Horizon Zero Dawn

I am still playing. I chose the story mode for my first playthru because I like to concentrate on the story line the developers have followed rather than fighting everytime I move. I am quite pleased with it. if you liked Primal, you should find this interesting, with a twist. I am going to play it through and than probably do it again on the normal mode. At 73 my fingers stumble a bit on the keyboard. If I was giving it a star rating for playability, graphics, story, I would give it 5 stars. I will try and update this later.
OK. I have got about 150 hours in the game and just finished it. I played in story mode because these type of games are fun for me just to explore. I walk everywhere and use transportation and fast travel in a very limited fashion. If You jump around and go fast, you miss out on half the game.This game has a HUGH HUGH map and tons to do outside the story. I still think I missed some things. I did not complete all the hunting challenges but will in my next play through on normal. The game has a great story line that keeps one in suspense. Just when I was thinking here it is, the final action, there is a new challenge presented. I really never used all the perks available such as those associated with Lures and Machine repair. I would rather have seen perks that would have increased physical attributes such as jump or speed. The graphics are great and the FPS ran unabated without stutter on high. I'm running a self built system with an MSI Z490, I7 10700 comet lake, 64 Gig DDR 4, and a GTX 1660 Super. Not top of the line but ran the game in quick fashiion. Definitely one of the Great Games in my library and well worth the dollars spent on it. Cheaper than a movie and lots more action. I'd give it 5 starts. Looking forward to playing the "WEST" sequel.

One of the Best game in this genre ! Recommended anyone who like to hunt machine and enjoy good scenery !

This game is usually brought up with high praise. When I played it, I was tired of the uninspired gameplay loop that makes up the majority of open-world Action RPGS, and I had high hopes that Horizon would bring me back. Unfortunately, it did not.
The game started off incredibly strong. I was taken aback by how gorgeous everything is. The world is incredibly beautiful and alive. The introduction to Aloy's character was great, and everything down to the setting of the game appealed to me (robot dinosaurs!).
Less than 5 hours in, however, I knew I was in for more of the same. Repetitive filler side quests that tell uninteresting stories. Clear out a camp over here, find a flower over there, etc. Not to mention the very tired crafting system, forcing you to pick up almost every stick, rock, and berry that you see. Slow bouts of exploration to slowly fill out the oversized map with not a whole lot going on between the actual points of interest.
That being said, the main story is pretty engaging. The caves are really well designed gauntlets of puzzles and combat. And speaking of the combat, there's a lot of really fun options for taking down enemies. You can scan them to determine their weaknesses, crit spots, and walking paths. You can use all kinds of arrows and traps to customize your approach. And to reiterate, it's all really pretty to look at. These systems are especially well-emphasized in the "very hard" mode unlocked after your first playthrough (which is honestly easy enough that it should've just been available from the start).
So yes, this game unfortunately falls into the ever-growing pile of games using almost the exact same open world formula. So if you're also having the "open-world fatigue" that I was, Horizon is only gonna make that worse. But if you're not, then I can confidently recommend this game. It probably does rank towards the top of the pile.

Having just finished a playthrough on Ultra Hard New Game+, earning the last few achievements I was missing, I feel now is the time to write a review for this game. And, as it usually happens after I finished a game that got me so involved, I find it hard to start the review.
So, Horizon Zero Dawn. The first PlayStation first-party game to ever release on PC. Back when it was first announced, I was beyond excited, it was a dream come true, not just because of this game, but because of potential future Sony releases on PC. However, we aren't talking about that here, we're talking about HZD. So I bought it when it was available, started it up when it released... And ended up abandoning it for years, until last year, when I finally got back to it, and it finally "clicked".
First things first, let's talk story and lore. The game takes place in a post-apocalyptic Earth, where humanity has regressed to a more tribal civilization, after some unknown catastrophe devastated cities and left beast-like machines roaming the Earth. You play as Aloy, a young girl from the Nora tribe, who has been an outcast her entire life; even then, she's allowed to win back her place in the tribe by taking part of the Proving, but, of course... Things happen, and Aloy gets thrown in the middle of a conflict that could bring down not only her tribe, but all of civilization itself. On top of that, Aloy is searching for answers about her past. The story is very good, but I must say where the game really shines is with the lore; although saying more about it would spoil the fun of discovering it as you progress to the game.
As for gameplay, it's an open world game, with the typical stuff you'd expect from such a game. Main quests, side quests, collectibles, upgrades and so on and so forth. The first time I tried playing the game, it didn't quite click with me because I wasn't using the full extent of what the game offers, and thus, the combat felt somewhat frustrating (I was only ever using the default bow). There's actually a decent variety of weapons to use, and even for bows there's actually three main variants: one focused on what I'd call "general" damage, one for elemental effects, and a more specialized one for specific situations. On top of the bows, you can get a bomb slingshot, set traps, tie machines down, plus a couple more weapons both from the main game and the DLC. You can also use stealth for certain encounters, and there's a wide variety of potions that can aid you in combat.
Enemy variety is pretty good. It's mostly machines, with some humans here and there, but you'll mostly fight machines. Another part of the combat I didn't quite get at first was how to deal with machines; not just which weapons to use, but how to exploit their weaknesses. For example, some machines might have fuel canisters on them; you can set them off with a fire weapon to cause an explosion dealing area damage, stuff like that. Other machines might be able to detect you while you're hiding, until you destroy their sensors, leaving them blind; well, not really blind, as they can still see you, but they can't find you as easily if they lose sight of you.
I enjoyed exploring in this game; the world they've crafted is beautiful. There are some headscratching parts (like going from snowy mountains to a hot desert), but I chalk that up to games being games; making the trek from one region to the other more realistic would mean a lot of pointless travelling, so distances are shortened. Anyway, the game has some really beautiful locations, even more so the DLC region, which has a volcano looming in the background.
Speaking of the DLC, I enjoyed it as much as the main game, although I gotta say, I'm not sure if I'll ever go through it in NG+. It's certainly way more challenging than the base game, with some new machines that can deal quite some damage. Its story connects with that of the main game, and you can even get some more info about a certain character through the DLC.
Which brings me to the characters: I liked most of them, except one whom I particularly despise for what he caused; I'm not going to talk further than that as it'd be spoilers, but I'm sure you'll know which character I'm talking about after you get through the game. Anyway, going back at it, the game has a diverse cast of characters; each tribe has its own customs that you learn throughout the story. The dialogue, I found very good, and some of Aloy's interactions with certain characters were really funny.
Visually, the game looks stunning. I noticed some details here and there, but that was probably because I played it in medium settings. In higher settings it'd probably look even better. The soundtrack is also very good.
I definitely recommend this game, it certainly became one of my favourite "new" franchises, and I can't wait to play Forbidden West next.

One of the most beautiful game worlds with beautiful coloring that makes the game enjoyable
The story line of the game was very beautiful and exciting
The game is completely balanced and not too hard, not too easy, which makes this game more enjoyable
The enemies of the game are not boring at all ^.^
If I want to give a general opinion, the game is excellent in all respects and has no problems, and the physics of the game and the world of the game are completely consistent with the story of the game, and even exploring the map of the game is enjoyable i love it ❤❤❤

This game is amazing.
From the gameplay to the lore, this game is for casual and hardcore gamers alike. The lore is extremely rich and deep and it will keep you invested. I recommend this to anyone.

A legendary masterpiece. Do not skip this game, enjoy every moment, cinematic beauty from every angle of game play - speaking of, which is mechanically very fun and easy to play, rewarding to master.
10/10 - one to remember for life.