@@AdamNoizer Yes ! from day one you could disable the pickup animation but with the new patch that comes with burning shores there is an "auto-pickup" option ! try it it's game changing haha
How did we get to the point where what makes a bad open world is over abundance of fast travel points, I do recall people complaining in the Witcher three that they had to go up to one of the signs to fast travel
I don’t understand the issue Luke has with the fast travel things. Sure there doesn’t NEED to be that many, but it no way does it hurt or take anything away from the game even a little. Not even sort of. It makes getting to the area you desire that much quicker and more convenient. I understand that there’s an excessive amount, but I can’t think of even one negative consequence of having that many and I’ve never heard him come up with one either. Just a weird thing to dwell on. I get mentioning it once, but over the coarse of a few videos I’ve heard him complain about it a handful of times as if it’s something that takes away from the games experience. I’m confused by this, maybe I’m missing something?
Because his entire channels gimmick is to find faults and nitpick. Some points of course are warranted/valid, but when that's the entire premise of his content, you're bound to find filler arguments. This being one of them lol.
@@dr.nottanownudder but something that confuses me is that he is the same guy that likes witcher 3 a game that is known for having a cluttered map its a dumb arguement
I'm a bit disappointed with the Waterwing, there's not much you can do with it after unlocking it, other than swimming. I wish we could use it to access new underwater areas, like caves or ruins and to unlock new side quests
@@mysterious___1 Solutions I see are: - Free-roam explorations underwater, mandatory traversal (more than just 1 time) - Quests like in the main game, example: finding required parts for custom armor - Vantage Points and Black Boxes underwater Or maybe this: use the main quest Poseidon as an example and expand further on that concept - Main map has key points of interest that has to be navigated several times, but varying degree on foot, air and sea. It could challenge the developers and the gamers in regards to platforming
Walter Londra is played by Sam Witwer, who is actually the same actor who played Deacon St. John in Days Gone, among many other things. He’s an incredible actor and so talented, but unfortunately his talent has been criminally underutilised twice recently. He was Cpt. Leon Ferris in The Callisto Protocol too, but both of his most recent video game characters barely have any real screen time.
@@-tcbms-8849 I will absolutely do that, thank you for the recommendation. I have seen his work as Starkiller in great detail, but not a lot of his work as Darth Maul in Clone Wars. I’ve obviously seen the iconic scream from Rebels though, of course.
Funny how you mentioned days gone but didn’t know deacon is the same va as the villain in this dlc, I mean they’re literally both modelled after Sam Witwer too 😂
Maybe I played too much Force Unleashed, but I don’t know how people don’t immediately recognize him across characters. He’s got a distinctive voice and face!
I mostly enjoy this game for its visuals, lore, and gameplay, but yeah, the stories they tell are hard to enjoy when you can't really connect with the characters.
I liked seeing Gildun again and that story got pretty deep but yeah they need some new writers or something. It’s me of the best looking games ever made it’s it’s just so fucking mid
@@naterod Yes! It was great seeing him again. That was the last quest I did, it felt like a great way to end my playthrough of the DLC. In my opinion it was definitely one of the better quests in the DLC.
I have to disagree about your characterization to Aloy. In the first part of HFW, she’s called out CONSTANTLY by characters from the first game for taking off without even a goodbye (you can return to that last area and get scolded by even MORE characters. ) She continues her: ‘I have to do this myself’ until she almost dies after her first encounter with the Zeniths. After this, she begins to soften and gather allies around her. It’s kinda the whole POINT of that home base. By the end, she KNOWS she needs their help to succeed, and couldn’t have done it without them. She grows as a person. She also get growth in her interactions with her ‘sister.’ Aloy is, frankly, kinda awful to her fir a LONG time, until she realizes that being raised by a loving parent made her into who she is, and she gets closer to her ‘sister,’ and more forgiving of her timidity and flaws. Did you engage with the companions at the base? Because she goes through genuine character growth through them, along with their side quests. Furthermore, her attitude comes from the fact the was literally CREATED to save the world, and is the ONLY ONE, who can do certain things, and she feels an enormous responsibility to her ‘mother’ to save her legacy, but as she goes through the game and meets all sorta of oddballs, she becomes determined to save it because SHE wants to, not simply as her ‘mother’s’ legacy, but because he appreciates the beauty of this world. The Las Vegas quests especially highlight this. I spent some 200 hour with the game, doing almost all the story-based side-quests, and repeatedly engaged the companions between main quests, and Aloy’s growth seemed obvious to me (as well as mourning a death that affects her the test of the game!). I think you rushed through HFW, and missed a lot.
If you have to go through countless side quests to see the main character grow as a person and that’s not reflected in the main story, (it isn’t), then the character isn’t growing. They’re being segmented. She’s also as boring as they come as far as protagonists are concerned.
I would say while I was OK with this DLC i think it's biggest flaw is that there isn't enough NEW in it. While similarly frozen north didn't add much to the story of Zero Dawn it gave us a new local that was different as we didn't have much experience with a frozen environment save for a small area, it gave us a look into the Banuk tribe and bit more of a glimpse into some of the lore of the old world and AI. In burning shores we got.............well..........a area that seemed very familiar to areas we had gotten in Forbidden west, we got a story with the Quen which I feel was better done in forbidden west and a story involving a zenith being a general POS/Villain which was similar to the story of MOST of forbidden west. Even Seyka (while i don't have that much of a issue with her as a character) is more of the same. She's a Quen who feels apart from her tribe, (better done with Alva) who is a warrior, (better done with Kotallo), and looking to desperately save her sister, (which we got with Erend in Horizon Zero Dawn.) There just wasn't enough NEW in this DLC which was really disappointing. It's the first time I really feel like a mis step or a wasted opportunity in the Horizon series.
I liked the further look into the rigid, paranoid Quen society (Stalinist), the mechanics of the bilegut, which made for a fairly challenging foe on very hard, using the waterwing to explore the seas off the forbidden west (and trying to find a new way into the forbidden island). Fooling around with the new weapons was fun, too. It all seemed to be worth $20 to me.
aloy was not written the most lively in the first game, but they really developed her through the second game...they should go just a pinch further, less scared, but they are doing an amazing job
I am an unabashed Horizon super fan and I think your take on the DLC is pretty much spot on. I didn't gel with Seyka and you are right, it needed more time. I am pleased that the kiss is just an option as I thought the "I am not ready for this" response was more in keeping with my experience with Aloy and actually showed a bit of vulnerability in her, something she wasn't sure about for once. (Plus if Aloy is going to hook up with a woman, Petra is my girl.) I couldn't help but feel the DLC was putting work into back-end technical improvements ready for Horizon 3 at the expense of story and content now.
10:34 I agree 💯% No one's talking about how rushed the romantic feelings are going.. like humans CAN get going really fast... but Aloy just took 50 hours recently to accept having friends simply help her sometimes.. She never (though she couldve) showed a yearning for the spark that Varl found... she hasnt experienced anything with Seyka that showed that Seyka filled an empty spot in her soul (and it didn't need to be this big problem) She couldve throughout realized that she was impressed, enthrawled by seyka.. or even that she likes seykas face/ eyes lol ... side note, I agree the water wings needed more utilization! But also, you may just have that thing where big hype makes you dislike the flaws tenfold. Like you're here complaining about the number of campfires. Like yeah, they're plentiful.... and then... thats it. Its not gonna break the game. If you want to be forced to explore more.. then just do it. But when Im not in the mood nor have the time to explore organically.. Im glad I have the fast travel virtually anywhere. Then the other side.. games that are georgous and perform well have the pretty bias.. we give it more excuses probably idk. hehe But we all loved zero dawn despite terrible talking animations.. cause the rest was beautiful! Just let horizon be horizon and hopefully they address the problems that are actually problems :)
5:24 He definitely is. Other than Lance Reddick, Sam Witwer is probably the most expensive actor they cast. Getting him to do voice lines would not have been cheap.
When you did the review of Valhalla I felt so validated that you thought it was so bad. I totally agreed. But here is where I don't. I love forbidden west and I loved the DLC. I'm so addicted to machine hunting and trying to get the rare parts to upgrade weapons. The loop has me ..
I feel the exact same way. I'm so disappointed by his HZDFW videos. In his first one he just straight up lies multiple times. He complained about things that he's praised in other games. I just don't understand??
@@PeachShortcake_ he is not very bright lol. Nor is he good at gaming. I am pretty sure he plays Horizin on story mode. He also constantly snipes about the map and quest markers when he has the option to disbale them; and dont even get me started about him bitching about grinding and looting, when there is an auto-pickup feature.
Warning spoiler: I think Mass Effect is a really good example of why I don’t go back to the horizon games once I’ve completed them, but I have hundreds and hundreds of hours in mass effect. Your companions really make the game and I just can’t connect with any of the characters you collect in these games. I even forgot I had a clone sister until Aloy mentions it in the dlc. The companions just don’t pull me back in, maybe that’s just me
Yeah, Aloy being grouped up with other characters allows for her character to be explored and developed more. I look at this as an experiment, and hopefully they build off this foundation. I think the "new thing" was the companion system being introduced with Seyka. With Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man, that's how Spider-Man has always been. Tho, Spider-Man does it throw enemies off. Aloy (and other modern characters) just do it to be badass or make sure the tension is never too high, and it's annoying.
Can the companion system really be considered new though? It's been a minute since I played vanilla but I do remember multiple quests where you'd have a companion with you. Not for the entirety like this but many quests with different companions.
@@voxploxx This style is new, where the companions stay a long time and are useful. Maybe could even play into a relationship system, where actions or choices, with them with you, could affect the narrative.
My biggest issue with the DLC is the amount of new machines. The new machines that were added in Frozen Wilds were impactful, I mean I remember the way you get greeted by a Daemonic Scorcher. The fight with three Daemonic Frostclaws and the fight with Fireclaw! In my opinion they only added two machines: Bilegut and Waterwing (which could have been a variant of Sunwing).
Agreed. It bothered me that traversal into BS was by a cutscene instead of actual travel (FW had you climb all the way from the Gravehoard). Leaving BS is done by fast-traveling. Why not start the DLC by air and end it by sea? Could have added a post-game segment, that also included the Hoover Dam (far south-east on the main map) and hopefully Brin.
@@Ingisen Yeah, that bothered me as well. A mission were the Hoover dam breaks and you need to sneak past the Tideripper or something like that. I mean I still think some of the bigger machines from Forbidden West were a little underutilized as in: Shellsnapper and Tremortusk.
@@Ingisen I would love at least one more DLC (Hoover Dam + North of Barren Light + a bigger DLC that covers Baja or even Hawaii) Otherwise we will have to wait at least 3 years for the third entry.
I'd rank it a solid 6. It's lacking in things to do, hardly any new machines or side missions, very few unique weapons, and the romance (although I'm not against it) was very rushed. The Horus fight was amazing though.
Aloy and I can even understand a little that they made jokes in the final boss of the dlc. The Horus is huge, which makes it a very easy target, slow and with little accuracy. apart from its big disadvantage of overheating, which in my opinion makes a machine like a Tremortusk more "worrying" in a 1v1 fight. Because it's faster, more accurate and can find you more easily. A Horus is more threatening to a city and not to an individual person. And I think part of the jokes is because. during the dlc we see that Londra has a very inflated ego, making jokes, going to be upset and consequently he will lose his mind and make mistakes. I thought it was also part of the strategy to beat him. Obviously it could have been less jokey and a bit more serious, but as I thought of it that way, it ended up not bothering me as much as it could have.
