outside of metacritic either though.

[DragonDDark]

There's one in OpenCritic, if I'm not mistaken.

[darren_poolies]

Took a simple Google search.

http://www.digitaltrends.co...

[Eiyuuou]

And I hereby stand corrected.

[Rangerman1208]

Ever since Jimquisition gave Horizon Zero Dawn a 9.5, I refused to look any other review other than his.

And just a reminder guys: A site called Flurryburdy, or something, gave Zelda BotW a 3 out of 10. So yeah.

[InMyOpinion]

Big fan of Jim's reviews even though I don't always agree with him. He's one of the most unbiased reviewers and isn't afraid to go against the grain, which explains why so many people hate him.

[fenome]

His site also doesn't have any ads, so it's not just click-bait regardless of the controversy he stirs up. I might not always agree with him but I do respect him for speaking his mind.

[Perjoss]

He's actually not that good of a reviewer, and despite what anyone says he has been going for shock value recently. ACG is a way better reviewer imo.

[DanteVFenris666]

Of course you wouldn't as it agrees with your bias

[AspiringProGenji]

"visuals and lore, it is held down by many of the open world AAA tropes that modern day games follow."

"Shallow Gameplay"

Lol what?

[Rangerman1208]

What's funny is that a lotsites praised the game for avoiding open world AAA tropes, such as the "ubisoft/assassin's creed towers".

[UCForce]

Well, Horizon Zero Dawn did better than other Ubisoft open world games.

[NapalmSanctuary]

The game has towers. They just happen to be giant mechanical giraffes with saucer heads. Thats the most obvious trope this game shares with ubisoft/assassin's creed & modern open world games, in general.

[bluefox755]

That's what's great about the game, while it doesn't reinvent the wheel, it takes gameplay elements from the genre and does them better. I never thought I'd find myself looking forward to towers in an open world game, but the longnecks made the mechanic cool.

[DanteVFenris666]

@bluefox

Those towers were garbage? It automatically made you succeed even worst than assassins creed from a gameplay perspective. Not to mind you their was only 4-5 and they all were as automatic and non skill based. Sure they looked cool but they didn't add nothing to the gameplay. Than let's not add that doing them ruined the open world as it would plainly show you the few secrets in the world (cauldrons)

[bluefox755]

@Dante Yes, they didn't over-complicate them, you just find out where you have to jump on, and quickly climb it. The tower mechanic in games is over-done and repetitive most of the time. In Horizon, there was just enough of them and they were a refreshing change of pace everytime I got one. I found myself thinking: "Oh, cool, a long neck, I haven't seen one of those for a while."

[Liqu1d]

I was kinda disappointed that Tallnecks were just towers. There was only a few of them and they were optional but I'd prefer it if they avoided Ubisoft towers in a sequel.

[EatCrow]

The game has towers... They're just on top of saucer heads. And you still have to climb so its actually a lot more like assassins creed towers.

[Slowbro]

Too much Backtracking
And pacing issue.
Those are also a little strange to hear.

[Razzer]

In no way is this game a 6. No way.

[robtion]

Indeed.

I think that indiannoob forgot that age old wisdom.

Never go full retard.

[EatCrow]

Well he gave it a 3/5 which is an average game. It doesn't translate well to the 10point scale. Where anything less then a 7 is deemed complete garbage.

[Razzer]

They need to learn about decimals.

[Injusticewarrior]

lol

[nRicosS]

Noobreview gives 6, thats understandable, still noob

[ninsigma]

This was the site trying to rile up PS4 fans when the crappy uncharted 4 review came out by attacking them and then the site writers were in here keeping it up attacking people. Never took the site seriously since. And here they are with a crappy horizon view?? Hmmm

[Razzer]

They gave UC4 a 5/5.

http://indiannoob.in/unchar...

Maybe you are thinking of a different site?

[ninsigma]

Not the review, it was after the petition came out about removing that crazy 4/10 review from metacritic they came out attacking ps4 gamers about it. It's possible I've gotten the wrong site but I'm pretty sure it was this one.

[Lamboomington]

He's not thinking of a different site. What you're witnessing is the logic that people often use here to justify calling negative reviews out as bullshit. If a favourite game gets negative review, that reviewer is always clickbait, lying, bashing, opposite console fanboy etc.

