Perception and Timing...
Coming off RDR2 would probably make the technical flaws in any game stand out. It may not be perfect, but there is so much detail and polish there that it is very difficult to compete.
Picking up Horizon Zero Dawn, I have felt this very distinctly.
HZD is not a bad game technically. I'd say it's solidly good across the board, perhaps great in some areas. And yet, some of the animations and such that likely wouldn't have bothered me without the comparison do. It's sort of not fair.
At the same time, though, RDR2 left me literally wishing for a game story that had some sense of wonder after the fatalistic resignation that exists in that game. HZD is actually pretty precisely on point with that.
I wasn't immediately sold on some sort of post-apocalyptic future in which humans have reverted to tribalism, but there are super-advanced animal-like robots around. The base premise could go either way. The story of the game, however, has been unfolding like a well-crafted science fiction tale that's well above average. Some of the reveals have been more quickly apparent to me as a player than Aloy as a character, but depth has been added to the uncovered history as the game has gone on in a way that's avoided total transparency and more than once evoked a sense of awe.
I'm not sure if it'll stick the landing, so to speak, or if there will be enough narrative room for a sequel (which I believe in in the works) to be as impactful. I'm enjoying the ride so far, though, and I find it fascinating how my perception of this game will forever be shaped by the circumstances of when I decided to play it.
Picking up Horizon Zero Dawn, I have felt this very distinctly.
HZD is not a bad game technically. I'd say it's solidly good across the board, perhaps great in some areas. And yet, some of the animations and such that likely wouldn't have bothered me without the comparison do. It's sort of not fair.
At the same time, though, RDR2 left me literally wishing for a game story that had some sense of wonder after the fatalistic resignation that exists in that game. HZD is actually pretty precisely on point with that.
I wasn't immediately sold on some sort of post-apocalyptic future in which humans have reverted to tribalism, but there are super-advanced animal-like robots around. The base premise could go either way. The story of the game, however, has been unfolding like a well-crafted science fiction tale that's well above average. Some of the reveals have been more quickly apparent to me as a player than Aloy as a character, but depth has been added to the uncovered history as the game has gone on in a way that's avoided total transparency and more than once evoked a sense of awe.
I'm not sure if it'll stick the landing, so to speak, or if there will be enough narrative room for a sequel (which I believe in in the works) to be as impactful. I'm enjoying the ride so far, though, and I find it fascinating how my perception of this game will forever be shaped by the circumstances of when I decided to play it.
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