I agree with most of what you've said, except on a couple of points: as a queer person, I thought they did a really good job of coding Aloy and Seika's romantic interest throughout the DLC. It was subtle but there, and I suspect it was one of those things that only queer folks might've picked up on until it got to the kiss and became REALLY obvious to everyone else. 😂 Anyone who is familiar with lesbians and U-hauling probably wouldn't be surprised by the speed at which they went from meeting to expressing feelings for each other. I also think games like Horizon make it difficult to judge the passage of time, and I have no idea if they were together a few days or a while longer. Otherwise, this DLC was the first time I thought the Horizon writers did a great job of showing that Aloy isn't in fact aloof or full of herself, but extremely bad at forming relationships with other people, be it friendships or romantic entanglements. (She explains this in one of the romance options if you turn Seyka down.) It does track when you consider she was raised away from society and by one man who also wasn't great at expressing emotion or knowing how to relate to people. Aloy is hyper independent and a loner with poor social skills because she wasn't given much opportunity to develop them. So it's less surprising to me, having seen her development through to this DLC, that her interactions with others are really wooden and uncomfortable. She's like a homeschooled kid trying to make friends for the first time in her life. (And from Tilda's descriptions, Elisabet didn't sound much better.) But I do agree seeing more screen time with her and other companions would go a long way to develop her character further. Anyway... she's grown on me, is what I'm trying to say. Seyka brought out a side of her that made me like her a lot more. Thanks for this great review!
I just can't get into a romance that isn't decently fleshed out. Given that Alloy is very stiff as a character, they should've had more time to gradually break down her social awkwardness utilizing Seyka. It just sort of felt unnecessary, like the emotional attachment aspect was just an afterthought they slapped together with a poorly built up romance.
@@can_can9119agreed. I actually have a ton more issues with this DLC than the base game. And Seyka is one of them. The problem with the relationship isn't only that it is indeed rushed and unnecessary. But I'm also not a fan of Seykas character. Because she is too similar to Aloy. When pretty much every interaction they have is just "you go girl! You're just as good as me!" It got a bit grating. They don't have different personalities to play off of, which makes the character dynamic just as boring as the characters themselves. They're not complete bricks, they just aren't interesting. And throw that into a rushed romance just doesn't pay off. There is nothing to be invested in. Thats just one of my issues with it. I liked the base game much more honestly.
In my mind, Aloy just doesn’t have time for romance so I gave her the “yes but not now.” Aloy gets hit on a lot and always dismisses it. Sure, it’s apparent now it’s because she’s a lesbian but even still she just has a lot on her plate. As a player controlling Aloy, I didn’t care for Seyka as a love interest. She’s fine and capable but Aloy kept getting flustered with her and sure, crushes don’t always make sense, but I just couldn’t relate to it. Aloy has met a lot of fun, interesting, likeable people and Seyka isn’t even in my personal top 5
That's not it at all. It's that they keep doing this. Just shoving shit in that means nothing. Am I mad about it? No. But I am mad that it didn't happen with a choice in who...and in the base game.
Horizon games are very good, the visuals and gameplay are amazing. But I have the basically the same problems that you have with the game. You have great points in the reviews as usual, great job.
@@lustrazor44thats the beautiful thing about choice and freedom. Plenty of games out there. Something for everybody. I personally find Soulsborne and Bethesda games boring but I know there are people like em.
Romance is one of those things writers/developers seem to have the hardest time with. Perfect example tp parallel Burning Shores is the Wheel of Time books, I love them to death so far (on book 6 so please no spoilers) but a lot of the romance just comes out of no where with little build up. Case in point Lan and Nynaeve, they spend a decent amount of time together but with how little interaction between them we were given, you'd think they had just met. Then out of nowhere Lan who's one of the most stoic and emotionless characters I've seen is confessing his undying love for her, it just felt so off and forced. Which is what this Seyka romance reminds me of
Yeah I get that the kiss is optional but I’m pretty fed up of all strong female protagonists having to be lesbian/bi. Like straight females can be badass too. Instead the only representation hetero ladies get are side characters who have all their cleavage and ass out.
I truly don’t understand the flack that this game gets at all! No one can tell me that it is not at all close to being a masterpiece. I can recognize some issues but everything else about it is so close to if not amazing. The story in the first game is exactly perfect.
😂 i couldn't even finish the first game. The story has no substance, the characters are lifeless and the game mechanics are frustratingly repetitive. It doesn't feel like a game, it's a chore which doesn't even pay with a satisfactory fight and interesting story.
Great reviews bro! Your vids are a fav pastime and has gotten me into many franchises I wouldn’t have tried. Hope your baby girl is doing fine. God bless
Yeah the kiss is optional, but through the story progress Aloys feelings for sayka are very obvious, so is not soooo optional you may let us think. Dont get me wrong i like the dlc i would say 7/10 because its very short but the new weapons/armours are pretty cool.
I could never get into to Horizon. I've tried it a couple times and it just felt very generic to me with combat or a story that wasn't satisfying enough to pull me in. It's not a bad game, but it's just kind of average. The world is gorgeous with just nothing interesting in it. I always heard the combat was really good, but man I just can't get into it at all. I can't put my finger on it, but the combat just doesn't feel good. Horizon is one of those games I should like, but I just don't. Doesn't help that the story is god awful. Idc what people say, the writing is 3/10.
I got my platinum trophy today and I have over 300 hours in the forbidden west. Geurilla actually casually announced on Twitter that there will be a sequel.
@@Nonlifting_breezy damn. Its my favorite series now. Can't wait for Aloy's next adventure. But I am yearning to sink my teeth into that Horizon mmo they got going on. I just hope its good.
I finished out the dlc last night. While flying around I found an apartment. In a chest ther le was a toy bow and toy arrows that can be equipped. I thought it was so cute.
You clearly don’t know how lesbian relationships work. I’m surprised they didn’t have a scene at the end of the game with a Uhaul backing into Aloys settlement so they can finally move in together. 5-7 hour whirlwind relationship is like 5 years in lesbian time. Just a kiss is such a straight thing to do. They totally missed the mark on this. I’m boycotting the game for sure now 😂😂
I get it luke. As a sizable youtuber who would prefer not to be cancelled, your kind of obligated to go with anything lgbt or gay in entertainment and say things like "its 2023 ppl" while demonising others as "dried up incels". Since anyone who isnt really into with being confronted with choosing aloys sexuality, so extremely out of place.. is immediately labelled negatively. As a general rule, ppl hate when sexual, racial and gender politics are forced on them be it in movies, tv or games. I am the same. Please write a quality character with depth, flaws and motivations before forcing me decide so out of left field if she a lesbian or not. At least they win brownie points with certain political movements.
the problem with this kind of narrative design, having a choices, developers tend to put all the character and emotions through dialogue choices, but it shows that it makes them soulless as you partake to that choice, it never shines the character, and even felt force, also looks like an agenda lmao
I agree to what you said about the storytelling to some extend. But i think (maybe hope) the end of the main game marks a turning point to how Aloy handels companions and they will show more cracks in her shell. They did show it in FW to a small extend here and there. For example when she admits to Gaya that she does not know if she is able to handle everything single handedly and in the epilogue she says some things that hints a shift in her approach. So i am willing to give Gorilla the chance to proof that she really recognizes that she needs others to solve the looming thread of Nemesis and it leads to more interesting coop missions in the 3rd game. If they manage to pull it off then i would say the personal arc of Aloys character would make sense for me remembering where she came from which was being an outcast.
I think Beta’s been the best catalyst for this, especially since it kind of puts a mirror up to Aloy’s obsession with living up to Sobeck’s legacy and that maybe that shouldn’t be her purpose in life.
After clearning stating in this video (and others) that you "hate Ubisoft mechanics," and after Guerrilla removes an example of such a mechanic from their latest DLC (i.e. "tower mechanics"), you somehow fault them for not having Tallnecks in the DLC. This logic doesn't track.
@@brett84cI absolutely agree that Guerrilla Games greatly improved their "towner mechanics" by introducing puzzles and quests around the tallnecks in HZD.
I love the horizon series and was bummed to find out that I won’t be able to play the dlc because I can’t afford a ps5. That being said. I’ve never had a problem with the games, or past dlc’s. I honestly really love the story and the scenery, so I still love your critiques even if your position is opposite mine, we can still coexist lol! Anyway Love the videos bro
Don’t you think, that you playing FW on your 10 years old system is already a miracle and favour of developers? And there’s no reason for them to release something in 2023 on pastgen
Just shows we finally getting closer of devs not supporting last gen and can finally move onto current gen fully ,all efforts can go there using series x and ps5 full power. Spiderman 2 will be a prime example of that
This boss reminds me a lot of the final boss of Jak and Daxter 3! such an underrated game.... Jak 3 was a masterpiece and its sad that people AND naughty dog forgot it!
Enjoy your comments, I have very mixed feelings about the game. Specifically the last boss fight which lead me to restart the DLC. Thanks again for your point of view.
@@withoutthejuice7193 It's the highlight, but that's relative to how mid the rest of the DLC is. The last boss fight is essentially a God of War boss fight -- climb, shoot weak spots, look for patterns. Then it turns into the last boss from Bioshock once you're inside the horus taking on Londra. Then Seyka miraculously rips open the horus with a sunwing? All the cringey millenial quipping between Aloy and Seyka during the battle doesn't help -- you're battling that fearsome, stadium-sized machine that killed whole armies and wiped out humanity; maybe have some seriousness & actual fear?
@Louden Laffnite I mean they needed a hole army/team to defeat this small crab thing in game 1 and know they defeat this big boy casually while flirting. Sry but this fight could be so epic in game 3 or ending of game 2.
Seriously? The campfires are the problem?-I liked Horizon Zero Dawn, bought Forbidden West immediately, but didn’t like it that much. It has problems. _But the campfires are not part of them!_
I really want to play the main game but every time i do, i bounce off it, i don't why or what it is but it just doesn't grip me like the first game did :(
If people hate the Bilegut, after finishing the one cauldron in the DLC, go override one and mess with other machines with him. On the optional choice in the ending, that one really feels forced with some people likely seeing it as a "Hollywood gone woke"(I don't hate it though, the best magic's still lesbomancy) so I instead reloaded a save beforehand and chose the brutal answer, which played out a denial of her feelings, reloaded it again and chose the other one, and it wasn't a rejection, more like a postponement of a relationship till the Nemesis problem is resolved, other people may hate it because they placed a love interest in the DLC yet they didn't give that option in the base game.
Horizon is one of my favorites and I watched the video until the end because most of your points are valid😅... however, once you play at ultra hard you get to discover a new side to this game. It forces you to think strategically in every decision you make. I.e. which weapon to buy or upgrade, which coil to use on which weapon, which weave tonuse on which armor, how to plan your attacks using the environment. Plus you have a bunch of amazing skills about 18 valor surge options in total once you max out every skill. It seems unprecedented to me.
I think people are just upset 😡 Because they can't make Aloy to date any other characters in the story. Except this one... that came literally out of nowhere. That's how I think. 🤔
My buddy and I were discussing the DLC the other day and, while we both are all for Aloy and Seyka hooking up, we agreed it was definitely rushed. They needed more missions together. Hell, Seyka could have joined Aloy on the few side missions there were! It would have given them more time together in general, would have given them more opportunities for conversations, they could have had Seyka be able to adapt more to the players fighting style and been more in sync and just altogether let the characters get to know each other much better. Another issue I had was the absolute lack of other NPC's you could interact with beyond small bit pieces related to one thing or another. It just felt very dry to me in terms of interactions and new characters. And I feel reuniting the two halves of the fleet was completely underdone. With how wordy and socially awkward Alva is in the base game, this feels like a missed opportunity for an interaction that could have been deeply insightful about the Quen culture to painfully embarrassing for everyone involved considering how often Alva puts her foot in her mouth. As such, I love the visuals for the base game and DLC but the DLC was definitely lacking in terms of meat.