[C_Ali88]

Yet he has 14 agrees..... jeez

[OB1Biker]

http://indiannoob.in/fanboy...

[OB1Biker]

I think you mean this crap
http://indiannoob.in/fanboy...

[ninsigma]

That's the one

[EatCrow]

Actually, they were defending a person's subjective opinion. It so happened it also riled up a bunch a fans.
I see no problem with them doing that. They gave Uncharted a 5/5 so it seems to be that every review site is safe as long as people agree with them but attacked and ridiculed the moment people don't.

The crappy uncharted 4 review has every right to exist. I myself didn't really like Uncharted 4 but loved 1 and 2. Really bummed that there wasnt a pirate curse. lol

[Relientk77]

Isn't it too late for a troll clickbait review

[DanteVFenris666]

6/10 is hardly a trol review. Something like a 4/10 or 5/10 would be. 6/10 is understandable for a lot of the game I was bored. The story pushed me through. I still would give it a 8/10 personally. But I can understand where he's comming from. I had loads more fun with other Sony exclusives this year such as gravity rush which was loads funner

[Liqu1d]

That's not what people said when the troll reviews were giving Zelda 6/10.

[mastiffchild]

People can score a game what they like but when the title is like the one here its clearly, adding in the lateness and some irrational complaints(shallow gameplay is one thing no other review ive seen would mention as combat was universally praised), a bit clickbaity.

I dunno why, maybe he really didnt like the game but the way hes calling it a bore shows contempt beyond a three out of five score to me and a low scoring review seems fishy this laye in the day. Why would anyone notice a review from a tiny site at this late hour if it didnt court controversy? It looks fishy to me on these counts: the title doesnt match the score and I dont see any traffic if he doesnt savage it a bit this late in the piece. Naturally I may be wrong and its merely a poorly thought out score or the title is clickbait but as the bigger failings of the game arent even what he complains about I feel its probably not totally honest.

[DanteVFenris666]

@Liqu1d Zelda is also the better game. Haha But even saying that theirs several ways Zelda can improve to make a better game.

Maybe someone thinks it's a 6/10 and that's okay with me.

[Lamboomington]

It's too late for n4g fanboys to grow up though.

[Dixiedevil]

I'm all for a different opinion or perspective but when I see exceedingly low scores on games that the vast majority of people love, it's pretty obvious that the intention of the review isn't an honest opinion. So many sites nowdays phishing for rage clicks.

[frostypants]

Exactly. Had this been written upon release I might accept it as a legit opinion.

[EatCrow]

I have to disagree. With the wave or scores given on release its easy to dismiss the bad ones for all the good ones. There are many sites who also play off other reviews upon release affecting their own review.

@ frosty
I think its perfectly fine to release a review after everything has calmed down and many people have played the game and seen for themselves. I know a hardcore ps4 fan who was unable to get through the game.

[Bathyj]

It's too late. We've already played it. We know your score is wrong.

[holdmyown83]

Had more fun with Dragon Quest Builders

[Allsystemgamer]

Well no shit. You didn't even play horizon. You can't have fun playing something you didn't play.

[bluefox755]

I'm had more fun with Horizon than I had with any game in a while, I kept thinking I'm going to get bored like I do with every open world game, but it's just never happened. I'm not sure why this is, but I think it's because of the great gameplay. It's still exhilerating when I am fighting machines and another one that I didn't even know about smartly flanks me, and very satisfying when I come out of near death battles. The fun combat even makes the collectible portions fun, which is something I never do in open world games. The gorgeous visuals and amazing attention to detail were just icing on the cake.

[frostypants]

Same. I'm still working on my first playthrough and I am at 45 hours. Not close to bored.

[SideNote]

Ditto, I've hit 45 hours and can't wait to start it on hard when im done. This game excells.

