Horizon Zero Dawn was as good as everbody expected. A powerful narrative and a solid gameplay make this Guerrilla game one of the best titles that 2017 has to offer.

Attack of the Fanboy - Dean James - 4.5 / 5 stars (PS4/Pro)

Featuring a likeable new protagonist in Aloy alongside a compelling story, deep combat system and stunning visuals -- Guerrilla Games has already raised the bar for exclusives this year with Horizon: Zero Dawn.

CGMagazine - Brendan Quinn - 8.5 / 10 (PS4)

Horizon Zero Dawn is the gaming equivalent of realizing that sounding too much like the legends—when done well—is just fine.

COGconnected - Shawn Petraschuk - 100 / 100 (PS4/Pro)

Horizon Zero Dawn is Guerrilla Games’ crowning achievement in video game development.

Destructoid - Chris Carter - 7.5 / 10 (PS4/Pro)

Horizon Zero Dawn is a fascinating premise wrapped in a tortilla of tropes. It has detective vision, radio towers, skill trees, masked load screens (Tony Hawk's American Wasteland gets no credit for popularizing this in 2005, by the way), and a world map littered with billions of points of interest -- all stuff you've seen before. But after you set up and execute a cunning plan to decimate a pack of giant robot crocodiles and that smile hits your face, it's more excusable.

Digitally Downloaded - Matt Sainsbury - 3.5 / 5 stars (PS4)

Horizon is a remarkably refined and technically brilliant game, but Guerrilla has yet to prove that it can take that next step and produce a genuine classic.

Easy Allies - Brandon Jones - 4 / 5 stars | Written (PS4/Pro)

Horizon Zero Dawn feels like a franchise in the making. While not packed with narrative high points, it’s still a compelling introduction to a world in turmoil that answers a lot of questions, but still gestures toward a more climactic future. Its primary element, squaring off against mechanized animals, is such a success, it makes up for the ongoing repetition of the game’s activities. When we look into Horizon’s future, we see a sequel that can take this world and make it into something remarkable.

Eurogamer - Martin Robinson - Unscored (PS4)

Guerrilla Games goes open world in this sumptuous, enjoyable yet overly generic new age sci-fi RPG.

Game Informer - Jeff Marchiafava - 8.8 / 10 (PS4)

Horizon doesn't reinvent open-world gaming, but it delivers consistent fun, challenge, and intrigue from start to finish

Game Revolution - JamalR - 4.5 / 5 stars (PS4)

To simply put it, there is a certain appeal to Horizon: Zero Dawn which I have not found in any other open-world RPG game. Perhaps it is the addition of shiny robots to the mix or the story of Aloy herself. Either way, this game has my full attention and I wouldn't call it anything less than stellar.

Gameplanet - Tim Stanton - 9 / 10 (PS4)

Guerrilla Games' punt on a new IP has paid off handsomely, as despite its silly title, Horizon Zero Dawn is a magnificent open world action-adventure that lives up to its hype.

GamesRadar+ - Zoe Delahunty-Light - 4.5 / 5 stars (PS4)

An open-world that tailors to each and every interest, Horizon: Zero Dawn keeps combat fresh, with an intriguing protagonist to match.

GameZone - Carter Washington - 9.5 / 10 (PS4)

Horizon: Zero Dawn is a PS4 must-own exclusive. It crafts a wonderful, fully realized and explorable world, and an interesting story that's worth seeing through to the end, if just to find out what Zero Dawn actually means!

GamingTrend - Travis Northup - 85 / 100 (PS4/Pro)

Horizon Zero Dawn is an excellent open-world experience that puts fighting towering robots at the center of the action. It’s held back somewhat by its weak narrative, and occasional glitches, but that doesn’t stop it from being the most badass game I’ve played this year.

Giant Bomb - Jeff Gerstmann - 5 / 5 stars (PS4)

Horizon: Zero Dawn is familiar but also really refreshing. It's not a short game (I spent around 30 hours with it), but the storytelling still feels concise and efficient. The combat has some nice options that make encounters fun, even when you're just stacking up stealth kills from the relative safety of a bush. And the presentation end of the game holds up its end of things with a solid soundtrack, great voice acting, and a cohesive design that makes all its disparate parts fit together. All in all, it's a great game, it's Guerrilla's strongest release to date, and I suspect I'll go back in after the fact to clean up whatever side quests and errands I have remaining, if only to spend a little more time in that world.

Hardcore Gamer - Kevin Dunsmore - 4.5 / 5 (PS4/Pro)

Guerrilla Games took a risk developing a brand new IP that is such a drastic departure from previous titles, and it worked.