Why would Aloy need to be there for the quen reunion? She already connected them through Alva and Seyka. What would she still have to do?? Her mission is to end the last zenith and it was done. The End. The quen will be explored more in the third game. I can almost guarantee that.
I think aloy is the only character that hasnt been written well in the series. I really think they shouldve leaned on her being artificially made a little more. The ubisoft style open world is exhausting but side quests are leagues better than before. Just wish that had quests like in ff14 where people from different quests join together in a major side quest. The rpg decision stuff is unnecessary only because they barely use it. If they leaned on it alot more, i assure you aloy would be a way better character.
"I get what you were trying to do but it's still stupid" is how I would describe TLOU2. People made a lot of excuses for that game when things didn't make sense. If we can excuse that, we can excuse any game. Being fair means you don't pick and choose.
I know I'm probably firmly in the minority here, but since I've never played these games **to completion** I'll just say it. After seeing videos online of the aerial/underwater mount in this DLC I'd love to see Guerilla take a break from the Horizon franchise and make an Avatar game based on the Cameron films (I'm not sold on the 1st person Ubisoft game in development). I mean the aerial/underwater mount in this DLC is essentially the Skimwing/Tsurak from Avatar 2 + the other terrestrial mounts are like the Direhorses/Pa'li, they already have experience with bow & arrow + spear combat, they're great with naturalistic environment/forest open world design, and they're pretty well renowned for their graphically fidelity and storytelling. Do us all a favor James Cameron... call up Disney and tell them to write Guerrilla Games a blank check. 🔥💯🔥
Aloy having the potential of a romance option is a HUGE deal for her character especially since they made an active effort thus far for it to not be the focus of her. So to hide it away in a paid dlc I feel was the wrong move. Beyond that the dlc was too short and not enough side content (what is there can be hard to find because there isnt a tallneck for some reason).
"They're obsessed with making Aloy big strong and a badass, and sacrifice any sort of humanity or vulnerability" Wow, it only took 30 seconds for me to tune out of this video, because that is a ridiculous take. You do you I guess, but that is so far off the mark.
You know who he is. He's Starkiller lol And I heard the reason why they removed the tallneck is because of Elden Ring and how it handled exploration...but the side content shows why not having the tall neck is a huge issue
The fact that aloy is fighting this thing with a bow and arrow and running after it with her own two legs is more ridiculous to me than her keeping calm while this fight even happens.
Didn't know you were this shallow Luke in your assessment of games. The personality of Commander Shepherd is player driven. He can say stuff like he's not gay and the player won't feel anything wrong. In HFW, if you choose other options than kissing, it literally feels like your choice hurt Aloy as she has her own personality apart from the player themselves unlike in Mass Effect. Moreover, the fact that Aloy is lesbian is canon. People are downvoting because this came out of nowhere and felt like the devs are shoving it down their throat because its the trending thing. Its totally the devs fault, they introduced a normal looking character and then suddenly reveal that they are gay. If they were gay from the start itself, it was all fine like in Life is Strange.
Love your video, but I disagree about Seyka. Yes, she was the only decently written new character, and yes, I'm aware that she would've needed more screen time as you said, but she did annoy the hell out of me when on quests with her. More than once she got in my way and also she kept commenting and nagging when I was looting and exploring. It was super frustrating for me, personally. Also, I agree that the possibility of that romance and the kiss kinda came out of nowhere. I too feel weird about it, and not because of the same sex thing, because I have no problem with that at all. No, it was because it felt rushed (maybe some are down voting the DLC because of that, they just don't realize it 😂). And also because so far (except for Avad in Zero Dawn and at the beginning of FW) there was no indication that Aloy would be romantically interested in anyone. The devs so far had no intention to give the real option for a romantic relationship since Aloy was "so focused on her quest". And now Seyka felt too forced for me. Not to mention that I felt like they wanted to make Aloy even more alike to Elizabeth with this, but it felt unnecessary, because Aloy is her own person despite the fact that her mentality is similar to Sobeck's. And not just with Avad, but even with Seyka (despite the kiss, if one went with that ending), these were no real choices or commitments, because both times the devs danced back. With Avad at the start of FW it was just a vague promise of Aloy one day retuning. With Seyka they immediately separated them. It left me scratching my head. It's as if the devs are testing the waters about how the players would feel about romantic options for Aloy, but not really daring to dive in fully for some reason. Sure, it can be explained away with the "she's not ready for this" and the "it's just too much for her" options. It still makes it feel half-baked for me. If you want to add romance to your game, I'd suggest real commitment to it and also other options to choose from (e.g. Cyberpunk 2077, Mass Effect etc.) as well as the preferred sexuality. Do you guys know with whom Aloy had great chemistry? Kotallo! He'd be a good choice, for example. (And yes, I'm butt hurt that he isn't, LOL😂) Anyways, despite these and the shortness of the DLC, I enjoyed it and found the Horus fight epic. Have a good day, hugs and kisses from Hungary! ❤
So it wasn't just me that felt Aloy came off more asexual than anything. Also that Kotallo had the most chemistry with her. Thank you for validating my feelings. LOL
@@KellySucksAtGaming Even if not asexual, she came off like someone who was too focused on her quest of saving the world. In the first game (and the beginning of the second too), she was hell bent on doing everything on her own, because that's all she knew from her childhood. She's always been an outsider and socially awkward, because of living her life as an outcast. So no wonder many accused Aloy of being "too stiff" and "wooden" as a character. But if you consider her past, it becomes more understandable, and maybe not a coincidence, I think. And she started opening up to others and friendships more in FW, especially once the base was taken over. And she just started to get comfortable with having allies and friends and then BAMMM, this Seyka chick happened from out of left field......... And yes, I think if there's a spark with anyone then it is with Kotallo. (One just have to see the mutual respect with which they always look at or talk with to each other.) Anyways, I'm glad that I could validate your feelings! You're not alone with them! 😁
Im Just Now starting to play this game.. (never thought i would) and i think its pretty cool.. the environment is pretty sweet.. i like it more than i thought i would
Wasn't a fan of how she passed every potential love interest by the whole series but is magically attracted to seyka after like an hour it doesn't really fit her character since she turns down everybody who ever made a move on her so it feels cheap and honestly her falling for another women in particular leaves a bad taste in my mouth not cause it's gay but because of current trends it doesn't feel natural. they also have no experience together, no history or struggle like with Erend and Varl and her other friends hell even Petra would have been a better match than this pathetic mary sue known as seyka but thats just me cause I honestly didn't like her character she's aggressive, disrespectful and kinda emotionally unaware... (The burning shores were fucking rad aesthetically and the new waterwing mount that can fly and swim underwater was probably my favorite part that shit shit was cool and i now name my waterwing Kyle cause hes a Chadwing)
Its just way too forced so it doesnt feel genuine at all. Unfortunately thats been the common theme with alot of Video games and Movies/ Tv shows the past few years because of social media
I continue to be baffled about how we could have such similar opinions on Ubisoft games and such. radically different opinions on this franchise. maybe it's just not to your taste at the end of the day.
I've seen horus fight on yt, people not use the Zenit Weapon or used wrong, It's my biggest complaint about FW, Developers doesn't teach well how to use the weapons and combine them, for example I learned how to use the disc launcher (shredder gauntlet) because I watched HFW developer talk about this weapon and how to use it. The training camps are crucial to learn these things and how to haunt machines, they relay on the players to do the training camps, it's so easy to miss in the open world, the same for the melee combat, people who play the game and don't do warriors combats they don't know combos.
My issue with the romance is that it is unnecessary. They needed to focus on, as you said, Aloy as a character on her own. I couldn't care less if she's queer. In fact, it didn't even come as a surprise since it has been hinted at in both games with Petra. If they want to have the romance, I hope they at least bring Seyka back and expand on it in the third game so it feels natural and not so sudden. But since it's an optional thing, I don't know how they would reasonably do that. That's one thing I wish they'd done more of in both HZD and HFW - explore characters in more depth and really let the player get to know them. It feels like the only character they did that with is Varl and then they killed him off for no reason. The campfires should have been exclusively for saving with only settlements being fast travel spots. I did an entire playthrough of HZD without using fast travel and it completely changes the experience. I have no problem with fast travel in games but most overuse them.
I usually go with the "brain" option rather than the "heart" or "fist", so I guess it works for me. There will be no kissing when you got a world to save. Also, that critique about "if they are not taking it seriously, why should I?" is exactly my problem with Marvel movies and any movie that tries to copy their tone. It just ruins the immersion for me, even if some of the jokes are good.
@@ApotheosisTunes i have 400 hours and 4-5 characters on ER but doing all that farming on your first run is totally pointless, 150 hours and you do a full complete first run.
@@vincenzobulla113 very weird to brag about how good you are at a game don't you think? elden ring is hard ass game.. you could struggle with a boss for days. But he has a point, HFW was so dull.. I agree with him and I am someone who platinum the first game, finish 3 runs and played it on highest difficulty available (that was how much I liked the first game and how's that for bragging)
I finished HFW on release and found it a bit dull compared to HZD. I guess I knew what to expect this time around and your expectations matter a lot on how you judge an experience. I´m in the middle of Elden Ring now and that´s actually a real drag, even though I´m killing the bosses on the first or second attempt. It´s not a build or skill issue, it´s just not a fun game to play. Then again, Sekiro took me a couple of runs to really appreciate. Maybe it´s the same with Elden Ring. But that amount of hype is never good, it gets your expectations up too high.
good video but some feedback, you should have used some relevant clips to back up your points like when you complained about Aloy’s spoken dialogue vs the final boss.
This DLC made me realise how much this game stun-locks me into long animations during combat. Every Bilegut fight got me stuck under it, screwing up my camera in the process and making it near-impossible to dodge away. The Horus fight looked amazing but man I feel like I spent more time getting blown up by rockets or crushed by tentacles than fighting. These games are great, but they look better than they play.
I agree with you so much. You get knocked on your ass for what feels like eternity, but the dumb camera angles make it so you can’t even see the character so you don’t even know that you’re down or if you’ve got up. And the Horus fight was so shit. By far the worst part of the entire game. Was so boring and annoying. I think if would of died on it I would of been so gutted to have to repeat it. This was one of the best games I’ve ever played and I don’t get how they thought that was a good way to do that fight.
I said this before and I'll say it again. I don't care that she's bi or gay I don't care that they made her kiss a girl. What I didn't like is the logic behind it for all the reasons you already stated from a narrative and exposition perspective and story perspective. You spend 5 years making 2 games and all its dlc's with a stiff, hyper masculine, wet blanket, one dimensional protagonist. You have a fully expansive lore with DOZENS of characters that had the chance and development to creat some sort of emotional connection with Aloy JUST so the writers have an excuse to make her go: *scoff* -ew, gross. You could've literally named the series "redhead turns down any potential opportunity to create a human connection" Then in a hailmary dcl dump at the final 10 yards of ending the game, you throw in a discombobulated option for a kiss... My problem isn't that she kissed another chick (a character that never had the chance to develop any meaningful depth, comparable to modern hookup culture), it's that she kissed another person. If you look at the narrative as an allegory for current events and culture, Aloy is essentially the mass media produced version of the "boss bitch" female archetype. She knows everything and you can't teach her anything new that she hasn't already learned from her focus i.e. the internet. Everyone is inferior and she should only focus on her job because that's the only thing that will give her value and meaning. I loved the gameplay and the idea behind the concept but the narrative is poorly executed. And that kiss came off as some member of staff with a non-binary slew of personal pronouns that went "make it inclusive or I'll make up a story on social media that you are homophobic! Everyone will love this kiss scene!" They could've made her kiss a cactus and I would've rose out of a squeaky recliner with a beer in one hand and a burger with sauce drip on my beard, shouting "fuck yeah, let's gooo, whoooo!" But for the love of god, make it make sense! Call my opinion whatever you think it is but that was just lazy, uninspired and loose writing.