[rainslacker]

It's pretty rare that I can keep myself interested in an open world game enough to get to the end, much less doing all the side stuff that it has. It takes some really compelling game play and interesting stuff to keep me going. Sometimes I can muddle through them because they're not difficult....like MGSV, but if doing the side stuff is enough fun to pull me away from the main story then I know it's probably pretty good. Horizon hits this accord, and the last time I really took the time to 100% an open world game besides MGSV was infamous:SS and the First Light follow up. I:SS/FL didn't have an amazing story, but it was really fun to just play and do stuff.

I keep meaning to get back to Witcher 3. I got turned off because of it's slow pace early on. But everything I've read seems to indicate it's also one of those open world games that will get me to want to keep playing.

As far as Horizon goes, just working on the enemies until you find the best way to kill them, learning the best way to lay traps, learning which weapons are the best to use, how to utilize weakness to take down groups quickly, and ways to get in with stealth and do all this without being seen is just fun. Even more fun is when things go south because you miss the mark, or that one enemy happens to lunge at you and jumps over your trap. Enemy encounters in this game are exceptional, and there's tons of variety to keep one going.

I only have two real gripes about the game. First is the amount of resources you can pick up, and not being sure what I need to keep. Second is that the day/night cycle is too fast, and it gets dark too fast. I don't mind the night time stuff, but seems like the bulk of the game happens at night, and sometimes when just trapsing around, I prefer it to be light so I can see what's going on better.

[cd1]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion but in this case I completely disagree with it, H:ZD is one of the best games I've ever played.

[SideNote]

A review from someone who doesn't play games or like this genre.

[DanteVFenris666]

Or if you play a lot of games, gravity rush, persona, and Nier were all better games.

[Razzer]

I wouldn't say better. Those games are all very different. But I can see how many different people could play all those games(and Horizon) and have an equal number with a different favorite. Those games are that good.

I've played all of them and, personally, Persona 5 is the best, imo.

[moegooner88]

Played all these and Horizon gameplay is hands down the best of the bunch. That If you play lots of games argument thu lol.

[DanteVFenris666]

@Razzer I agree with you I was just trying to make a point by exaggerating.

I personally think horizon has a lot to improve on. I definatley don't think it's the best game this year. It did a lot good, but some other components were pretty medicore. I often found myself bored besides the fact the super interesting story which picked up midway which than I was on board.

It's evident that it's their first open world game because a lot of elements of the open world was poorly deseigned even considering it was small and it should have been easier. The biggest complaint is everything is plastered on your map. Zero sense of discovery. Which is the number 1 thing an open world should make you feel. They seemed to also have just copied Ubisofts deseign which is overused and no longer that fun. I dont hate the game I actually enjoy it a lot I just feel people are over praising it because Sony made it.

So I'm excited to see a sequel were they'll hopefully improve on their solid foundation.

[jznrpg]

I like all the games you listed but HZD is still a very good game

[Liqu1d]

Opinions. The GR2 demo didn't impress me personally, NieR and Persona are on my list.

[jjb1981]

It's his opinion but 90% of players of the game disagree with him.

[Lamboomington]

and that's all there is to it. I wonder when n4g community will get this. Someday...

[Mr Lahey]

What is it to get though? Most people like the game more than this reviewer. Most people come here to disagree, some may agree. But the point is, that's how it works with unpopular opinion pieces and reviews. And people will comment and discuss or rant. And when this review has come and gone, the majority of gamers will still love HZD.

[iceman06]

So far the community has gotten to it. The crux of most of the "wrong" arguments IS that they disagree. (that's for all consoles) All in all, if you produce an outlier of a review, don't expect the people to except it as a norm. I'd rather the author say, "I don't like this game because...". I can't disagree that he or she doesn't like the game. But, I can argue the reasons why. This doesn't make either one of us more right or wrong. It makes for a disagreement. That's mostly what I see here. Usage of the word "wrong" is simply an expression of their disagreement with the premise.

[Takwin]

Fake news review. Clickbait. Will not give them a penny.

