43M's Gaming Journal: Now Playing: God of War Ragnarok!!!

[43M]

5 hours ago, Forge said:

I disliked 9 a great deal after the first disc. Never understood the hype about 7. Didn't like the characters at all

To each their own, of course....but its very rare to find someone who likes 8, but not 7 or 9.

8 is actually my favorite of the PS1 games, but mainly because it was the game that got me into both Final Fantasy and RPGs as a whole.    All PS1 FF games were excellent IMO.

Looking back objectively, I think 9 was the best GAME, but not my personal favorite.

I do agree 7 is/was somewhat overhyped...but I still loved it.

[Forge]

3 hours ago, 43M said:

To each their own, of course....but its very rare to find someone who likes 8, but not 7 or 9.

8 is actually my favorite of the PS1 games, but mainly because it was the game that got me into both Final Fantasy and RPGs as a whole.    All PS1 FF games were excellent IMO.

Looking back objectively, I think 9 was the best GAME, but not my personal favorite.

I do agree 7 is/was somewhat overhyped...but I still loved it.

I loved everything about 8 except the drawing system. I remember just being absolutely blown away by some of the scenes as well (the garden vs garden battle). Hell, I was 100% hooked on just the opening FMV. 

FF7 was a little bit of a timing and preference issue (along with the meh characters for me and a story I simply didn't care for). For timing, I want to say that I didn't play this for about a year to 18 months after it came out? The hype was insane, so it was probably always destined to "let me down". By the time I played 7, I had already played FFT, which I think 7 pales in comparison to. I had also played Suikoden by then and to this day, FFT and Suikoden 1 / 2 are in my top 5 all time favorite games. I had also already played breath of fire 3, which I had a ton of fun with and just really enjoyed. While people swooned over the presentation, I didn't like the blocky 3D characters...at the time, I much preferred 2d sprites on 3d backgrounds. Breath of Fire IV, for example, has a presentation I much prefer over that of FF7.  

FF9 I liked that they went back to a more traditional fantasy setting, but the lasting memory I have of the game is that I loved the first disc and was disappointed after . I also feel like I hated Kuja? But that gets a little fuzzy. Ultimately, I should probably play this one again - I only played it the one time when it came out. 

[43M]

20 hrs into Forbidden West.

Really enjoy it and alot to do, but it doesn't quite pull me in the same way the first one did.    Still have a long way to go and the question marks are reminiscent of Witcher 3, though.    Gameplay is still excellent, but while I love certain additions....some changes Im not huge fan of....but I'll cover that in my review.

[JBURGE]

On 10/14/2022 at 5:41 PM, 43M said:

20 hrs into Forbidden West.

Really enjoy it and alot to do, but it doesn't quite pull me in the same way the first one did.    Still have a long way to go and the question marks are reminiscent of Witcher 3, though.    Gameplay is still excellent, but while I love certain additions....some changes Im not huge fan of....but I'll cover that in my review.

This is how I felt. HZD totally gripped me once I really started getting into the story, HFW was still really good but was missing.... something. Sequel syndrome

[43M]

So, I am about 60 to 70 hours into Forbidden West and there is still alot to do.    I really do get Witcher 3 vibes from this in regards to how much there is to do and sidequests that are meaningful and sometimes deep.    

[BobbyPhil1781]

15 hours ago, 43M said:

So, I am about 60 to 70 hours into Forbidden West and there is still alot to do.    I really do get Witcher 3 vibes from this in regards to how much there is to do and sidequests that are meaningful and sometimes deep.    

I absolutely loved the side quests in this game. I did every single one and put about 88 total hours into it. Hope you enjoy the rest

[JBURGE]

On 11/4/2022 at 7:05 AM, 43M said:

So, I am about 60 to 70 hours into Forbidden West and there is still alot to do.    I really do get Witcher 3 vibes from this in regards to how much there is to do and sidequests that are meaningful and sometimes deep.    

The sequel lost a bit of that "it" factor that an amazing new IP brings, but this is still a fantastic game. Glad you are getting your money's worth

[43M]

Review

 

The original Horizon: Zero Dawn, was surprisingly one of my favorite games that I have played as an adult, with some of the most addicting gameplay ever and a very compelling story that kept me hooked the entire way through.    And I got an excellent value for the first game since I picked it up used at Gamestop for $4, and with that and the Frozen Wilds DLC, only put a total of $15 into for a game Ive played through twice already.      So, needless to say, my body was ready for a bigger and hopefully better sequel the near masterpiece the original was.    But could it....DID it, live up to the hype?

In most cases, yes.