“Idk if he’s played by someone famous” bro it’s literally sam witwer. Ya know, the guy who played starkiller in force unleashed, Darth Maul in clone wars? 🤦🏻♂️
People aren't upset about Aloy kissing a girl, they're upset because they set up this great romance with the mohawk dude from the last game and the king at the beginning of this game and totally abandoned it
That's debatable! She didn't have a romance with most anyone that she reciprocated feelings for, she was a caring and affectionate character and people read that as she has to have a romance...
@@user_unsub2553 negative. There were pretty clearly flirtatious chat options with both of those guys, and she clearly started to have feelings for her friend in the second game until he got with the other girl. The names are escaping me at the moment but you know who I'm talking about if you played it
Luke please play the Gravity Rush franchise 🙏 GR2 Is my favorite game of all time and almost no one knows it even exists. Really hope you will check it out!
While Horizon is a pretty game to look at, it lacks a substance. I finished first one and played dlc as well and dlc was great. Second one I got bored and stopped playing halfway through. It felt too grindy and repetitive to finish. Love your analysis Luke, keep up great work!
How does it lack substance? I agree it felt grindy at the end, like when I got the legendary gear, I was like oh shit. Lmao but because the combat is great, the grind was ok to some extent, I just had to choose which legendaries to fully upgrade. And all games are repetitive bro, it's the story that usually carries it.
This is the review I was waiting for, specifically for the story bit and the "romantic interest". I do not like it when writers rely on the romantic interest (of any kind) in stories. At this stage, in this day and age, it's been overdone. I get that it's the low hanging fruit, and in the dlc it is an option, but seriously enough already. It is not the end all be all of character development. The story did not need it, and as you pointed out, it felt rushed. Just because Aloy (may) have a romantic interest does not suddenly help us connect with her at a deeper level. Develop the friendships that still feel lacking. Why not have Seyka challenge some of Aloy's long held beliefs or perspectives of the world. Something other than romance. Anyway, thanks for the detailed review.
Luke’s criticism are as always with Horizon very weird. So a story is forced and contrived because the writers have decided on the ending and work towards that? How would you write a story otherwise? Just write and see what happens? Again, you don’t have to like the game or the story - but criticism like this just seems like, ironically, Luke has made his mind up about the game and then shapes his opinions and critique to reach that conclusion… Like his criticism of Aloys character not showing human emotions - yet he wants her to shut up and not talk? And please for the love of … stop with showing that map you have got off some internet Horizon guide that has everything in the game from start to finish marked on it. That’s not how the map looks in game, it’s not how the map or game works, it’s simply untrue. It’s like reading a walkthrough of the game and then complaining how everything in the game is just mapped out. For anyone who cares: The map in Horizon starts off blank. Areas you walk through are then revealed, and points of interest THAT YOU CONE ACROSS are then marked on the map. If you see them from a distance they are marked as a question mark or as “unknown”, once you been close they are revealed. Some map points are revealed when you complete a Tallneck, some are not. And some, like collectables, side missions and similar disappear from the map once completed. Luke keeps claiming that you are thrown into a huge map with icons everywhere. You are not. It seems to me that he either doesn’t like the Horizon games because of some deep opposition to a strong female lead? Or maybe he wants the game to be “Luke Stephens Adventures” with a protagonist who is just like he is? Very weird. By all means, like or dislike the game, we can’t all like everything. I don’t like Cyberpunk or Elden Ring. They are great games but I don’t like the mechanics and the feel of them. Maybe I should make hour-long videos about that…
HFW is fun to play for the sole reason of its gameplay (grinding for upgrades, exploring, discovering and collecting valuables etc.) and visuals, but if you already have a mindset for the dislike of the character and its story then this definitely is not everybody's cup of tea.
I have a ps4pro, and was irritated when Guerilla announced that BS was ps5 exclusive.. i mean.. Really?.. you dont make a DLC to a PS4 game, exclusive to a different console, unless you strike a cash grab deal with Sony to increase the PS5 sales and you want to alienate the PS4 players.. but for me.. im not paying £500 to play a 6hr game, when all the ps5 has to offer is Forespoken, Gollum, Redfall and CoD.. it aint worth it, especially when PS4 games are still being released.. maybe in another 18 months..
Hardcore fan here, still watched your whole video. That being said, come on Luke, don't be that guy. And yes, you are the weird one. The Horizon franchise is widely popular and well love for a whole lot of people, and for good reasons.
No one fast travels, they are mainly save points, they are close in places because the verticality,its not 10 seconds between them, there is alot of environmental traversal between those points.
I know I am late to the party, but the problem Luke has with the writing in Guerilla Games... games... is actually just rampant across all media in 2023. Look at the writing (whether it's your cup of tea or not) in Amazon's Rings of Power for example. They hired young inexperienced writers for a show that should have been penned by veterans at the peak of their craft. There is a mysterious over-representation of untested (and some might occasionally say untalented) young writers in almost all corporate-produced entertainment media in modern times. Where are all the stories from people who have put in the time, learned from other "greats" and made the mistakes and learned from them? Not in big-budget media, that's for sure. The kind of imagination and real craft that went into the most famous media works from the 1970s to the year around 2010 are just nowhere to be found these days. Whatever else this may indicate, it certainly is one piece of evidence that western, English-speaking culture in 2023 has some strange things going on with it. (And this has nothing to do with the diversity and inclusiveness of the voices being represented and everything to do with the objective critical quality of what is being sold to people as entertainment.)
What's unfortunate is that LOTR: Rings of Power actually had two veteran writers overseeing the newer ones: Jason Cahill - whose worked as a writer on Sopranos, ER, NYPD Blue, and Fringe; along with Gennifer Hutchison - whose worked as a writer on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Stephany Folsom was a story writer on Thor: Ragnarok and screenwriter for Toy Story 4, but is newer to the industry. The rest, yeah, pretty new. With the first two I mentioned, I expected more. I mean Sorpanos, Breaking Bad, and Better Call Saul are really great, and Rings of Power was...
@@LeonisMedia i came here to mention BB and Better Call Saul as some example of great writing. The writers are out there, but they don’t hire themselves. Look to the producers who dont understand storytelling.
@@jonbodhi I'm aware. I'm a screenwriter in the industry haha. The two I mentioned who are veterans are Executive Producers on Rings of Power in addition to being writers. In TV, writers, especially the Showrunner call the shots and the producers/executive producers are usually writers on the show in some capacity vs. film where the writers are usually part of the pre-production process. Film is where producers and directors are king.
I can explain the overly abundant campfires, at least IMO - they make farming machine parts a tiny bit less frustrating, which sadly IMO is the worst part of this game. You need to grind a lot in this game. I spent 100 hours on Zero Dawn normal and ng+. But I spent 117 hours just to finish normal mode in Forbidden West. The upgrade requirements are atrocious in this game. I got the same PTSD from this game as from AC Valhalla.
I haven't even heard his voice yet, but Walter Londra is obviously played by played by Sam Witwer, I mean it looks just like him wearing a goofy stick-on looking moustache, I don't know how you managed to miss that.
I can't believe after all this time you have not enabled the auto-pickup or at least disable the pickup animations on ressources in the wild.
Wait, is that a thing I can do in the game settings?
@@AdamNoizer yes
@@wking8 Oh wow.
@@AdamNoizer Yes ! from day one you could disable the pickup animation but with the new patch that comes with burning shores there is an "auto-pickup" option ! try it it's game changing haha
Yeah, I would kms if I had to play the game like that.
How did we get to the point where what makes a bad open world is over abundance of fast travel points, I do recall people complaining in the Witcher three that they had to go up to one of the signs to fast travel
I don’t understand the issue Luke has with the fast travel things. Sure there doesn’t NEED to be that many, but it no way does it hurt or take anything away from the game even a little. Not even sort of. It makes getting to the area you desire that much quicker and more convenient. I understand that there’s an excessive amount, but I can’t think of even one negative consequence of having that many and I’ve never heard him come up with one either. Just a weird thing to dwell on. I get mentioning it once, but over the coarse of a few videos I’ve heard him complain about it a handful of times as if it’s something that takes away from the games experience. I’m confused by this, maybe I’m missing something?
He's a big "map aesthetic" guy😂😂 He doesn't like cluttered maps I guess
He likes clean Maps like FarCry6
I agree it doesn’t really matter but he just doesn’t wanna like the game for some reason
Because his entire channels gimmick is to find faults and nitpick. Some points of course are warranted/valid, but when that's the entire premise of his content, you're bound to find filler arguments. This being one of them lol.
@@dr.nottanownudder but something that confuses me is that he is the same guy that likes witcher 3 a game that is known for having a cluttered map its a dumb arguement
I'm a bit disappointed with the Waterwing, there's not much you can do with it after unlocking it, other than swimming. I wish we could use it to access new underwater areas, like caves or ruins and to unlock new side quests
It’s just another flying mount that you can use to swim faster. There’s not going to be a person underwater to give a quest 🤣. Tf.
@@mysterious___1 no shit Sherlock… idk maybe a fuckin robot mermaid
Thing is clunky and loud 😂
@@mysterious___1 Solutions I see are:
- Free-roam explorations underwater, mandatory traversal (more than just 1 time)
- Quests like in the main game, example: finding required parts for custom armor
- Vantage Points and Black Boxes underwater
Or maybe this: use the main quest Poseidon as an example and expand further on that concept
- Main map has key points of interest that has to be navigated several times, but varying degree on foot, air and sea. It could challenge the developers and the gamers in regards to platforming
It has a grand total of 1 minute of functionality in the story. The advertisement for it lasted longer than it was actually used in the game.
Walter Londra is played by Sam Witwer, who is actually the same actor who played Deacon St. John in Days Gone, among many other things. He’s an incredible actor and so talented, but unfortunately his talent has been criminally underutilised twice recently. He was Cpt. Leon Ferris in The Callisto Protocol too, but both of his most recent video game characters barely have any real screen time.
Don’t forget, he’s also Darth Maul in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars show. If you want some amazing voice acting, check out some of his scenes
@@-tcbms-8849 I will absolutely do that, thank you for the recommendation. I have seen his work as Starkiller in great detail, but not a lot of his work as Darth Maul in Clone Wars. I’ve obviously seen the iconic scream from Rebels though, of course.
Found it funny when he mentioned Days Gone after not recognizing Sam
@@TheIronMask1954 Yeah, I found it very coincidental that he just happened to bring up Days Gone whilst having no idea it’s the same actor.
He was also in the GOAT
Battlestar Galactica
Funny how you mentioned days gone but didn’t know deacon is the same va as the villain in this dlc, I mean they’re literally both modelled after Sam Witwer too 😂
😂😂right!? Lukey better get his name right!!👍
Maybe I played too much Force Unleashed, but I don’t know how people don’t immediately recognize him across characters. He’s got a distinctive voice and face!
I mostly enjoy this game for its visuals, lore, and gameplay, but yeah, the stories they tell are hard to enjoy when you can't really connect with the characters.
