Gallery: Horizon Zero Dawn (Part 1)

Now Playing: The Furious Wild (DLC)

The Furious Wild is the first ‘expansion’ content released for Total War: Three Kingdoms. It introduces a new culture type – the Nanman – and features a complete overhaul of the campaign map which has also been expanded to include several new regions in the south-west. Like with the other major DLC releases for 3K, this expansion is accompanied by a patch and free additional content, but this review will only focus upon the pieces that you’re actually paying for.

The Nanman come with four playable factions, each led by a unique character and each with their own unique campaign mechanics. The goal for each faction, however, remains the same – to unite all of the Nanman tribes beneath your banner and form your own Kingdom. Every tribe you confederate through conquest or diplomacy will bring new benefits to your faction through an increase in prestige, the rate of research or by unlocking new units.

Your initial army roster will be somewhat limited, but as each tribe falls beneath your control that roster will rapidly expand to include more than 25 new Nanman specific units. Sword, axe and spear units operate exactly as you’d expect in comparison to their Han equivalents. But the Nanman also get access to more ‘exotic’ units including elephants and tigers.

There are ways the Nanman can get access to the more traditional Han units, but I’m not sure why you’d want to play as the Nanman if you don’t want to create armies full of rampaging tigers and elephants. If you’re accustomed to playing as the Han factions then switching to the Nanman can take some getting used to, but once you do, playing as them in battle can be very enjoyable and they certainly add some welcome variety to the Three Kingdoms campaign. 

The Nanman have their own system of government, although it operates, more or less, just like those of the Han factions. They also have their own unique technology tree and building types, although the core systems of character assignments, satisfaction, faction support, public order, corruption and income types (commerce, industry, peasantry) remains the same. And this is where we run into the main issue I really have with this DLC – the lack of unique cultural mechanics.

Nanman characters don’t have classes like those of the Han factions – no vanguards, champions or strategists. They are, however, subject to the same types of character stats and their related faction / unit benefits – cunning, for example. Nanman units, like their Han counterparts, are also subject to the class based system of ranged (blue) axe & sword (purple) cavalry (red) and spears (green). So a Nanman character with a high cunning (blue) stat, will always be more beneficial when in command of ranged (blue) units. This results in a situation where, even though Nanman characters are not class based, their units and the statistic boosts they provide to those units are.

If a Nanman character has a high cunning base stat, you’ll want to assign them as your unofficial ‘strategist’. These characters can then boost their stats in a particular skill as they level up, and unlock additional benefits by completing personal ‘missions’ based upon various actions – such as winning duels, killing enemies or by increasing the levels of particular units within their retinue. 

To be clear, it’s not as if this system doesn’t work in practice, but it doesn’t feel quite right. As an entirely new culture type I would have expected the Nanman to utilise their own unique class system both for characters and units. Instead, we get a system which is really just a slight twist on the core class system and frankly, isn’t as interesting to manage from a character perspective. 

And that’s my main criticism of this DLC – it doesn’t really go far enough to establish the Nanman as their own unique culture. Too many of the core systems remain the same aside from a slight tweak. Am I expecting too much? I don’t think so, not when this DLC is marketed and more importantly priced as a major expansion.

I do like the Nanman campaign. It feels like a mini-campaign playing out alongside the main campaign. Because of their starting location, you won’t really be interacting with the core factions, not until you unite the tribes and form the Nanman Kingdom. By this time the Han factions will have become more established and powerful and you may, like me, find yourself in a pretty fun and massive border war. But with the formation of the Kingdom your campaign is pretty much finished, and there’s not much incentive to continue on. 

Overall, The Furious Wild is a welcome and decent expansion to Three Kingdoms, but I wouldn’t say it’s an essential one and I do feel the asking price is simply too high given how little of the core faction / character systems this DLC actually changes. The map overhaul is good, the new units are great and I’m glad there’s more variety and conflict centred around the once rather barren southern regions of the map. I’d recommend picking it up at some point, but maybe wait for a sale.

6/10

Halloween E-Book Giveaway!

 
Starting next week, I’m going to be running a Spooktober E-Book Giveaway on Amazon! For five days you’ll have the opportunity to claim your FREE copy of HIGH STRANGENESS and WAIT FOR THE DAWN. Offer begins 27/10 and ends 31/10.

Now Playing: Halo 3

I played Halo 3 on its original release in 2007, but it’s been at least 10 years since I replayed it, so I was curious to see how it would stack up today compared to Halo 1 & 2. It’s generally regarded as one of – if not the best – Halo campaign and overall, that’s an assessment I’m inclined to agree with.

Halo 3 gets off to a somewhat slower start than Halo 2, but it soon ramps up into one of the most exciting and fun shooter campaigns you’ll ever play. Unlike Halo 2, which became more linear and restrictive as you progressed, Halo 3 plays to the key strength of the series – open, sandbox combat environments.

Playing either in solo or co-op is a blast as you navigate these open maps. And Halo 3, acting as the conclusion of the Human / Covenant war, includes plenty of large scale, vehicle based combat missions with plenty of friendly and enemy characters. Halo 3 took all of the best aspects of 1 & 2 and combined them into a thoroughly entertaining campaign from beginning to end – and one which wraps up this particular Halo story to a satisfying degree.