[TheOptimist]

So I wanted to reply to all the comments at once to clarify why I judged the game the way I did:
@guyman
I reviewed this game late because I bought a PS4 recently with the Horizon bundle and as I said in the review, it was one of my most anticipated games of 2016. What better time to buy the game with the bundle to have best bang for buck? This along with Nioh and Persona were my most anticipated games on the PS4. When I talk gameplay I take everything that a standard action RPG does good, not only combat which include- crafting, skill trees, side quests, choice consequence based narrative. As I said, it's gameplay is simple and it will appeal to the masses, but it's combat is equivalent to 70% Tomb Raider's archery+ 30% hiding in red grass. I never said the gameplay was deep, rather the enemy AI was what was great. (I edited the wrong part "Like I am" to "Unlike me". That was a mistake on my end)
@DanteVFenris
I found the story to be lackluster because I found it predictable *SPOILER AHEAD* Rost's death after The Proving and Helis's capturing Aloy were pretty much known from the Focus network disruption event. As I said, I liked the background lore, not the active storyline. The ending was such that (revived Hades with Sylens) it made me feel that the game didn't tell a fully contained story and left us at a cliffhanger.
@MatrixxGT
A game can be smooth and shallow at the same time. No one can say that Call of Duty's shooting is clunky and not responsive, but no one can also say that CoD has deep mechanics. But Horizon is an RPG, so it needs much more than just partially deep combat to be called deep. It was probably my fault that I went in expecting a deep RPG- deep crafting, choice based narrative or a cryptic story, character customisation and various adventures for weapons and armors of a variety of types.

[TheOptimist]

@ Rangerman
Even I agree with Jim most of the time (Emphasizing on most of the time), but in recent times Watch Dogs 2 (9) and Horizon Zero Dawn (9.5) are two games I don't agree with him on. Jim and Yahtzee are what I consider proper game critics, who mostly speak their mind and honestly I want to be like them.
@ Razzer
I hope you get the answer through this comment.
@Ninsigma
Yes I was the one according to you "riling up PS4 fans", I posted that article. And no, I don't at all consider it wrong because people went overboard with that. I pointed out the fanboyism, but then we also gave the game a 5/5 and was one of the editor's GOTY. It was the misbehavior of people that I pointed out. If I behaved like them I would go on bashing every reviewer who gave Witcher 3, Nier Automata, Nioh etc a low score, because they don't agree with my opinion. Calmly disagreeing and arguing against the review and slandering someone are two different cases altogether. I didn't cover the same for Zelda when Jim gave it a 7 because I was considerably late to get the news.
The article where I supposedly "riled up fans"- http://indiannoob.in/fanboy...
UC4 GOTY article- http://indiannoob.in/unchar...
@Relientk
Yeah it is pretty late for a troll review, that's why I gave my honest opinion.
@ DixieDevil
3/5 is not a low score. But our review policy is to not give scores in decimals, so 3.5 wouldn't work and I didn't think the game deserved a 4 from my side honestly. I would have given it a 7 on a 10 scale, but 3/5 looks a much better score than 6/10 (Which N4G shows). It's all psychology I guess.
@SideNote
That's why I mention in the review- Maybe if I hadn't played all the Assassin's Creeds till Unity and FarCrys till 4 and I will add here, almost every open world game from The Saboteur to Just Cause to Fallout 3/NV to GTA and Witcher 3, I would have liked the game.
@Razzer
Yes I did like Nier: Automata and Nioh objectively more because Nier has one of the most in depth choice/consequence based narratives and overall complex plot, plus the social commentary that game does is unparalleled and Nioh has one of the most in-depth combat System, seriously reminded me of the days of Ninja Gaiden where the enemy AI was so damn good.

[Razzer]

Free to your opinion. Doesn't really mean much at this point. Late review from a random wordpress blog.

Just thankful that the majority of reviewers can see what a great game it is.

[Perjoss]

It's a shame you stopped at far cry 4 because primal is very good, I actually prefer it to H:ZD

[SideNote]

You've solely classed it as an rpg, so you've started it all off wrong. It's more than that.

[Allsystemgamer]

So you reviewed it as something it wasn't.

This water sucks. It doesn't taste like coke.

[rainslacker]

I'm not really sure what you consider deep game play, but H:ZD was pretty spot on in the game play department.

There are multiple ways to approach a situation, from strategic, stealth, maximizing weaknesses for AOE approaches, utilizing parts of the enemy against them, or the group they're with, or just go in bows a blazing. The only lacking part might be some of the stealth elements, because there is usually only one way to stealth in that way, and maybe a bit more variety of the unknown may be more interesting and less predictable.