True, I just got it for the Graphics and “Exclusive” game
I guess you aren't a lesbian.
I liked seeing Gildun again and that story got pretty deep but yeah they need some new writers or something. It’s me of the best looking games ever made it’s it’s just so fucking mid
@@naterod Yes! It was great seeing him again. That was the last quest I did, it felt like a great way to end my playthrough of the DLC. In my opinion it was definitely one of the better quests in the DLC.
@@naterod Where's the main writer(s) behind Frozen Wilds? That someone knew what they were doing
I have to disagree about your characterization to Aloy. In the first part of HFW, she’s called out CONSTANTLY by characters from the first game for taking off without even a goodbye (you can return to that last area and get scolded by even MORE characters. )
She continues her: ‘I have to do this myself’ until she almost dies after her first encounter with the Zeniths. After this, she begins to soften and gather allies around her. It’s kinda the whole POINT of that home base. By the end, she KNOWS she needs their help to succeed, and couldn’t have done it without them. She grows as a person.
She also get growth in her interactions with her ‘sister.’ Aloy is, frankly, kinda awful to her fir a LONG time, until she realizes that being raised by a loving parent made her into who she is, and she gets closer to her ‘sister,’ and more forgiving of her timidity and flaws.
Did you engage with the companions at the base? Because she goes through genuine character growth through them, along with their side quests.
Furthermore, her attitude comes from the fact the was literally CREATED to save the world, and is the ONLY ONE, who can do certain things, and she feels an enormous responsibility to her ‘mother’ to save her legacy, but as she goes through the game and meets all sorta of oddballs, she becomes determined to save it because SHE wants to, not simply as her ‘mother’s’ legacy, but because he appreciates the beauty of this world. The Las Vegas quests especially highlight this.
I spent some 200 hour with the game, doing almost all the story-based side-quests, and repeatedly engaged the companions between main quests, and Aloy’s growth seemed obvious to me (as well as mourning a death that affects her the test of the game!).
I think you rushed through HFW, and missed a lot.
If you have to go through countless side quests to see the main character grow as a person and that’s not reflected in the main story, (it isn’t), then the character isn’t growing. They’re being segmented.
She’s also as boring as they come as far as protagonists are concerned.
You are right, if you wanna know the game, you should play it all.
Well said
@@lustrazor44 The story does have Aloy change in its main campaign. The side quests are more reflective of that change than segmenting it, I think.
@@lustrazor44 I guess Mass Effect 2 is the worst game then.
I don't get why you care how many fast travels this game has. To me it doesn't make a game better or worse. It seems like your nitpicking tbh
He has to grasp at straws because he knows this game isn't as bad as he makes it sound. He's probably just run out of ideas for content.
The fast-travel points also act as save points, so that's why they are so frequent
Luke, 'good but not great' is NOT an 8/10. 7/10 max.
Exactly lol!
In his eyes a bad game probably is a 5/10
I wonder if people use 7/10 as an ok score because in schools a 5 or an F is a failing grade.
@@Pontif11 American grading is weird. In the UK a passing grade is a 50%-60% which is a C
Yeah he did the same thing with hogwarts legacy
I would say while I was OK with this DLC i think it's biggest flaw is that there isn't enough NEW in it. While similarly frozen north didn't add much to the story of Zero Dawn it gave us a new local that was different as we didn't have much experience with a frozen environment save for a small area, it gave us a look into the Banuk tribe and bit more of a glimpse into some of the lore of the old world and AI. In burning shores we got.............well..........a area that seemed very familiar to areas we had gotten in Forbidden west, we got a story with the Quen which I feel was better done in forbidden west and a story involving a zenith being a general POS/Villain which was similar to the story of MOST of forbidden west. Even Seyka (while i don't have that much of a issue with her as a character) is more of the same. She's a Quen who feels apart from her tribe, (better done with Alva) who is a warrior, (better done with Kotallo), and looking to desperately save her sister, (which we got with Erend in Horizon Zero Dawn.) There just wasn't enough NEW in this DLC which was really disappointing. It's the first time I really feel like a mis step or a wasted opportunity in the Horizon series.
Yeah, a new mount that isn't that different, a bug that dies in one shot, barely new weapons
I liked the further look into the rigid, paranoid Quen society (Stalinist), the mechanics of the bilegut, which made for a fairly challenging foe on very hard, using the waterwing to explore the seas off the forbidden west (and trying to find a new way into the forbidden island). Fooling around with the new weapons was fun, too. It all seemed to be worth $20 to me.
Wtf are you talking about, we finally got to see a Horus in action and actually fight it
I hear what you’re saying. If anything, it was a chance for GG to show off how they can utilise the PS5 for Horizon 3
aloy was not written the most lively in the first game, but they really developed her through the second game...they should go just a pinch further, less scared, but they are doing an amazing job
I am an unabashed Horizon super fan and I think your take on the DLC is pretty much spot on. I didn't gel with Seyka and you are right, it needed more time. I am pleased that the kiss is just an option as I thought the "I am not ready for this" response was more in keeping with my experience with Aloy and actually showed a bit of vulnerability in her, something she wasn't sure about for once. (Plus if Aloy is going to hook up with a woman, Petra is my girl.)
I couldn't help but feel the DLC was putting work into back-end technical improvements ready for Horizon 3 at the expense of story and content now.
I personally love this game.
I'm shocked Luke didn't recognize Sam Witwer. I haven't played it yet and didn't hear dialogue, but that face was instantly recognizable.
10:34 I agree 💯% No one's talking about how rushed the romantic feelings are going.. like humans CAN get going really fast... but Aloy just took 50 hours recently to accept having friends simply help her sometimes.. She never (though she couldve) showed a yearning for the spark that Varl found... she hasnt experienced anything with Seyka that showed that Seyka filled an empty spot in her soul (and it didn't need to be this big problem) She couldve throughout realized that she was impressed, enthrawled by seyka.. or even that she likes seykas face/ eyes lol
... side note, I agree the water wings needed more utilization!
But also, you may just have that thing where big hype makes you dislike the flaws tenfold. Like you're here complaining about the number of campfires. Like yeah, they're plentiful.... and then... thats it. Its not gonna break the game. If you want to be forced to explore more.. then just do it. But when Im not in the mood nor have the time to explore organically.. Im glad I have the fast travel virtually anywhere.
Then the other side.. games that are georgous and perform well have the pretty bias.. we give it more excuses probably idk. hehe But we all loved zero dawn despite terrible talking animations.. cause the rest was beautiful!
Just let horizon be horizon and hopefully they address the problems that are actually problems :)
5:24 He definitely is. Other than Lance Reddick, Sam Witwer is probably the most expensive actor they cast. Getting him to do voice lines would not have been cheap.
Was wondering if that was Lance. Rest in peace Lt Daniels
Star Killer is a legend
When you did the review of Valhalla I felt so validated that you thought it was so bad. I totally agreed. But here is where I don't. I love forbidden west and I loved the DLC. I'm so addicted to machine hunting and trying to get the rare parts to upgrade weapons. The loop has me ..
I feel the exact same way. I'm so disappointed by his HZDFW videos. In his first one he just straight up lies multiple times. He complained about things that he's praised in other games. I just don't understand??
exactly.
@@PeachShortcake_ he is not very bright lol. Nor is he good at gaming. I am pretty sure he plays Horizin on story mode. He also constantly snipes about the map and quest markers when he has the option to disbale them; and dont even get me started about him bitching about grinding and looting, when there is an auto-pickup feature.
Warning spoiler: I think Mass Effect is a really good example of why I don’t go back to the horizon games once I’ve completed them, but I have hundreds and hundreds of hours in mass effect. Your companions really make the game and I just can’t connect with any of the characters you collect in these games. I even forgot I had a clone sister until Aloy mentions it in the dlc. The companions just don’t pull me back in, maybe that’s just me
Yeah, Aloy being grouped up with other characters allows for her character to be explored and developed more. I look at this as an experiment, and hopefully they build off this foundation.
I think the "new thing" was the companion system being introduced with Seyka.
With Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man, that's how Spider-Man has always been. Tho, Spider-Man does it throw enemies off. Aloy (and other modern characters) just do it to be badass or make sure the tension is never too high, and it's annoying.
Can the companion system really be considered new though? It's been a minute since I played vanilla but I do remember multiple quests where you'd have a companion with you. Not for the entirety like this but many quests with different companions.
@@voxploxx This style is new, where the companions stay a long time and are useful. Maybe could even play into a relationship system, where actions or choices, with them with you, could affect the narrative.
@blackmanwithcomputer would be cool but I doubt it. Horizon always been a "this convo only" thing. I would welcome it though
My biggest issue with the DLC is the amount of new machines. The new machines that were added in Frozen Wilds were impactful, I mean I remember the way you get greeted by a Daemonic Scorcher. The fight with three Daemonic Frostclaws and the fight with Fireclaw!
In my opinion they only added two machines: Bilegut and Waterwing (which could have been a variant of Sunwing).
Agreed. It bothered me that traversal into BS was by a cutscene instead of actual travel (FW had you climb all the way from the Gravehoard). Leaving BS is done by fast-traveling. Why not start the DLC by air and end it by sea? Could have added a post-game segment, that also included the Hoover Dam (far south-east on the main map) and hopefully Brin.
@@Ingisen Yeah, that bothered me as well. A mission were the Hoover dam breaks and you need to sneak past the Tideripper or something like that.
I mean I still think some of the bigger machines from Forbidden West were a little underutilized as in: Shellsnapper and Tremortusk.
@@Czoslop In summary, this DLC felt rushed (to me). I doubt GG will make a DLC #2 (Hoover Dam, maybe that castle on the mountaintop near Barren Light)
@@Ingisen I would love at least one more DLC (Hoover Dam + North of Barren Light + a bigger DLC that covers Baja or even Hawaii)
Otherwise we will have to wait at least 3 years for the third entry.
@@Czoslop Assuming people would be willing to play it... I'm worried Horizon will fizzle out if it keeps going like it has.
I'd rank it a solid 6. It's lacking in things to do, hardly any new machines or side missions, very few unique weapons, and the romance (although I'm not against it) was very rushed.
The Horus fight was amazing though.
What do you expect? it is a 20$ expansion. For the price, there is a good amount of content in there.
@@editing5157 We expected the equivalent of Frozen Wilds -- and Burning Shores is at best half the size of that. With a way shittier story.
I feel like they made the world map extremely beautiful but did nothing to incentivise me to explore it
Aloy and I can even understand a little that they made jokes in the final boss of the dlc. The Horus is huge, which makes it a very easy target, slow and with little accuracy. apart from its big disadvantage of overheating, which in my opinion makes a machine like a Tremortusk more "worrying" in a 1v1 fight. Because it's faster, more accurate and can find you more easily. A Horus is more threatening to a city and not to an individual person. And I think part of the jokes is because. during the dlc we see that Londra has a very inflated ego, making jokes, going to be upset and consequently he will lose his mind and make mistakes. I thought it was also part of the strategy to beat him. Obviously it could have been less jokey and a bit more serious, but as I thought of it that way, it ended up not bothering me as much as it could have.
I agree with most of what you've said, except on a couple of points: as a queer person, I thought they did a really good job of coding Aloy and Seika's romantic interest throughout the DLC. It was subtle but there, and I suspect it was one of those things that only queer folks might've picked up on until it got to the kiss and became REALLY obvious to everyone else. 😂 Anyone who is familiar with lesbians and U-hauling probably wouldn't be surprised by the speed at which they went from meeting to expressing feelings for each other. I also think games like Horizon make it difficult to judge the passage of time, and I have no idea if they were together a few days or a while longer.