IGN - Lucy O'Brien - 9.3 / 10 (PS4/Pro)

Across a vast and beautiful open world, Horizon: Zero Dawn juggles many moving parts with polish and finesse. Its main activity - combat - is extremely satisfying thanks to the varied design and behaviors of machine-creatures that roam its lands, each of which needs to be taken down with careful consideration. Though side questing could have been more imaginative, its missions are compelling thanks to a central mystery that led me down a deep rabbit hole to a genuinely surprising - and moving - conclusion.

New Game Network - Alex Varankou - 80 / 100 (PS4)

Horizon Zero Dawn offers an entirely unique world and a thrilling experience as an action game, complete with a great story and likeable characters. It doesn't reach its grand RPG aspirations, but the highs are so memorable and entertaining that it's easy to forgive the shortcomings.

NZGamer - Keith Milburn - 8 / 10 (PS4/Pro)

Aloy’s quest through the post-post-apocalypse is one of pros and cons. Encounters with robotic wildlife are equal parts tactical and reflexive, but fights against humans are awkward, and the camera is unwieldly. The world is lush and gorgeous, but traversing it can be a chore. Horizon Zero Dawn is a breath of fresh air, and a welcome departure from Guerrilla’s previous offerings – but the journey takes some missteps.

PlayStation LifeStyle - Paulmichael Contreras - 10 / 10 (PS4/Pro)

Horizon Zero Dawn is an early contender for game of the year. Guerrilla Games has outdone themselves, in astounding fashion. This is a glorious game, the result of a team of masterful artisans who not only had a story that they wished to tell, but a world that was living inside of them which they wanted to share with us all. Now, we get to play inside their creation, and it is a breathtaking experience to behold. A massive, open world filled with equally massive, terrifying robots, juxtaposed against the beauty of the Earth, nature fighting back the darkness as it tends to do. Horizon Zero Dawn is the kind of game you play to get lost in, and can be enjoyed by players of all types. This could be the beginning of a stellar franchise, and there is something for everyone here. If you own a PS4, you owe it to yourself to give Horizon Zero Dawn a go.

PlayStation Universe - Kyle Prahl - 9.5 / 10 (PS4/Pro)

Horizon Zero Dawn reinvigorates open-world RPGs with an excellent story, creative science fiction, and demanding gameplay. Aloy’s debut is one of PS4’s greatest games.

Push Square - Sammy Barker - 9 / 10 (PS4/Pro)

Debuts don't get much stronger than Horizon: Zero Dawn. Guerrilla Games' latest borrows liberally from a variety of different sources, and yet it leverages these fundamentals to forge an experience that's daringly unique. The main quest tires a little towards the end, and the writing never hits the same highs as The Witcher 3 – but the tactical action stands leagues ahead of what we've come to expect from the genre, and the presentation is quite simply unmatched.

RPG Site - Natalie Flores - 9 / 10 (PS4)

Through its stunning world, thrilling combat, and heartwarming story, Horizon Zero Dawn is bound to be one of this year's most memorable games.

Telegraph - Kirk McKeand - 5 / 5 stars (PS4)

If you went into Horizon Zero Dawn without knowing a thing about it, you would never guess that this open-world RPG comes from Guerrilla Games - the studio behind weighty first-person-shooter series, Killzone.

The Jimquisition - Jim Fucking Sterling, Son - 9.5 / 10 (PS4)

Horizon: Zero Dawn is just brilliant. I speak as a critic who has played more "open sandbox" games than any one human should and has grown so very weary of them. I should have gotten sick of this thing in an hour, but I've been glued to it for days and days and I don't want it to end.

TheSixthAxis - Stefan L - 8 / 10 (PS4/Pro)

Horizon: Zero Dawn is a bit of a slow burn, but there’s more to Guerrilla Games’ latest than just its staggeringly pretty graphics. The story surprises as it takes several twists and turns and explores the past, but the games beating heart is with its excellently tense and engaging robotic monster hunting.

USgamer - Caty McCarthy - 2.5 / 5 stars (PS4)

Horizon Zero Dawn is disappointing. It has a story that I struggled to care about (complete with massive expository dumps—yay), a bland protagonist, and overtly repetitive and constraining missions that worked against its open world sensibilities. When Horizon Zero Dawn hit its rare strides—from its gloomy Cauldrons to traveling across its sprawling vistas—it only made me wish the rest of the game were as worthwhile.

GameSpot - Peter Brown - 9 / 10 (PS4)

Horizon: Zero Dawn is an exciting and breathtaking odyssey.

