Horizon Forbidden West Launch Edition - PlayStation 5 - PlayStation 5

Admittedly, I didn't play the first game (though I plan to after completing Forbidden West) but wanted to see how it would perform on PS5. The story, graphics, and play really blew me away. There was enough tidbits/callbacks to events from the first game that I didn't feel lost.I'm the type of player who enjoys side missions, open world exploration, and finding loot so Forbidden West really ticked off all of those boxes. The game is pretty dialogue heavy (nowhere near the the amount the last few Assassin's Creed games were), but you're able to skip through if needed. Because I'd do some exploring before side missions, there were quite a few times a side mission would reference an area or group and Aloy's dialogue would interrupt with "oh, I've already been there/defeated them/etc".Three downsides for me were:-There are some side missions you MUST complete to get specific gear which will really help progress both the main storyline and key side missions. Unfortunately you don't really realize it until you're at some critical moments in a main mission or side mission-The jump mechanics can be a bit glitchy or not make sense (ex: Aloy couldn't jump onto a ledge that's easily reachable, but the game would let me jump her through a bunch of trees at an angle to reach an area that technically wasn't climbable)-The main storyline, once you really start focusing on it, is pretty short/not as extensive as the side missions seem to beIf you really want to drag out the game, do a mix of side and main missions. As you continue to explore the world, you'll have to go back to areas you've already been several times (prompted by side missions or to see if a side mission will activate/become available).Definitely worth the full price, and hopefully the DLC will drop soon!

I was patiently waiting for this game to come out after playing the original (Zero Dawn) to about 95%.First the bad: from day 1, lots of quests are bugged. Instruction says ‘talk to xyz’ and the prompt to engage in conversation never shows up. Or you complete the quests before the specific challenge is issued, and the game is stuck. Most of the time, you can ‘unstuck’ the game by finding the nearing fire camp, saving your game, and immediately reloading the save game. Some of those though, are really far away from fire camps, and you end up having to fight the same machines again… it’s a little frustrating.Another thing that has change is the introduction to a lot more combos for fighting. Valor, special combo based on weapons are hard to handle, and the timing of those combo is very tight. It takes a while to get used to. And the ‘skill tree’ is now super complicated. I can see how it would appeal to certain types of gamers, but I found it off putting.And finally the ending was not quite as epic as I expected (still good, but I was expecting a grandiose finale)Now the good: plenty of side quests that are interesting at building the story. Lots of dialog you can follow to get into the story. And Guerrilla is working hard to fix those bugs (almost weekly patches - takes a while to install on ps5, probably similar on ps4)The game is visually beautiful (the only real glitch is when you have the ability to move fast across the plane and see far at the same time — no spoilers — when a lot of the environment pops).The game is fun, forces you into new strategies based on the skills you have and the environmental conditions. My favorite part was sneaking into rebel camps and taking enemies silently and/or sniping them from above/below…Overall, it’s an almost great game. It is almost as good as the first one. For those of you trying to get 100%, there will be a lot of running around back and forth across the map… but don’t rush to play it, as the bugs are quite frustrating… I hope they’ll fix more and more as time goes on… and make it into the great game it can be!

If you like open world games, this is one of the best. I enjoy the main story, the side quests, and just exploring and leveling up. Sometimes it's just fun to practice defeating the enemies, be it human or robo-dinos.The game is just as good as the original, and even better with additional moves and features and incredibly fast loading times on the PS5. And the graphics are incredible. There are some glitchy spots but only a few and very minor. Nothing that has gotten in the way of my playing the game.Aloy, the female protagonist, is one of my favorite characters that I've played over the past 40 years. And the characters that you interact with are most great characters. A few might be annoying, but essential to character and story development.The weapons and defensive elements in the game are well designed, and so are the level up mechanics. Defeating enemies takes some strategy this time because if you aren't careful, some machine parts can't be picked up as they will be destroyed.I can just sit and play for hours on end, and just get drawn into this world, or I can play for 30 minutes to complete a level up quest or whatever.The game can be overwhelming if this is your first open world game. But remember to do the quests and level up your gear, and learn the moves in the melee pits and the hunting grounds. And have fun!

Haven't played yet but I know it's a magnificent franchise I can't wait 2 continue playing.