Otherwise, this DLC was the first time I thought the Horizon writers did a great job of showing that Aloy isn't in fact aloof or full of herself, but extremely bad at forming relationships with other people, be it friendships or romantic entanglements. (She explains this in one of the romance options if you turn Seyka down.) It does track when you consider she was raised away from society and by one man who also wasn't great at expressing emotion or knowing how to relate to people. Aloy is hyper independent and a loner with poor social skills because she wasn't given much opportunity to develop them. So it's less surprising to me, having seen her development through to this DLC, that her interactions with others are really wooden and uncomfortable. She's like a homeschooled kid trying to make friends for the first time in her life. (And from Tilda's descriptions, Elisabet didn't sound much better.) But I do agree seeing more screen time with her and other companions would go a long way to develop her character further. Anyway... she's grown on me, is what I'm trying to say. Seyka brought out a side of her that made me like her a lot more.
Thanks for this great review!
I just can't get into a romance that isn't decently fleshed out. Given that Alloy is very stiff as a character, they should've had more time to gradually break down her social awkwardness utilizing Seyka. It just sort of felt unnecessary, like the emotional attachment aspect was just an afterthought they slapped together with a poorly built up romance.
@@can_can9119agreed.
I actually have a ton more issues with this DLC than the base game. And Seyka is one of them.
The problem with the relationship isn't only that it is indeed rushed and unnecessary. But I'm also not a fan of Seykas character.
Because she is too similar to Aloy.
When pretty much every interaction they have is just "you go girl! You're just as good as me!" It got a bit grating.
They don't have different personalities to play off of, which makes the character dynamic just as boring as the characters themselves.
They're not complete bricks, they just aren't interesting.
And throw that into a rushed romance just doesn't pay off. There is nothing to be invested in.
Thats just one of my issues with it. I liked the base game much more honestly.
Bro you have to feel for the people who complained about the kiss. All those people just lost their only imaginary girl friend.
In my mind, Aloy just doesn’t have time for romance so I gave her the “yes but not now.” Aloy gets hit on a lot and always dismisses it. Sure, it’s apparent now it’s because she’s a lesbian but even still she just has a lot on her plate. As a player controlling Aloy, I didn’t care for Seyka as a love interest. She’s fine and capable but Aloy kept getting flustered with her and sure, crushes don’t always make sense, but I just couldn’t relate to it. Aloy has met a lot of fun, interesting, likeable people and Seyka isn’t even in my personal top 5
@@imnotapipe
Is it optional?
@@sxerwin Yeah
That's not it at all. It's that they keep doing this. Just shoving shit in that means nothing. Am I mad about it? No. But I am mad that it didn't happen with a choice in who...and in the base game.
@@andreiparthenpopaeus2666 so you ARE mad...
Horizon games are very good, the visuals and gameplay are amazing. But I have the basically the same problems that you have with the game. You have great points in the reviews as usual, great job.
The gameplay I find pretty boring.
@@lustrazor44thats the beautiful thing about choice and freedom. Plenty of games out there. Something for everybody. I personally find Soulsborne and Bethesda games boring but I know there are people like em.
Romance is one of those things writers/developers seem to have the hardest time with. Perfect example tp parallel Burning Shores is the Wheel of Time books, I love them to death so far (on book 6 so please no spoilers) but a lot of the romance just comes out of no where with little build up.
Case in point Lan and Nynaeve, they spend a decent amount of time together but with how little interaction between them we were given, you'd think they had just met. Then out of nowhere Lan who's one of the most stoic and emotionless characters I've seen is confessing his undying love for her, it just felt so off and forced. Which is what this Seyka romance reminds me of
Yeah I get that the kiss is optional but I’m pretty fed up of all strong female protagonists having to be lesbian/bi. Like straight females can be badass too. Instead the only representation hetero ladies get are side characters who have all their cleavage and ass out.
I truly don’t understand the flack that this game gets at all! No one can tell me that it is not at all close to being a masterpiece. I can recognize some issues but everything else about it is so close to if not amazing. The story in the first game is exactly perfect.
😂 i couldn't even finish the first game. The story has no substance, the characters are lifeless and the game mechanics are frustratingly repetitive. It doesn't feel like a game, it's a chore which doesn't even pay with a satisfactory fight and interesting story.
lmao no
Why you on this video then lmao@@sudhakarnayak1210
Great reviews bro! Your vids are a fav pastime and has gotten me into many franchises I wouldn’t have tried. Hope your baby girl is doing fine. God bless
Yeah the kiss is optional, but through the story progress Aloys feelings for sayka are very obvious, so is not soooo optional you may let us think. Dont get me wrong i like the dlc i would say 7/10 because its very short but the new weapons/armours are pretty cool.
I could never get into to Horizon. I've tried it a couple times and it just felt very generic to me with combat or a story that wasn't satisfying enough to pull me in. It's not a bad game, but it's just kind of average. The world is gorgeous with just nothing interesting in it. I always heard the combat was really good, but man I just can't get into it at all. I can't put my finger on it, but the combat just doesn't feel good. Horizon is one of those games I should like, but I just don't. Doesn't help that the story is god awful. Idc what people say, the writing is 3/10.
I got my platinum trophy today and I have over 300 hours in the forbidden west. Geurilla actually casually announced on Twitter that there will be a sequel.
❤ to the absolute surprise of noone.😂 The sequel was prolly greenlit before HFW ever came out.
@@kevinthunder3375 most likely. The series still has sold a lot
@@Nonlifting_breezy damn. Its my favorite series now. Can't wait for Aloy's next adventure. But I am yearning to sink my teeth into that Horizon mmo they got going on. I just hope its good.
I finished out the dlc last night. While flying around I found an apartment. In a chest ther le was a toy bow and toy arrows that can be equipped. I thought it was so cute.
You clearly don’t know how lesbian relationships work. I’m surprised they didn’t have a scene at the end of the game with a Uhaul backing into Aloys settlement so they can finally move in together. 5-7 hour whirlwind relationship is like 5 years in lesbian time. Just a kiss is such a straight thing to do. They totally missed the mark on this. I’m boycotting the game for sure now 😂😂
I get it luke. As a sizable youtuber who would prefer not to be cancelled, your kind of obligated to go with anything lgbt or gay in entertainment and say things like "its 2023 ppl" while demonising others as "dried up incels". Since anyone who isnt really into with being confronted with choosing aloys sexuality, so extremely out of place.. is immediately labelled negatively. As a general rule, ppl hate when sexual, racial and gender politics are forced on them be it in movies, tv or games. I am the same. Please write a quality character with depth, flaws and motivations before forcing me decide so out of left field if she a lesbian or not. At least they win brownie points with certain political movements.
the problem with this kind of narrative design, having a choices, developers tend to put all the character and emotions through dialogue choices, but it shows that it makes them soulless as you partake to that choice, it never shines the character, and even felt force, also looks like an agenda lmao
I agree to what you said about the storytelling to some extend.
But i think (maybe hope) the end of the main game marks a turning point to how Aloy handels companions and they will show more cracks in her shell.
They did show it in FW to a small extend here and there.
For example when she admits to Gaya that she does not know if she is able to handle everything single handedly and in the epilogue she says some things that hints a shift in her approach.
So i am willing to give Gorilla the chance to proof that she really recognizes that she needs others to solve the looming thread of Nemesis and it leads to more interesting coop missions in the 3rd game.
If they manage to pull it off then i would say the personal arc of Aloys character would make sense for me remembering where she came from which was being an outcast.
I think Beta’s been the best catalyst for this, especially since it kind of puts a mirror up to Aloy’s obsession with living up to Sobeck’s legacy and that maybe that shouldn’t be her purpose in life.
After clearning stating in this video (and others) that you "hate Ubisoft mechanics," and after Guerrilla removes an example of such a mechanic from their latest DLC (i.e. "tower mechanics"), you somehow fault them for not having Tallnecks in the DLC. This logic doesn't track.
I was whatever about tallnecks in HZD but they made them so much more interesting in FW by creating interesting quests to get them working.
@@brett84c Underwater Tallneck? Or, even better, using the new mount to reach deep-sea levels?
@@brett84cI absolutely agree that Guerrilla Games greatly improved their "towner mechanics" by introducing puzzles and quests around the tallnecks in HZD.
Listen, I love the beef you have with this game and I love reading the angry comments about your beef with this game. This dynamic is entertaining.
I love the horizon series and was bummed to find out that I won’t be able to play the dlc because I can’t afford a ps5. That being said. I’ve never had a problem with the games, or past dlc’s. I honestly really love the story and the scenery, so I still love your critiques even if your position is opposite mine, we can still coexist lol! Anyway Love the videos bro
Don’t you think, that you playing FW on your 10 years old system is already a miracle and favour of developers? And there’s no reason for them to release something in 2023 on pastgen
I remember back when i had destiny on 360 and the last dlc was on next gen i was so bummed, i feel your pain man
If you see the final boss of the dlc you will understand why they didn't release it on ps4
Just shows we finally getting closer of devs not supporting last gen and can finally move onto current gen fully ,all efforts can go there using series x and ps5 full power. Spiderman 2 will be a prime example of that
People want to play new gen games on 60 FPS and then complain and cry why it isn't on older gen tf
This boss reminds me a lot of the final boss of Jak and Daxter 3! such an underrated game.... Jak 3 was a masterpiece and its sad that people AND naughty dog forgot it!
Enjoy your comments, I have very mixed feelings about the game. Specifically the last boss fight which lead me to restart the DLC. Thanks again for your point of view.
The last boss fight was very much the highlight of the DLC for me. Why didn’t you like it?
@@withoutthejuice7193fully agree with you it saved the DLC for me TBH
@@withoutthejuice7193 As a newbie, it was very hard to time everything that was going on. So, I am a noob. Thanks for listening.
@@withoutthejuice7193 It's the highlight, but that's relative to how mid the rest of the DLC is. The last boss fight is essentially a God of War boss fight -- climb, shoot weak spots, look for patterns. Then it turns into the last boss from Bioshock once you're inside the horus taking on Londra. Then Seyka miraculously rips open the horus with a sunwing? All the cringey millenial quipping between Aloy and Seyka during the battle doesn't help -- you're battling that fearsome, stadium-sized machine that killed whole armies and wiped out humanity; maybe have some seriousness & actual fear?
@Louden Laffnite I mean they needed a hole army/team to defeat this small crab thing in game 1 and know they defeat this big boy casually while flirting. Sry but this fight could be so epic in game 3 or ending of game 2.
Seriously? The campfires are the problem?-I liked Horizon Zero Dawn, bought Forbidden West immediately, but didn’t like it that much. It has problems. _But the campfires are not part of them!_
I thought he was joking first. It took me a while to realize that he was serious 😅
I loved how you showed Days Gone gameplay but didn't realise the protagonist from that game is the bad guy in this DLC XD
I really want to play the main game but every time i do, i bounce off it, i don't why or what it is but it just doesn't grip me like the first game did :(
Just have to give it time
i played the first got to lvl 20 and quit it
Might just be losing that gaming spark. Started when i was like 17. Just cant get fully into it most times
@@UrDadsFavouriteMaleEscort no i still love gaming, it's my passion but i just can't get into this one :)
Same here, I'd rather go back to Zero Dawn than play the sequel.