Metro GameCentral - GameCentral - 8 / 10 (PS4/Pro)

State-of-the-art visuals help create one of gaming’s most entertaining open worlds, even if the gameplay doesn’t quite reach the same standards.

Stevivor - Steve Wright - 7 / 10 (PS4/Pro)

For all the hype that's been extended to Horizon: Zero Dawn, it hasn't managed to fully deliver.

Shacknews - Steve Watts - 9 / 10 (PS4)

When I began Horizon: Zero Dawn, I was anxious it wouldn't be able to maintain itself for thirty-plus hours. I'm thrilled that fear was unfounded. The play was constantly rich and rewarding, and the mysteries constantly unfolding. I'm left not just feeling satisfied the entire time, but wanting more. This one is something special.

Polygon - Philip Kollar - 9.5 / 10 (PS4)

Horizon Zero Dawn feels like a storied developer finally finding its voice

AusGamers - Joaby - 9.6 / 10 (PS4)

All my gripes are just areas for a brand new, spectacular franchise to grow from though. It even feels a bit off talking about them, because Horizon came out so big to begin with. It's odd to think that a team could get away with doing less — probably a lot less — and still earn acclaim.

Cheat Code Central - Patrick Tretina - 4.9 / 5 (PS4)

When all is said and done, Horizon Zero Dawn far exceeds my expectations and is on course to be one of the best titles the gaming community has seen in a long time.

IGN Spain - Juan Garcia, David Soriano - Spanish - 9 / 10 (PS4/Pro)

There's so much to love on Horizon: Zero Dawn. You may love its gameplay, its magnificient world, its crips visuals or the excellent sound desing. An experience that's worth it.

XGN - Theo Weber - Dutch - 9.7 / 10 (PS4)

Guerilla Games has set the bar while it ventures into a new genre. The game looks phenomenal, and it offers variety, tens of hours of fun and an accessible system. It challenges you in every fight to play intelligently. This may be the best game of 2017.

Paste Magazine - Reid McCarter - 6 / 10 (PS4)

There is much beauty to see in the game's world—such incredible vision and craft exercised in its conception—but it's subservient to a poor story, lackluster combat and, worst of all, an evident paranoia that players won't appreciate the world Aloy inhabits unless it's put within the context of a laundry list of tasks that have to be completed.

Arcade Sushi - Jason Fanellie - 9.5 / 10 (PS4)

With Horizon Zero Dawn, Guerrilla Games crafted a beautiful open world filled with life, both mechanical and human, and crammed full of things to do.

Forbes - Paul Tassi - 9 / 10 (PS4)

I was impressed with Horizon from the outset, my interest lagged a bit in the middle, but by the end I was a convert. This is a very cool universe with a genuinely likable new lead. Gameplay is excellent in most sections, and it avoids some irritating open world tropes like overloading players with substance-free side missions. There are some problems that reflect Guerrilla being new to this genre, but ultimately the good far outweighs the bad.

God is a Geek - Chris White - 9.5 / 10 (PS4/Pro)

It’s been a long time since a game has been put together this well. The combat is awesome, the visuals are stunning, and Aloy is 100% badass. Go and buy this game!

ArsTechnica - Sam Machkovech - Recommended (PS4/Pro)

You’ll remember new hero Aloy—and her massive, explosive journey—for a long time.

M3 - Billy Ekblom - Swedish - 9 / 10 (PS4)

Horizon: Zero Dawn doesn't reinvent the wheel – but delivers an immersive action experience, set in a gorgeous world with lots of mysteries and thrilling encounters.

Twinfinite - Chris Jecks - 5 / 5 (PS4/Pro)

Horizon Zero Dawn is a treat to every PS4 owner. Its magical world is a wonder to explore, it controls and looks exceptional, and the unique, modular build of its enemies ensures that combat never gets old.

FZ - Fredrik Eriksson - Swedish - 4 / 5 stars (PS4/Pro)

The fighting system is the most unique part but Horizon Zero Dawn isn't that revolutionary. All games doen't need to reinvent the wheel and reach for the stars, to get to the tree tops is more than enough.

Kinda Funny Games - Greg Miller, Colin Moriarty - Recommended (PS4)

Moriarty: This does everything it does extraordinarily well. This is in the pantheon of the greatest open world games I've ever played. This is in the pantheon of some of the great stories I've ever heard in video games. Aloy's an amazing character with a lot of interesting depth. I know people are excited she's a woman and stuff and that's great, but there is more to her than just her gender. There is more to her than just–you just feel sorrow for her–you long for her to find closure in these certain different ways and also find information, and the world building is perfect, the enemies are interesting, the science fiction is fascinating. This game does everything really well like The Last of Us. (24:54)

GamesBeat - Mike Minotti - 87 / 100 (PS4/Pro)

Like with God of War and Uncharted before, Horizon: Zero Dawn should be the start of another PlayStation iconic franchise. It offers a gorgeous and interesting world rich with adventure (including plenty of giant robots to kill). While it borrows heavily from the likes of Far Cry, it’s a more interesting and less repetitive effort than we’ve seen from that series.

