HORIZON FORBIDDEN WEST

[Kevin Wilson]

When I saw my first Thunderjaw it wasn't for a mission but my eyes got hearts in them and I had to go kill it, it was a more challenging match. The early robots are easy and require little strategy but later on (I'm probably 30% of the way through) some of them do require some thought. Which is good of course, I like a challenge.

[Coletti]

These kangaroo motherfuckers... 

[Raziel]

I haven't played with it yet, but I'm beginning to think that Ropecasters are FAR more useful in this game than they were in ZD.  I'm just thinking about how quickly the smaller mechs jump at you, like the fucking raptors and kangaroos.  Tying them down might help.  

I'm also pissed that they seem to have gotten rid of the Tearblaster, or at least I haven't found anywhere to buy it yet.  The Ripper Gauntlet is wonky and not near as useful as the Tearblaster was.

Edited February 26, 2022 by Raziel

[RandomAct]

25 minutes ago, Raziel said:

I haven't played with it yet, but I'm beginning to think that Ropecasters are FAR more useful in this game than they were in ZD.  I'm just thinking about how quickly the smaller mechs jump at you, like the fucking raptors and kangaroos.  Tying them down might help.  

I'm also pissed that they seem to have gotten rid of the Tearblaster, or at least I haven't found anywhere to buy it yet.  The Ripper Gauntlet is wonky and not near as useful as the Tearblaster was.

The javelin gimmick works ok, but isn't always the easiest to aim. The Tearblast was crucial in HZD.

[dogwelder]

Stumbled on a cauldron this morning and thought it was easy...until I ran into the two Widemaws at the core without having any Purgewater weaponry.

[Raziel]

Yeah, my current lack of Purgewater weapons outside of traps is starting to become a problem, yet I can't find a merchant that sells some.

[Contentious C]

I've made decent progress with HZD but it hasn't quite clicked beyond "this resembles other things I like". Granted, almost all of my time has been spent on marking locations and upgrading capacity to max.  I'm about 27 now and the fights don't really feel any easier than they did 10 levels ago with the same gear and enemy level, so...that's been weird. Just handled my second tallneck and cauldron, so I'm hoping it starts to open up.

One thing I will say is the map is daunting. Every other game, you feel like you can cope with or at least avoid areas. This place never feels that forgiving.

[SirSmUgly]

The progression in this game is pretty broken, yeah. There's just too much of it. Too many weapons, too many slots to fill, too many skills to unlock. Six skill trees is more than enough. They went too far in the direction of modern Assassin's Creed, IMO.

@Razielis right on about the ropecaster, which I relied on quite a bit in HZD + Frozen Wilds for Stormbirds, Thunderjaws, and Frost/Fireclaws. Even some of the smaller bots are worth tying down just to give yourself some space. 

 

[Kevin Wilson]

My main issue (I really enjoy the game) is the upgrade system for gear and weapons. I am hesitant to use my materials to upgrade an Uncommon attire as then I may get a Rare one in a few hours I like better, and I used those resources for nothing. I don't want to go on a 'resource hunt' to upgrade gear that in ten hours I am going to get rid of anyway, so I don't. I fully upgraded the main gear I am using but otherwise I'm kinda hesitant as even though resources are everywhere, some are quite rare and I don't want to misuse them.

[RandomAct]

6 hours ago, Kevin Wilson said:

My main issue (I really enjoy the game) is the upgrade system for gear and weapons. I am hesitant to use my materials to upgrade an Uncommon attire as then I may get a Rare one in a few hours I like better, and I used those resources for nothing. I don't want to go on a 'resource hunt' to upgrade gear that in ten hours I am going to get rid of anyway, so I don't. I fully upgraded the main gear I am using but otherwise I'm kinda hesitant as even though resources are everywhere, some are quite rare and I don't want to misuse them.

Same here. I have only gained one rare armor item so far, and I've avoided doing any upgrades on the starter gear, aside from my pouches. I hate running around shooting animals, so anything that takes those type resources, I am very stingy with.

[Kevin Wilson]

I had a fun bug yesterday, the first real one I've hit. So there is a bug where during the Poseidon quest, Aloy can get stuck in a constant animation of being in a sand storm. Meaning she walks funny but more importantly she can't run. Also, if you use the glider, you just go up and up. I was stubborn so I actually played like that for a few hours, hoping it would resolve itself, but it never did. I finally looked it up on reddit and apparently the "fix" is to just use the glider for an eternity until the game releases you from the mysterious sand storm, and you glide back to earth. So that worked and now I can run again.