If people hate the Bilegut, after finishing the one cauldron in the DLC, go override one and mess with other machines with him. On the optional choice in the ending, that one really feels forced with some people likely seeing it as a "Hollywood gone woke"(I don't hate it though, the best magic's still lesbomancy) so I instead reloaded a save beforehand and chose the brutal answer, which played out a denial of her feelings, reloaded it again and chose the other one, and it wasn't a rejection, more like a postponement of a relationship till the Nemesis problem is resolved, other people may hate it because they placed a love interest in the DLC yet they didn't give that option in the base game.
Horizon is one of my favorites and I watched the video until the end because most of your points are valid😅... however, once you play at ultra hard you get to discover a new side to this game. It forces you to think strategically in every decision you make. I.e. which weapon to buy or upgrade, which coil to use on which weapon, which weave tonuse on which armor, how to plan your attacks using the environment. Plus you have a bunch of amazing skills about 18 valor surge options in total once you max out every skill. It seems unprecedented to me.
I think people are just upset 😡 Because they can't make Aloy to date any other characters in the story. Except this one... that came literally out of nowhere.
That's how I think. 🤔
As a bi dude myself I will say: the kiss feels very bandwagon-y. Stop pandering to us.
My buddy and I were discussing the DLC the other day and, while we both are all for Aloy and Seyka hooking up, we agreed it was definitely rushed. They needed more missions together. Hell, Seyka could have joined Aloy on the few side missions there were! It would have given them more time together in general, would have given them more opportunities for conversations, they could have had Seyka be able to adapt more to the players fighting style and been more in sync and just altogether let the characters get to know each other much better. Another issue I had was the absolute lack of other NPC's you could interact with beyond small bit pieces related to one thing or another. It just felt very dry to me in terms of interactions and new characters. And I feel reuniting the two halves of the fleet was completely underdone. With how wordy and socially awkward Alva is in the base game, this feels like a missed opportunity for an interaction that could have been deeply insightful about the Quen culture to painfully embarrassing for everyone involved considering how often Alva puts her foot in her mouth. As such, I love the visuals for the base game and DLC but the DLC was definitely lacking in terms of meat.
If only all these kids complaining were doing so because they felt their relationship was rushed. But we both know that's not why they're crying.
Why would Aloy need to be there for the quen reunion? She already connected them through Alva and Seyka. What would she still have to do?? Her mission is to end the last zenith and it was done. The End. The quen will be explored more in the third game. I can almost guarantee that.
I think aloy is the only character that hasnt been written well in the series. I really think they shouldve leaned on her being artificially made a little more.
The ubisoft style open world is exhausting but side quests are leagues better than before. Just wish that had quests like in ff14 where people from different quests join together in a major side quest.
The rpg decision stuff is unnecessary only because they barely use it. If they leaned on it alot more, i assure you aloy would be a way better character.
It's hilarious how they give you an artificial choice in her "romance" and still force the decision on players regardless.
I think there are allot chracters that arw nit written well but there are some good ones.
Londra is the guy who also voices Deacon in Days Gone
"I get what you were trying to do but it's still stupid" is how I would describe TLOU2. People made a lot of excuses for that game when things didn't make sense. If we can excuse that, we can excuse any game. Being fair means you don't pick and choose.
I know I'm probably firmly in the minority here, but since I've never played these games **to completion** I'll just say it. After seeing videos online of the aerial/underwater mount in this DLC I'd love to see Guerilla take a break from the Horizon franchise and make an Avatar game based on the Cameron films (I'm not sold on the 1st person Ubisoft game in development). I mean the aerial/underwater mount in this DLC is essentially the Skimwing/Tsurak from Avatar 2 + the other terrestrial mounts are like the Direhorses/Pa'li, they already have experience with bow & arrow + spear combat, they're great with naturalistic environment/forest open world design, and they're pretty well renowned for their graphically fidelity and storytelling.
Do us all a favor James Cameron... call up Disney and tell them to write Guerrilla Games a blank check. 🔥💯🔥
Aloy having the potential of a romance option is a HUGE deal for her character especially since they made an active effort thus far for it to not be the focus of her. So to hide it away in a paid dlc I feel was the wrong move. Beyond that the dlc was too short and not enough side content (what is there can be hard to find because there isnt a tallneck for some reason).
the main villian is Deacon Saint John from Days Gone.
The villain is the same actor as deacon from days gone
Between this and The Callisto Protocol that's two games recently that have horribly wasted Sam Witwer...
How dare you refer to him as Deacon. That is starkiller
@@jeriah4k218 and Darth Maul
What a super strange complaint about too many fast travel locations. Lmao
I can't believe Luke didn't recognize the bad guy's voice actor...
Callisto Protocol and Days gone, hello???
"They're obsessed with making Aloy big strong and a badass, and sacrifice any sort of humanity or vulnerability"
Wow, it only took 30 seconds for me to tune out of this video, because that is a ridiculous take. You do you I guess, but that is so far off the mark.
Yeah the devs show you that she is very flawed and only succeeds because of help from friends
He's spot on.
@@loudenlaffnite246 He is not. Not even remotely.
You know who he is. He's Starkiller lol
And I heard the reason why they removed the tallneck is because of Elden Ring and how it handled exploration...but the side content shows why not having the tall neck is a huge issue
Why would they get rid of tallneck just because of Elden Ring??? I dont understand that
The fact that aloy is fighting this thing with a bow and arrow and running after it with her own two legs is more ridiculous to me than her keeping calm while this fight even happens.
Well when it’s how you’ve been taught, it’s what you do
She has seen a lot of crazy shit.
Didn't know you were this shallow Luke in your assessment of games. The personality of Commander Shepherd is player driven. He can say stuff like he's not gay and the player won't feel anything wrong. In HFW, if you choose other options than kissing, it literally feels like your choice hurt Aloy as she has her own personality apart from the player themselves unlike in Mass Effect. Moreover, the fact that Aloy is lesbian is canon. People are downvoting because this came out of nowhere and felt like the devs are shoving it down their throat because its the trending thing. Its totally the devs fault, they introduced a normal looking character and then suddenly reveal that they are gay. If they were gay from the start itself, it was all fine like in Life is Strange.
Love your video, but I disagree about Seyka. Yes, she was the only decently written new character, and yes, I'm aware that she would've needed more screen time as you said, but she did annoy the hell out of me when on quests with her. More than once she got in my way and also she kept commenting and nagging when I was looting and exploring. It was super frustrating for me, personally.
Also, I agree that the possibility of that romance and the kiss kinda came out of nowhere. I too feel weird about it, and not because of the same sex thing, because I have no problem with that at all. No, it was because it felt rushed (maybe some are down voting the DLC because of that, they just don't realize it 😂). And also because so far (except for Avad in Zero Dawn and at the beginning of FW) there was no indication that Aloy would be romantically interested in anyone. The devs so far had no intention to give the real option for a romantic relationship since Aloy was "so focused on her quest". And now Seyka felt too forced for me. Not to mention that I felt like they wanted to make Aloy even more alike to Elizabeth with this, but it felt unnecessary, because Aloy is her own person despite the fact that her mentality is similar to Sobeck's.
And not just with Avad, but even with Seyka (despite the kiss, if one went with that ending), these were no real choices or commitments, because both times the devs danced back. With Avad at the start of FW it was just a vague promise of Aloy one day retuning. With Seyka they immediately separated them. It left me scratching my head. It's as if the devs are testing the waters about how the players would feel about romantic options for Aloy, but not really daring to dive in fully for some reason. Sure, it can be explained away with the "she's not ready for this" and the "it's just too much for her" options. It still makes it feel half-baked for me.
If you want to add romance to your game, I'd suggest real commitment to it and also other options to choose from (e.g. Cyberpunk 2077, Mass Effect etc.) as well as the preferred sexuality.
Do you guys know with whom Aloy had great chemistry? Kotallo! He'd be a good choice, for example. (And yes, I'm butt hurt that he isn't, LOL😂)
Anyways, despite these and the shortness of the DLC, I enjoyed it and found the Horus fight epic.
Have a good day, hugs and kisses from Hungary! ❤
So it wasn't just me that felt Aloy came off more asexual than anything. Also that Kotallo had the most chemistry with her. Thank you for validating my feelings. LOL
@@KellySucksAtGaming Even if not asexual, she came off like someone who was too focused on her quest of saving the world. In the first game (and the beginning of the second too), she was hell bent on doing everything on her own, because that's all she knew from her childhood. She's always been an outsider and socially awkward, because of living her life as an outcast. So no wonder many accused Aloy of being "too stiff" and "wooden" as a character. But if you consider her past, it becomes more understandable, and maybe not a coincidence, I think.
And she started opening up to others and friendships more in FW, especially once the base was taken over. And she just started to get comfortable with having allies and friends and then BAMMM, this Seyka chick happened from out of left field......... And yes, I think if there's a spark with anyone then it is with Kotallo. (One just have to see the mutual respect with which they always look at or talk with to each other.)
Anyways, I'm glad that I could validate your feelings! You're not alone with them! 😁
Im Just Now starting to play this game.. (never thought i would) and i think its pretty cool.. the environment is pretty sweet.. i like it more than i thought i would
the talking ruined it for me in the first one too
I loved the talking
Wasn't a fan of how she passed every potential love interest by the whole series but is magically attracted to seyka after like an hour it doesn't really fit her character since she turns down everybody who ever made a move on her so it feels cheap and honestly her falling for another women in particular leaves a bad taste in my mouth not cause it's gay but because of current trends it doesn't feel natural.
they also have no experience together, no history or struggle like with Erend and Varl and her other friends hell even Petra would have been a better match than this pathetic mary sue known as seyka but thats just me cause I honestly didn't like her character she's aggressive, disrespectful and kinda emotionally unaware... (The burning shores were fucking rad aesthetically and the new waterwing mount that can fly and swim underwater was probably my favorite part that shit shit was cool and i now name my waterwing Kyle cause hes a Chadwing)
Its just way too forced so it doesnt feel genuine at all. Unfortunately thats been the common theme with alot of Video games and Movies/ Tv shows the past few years because of social media
I can agree this was my main issue with the DLC
Bro hates every game
I continue to be baffled about how we could have such similar opinions on Ubisoft games and such. radically different opinions on this franchise. maybe it's just not to your taste at the end of the day.
I've seen horus fight on yt, people not use the Zenit Weapon or used wrong, It's my biggest complaint about FW, Developers doesn't teach well how to use the weapons and combine them, for example I learned how to use the disc launcher (shredder gauntlet) because I watched HFW developer talk about this weapon and how to use it. The training camps are crucial to learn these things and how to haunt machines, they relay on the players to do the training camps, it's so easy to miss in the open world, the same for the melee combat, people who play the game and don't do warriors combats they don't know combos.
You’re seriously complaining about the number of fast travel locations in the game lmao dude
My issue with the romance is that it is unnecessary. They needed to focus on, as you said, Aloy as a character on her own. I couldn't care less if she's queer. In fact, it didn't even come as a surprise since it has been hinted at in both games with Petra.
If they want to have the romance, I hope they at least bring Seyka back and expand on it in the third game so it feels natural and not so sudden. But since it's an optional thing, I don't know how they would reasonably do that. That's one thing I wish they'd done more of in both HZD and HFW - explore characters in more depth and really let the player get to know them. It feels like the only character they did that with is Varl and then they killed him off for no reason.
The campfires should have been exclusively for saving with only settlements being fast travel spots. I did an entire playthrough of HZD without using fast travel and it completely changes the experience. I have no problem with fast travel in games but most overuse them.
I don't like the fact that they turned Aloy into a lesbian
I usually go with the "brain" option rather than the "heart" or "fist", so I guess it works for me. There will be no kissing when you got a world to save. Also, that critique about "if they are not taking it seriously, why should I?" is exactly my problem with Marvel movies and any movie that tries to copy their tone. It just ruins the immersion for me, even if some of the jokes are good.