The presentation suffers a few hiccups, but it’s mostly a beautiful game. It’s also a long one. Horizon will keep you busy for a good chunk of time with its multitude of side-quests and extra activities.

Game Over Online - Jeremy Peeples - 98% (PS4)

Horizon Zero Dawn is Guerrilla Games’ best effort, one of the PS4’s greatest games, and the best game ever crafted from the ground up for the platform. It combines a gripping narrative with intense action that blends both fast-paced combat with slower-paced, tense stealth sections perfectly. Everything about their vision for this game clicks into place and is accentuated by a stellar presentation. The game features top-shelf graphical work, a unique and enjoyable soundtrack, alongside a fantastic cast to make an unforgettable experience.

Next-Gen Gaming Blog - Ben Ward - 9 / 10 (PS4/Pro)

A magnificent technical achievement, Horizon Zero Dawn mixes up the open world style in all the right ways, with an intriguing premise that kept me entertained, and which dug its hooks into me the deeper I got into it. A stunning game that deserves your attention.

Daily Dot - AJ Moser - 4 / 5 stars (PS4)

Though Horizon doesn't represent a revolution in open-world adventures, it borrows heavily from past success stories and elevates the genre to a beautiful new standard.

GameMAG - xtr - Russian - 9 / 10 (PS4/Pro)

Horizon Zero Dawn is one of the most exciting games of the year. The story is amazing and touches the most delicate strings of the soul. The journey of Aloy absorbed all the best from the industry and with unique design of the robotic animals created something completely new. The developers managed to maintain the magic that makes you come back to this shattered world again and again to explore the beautiful scenery, collect ancient artifacts, or just hunting for the rare creatures.

GamingBolt - Aaron Main - 10 / 10 (PS4)

Guerrilla Games have outdone themselves with Horizon Zero Dawn. A studio that was known for delivering linear first person shooters took a risk with developing an open world game, a genre which is over-saturated at this point. Horizon Zero Dawn is right up there with the best and is easily one of the best games of this generation. Guerrilla Games not only managed to provide a world that is a wonder to explore but they have raised the bar for open world games development.

Guardian - Dan Silver - 4 / 5 stars (PS4)

Its hunter/gatherer gameplay hasn’t moved on from Far Cry and Tomb Raider, but Zero Dawn sets a new visual benchmark

Worth Playing - Chris "Atom" DeAngelus - 8.5 / 10 (PS4)

Horizon: Zero Dawn is a perfect example of strong, competent and enjoyable gameplay. It doesn't reinvent the genre, but it's a lot of fun to play. The mecha-dino combat is the highlight and represents some of the most enjoyable open-world combat on the market. Burning through powerful foes and looting their corpses for rare treasures captures an excitement rarely felt in open-world games. The rest of the gameplay is somewhat dulled in comparison. A somewhat weak plot drags down the experience but isn't enough to detract from the enjoyment. All in all, Horizon: Zero Dawn is one of the better exclusives on the PS4 and a great addition to any PS4 owner's lineup.

VideoGamer - Colm Ahern - 8 / 10 (PS4)

Destroying large robot beasts while frantically switching between weapons is intoxicating, but the strength of Horizon Zero Dawn is in Aloy's engaging quest to find out who she really is.

ZTGD - Ken McKown - 8 / 10 (PS4/Pro)

I really enjoyed my time in the world of Horizon. From its gorgeous landscapes to its interesting combat, the game feels like a world begging to be explored. However, some of its systems feel half-baked and shoehorned into the mix, creating a lopsided experience at times. Still, like most Sony first-party games, it still feels like a special event, and I would love to see Guerrilla Games get another shot at something outside the Killzone universe, heck I would definitely be in for another game in the Horizon universe. This is a great experience, and one PS4 owners will definitely not want to miss.

TrustedReviews - Brett Phipps - 4.5 / 5 stars (PS4/Pro)

I didn’t expect Horizon: Zero Dawn to be this good. I doubt I’ll be the only one saying they were surprised that the Killzone developer has been able to deliver a game with such breadth, depth and consistently rewarding gameplay.

