Horizon Zero Dawn, released February 28 by developer Guerrilla Games (of Killzone fame, a series of first-person shooters), is an unspeakably beautiful and staggeringly epic third-person action RPG.
I’ve had the pleasure of being able to play Horizon extensively this past weekend and I have enjoyed it immensely. If you are simply wondering if this game is worth the money, check it out friend. You won’t be disappointed. Some further considerations below.
So the final chapter of Knights of the Old Republic has come, and somehow, I expected it to feel a little more … final.
First, my review: I liked this chapter. Thoroughly. Unlike some of the previous chapters, some which felt like stalling and some which felt like three hours of walking in circles, and even unlike the previous chapter which had all of the action and plot moments I craved — but delivered nothing of the romance I longed for — this outing provided both the action and character development to sate me.
There were lots of character moments and moments of reflection, and the game didn’t make me grind through a million sky troopers to get to Arcann. It provided some minor bosses to slow me, but not frustrate me – and it even pulled out some new fighting mechanics to make the final showdown seem fresh.
What it did not do, however, was provide a thorough wrap up to the previous sixteen chapters. At the end of the chapter, some things have changed and there are some nice revelations, but when I zoom out I see that all of the same players are in the game and not much has changed for my character directly. I expected a little bit more of a shake up in the final chapter to help me feel like I’m progressing.
After the chapter is completed there doesn’t seem to be any new things to do around the base either, which was a bit of a let down as we wait for the new DLC.
New chapter #13 of Knights of the Fallen Empire, Profit and Plunder, opens with some continued saltiness between companions. No one likes each other here, and it makes sense because hey, wasn’t it just yesterday we were all on different sides? Not only that, but everyone knows lack of money is the number one cause of fights in relationships and apparently we are, in fact, underfunded. Plus, there’s the matter of Kaliyo and Aric Jorgan missing in action since we sent them on that quest last chapter (you know the one… they’re doing… something important). Everyone is worried, and we need something to keep us busy.
(This post has been previously published to my blog, Light a Candle, here.)
Firewatch is the premier game of studio Campo Santo, who describe themselves as “a small but scrappy game developer in San Francisco, CA.” who “set out to make games about interesting people in fascinating places.” (from the Campo Santo website). Now, at the outset of my review I wanted to explain a few background things. For myself, player choice and representation have always been an imperative part of story telling in games, and when I started playing them I made tons of ludicrous statements such as “I’ll only play games where you can play as a woman.” Of course, if you’re a gamer you know this kind of stipulation is entirely unrealistic (perhaps woefully so).
Prepare for some very light spoilers below. I promise I won’t give away anything that doesn’t occur in the first five minutes of game play.