Also, this is a male problem just as Aloys problem. Strong shouldn't mean annoying
i bought HFW and Elden Ring last year, i decide to play ER first and after 300 hours i finished it, then i tried playing HFW, man it was so dull.
300 hours? Doubt that number. Please tell me you did more than one playthrough.
@@CornOnDeCobb 1 playthrough but a lot of farming and i did everything, all bosses and arears.
@@ApotheosisTunes i have 400 hours and 4-5 characters on ER but doing all that farming on your first run is totally pointless, 150 hours and you do a full complete first run.
@@vincenzobulla113 very weird to brag about how good you are at a game don't you think? elden ring is hard ass game.. you could struggle with a boss for days. But he has a point, HFW was so dull.. I agree with him and I am someone who platinum the first game, finish 3 runs and played it on highest difficulty available (that was how much I liked the first game and how's that for bragging)
I finished HFW on release and found it a bit dull compared to HZD. I guess I knew what to expect this time around and your expectations matter a lot on how you judge an experience.
I´m in the middle of Elden Ring now and that´s actually a real drag, even though I´m killing the bosses on the first or second attempt. It´s not a build or skill issue, it´s just not a fun game to play. Then again, Sekiro took me a couple of runs to really appreciate. Maybe it´s the same with Elden Ring. But that amount of hype is never good, it gets your expectations up too high.
good video but some feedback, you should have used some relevant clips to back up your points like when you complained about Aloy’s spoken dialogue vs the final boss.
This DLC made me realise how much this game stun-locks me into long animations during combat.
Every Bilegut fight got me stuck under it, screwing up my camera in the process and making it near-impossible to dodge away.
The Horus fight looked amazing but man I feel like I spent more time getting blown up by rockets or crushed by tentacles than fighting.
These games are great, but they look better than they play.
I agree with you so much. You get knocked on your ass for what feels like eternity, but the dumb camera angles make it so you can’t even see the character so you don’t even know that you’re down or if you’ve got up. And the Horus fight was so shit. By far the worst part of the entire game. Was so boring and annoying. I think if would of died on it I would of been so gutted to have to repeat it. This was one of the best games I’ve ever played and I don’t get how they thought that was a good way to do that fight.
For some reason machines just spam their attacks ? Like barely giving you time to move and makes it super annoying
My guy is really obsessed with days gone
I said this before and I'll say it again. I don't care that she's bi or gay I don't care that they made her kiss a girl. What I didn't like is the logic behind it for all the reasons you already stated from a narrative and exposition perspective and story perspective.
You spend 5 years making 2 games and all its dlc's with a stiff, hyper masculine, wet blanket, one dimensional protagonist. You have a fully expansive lore with DOZENS of characters that had the chance and development to creat some sort of emotional connection with Aloy JUST so the writers have an excuse to make her go: *scoff* -ew, gross.
You could've literally named the series "redhead turns down any potential opportunity to create a human connection"
Then in a hailmary dcl dump at the final 10 yards of ending the game, you throw in a discombobulated option for a kiss...
My problem isn't that she kissed another chick (a character that never had the chance to develop any meaningful depth, comparable to modern hookup culture), it's that she kissed another person.
If you look at the narrative as an allegory for current events and culture, Aloy is essentially the mass media produced version of the "boss bitch" female archetype. She knows everything and you can't teach her anything new that she hasn't already learned from her focus i.e. the internet. Everyone is inferior and she should only focus on her job because that's the only thing that will give her value and meaning.
I loved the gameplay and the idea behind the concept but the narrative is poorly executed. And that kiss came off as some member of staff with a non-binary slew of personal pronouns that went "make it inclusive or I'll make up a story on social media that you are homophobic! Everyone will love this kiss scene!"
They could've made her kiss a cactus and I would've rose out of a squeaky recliner with a beer in one hand and a burger with sauce drip on my beard, shouting "fuck yeah, let's gooo, whoooo!" But for the love of god, make it make sense!
Call my opinion whatever you think it is but that was just lazy, uninspired and loose writing.
“Idk if he’s played by someone famous” bro it’s literally sam witwer. Ya know, the guy who played starkiller in force unleashed, Darth Maul in clone wars? 🤦🏻♂️
Bruh the villain is literally Deacon from days gone lol. How can you not tell
People aren't upset about Aloy kissing a girl, they're upset because they set up this great romance with the mohawk dude from the last game and the king at the beginning of this game and totally abandoned it
That's debatable! She didn't have a romance with most anyone that she reciprocated feelings for, she was a caring and affectionate character and people read that as she has to have a romance...
@@user_unsub2553 negative. There were pretty clearly flirtatious chat options with both of those guys, and she clearly started to have feelings for her friend in the second game until he got with the other girl. The names are escaping me at the moment but you know who I'm talking about if you played it
Luke please play the Gravity Rush franchise 🙏 GR2 Is my favorite game of all time and almost no one knows it even exists. Really hope you will check it out!
That actor is quite famous. He plays Deacon St. John, Starkiller, the main villain in The Callisto protocol.
Yes Sam Witwer is great and a huge nerd too
And Darth Maul in Clone Wars and Rebels
You say "it's 2023", as if homosexuality hasn't been an issue for 4,000 years for many people.
While Horizon is a pretty game to look at, it lacks a substance. I finished first one and played dlc as well and dlc was great. Second one I got bored and stopped playing halfway through. It felt too grindy and repetitive to finish. Love your analysis Luke, keep up great work!
How does it lack substance? I agree it felt grindy at the end, like when I got the legendary gear, I was like oh shit. Lmao but because the combat is great, the grind was ok to some extent, I just had to choose which legendaries to fully upgrade. And all games are repetitive bro, it's the story that usually carries it.
I read most of the negative reviews, very few complained about the spicy kiss. I don’t understand this incel fixation… 🤷♂️
This is the review I was waiting for, specifically for the story bit and the "romantic interest". I do not like it when writers rely on the romantic interest (of any kind) in stories. At this stage, in this day and age, it's been overdone. I get that it's the low hanging fruit, and in the dlc it is an option, but seriously enough already. It is not the end all be all of character development. The story did not need it, and as you pointed out, it felt rushed. Just because Aloy (may) have a romantic interest does not suddenly help us connect with her at a deeper level. Develop the friendships that still feel lacking. Why not have Seyka challenge some of Aloy's long held beliefs or perspectives of the world. Something other than romance.
Anyway, thanks for the detailed review.
Luke’s criticism are as always with Horizon very weird.
So a story is forced and contrived because the writers have decided on the ending and work towards that? How would you write a story otherwise? Just write and see what happens?
Again, you don’t have to like the game or the story - but criticism like this just seems like, ironically, Luke has made his mind up about the game and then shapes his opinions and critique to reach that conclusion…
Like his criticism of Aloys character not showing human emotions - yet he wants her to shut up and not talk?
And please for the love of … stop with showing that map you have got off some internet Horizon guide that has everything in the game from start to finish marked on it. That’s not how the map looks in game, it’s not how the map or game works, it’s simply untrue. It’s like reading a walkthrough of the game and then complaining how everything in the game is just mapped out. For anyone who cares: The map in Horizon starts off blank. Areas you walk through are then revealed, and points of interest THAT YOU CONE ACROSS are then marked on the map. If you see them from a distance they are marked as a question mark or as “unknown”, once you been close they are revealed. Some map points are revealed when you complete a Tallneck, some are not. And some, like collectables, side missions and similar disappear from the map once completed. Luke keeps claiming that you are thrown into a huge map with icons everywhere. You are not.
It seems to me that he either doesn’t like the Horizon games because of some deep opposition to a strong female lead? Or maybe he wants the game to be “Luke Stephens Adventures” with a protagonist who is just like he is?
Very weird. By all means, like or dislike the game, we can’t all like everything. I don’t like Cyberpunk or Elden Ring. They are great games but I don’t like the mechanics and the feel of them. Maybe I should make hour-long videos about that…
HFW is fun to play for the sole reason of its gameplay (grinding for upgrades, exploring, discovering and collecting valuables etc.) and visuals, but if you already have a mindset for the dislike of the character and its story then this definitely is not everybody's cup of tea.
I have a ps4pro, and was irritated when Guerilla announced that BS was ps5 exclusive..
i mean.. Really?.. you dont make a DLC to a PS4 game, exclusive to a different console, unless you strike a cash grab deal with Sony to increase the PS5 sales and you want to alienate the PS4 players.. but for me.. im not paying £500 to play a 6hr game, when all the ps5 has to offer is Forespoken, Gollum, Redfall and CoD.. it aint worth it, especially when PS4 games are still being released.. maybe in another 18 months..
Their story was written by someone who has never been in love.
Hardcore fan here, still watched your whole video. That being said, come on Luke, don't be that guy. And yes, you are the weird one. The Horizon franchise is widely popular and well love for a whole lot of people, and for good reasons.
No one fast travels, they are mainly save points, they are close in places because the verticality,its not 10 seconds between them, there is alot of environmental traversal between those points.
I know I am late to the party, but the problem Luke has with the writing in Guerilla Games... games... is actually just rampant across all media in 2023. Look at the writing (whether it's your cup of tea or not) in Amazon's Rings of Power for example. They hired young inexperienced writers for a show that should have been penned by veterans at the peak of their craft. There is a mysterious over-representation of untested (and some might occasionally say untalented) young writers in almost all corporate-produced entertainment media in modern times. Where are all the stories from people who have put in the time, learned from other "greats" and made the mistakes and learned from them? Not in big-budget media, that's for sure.
The kind of imagination and real craft that went into the most famous media works from the 1970s to the year around 2010 are just nowhere to be found these days. Whatever else this may indicate, it certainly is one piece of evidence that western, English-speaking culture in 2023 has some strange things going on with it.
(And this has nothing to do with the diversity and inclusiveness of the voices being represented and everything to do with the objective critical quality of what is being sold to people as entertainment.)
What's unfortunate is that LOTR: Rings of Power actually had two veteran writers overseeing the newer ones: Jason Cahill - whose worked as a writer on Sopranos, ER, NYPD Blue, and Fringe; along with Gennifer Hutchison - whose worked as a writer on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Stephany Folsom was a story writer on Thor: Ragnarok and screenwriter for Toy Story 4, but is newer to the industry. The rest, yeah, pretty new. With the first two I mentioned, I expected more. I mean Sorpanos, Breaking Bad, and Better Call Saul are really great, and Rings of Power was...
@@LeonisMedia i came here to mention BB and Better Call Saul as some example of great writing. The writers are out there, but they don’t hire themselves. Look to the producers who dont understand storytelling.
@@jonbodhi I'm aware. I'm a screenwriter in the industry haha. The two I mentioned who are veterans are Executive Producers on Rings of Power in addition to being writers.
In TV, writers, especially the Showrunner call the shots and the producers/executive producers are usually writers on the show in some capacity vs. film where the writers are usually part of the pre-production process. Film is where producers and directors are king.
I can explain the overly abundant campfires, at least IMO - they make farming machine parts a tiny bit less frustrating, which sadly IMO is the worst part of this game. You need to grind a lot in this game. I spent 100 hours on Zero Dawn normal and ng+. But I spent 117 hours just to finish normal mode in Forbidden West. The upgrade requirements are atrocious in this game. I got the same PTSD from this game as from AC Valhalla.
I haven't even heard his voice yet, but Walter Londra is obviously played by played by Sam Witwer, I mean it looks just like him wearing a goofy stick-on looking moustache, I don't know how you managed to miss that.