"If it looks impossible, look deeper and then fight like you can win."
After having not enjoyed Zero Dawn that much, I was a bit cautious to play this one back-to-back with it's predecessor, but to my surprise I am glad that I really did.
I guess it's safe to say that this is one of the few prime examples in the gaming industry where a sequel exceeds it's predecessor and shoots for the stars even more. In comparison to Zero Dawn, this is beautifully crafted with on the edge of your seat story telling I didn't expect to see from this franchise. A lot of my qualms with Zero Dawn are remedied tenfold here. The gameplay, narrative, characters, everything is improved on so much. I already liked Aloy prior, though she felt a bit hollow in comparison to her character growth her, earning her place as one of the crown mascots of PlayStation next to the likes of Kratos and Ellie.
The narrative was absolutely insane, something I missed from some games. It hasn't really been since a few franchises that I've been taken aback by twists or moments that kept me on the edge of my seat and again I'm just really surprised it came from this place. This is one of the few open worlds where I've actively seeked out more things to do in the way of side quests and general exploration just to have more of a taste of this world and it's story, extending time with it so that I don't have to say goodbye to it so soon. Really intrigued for what's to come for the mainline story in this franchise but also sad to say goodbye to it for now until a new adventure awaits.
As if the gameplay wasn't already great, it's perfected here and even greater than before. It feels so much more fluid and the boss fights are insane, something I felt was missing from Zero Dawn - there was almost a lack of spectacle to be had there, but Forbidden West introduces that spectacle to a franchise that on paper should have already had it. The boss fights are a lot more innovative too, no longer arrow sponges, but actual strategical fights that sorta stretch you out and at the end make you feel so good that you triumphed it.
As aforementioned, the open world is amazing, one of the few in the industry I enjoyed. I've always felt the genre of open worlds was a bit overdone at this point, but this felt fresh and perfected. It takes what Ubisoft tries to create in it's Assassin's Creed RPG trilogy and makes it good. It feels like a AAA open world game should, and not like a AAA studio making something less than below average.
Overall a fantastic game and I'm so glad I enjoyed it. There's so much here to like and I pity anyone who felt otherwise.
After having not enjoyed Zero Dawn that much, I was a bit cautious to play this one back-to-back with it's predecessor, but to my surprise I am glad that I really did.
I guess it's safe to say that this is one of the few prime examples in the gaming industry where a sequel exceeds it's predecessor and shoots for the stars even more. In comparison to Zero Dawn, this is beautifully crafted with on the edge of your seat story telling I didn't expect to see from this franchise. A lot of my qualms with Zero Dawn are remedied tenfold here. The gameplay, narrative, characters, everything is improved on so much. I already liked Aloy prior, though she felt a bit hollow in comparison to her character growth her, earning her place as one of the crown mascots of PlayStation next to the likes of Kratos and Ellie.
The narrative was absolutely insane, something I missed from some games. It hasn't really been since a few franchises that I've been taken aback by twists or moments that kept me on the edge of my seat and again I'm just really surprised it came from this place. This is one of the few open worlds where I've actively seeked out more things to do in the way of side quests and general exploration just to have more of a taste of this world and it's story, extending time with it so that I don't have to say goodbye to it so soon. Really intrigued for what's to come for the mainline story in this franchise but also sad to say goodbye to it for now until a new adventure awaits.
As if the gameplay wasn't already great, it's perfected here and even greater than before. It feels so much more fluid and the boss fights are insane, something I felt was missing from Zero Dawn - there was almost a lack of spectacle to be had there, but Forbidden West introduces that spectacle to a franchise that on paper should have already had it. The boss fights are a lot more innovative too, no longer arrow sponges, but actual strategical fights that sorta stretch you out and at the end make you feel so good that you triumphed it.
As aforementioned, the open world is amazing, one of the few in the industry I enjoyed. I've always felt the genre of open worlds was a bit overdone at this point, but this felt fresh and perfected. It takes what Ubisoft tries to create in it's Assassin's Creed RPG trilogy and makes it good. It feels like a AAA open world game should, and not like a AAA studio making something less than below average.
Overall a fantastic game and I'm so glad I enjoyed it. There's so much here to like and I pity anyone who felt otherwise.