On top of that, it isn't uncommon for a fight to go sideways, because that enemy AI is so great. No matter how much you may expect a fight to go one way due to planning out your traps or planning your attack, it doesn't always go as planned. Stalkers in particular are practically impossible to bait into your traps, and they actually work together to attack you. That adds to gameplay depth, because it's not always just mundane repetative battles which you use to farm experience.

It's not to say every game play scenario within the game is immaculate, because it isn't, and for a good part of the open world "trash" battles, they can get repetative, and sometimes, more variety of enemies in some areas may be nice. But then you get to things like the cauldrons and they're very well done. The "tower" stuff was so minimal, I barely see any reason to criticize it. I found them to be more like puzzle platforming sections than anything. The side quests are mostly relevant to what's going on in the world. Sure they have the obligatory fetch type stuff, but I'd say at least half the quest are story related, or flesh out the world or lore in some way. The collectibles are informative for the lore(artifacts, provide backstory to what happened before(data logs), or show insight into the world prior to the machines taking over(vantages), or provide practical ways to get the better stuff(wild flowers).

[LoveSpuds]

Fair enough, not everyone enjoys the same things to the same degree.

The thing I take issue with in respect of this review personally, is the idea that the story was "lackluster" in any way. For me, I was utterly engrossed in the story and couldn't wait to discover the reason behind the fall of humanity, I found it to be a really cool story in the end, infact, it's up there with some of my favourite sci-fi settings in movies or games.

I don't tend to pay much mind to reviews anyway, but people need to learn to just ignore reviews, particularly when the opinions expressed in them differ from their own, the only opinion that matters is your own.

I have lost count of how many poorly reviewed games I have loved, from Evil Within to Lollipop Chainsaw, from MAG to Alien Isolation, just ignore reviews and trust your own tastes.

[BABY-JEDI]

Horizon Zero Dawn is a master class in universal game design. It is the next big step in open world game design. With such an intense focus on combat mechanics. Subtle & deep & variable in so many forms in gameplay. 60%. No. Fuck you & your bullshit site

[CrimzonRazor]

The game does the same thing every open world game has done before it, its story is bland and Ashleys voice acting is subpar. Its a mediocre game that has great graphics but poorly designed gameplay that doesnt break new ground.

[Glak18]

Not even going to read the article or the comments.

When ever someone has any kind of criticism towards certain beloved entertainment, the sheep wearing blinders come full force. How dare you not say it's perfect! Continue with the triggered computer illiterate console turds rants.

Please down vote.

[Allsystemgamer]

It's the negative points that don't make sense. Points were knocked because the reviewer reviewed as something it's not.

[RommyReigns]

As soon as I read those negatives, I knew to not take this review, the score or this clickbait site seriously.

[andrewsquall]

Haha bit late with the awful troll review there. At least your name is accurate noobs.

[goldwyncq]

When Zelda got 6/10: "Finally, an honest and unbiased review!"

When Sony exclusives get 6/10: "Oh my gosh, what a f@$!$@ troll review. Kill him!"

[Perjoss]

Hehe, I was thinking the same thing

[Ulises2033]

There are lots of Sony fanboys around...

[frostypants]

A bit late for clickbait trash reviews for this, isn't it? Everyone knows it's a great game by now.

[daBUSHwhaka]

Still to complete it but so far so good.Stunning looks deep gameplay.

[jokerisalive]

BS review from a hater obviously. When you play the game and score it based on what it's doing and how well it does it there is no way you can give it a 6. Graphics, gameplay and story are top notch as well as depth and longevity. This is the type of game we need more of....a single player story driven deep campaign that is long and rewarding and full of content.

[Silly gameAr]

Anyone notice that some of the people that are jumping in to defend this review as "his opinion", are the same people that jump on others when they don't agree with their opinion?

[vegasgamerdawg]

FanBOY's TRIGGERED! LMAO!

[frostypants]

You sure throw that term around a lot, given how much of a fanboy you are yourself.

[Elda]

BS contradictive review.