[RandomAct]

I'm still super early in the game from a main story perspective. I think I already know who the mysterious "futuristic" people are, but their machines got me spooked.

[Coletti]

I legitimately have forgotten twice that she has a glider. Luckily the fall damage I suffered wasn't too bad

[Raziel]

So, they really overhauled combat, and pretty much all the weapons are useful.  There's a lot more focus on using elemental triggers on stuff and exploiting weaknesses than ZD's "tearblast the armor off and spam Hunter arrows".  I used just about everything to take down the main story unavoidable Thunderjaw fight.  I'm not looking forward to grinding The Arena for enough to buy the Legendary weapons and armor.

There's some shit-ass drop rates on the animals needed for some of the quiver/pouch upgrades.

 

The story also seems to be WAAAAAY darker than ZD's, if that was possible.  

[Contentious C]

I dunno, I'm probably halfway through HZD now, and it feels...flat?  The gameplay is good, and it's the rare game where fights remain challenging even at higher levels, since gear matters almost as much as level, but it's a little bit lifeless.

The various tribes really don't have much worthwhile to delineate them, except "superstitious/superstitious with zanier hats/modern-ish/modern-ish and more snobby about it" and...that's that.  There isn't just much flavor to the NPCs that feels like it's adding to the story.  I'm just sort of thinking, "Oh, OK, I'll help because now I can push to Level 50" and I can't say I give a rat's ass about the why.  I hate nattering on about a game like Skyrim, but even there the writing made the different territories feel a lot more distinct and, in some respects, highly problematic.  Traveling to Markarth or Riften or even Windhelm meant you were dipping your toes into some screwed-up politics that you had to navigate (though really, even those boil down to, "I need to level up").  Part of that could be the way HZD is absolutely, positively dripping with Mary-Sue vibes for Aloy.

I know enough about the plot to know there's a lot of stuff upcoming - I've probably neglected the main quest a bit - so I'm expecting it to open up some, but I haven't been terribly impressed with the depth of this.  I think people criticized No Man's Sky when it came out as "a mile wide and an inch deep", and that's kinda how this feels. 

I also cannot stand how bland the merchants are.  There's just...not any point at all to having crap in my inventory in the first place.  I have all my weapons, I have all my upgrades that I'll actually use and...what?  What the Hell am I supposed to do with 15000 shards?  And why don't I have crazy bandits on my ass trying to steal my money?  I mean, that's what they do, right?

This feels a bit like a longer The Outer Worlds, where it has a mix of things I ought to enjoy, but it's a mix that adds up to less-than instead of greater-than.  Hopefully it gets better, but I'm probably just going to grind it out to the finish and then never play it again like I did the other.

[SirSmUgly]

Those spears are the best weapon in the game. I love launching the explosive variations at a bot and getting a hit followed by a delayed boom. Feels good.

[RandomAct]

15 hours ago, Contentious C said:

I dunno, I'm probably halfway through HZD now, and it feels...flat?  The gameplay is good, and it's the rare game where fights remain challenging even at higher levels, since gear matters almost as much as level, but it's a little bit lifeless.

The various tribes really don't have much worthwhile to delineate them, except "superstitious/superstitious with zanier hats/modern-ish/modern-ish and more snobby about it" and...that's that.  There isn't just much flavor to the NPCs that feels like it's adding to the story.  I'm just sort of thinking, "Oh, OK, I'll help because now I can push to Level 50" and I can't say I give a rat's ass about the why.  I hate nattering on about a game like Skyrim, but even there the writing made the different territories feel a lot more distinct and, in some respects, highly problematic.  Traveling to Markarth or Riften or even Windhelm meant you were dipping your toes into some screwed-up politics that you had to navigate (though really, even those boil down to, "I need to level up").  Part of that could be the way HZD is absolutely, positively dripping with Mary-Sue vibes for Aloy.

I know enough about the plot to know there's a lot of stuff upcoming - I've probably neglected the main quest a bit - so I'm expecting it to open up some, but I haven't been terribly impressed with the depth of this.  I think people criticized No Man's Sky when it came out as "a mile wide and an inch deep", and that's kinda how this feels. 

I also cannot stand how bland the merchants are.  There's just...not any point at all to having crap in my inventory in the first place.  I have all my weapons, I have all my upgrades that I'll actually use and...what?  What the Hell am I supposed to do with 15000 shards?  And why don't I have crazy bandits on my ass trying to steal my money?  I mean, that's what they do, right?

This feels a bit like a longer The Outer Worlds, where it has a mix of things I ought to enjoy, but it's a mix that adds up to less-than instead of greater-than.  Hopefully it gets better, but I'm probably just going to grind it out to the finish and then never play it again like I did the other.