Forbidden West is my first true next gen game...well, kinda, since it isnt really a TRUE next gen game since it was also on PS4, but you get my point.   Its the first full game Ive played through on PS5 that was optimized for the PS5.     That being the case, the graphics were absolutely beautiful.   The lush and crisp details from the environments to the character to details were magnificent.     The lighting and water effects were particular were done well, although maybe not as well as early trailers suggested.   Still, I wont hold it against Guerilla as the game is still amazing to look at.     The new land that is the "Forbidden West" is wonderfully crafted and a joy to explore, especially when you get to points that allow you see a majestic sprawling shot of the landscape.   Clearly, alot of love went into it.

The gameplay didnt change much, and thats not a bad thing.     There really isnt a ton more I can say here that I didnt already say about the original.   The gameplay is something special and makes it hard to put down.    There were some added dynamics that made things even better, such as the glider and a couple different weapons and special equipment that helped extend the game in various ways, but while I didnt love all the small changes made to gameplay, most of it fit it seamlessly with the excellent gameplay from the first game.

One of my favorite aspects of this game were the new sidequests.      The sidequests in the original were largely nothing special and really didnt extend the game by much.   Forbidden West borrowed from Witcher 3 and just had question marks pop up EVERYWHERE, and most of the sidequests were very satisfying and rewarding.     I spent more time playing sidequests or doing side tasks like upgrading my gear than playing the main story.   Thats more a testament to how fun the side stuff in this game is. and I didnt even do every little thing.   There is a card/boardgame mini game called "Strike" that I never really got into, but outside of the first tutorial, didnt really give it much of a chance.    I may have liked it if I got into it, but there was so much else going on that I just focused on everything else and never went back to that.

The story was good, but not quite as intriguing and engaging as the first one.    In Zero Dawn, it felt like so much more was at stake, and you were drawn in as you learned about how Earth fell to the fate that it did.     This story was good, but never quite got its claws into me the way the first game did.    The one aspect of the story that WAS better about Forbidden West were the characters, who were much more fleshed out than the original.    In the first game, you felt like a lone wolf, and while there were a few non playable characters that were developed decently (Erend, Liz Sobeck Rost...kinda, etc), this games story made you feel as if you werent alone on your mission.    I still would have liked to seen relationships fleshed out better, but overall, you grew to care about many of your companions more than in the original.

As much as I enjoyed the overall game, I didnt love everything.    Again, while the game largely felt like the first one in regards to gameplay, many of its new features didnt really add a ton for me.      I wasnt a fan of how many weapons there were with somewhat negligible differences.    I didnt mind different weapon varieties. but it just seemed like there was a different bow or weapon for every little thing, and it was bit overwhelming IMO.     I wish they just wouldve focused on different ammo types and gave us various ways to customize weapons to make them how we wanted.   You could still do that, but I just wasnt a fan how I needed to change my weapon wheel so often, and in many cases, it didnt feel like some of the weapons were as effective enough to warrant changing around that often.    It wasnt a huge deal, but it added a small element of frustration that wasnt there in the first game.   For me, anyway.

The new character development system was better IMO, but not as much of a leap as I was hoping.    First off, I hate when sequels nerf you like this.      I spent the entire Zero Dawn game turning Aloy into a bad arse, and this game made you feel like you were just starting again.   No strong weapons, relatively weak and you feel like a rookie again in many ways.       I get why they do this and for the most part I dont mind too much, but I at least wish we were able to keep certain skills from the first one without having to relearn them.     There were a few, I guess, but I hated that I wasnt able to override certain enemies that I was able to override i the first one.    I was able to override a Thunderjaw at the end of Zero Dawn. but that was short lived since I had to go through all the new cauldrons to do it this time!    Was a little annoying.

On top of that, I didnt find most of the new active abilities all that useful.    Sure, I used some of them, like Elemental Fury, Powershot and the stealth one numerous times, but they never felt like they were NEEDED to win any battle.     Maybe on higher difficulty they would be, but on normal, I just didnt find myself needing them all that much, so I only used them sparingly and often, forget I even had them during battles simply because I never felt like it gave me any more of an advantage.

On a last note for gaemplay, I was extremely mad that they took away the ability to whistle and draw enemies to your location.    Why?   Sure, throwing rocks works to draw them to other places, but when I wanted to bring them to me, the only thing I could do was throw a rock right in front of me, but it wasnt as effective, and I dont understand why they took it out.     As much as I love the stealth stuff, I feel like there are several aspects that could be done better.

They clearly focused more on developing the melee combat aspect of the game, and while it was better, still left alot to me desired, and didnt really add much to the game.    The melee pits were fun, but outside of that, I barely used melee because there was no real incentive to do so.

The story again, while good, just felt a bit underwhelming compared to the first game.    I guess its unfair since it was always going to be hard to top that, but I guess I just didnt feel the same tension, nor was I as interested in the backstory since I already knew most of the backstory, and the new stuff just felt kinda like additional information.