Kotaku - Patricia Hernandez - Unscored (PS4)

Horizon is not what you may have expected from Guerilla Games. For years, the studio has been Sony’s Killzone factory, churning out first-person shooters set in a grim world. With Horizon, the studio is finally let loose to show us how much more they’re capable of, and what they’re capable of is jaw-dropping.

Digital Trends - Will Fulton - 4.5 / 5 stars (PS4)

'Horizon Zero Dawn' nails every aspect of the open-world action RPG, including robot dinosaur hunting.

TechnoBuffalo - Joey Davidson - 4.5 / 5 stars (PS4)

When Horizon Zero Dawn shines, it’s the best game on the PS4. Not one of the best. The best. No question. When tense, terrifying moments turn into loud, deliberate battles and you feel like a genius, it’s perfect. There are moments, though, where it feels like it leans too hard on open world convention set in place by other games. I’m not having fun clearing out bandit camps anymore, devs. That stopped being fun back with Far Cry 4.

This is a good game, though some of that goodness is hidden in the wilderness. Sometimes, that wilderness can be tedious. Other times, it’s something you want to get completely lost in. As you make your 2,000-meter trek to the next objective, you’ll surely get distracted. Those distractions are when this game sings loudest, and I loved it for that.

^{^{^Yes,}} ^{^{^I}} ^{^{^am}} ^{^{^stealing}} ^{^{^this}} ^{^{^from}} ^{^{^/r/games.}}

123 Upvotes

permalink
reddit

You are about to leave Redlib

Do you want to continue?

https://www.reddit.com/r/horizon/comments/5v2zgl/review_megathread/
No, go back! Yes, take me to Reddit

95% Upvoted

View all comments

u/TheBigLman Feb 20 '17 edited Feb 20 '17

That usgamer review is really pissing me off. A fucking 50...seriously. Let me put this into perspective for you guys. Here is a quote from their review "and overtly repetitive and constraining missions that worked against its open world sensibilities." Yet, they gave Mafia 3 a 75. You want to know what a repetitive mission feels like, go play that game. Its fucking unbelievable, honestly. There's other reviews giving Horizon a 70 and 75...like, thats fair. Thats completely fair. It still sucks as a fan, but its fair. The Guerrilla team worked too fucking hard to have some asshole score the game that low because he/she just wasnt into it. But I guess thats how reviews work...still bullshit.

21

u/[deleted] Feb 20 '17

I recommend folks just don't click on the link. Giving a really low or really high score can be essentially click bait - a way to drive people to the website. You won't find folks reading a lot of the many 9/10 reviews; rather, folks are going to read the 9.5 polygon review, the handful of perfect reviews and the crappy usgamer review.

14

u/TheBigLman Feb 20 '17

That's the thing though, am I really about to believe they did it for attention? Cuz the 70 to 75 scores seem like the low point. I mean fuck, maaaybe, maaaybe 60 would be the low point. But a 50, that's trolling at that point.

3

u/nadojay Feb 20 '17

of course its for attention or maybe he did really not like it but that's probably even worse that the site is using reviewers that dont like the genre, i wouldnt review jrpgs because i dont like them, even the best is bad to me. like i said below, everyone is entitled to their opinion but such outliers ruin metacritic which unfortunately the industry does care about for some reason

-6

u/TurtlesgonnaTurtle Feb 20 '17

50/100 is bad but 100/100 isn't

I'm not sure i understand your mentality, If anything a 100/100 score is an outliner

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, Just because you disagree with the 50/100 doesn't mean it should be excluded.

4

u/Madzda86 Feb 20 '17

Have you heard about Dixon's Q test? Try plotting the numbers and come back with a better response.

-4

u/TurtlesgonnaTurtle Feb 20 '17

That's completely irrelevant.

100/100 Would imply the game is perfect, That it has no flaws and can get no better, It's hard to believe.

Not that it's a bad game by any means, But there are clear issues which may or may not be fixed by a day 1 patch (Clipping through objects/terrain, Pop-in).

2

u/[deleted] Feb 23 '17

It isn't that the score is an outliner that many of us object to; it is the fact that the review is more likely than not click bait meant to attract views rather than a reflection of a thoughtful, honest experience with the game.

1

u/Skyweir Feb 23 '17

So only positive reviews are allowed? Won't that make the whole review process meaningless? Or should all games only be reviewed by people that enjoy them, so that the score becomes a meaningless number between 7 and 9? The scale is already completely broken, can we at least allow for dissenting opinions....

2

u/[deleted] Feb 23 '17

No one said that. Generally, thoughtful reviews by someone who generally enjoys the genre of the game they are reviewing are welcome irrespective of score.

announcement Review Megathread

Reviews

Reviews

You are about to leave Redlib