The combat is as smooth and enjoyable as ever – although noticeably easier than I recall, even on Legendary. The lack of shielded elites certainly makes a big difference, the checkpoints are more lenient than in Halo 2, and the co-op re-spawn system is also far more forgiving.

Somewhat disappointingly, this PC release hasn’t received much in the way of a visual overhaul, unlike Halo 1 & 2. I guess you could argue Halo 3 wasn’t in such a great need of visual improvement compared to those games – Halo 2 in particular – but it’s a shame more attention wasn’t given to the perfectly acceptable but obviously dated visuals.

The sound and music are as excellent as ever, with the classic Halo theme kicking in at all the right moments. The enemy AI continues to impress, although fighting the dim-witted brutes is never quite as challenging as fighting the sneaky elites.

Halo 3 also marks the end of the Halo games I had previously played so the next releases as part of the MCC – ODST and Halo 4 – will be my first time. I am curious to see where the story goes because Halo 3 does a pretty good job of wrapping things up. Like the others, Halo 3 also has plenty of collectibles to discover and score / time challenges to test your skills.

If I had to rate the Halo games I’ve played in some kind of order it would probably be Halo 3 = Halo 1 > Halo: Reach > Halo 2. I don’t know how the series progresses from here or what the future holds, but these four games provide a fantastic experience and really shouldn’t be missed if you’re a fan of engaging, first person shooter campaigns.

8/10

PS5 -vs- X-Box: Let Them Fight

We’re approaching the release of the next generation of consoles – the PlayStation 5 and the X-Box Series X (and S) so I figured I’d put up a post outlining my own thoughts on each platform. PC has been my primary gaming platform for going on 20 years now, but I’ve always had one console or another to play alongside it. Most recently, that console is the Switch, but am I tempted to pick up a PS5 and /or an X-Box series console too?

Before we really knew anything about these new platforms, I was much more interested in the PS5. Given that the PC is my preferred platform, that shouldn’t really come as a surprise, not when pretty much everything available on the X-Box ‘ecosystem’ is also available on PC either through Steam or via Game Pass. The Series X console, in terms of hardware, is pretty great value, and I do like the compact design, but as a platform, it doesn’t really offer me anything I can’t or won’t get on the PC.

But I don’t think Microsoft really care about that. They’re really focusing on their Game Pass subscription model and they don’t really care where you play. And if I didn’t own or couldn’t afford a decent PC, then the combination of a Series X or S console plus a Game Pass subscription would be an easy choice to make – the value that offers is pretty insane.

But I do have a decent PC and so I don’t really need either of the new X-Box models. And that’s why I was more interested in the PS5. I didn’t pick up a PS4 but there are several games on that platform I’d like to play and I was waiting to see if those games would be backwards compatible with the PS5 and / or offer free ‘enhanced’ versions at a higher frame rate or even paid remastered versions that take advantage of the upgraded hardware.

Sony were really knocking it out of the park towards the end of the PS4 cycle with one big exclusive hit after another. And it appears that strategy of exclusive first party games and exclusive third party content is something they intend to continue with the PS5. But the question is, will that strategy continue to work in a market that is evolving more towards subscription based services?

And it does kind of feel like Sony shot their entire load towards the end of the PS4 cycle, leaving them a little short on the release of the PS5. And the more I’ve heard and seen of the PS5, the less inclined I am to pick one up, at least in the short term. The console, in terms of design, isn’t really to my taste. And the pricing of the games – £70 – is pretty damn steep.

Then you have the cost of online play to consider, the fact that (at the time of writing) we still don’t know exactly how backwards compatibility will work for PS4 games and hell, we still haven’t really seen the console ‘in the flesh’ so to speak. It’s almost like Sony are trying to hide how big and bulky it looks outside of flattering renders.

The digital version, despite the reduced price, feels like a trap when you’re relying on online sales that might never come or be as generous as physical reductions. Sony, with the PS4 library behind it, certainly has the games to interest me, even though the platform looks, frankly, inferior to the new X-Box Series models. If I was picking a platform based purely on design, hardware and value, the X-Box Series would win quite comfortably.

But I don’t need an X-Box because I already have a PC. I was looking to get a PS5 in order to play all those tasty PS4 exclusives I’ve missed out on, but I’m not going to do that until I know exactly what I’m getting. It feels like Sony have been pretty shy at revealing details – I don’t know if it’s a marketing strategy (if it is, it’s not a very good one) or just plain incompetence. They should be making me want to buy their platform, but I can’t say they’ve succeeded. At all. Microsoft’s strategy is clear, but Sony seems to be all over the place and unable to give straight answers on anything. They really need to get their act together.

Between the two platforms, I’m obviously still more interested in the PS5, but that’s purely for the games I hope to be able to play on it, not for the platform itself. The platform, based on design and value, just isn’t an attractive purchase right now. So I guess I’ll take a wait and see approach, and maybe wait for a ‘slim’ model redesign that might come out in the future.