Bottom line:   Despite it not feeling like a monumental leap forward, the game is still quite amazing.   I spent over 100 hours with it and I feel like I could go back and play through it again, and I couldnt say that about a game I wasnt a massive fan of.    Cant wait to see what comes next!    

 

Gameplay:  9
Story:  7
Graphics: 9.5
Value/Replayability:   9
Personal Enjoyment:  9

 

Final Score:    9.1   (Originally had 8.9, but I enjoyed it more than Ghost of Tsushima, so I bumped it up a new notches)

PS...   I still havent finished the game, but I am probably going to wrap it up this week or next weekend.    Even though I have not completed every little task I started on (signal towers, depths, a few side missions and errands, etc...), I feel like I have gotten everything I wanted out of it.    

I wouldnt mind playing through again, but probably not for a few years when Horizon 3 comes out.

I also hear there might be a remake/remaster of Zero Dawn (not sure why, but mkay), a DLC for Forbidden West (Cant wait!) and potentially a MMO for the Horizon world, which COULD be really cool if done right IMO).

So, lots of Horizon stuff to come! 

 

Edited November 13, 2022 by 43M

[Ty21]

Have you still not played RDR2?

[43M]

6 hours ago, Ty21 said:

Have you still not played RDR2?

I havent even finished RDR1.   

[BobbyPhil1781]

7 hours ago, 43M said:

I havent even finished RDR1.   

Impressive lol. I played RDR2, never 1, but that game makes me want to try it out lol. RDR2 was absolutely fantastic in every way IMO. I'm sure you've got tons of **** lined up but I highly suggest playing this and obviously it can be obtained very cheaply 

Glad you liked HFW as the score suggests. Can't wait for the next installment which I think they're already working on. 

[43M]

4 minutes ago, BobbyPhil1781 said:

Impressive lol. I played RDR2, never 1, but that game makes me want to try it out lol. RDR2 was absolutely fantastic in every way IMO. I'm sure you've got tons of **** lined up but I highly suggest playing this and obviously it can be obtained very cheaply 

Glad you liked HFW as the score suggests. Can't wait for the next installment which I think they're already working on. 

I would prefer to finish RDR1 before playing 2.    Definitely not opposed to playing RDR2.

I have no doubt they are working on Horizon 3, but they are also apparently working on a Horizon VR game, MMO, and remaster of Zero Dawn.

[BobbyPhil1781]

7 hours ago, 43M said:

I would prefer to finish RDR1 before playing 2.    Definitely not opposed to playing RDR2.

I have no doubt they are working on Horizon 3, but they are also apparently working on a Horizon VR game, MMO, and remaster of Zero Dawn.

Really milking that franchise lol. Good bc I'll get the next installment. Weird they're remastering a game that's only 4-5 years old though. Wonder why.

Definitely play RDR2 though. Everything about that game was great!

[43M]

I think for the rest of the year, Im just going to fiddle around with PS Plus and consider what games to get into next.   Maybe play several shorter games before jumping into a long narrative driven one.

I tried Bloodborne, but cant really get into it.   Not bad, but just annoying design.

Right now Im playing Infamous.   I want to go through all 3 Infamous games.   I only ever finished 1.    Started 2 but never went far.   Never played Second Son.   Those games arent too long, so I should have them beat by the end of the month unless something major comes up. 

I am fairly certain that 2023 will see me play Read Dead Redemption 2 and God of War Ragnarok, but I want to finish RDR1 before RDR2...and Id like to go back through all of the God of War games before getting to Ragnarok.  Ill be out of town for two weeks in January for an IT conference, so I dont want to start a long game before then.   I may try to squeeze in the old school God of Wars, then come back, play GoW 2018, and then play Ragnarok in February or March.

[iknowcool]

5 hours ago, 43M said:

I think for the rest of the year, Im just going to fiddle around with PS Plus and consider what games to get into next.   Maybe play several shorter games before jumping into a long narrative driven one.

Have you ever played any of the Telltale games?  They are shorter and more story-based, but they are excellent.  The Walking Dead series is good in general, but the 1st one is must-play IMO.  Wolf Among Us is my favorite by far too and (hopefully) the 2nd one will be coming in 2023.  Both Batman ones are very fun too.  I'm pretty sure the Walking Dead bundle is like $15 or so on Playstation.

They might not be your kind of game but worth looking into if you want something good to play that doesn't take up a lot of your time.

Also if those games interest you, then look up Twelve Minutes too.  Very creative idea and story and is even shorter than the Telltale games I mentioned (hence the name).  

Edited November 16, 2022 by iknowcool