Only 2-3 hours into Forbidden West. This game is huge. A lot of fine tuning and tweaking to improve almost every aspect of the first game.

Yup, I unfortunately wasn't able to start until last night and probably less than 2 hours in. Finished the rather lengthy tutorial process and just descended to Chainscrap area where the game now appears to be opening up big time (after keeping you boxed in during the tutorial).

I normally hate to sacrifice visual quality but the game is SO much smoother on performance mode that I've elected to keep it there for the duration. Noticing a few small bugs/graphical glitches here and there but another patch or two I'm sure will fix those. Overall though (and unsurprisingly) stunning to look at.

I liked the tutorial section because it was in one of the old facilities. It had some story and character elements mixed in with the tutorial.

Oh yeah the tutorial was well done (and a much needed refresher for a mediocre gamer like myself)-didn't mean to sound negative. I just heard the game gets really good once it opens up, which I think is where I'm at now. Can't wait to jump back in.

The level of detail in the environments is pretty great. Wasn’t thrilled about the controls but got used to them. Story is a bit much but the acting and animations are well done.

In comparison to other PS-exclusive titles (and that's a pretty high bar), the characters, story and dialog are probably close to my least favorite. Def not a showstopper to me. It's by no means bad, just doesn't have me as invested as say something like the Last of Us or GoW. Regardless the visuals, sound and combat are a frikin blast. SO happy I'm able to play this beast on a PS5

The lore and world building are excellent. The characters and story or so so, but still better than most open world games.

Obviously, I'm very early in this game and opinions can change.

To me, there is definite emphasis on body language. Very well done.

I think the individual interactions are very well done. Especially the one-time-only side quest dialogue and interactions. I feel like there is a relationship between characters even if it's fleeting. My only gripe with dialogue is that it seems like Aloy is whispering at times.

The more I play, the more I enjoy. I just wish I could access everything so I could go full explorer. I guess I need to stick to the main quest to unlock more abilities and equipment.

Yes! The first game had too many static, almost animatronic conversations. This game has a dynamic camera with much better motion capture and acting. It helps that the graphics engine is incredible.

All of the story/lore is just insane. Maybe I'm just getting old, but I don't have time for this shit. Just wanna play Rocket League. Also, just like with the last game, I don't like her movements or how she interacts with the environment. Feels very off. I'm thinking I'll trade this in for Elden Ring before I even finish it.

I wonder if this type of game is for you. Did you ever play Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Fallout, etc.? This is structured very similarly.

Trading this is for an even larger, directionless open world game might not be the best if you're looking for more bite sized experiences.

I played that one newer, very popular Dragon Age and couldn't get into it either. You're probably right... but hey, I love Souls games.. so I'll probably like Elden Ring?

You might! I'm concerned about how open and unclear the objectives may be.

I don't think openness is a problem for me. I just don't like the overall feel of Horizon. The story is right out of a young adult fantasy novel. I just couldn't care less about it and it's like the main focus of the game. I don't want to talk to another NPC. Souls games aren't like that. You'll get like one ambiguous cut scene every hour or so. Different tone altogether.

That's fair, I just didn't know what you expected with Forbidden West if you didn't like the first game. I think both will stand on their own if you enjoy both types of games to begin with?

I guess I just expected the next-gen'ness of Forbidden West to blow me away, despite everything else. Not sure what you mean about the bolded.

Both Elden Ring and Horizon could be high water marks for their particular subgenres of open world games.

Oh, yeah. I guess I learned a lesson here. Perhaps for me next GEN can only make better something I at least liked before.