Now Playing: Horizon Zero Dawn

It took me around 65 hours to complete Horizon and the included Frozen Wilds DLC. I finished every main, side and errand quest. I explored every corner of the map. I tracked down every collectible. I did all of this because I wanted to see and experience everything Horizon had to offer.

Despite the many technical problems reported with this PC version, I only suffered a single crash whilst playing and my frame rate was rock solid. Visually, Horizon looks fantastic with a varied range of environments and some impressive character models – it’s just a shame the facial animations can be rather stiff, to say the least. 

It’s not just how the world looks that’s impressive, but how it’s constructed. The map has very distinct environmental types ranging from forest, to snow, to jungle, to barren plains. These all connect and flow from one to the next in a way that feels natural and alive. The sense of scale and distance, the fact that Meridian – the main ‘city’ in Horizon actually feels like a large, lived in city, all contributes to build one of the best open worlds you’ll ever play.

 

And this is a world full of history, a new world built upon the ruins of the old. As you explore the world and progress through the excellent story you’ll learn more about the past and the people who lived during that time. The pacing of the plot is nearly perfect as solving one mystery leads onto the next. You’re always learning, always uncovering a new piece of puzzle, and you’re always just one step away from the next.

I loved the story and characters of Horizon. I won’t spoil any of the plot here because it’s the kind of game you really need to play and experience for yourself. Aloy is a wonderful protagonist and she’s supported by a wide range of excellent side characters. The only really weak character is that of the main (human) villain who’s just an evil prick and that’s about as complex as he gets.

The story, like the world of Horizon, is perfectly constructed. You’re always engaged, always wanting to learn more, to see more and explore more to discover the truth of the past, of the machines and of Aloy herself. Horizon tells a very personal story and although it doesn’t feature a branching narrative with alternative paths or endings, it does feature various dialogue options that allow you to shape how Aloy reacts to the people she encounters and the challenges she faces.

But as great as the world and the story of Horizon are, what really keeps you playing and enjoying your time spent exploring the world is the combat. The combat against the machines, at least. Horizon does feature some combat against human (bandit) enemies, but this is another weak aspect of the game. Fighting primitive humans wielding spears and bows just isn’t as engaging or fun as tangling with mechanical beasts that shoot laser beams and spit fire.

There’s a lot of different machine types, from small and fast to large and lumbering, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Your ‘base’ damage against these machines, regardless of level, isn’t particularly effective. Instead, every machine has either an elemental weakness – fire, frost or electrical and/or specific weak points that when targeted with the appropriate ammo type will cause heavy damage.

Horizon is a game that gives the player a great deal of combat options through its variety of weapons, traps and ammo types. There’s not a single way to take down a machine. The game encourages you to be creative and experiment with all of the tools at your disposal. Some machines may seem incredibly tough the first time you encounter them, but by learning their attack patterns and studying each machine with your Focus to highlight their strengths and weaknesses, you’ll soon learn how to take down each machine both quickly and efficiently.

There’s nothing quite as enjoyable as using a ‘tearblast’ arrow to detach a machine’s primary weapon from its back, picking it up and then using it to rip the machine to pieces. Or you could lay a series of traps and tripcast wires and lure the machine into a deadly (and explosive) ambush. Or you could freeze the machine and use your slow to fire, but heavy damage bow to inflict maximum damage by targeting a weak point. Or you could use a ropecaster to bind the machine, preventing it from moving as you use a blast sling to bomb it into pieces.

So many options, so many tools. I never got tired of fighting machines in Horizon. The visual feedback is what makes it so satisfying – watching as pieces of the machine are shed by your attacks. You whittle them down, one component at a time. And once the fight is done, you strip the parts to sell or to use in crafting. The animations of the machines is also impressive as they charge, leap or collapse to the earth when they finally fall.

The crafting system is decent. I was worried it might get tiresome gathering parts but everything is fairly streamlined and merchants sell bundles of all the key components so you’ll never need to worry too much about gathering wood for crafting arrows. There is a modifications system in Horizon for both weapons and armour. It’s a little simple, but it does the job and this is one area that a sequel could certainly improve upon.

The Frozen Wilds DLC, which was included in this PC package, is an excellent expansion offering a new location to explore, new machines to fight and new weapons to add to your already extensive arsenal. It will give you another 10-15 hours of play on top of the core game and like the core game it’s content you’ll want to thoroughly explore.

Overall, Horizon Zero Dawn was excellent from start to finish. The few weak points – the human enemies / villain and the rather simplistic upgrades / modifications – don’t detract from what is one of the best games I’ve played this year. The main quest is engaging, the side content (beyond a handful of exceptions) is all worth your time with unique narratives, characters and encounters. The combat is great with a variety of tools and enemies with a welcome focus on player creativity and tactics.

I’m still a little wary of recommending Horizon at the time of writing because, whilst I didn’t have any real technical problems, a lot of people obviously are, but if the developers can roll out some more patches and fixes, it’s most certainly worth picking up in the future. It’s an exceptional game that I’ll certainly return to again and has me excited for the recently announced sequel. It’s another strong contender for my personal GOTY.

9/10