[chobit_A5HL3Y]

not even gonna fall for this clickbait article lol this game is already critically acclaimed and has already been well received by the vast majority who've played it. a little late for the special snowflake review too. i guess we should keep our eyes open for his in-depth gta 5 review.

[PistolsAtDawn]

A bit low. 4/5 or 4.5/5 is about right. The game did gameplay really well, but story was rather worthless. Luckily this game could have had NO story and I would have enjoyed it about the same. Great first time IP, but there are a few missed opportunities I would like added to the 2nd. Like being able to ride winged bots after over-ride. I had a list before of like 5 things and now I can't even remember what they were.

[frostypants]

I totally agree that the gameplay stands on its own regardless of one's opinion of the story, but I actually think the story is amazing. I just wish there was a little more of it in place of some of the side stories.

My main desire for improvement is just for more climbing freedom. If I see a ledge in my reach, lemme grab it (instead of only being able to grab explicitly defined ones). It would also be super cool to be able to hack and modify overridden bots in future games. Let me bolt a ripped disc launcher onto my strider, for example.

[PistolsAtDawn]

Yes that was one of mine as well....being able to climb almost anywhere would have been great (esp putting the grappling hook to more use). The modding bots wasn't on my list, but that sounds like a great idea too.

[CrimzonRazor]

Got hzd on release still cant finish it I get really bored playing it. Its just another open world game that does the same stuff all the others have done before it. It is super nice looking in 4k on the pro it just dont break new ground game play wise.

[frostypants]

You should try playing beyond the nerf zone. It sounds like you clearly didn't.

[CrimzonRazor]

the game is boring why would you keep playing a game you dont enjoy

[kungfuian]

Wouldn't the article title have been better as "Horizon Zero Yawn"? Seems like a missed opportunity. Also the game isn't perfect but it sure as hell isn't a 60%, no clicks for you!

[CrimzonRazor]

Id give it a 6 without a second thought

[MagicBeanz]

Stopped reading at, "is an average open world". Then again maybe this is satire, I would hope so cause if not the author is clearly delusional.

[CrimzonRazor]

Its a average game all around

[MagicBeanz]

You wouldn't know cause you clearly never played it. Shame it wont work in your xbox kiddo.

[CrimzonRazor]

First off im 41 far from a kid second just because you dont agree MagicBeanz dont mean I havent played it or makes it ok for you to call people names. You seem to have some growing up to do, im glad you enjoy it so much but that dont mean everyone shares your view sorry the universe dont revolve around you.

[CrimzonRazor]

@MagicBeanz p.s you can go to my twitter Jay_D_stokes and see my gameplay pics posted in march from my pro, see I can prove ive played it.

[mad-dog]

Cool. So here is a dude who read all the available reviews and figured out how to still get clicks with a review of an old loved game. Not clicking. We've all made up our minds about this game already. We've played it.

[fatbastard11]

I hated the story.I had two more main quests left and I don't give a crap about what happens.On a side note I had to restart the game on three different ocassions because Aloy would get stuck in cliffs because of technical glitches.Beautiful graphics though.

[cd1]

Bullsh!t.

[CrimzonRazor]

why because u dont agree

[cd1]

@cri

No because anybody who has played the game knows how forgiving it is regarding getting stuck on cliff faces etc. Its one of the few games you can actually make it up a mountain while not using the intended route. You can jump your way out of pretty much any situation.

[CrimzonRazor]

Not sure about getting stuck never happened to me but different players try different thing so it is possible I guess, I do agree with him on the story I didnt think it was very good either and I got very bored with the game which I found to be very bland gameplay wise.

[EatCrow]

I've seen these same points made by a ton of people who have played it and while they gave it 4/5 this guy was harsher or more realistic and gave it a 3/5.

I personally think its probably accurate but in todays gaming reviews with an influx of games having to be 8 or above in order to be considered good this review doesn't really fit in that scheme.

Obviously its in the minority but in no way does it make it less credible.

[Ulises2033]

The game is not a 6/10 (maybe a 7/10 or 8/10 for me) but I gotta admit he's got a very good point: "World interaction" I really hate how this world only looks good but you never get to interact with almost anything, it's like you weren't' even there...

[CrimzonRazor]

I found it to be very boring and average all around