The tribes are far and away the least interesting aspect of this series, but once you get into the meat of the lore and story, it will feel far more deep. The backstory and mysteries of how the world got to where it is, is absolutely fascinating to me.

 

As for Forbidden West, I was immediately proven correct in my theories as to who the Strangers are. I am 24 hours in, and I'm finally venturing west lol.

[Contentious C]

*sigh* I spoiled that plot point in HFW for myself, too, on a worrisome hunch, and yeah, if I ever finish writing the fantasy books I have been working on for a while, I bet there'll be some asshole who accuses me of ripping off these games.

[SirSmUgly]

I think re: story stuff, the pre-apocalyptic narrative is far more interesting. 

However, I do enjoy Aloy's interacting with these tribes because her focus gives her insight and information that others don't have. Her impatience with people's cultural beliefs that don't match up with reality is fascinating. She's already a skeptic of cultural traditions because of her childhood - Aloy "despite the Nora" and all - and the focus simply amplifies this skepticism. 

I think there is something interesting there in how she has little time for cultural beliefs and traditions that don't do any good or, worse, that are actively harmful, and the game seems to be arguing that such beliefs and traditions shouldn't be respected in the slightest just because of some nebulous concept of "respecting others and their cultures." Honestly, if the alt-right brigade wasn't so upset about the game having a female protagonist who doesn't wear makeup (*snort*), they could totally glom onto this game as a way to promote some of their more unsavory cultural beliefs. But I digress. The point is that this game uses the tribes to pose an interesting question: What shape should a healthy form of "respect for the beliefs of others" take?

That alone makes all the tribal stuff worth it, IMO. Your mileage may vary. 

[Raziel]

I'm at a point floating just past level 30 and now having purple gear that it's time to knock out sidequests and grind mats for the gear upgrades.  I am digging the change in Aloy's overall attitude because of the stuff she's doing here, but they're not treating any of the tribes any better in this game then they did in ZD.  And yeah, the pre-ZD stuff is more interesting than some of the current one.

49 minutes ago, SirSmellingtonofCascadia said:

I Honestly, if the alt-right brigade wasn't so upset about the game having a female protagonist who doesn't wear makeup (*snort*), they could totally glom onto this game as a way to promote some of their more unsavory cultural beliefs. But I digress. The point is that this game uses the tribes to pose an interesting question: What shape should a healthy form of "respect for the beliefs of others" take?

That alone makes all the tribal stuff worth it, IMO. Your mileage may vary. 

Really, Aloy's whole "I don't have time for this superstitious nonsense" attitude mixed with stuff she does in FW so far pretty much dumps on what most of the religious wings would promote.  It does not paint blind belief in a very good light.

[Kevin Wilson]

I never know how much my general playstyle just breaks what the game's idea was for my progression. Like right now I think I am level 47 and the main mission I have left is level... 24? I pretty much have every skill I want, most the trees are close to full aside from the more expensive special abilities that I always forget to use. So I'm always way ahead, I get easily distracted by side missions.

[SirSmUgly]

1 hour ago, Raziel said:

 

Really, Aloy's whole "I don't have time for this superstitious nonsense" attitude mixed with stuff she does in FW so far pretty much dumps on what most of the religious wings would promote.  It does not paint blind belief in a very good light.

Not the religious right, but the irreligious right which fancies itself exceptionally rational in its beliefs and which also would theoretically into Aloy's rationality and dismissiveness of cultures that are not rational.

But we're getting far afield of talking about the game here, so let's move on. 

I'm finally back on the main questline, but I haven't gone very far west at all, yet. Lots of map to open.

[RandomAct]

Am I the only one who isn't really using the Valor Surges in combat? Granted I'm still pretty early, so they maybe crucial later, but so far I've only used them because I reminded myself to try to.

[Kevin Wilson]

32 minutes ago, RandomAct said:

Am I the only one who isn't really using the Valor Surges in combat? Granted I'm still pretty early, so they maybe crucial later, but so far I've only used them because I reminded myself to try to.

I use it only because I have the defensive one, so when I have a "big fight" is when I finally remember and turn it on. But I wish it was implemented better so it was easier to use multiple ones.

What I am terrible at remembering to use is the 'alternate' attacks that you can unlock for each weapon. I have to actively think about it but probably go hours between using them.

[Contentious C]

First thing I do after traversing GAIA Prime and listening to Chief Irving tell me to watch my step, because I can't override gravity?

Yep, I miss the zipline.