Horizon Zero Dawn
It does not seem likely that Sony will follow in Microsoft’s footsteps any time soon and start releasing their PlayStation exclusives on PC on launch day. And yet Sony has indeed opened up a few of their games to PC release much, much later, which is what’s happened with Horizon Zero Dawn this month, and the game is seeing a surge of interest as a result.
Horizon was released in February 2017, so clearly we are on a uh, very advanced timetable for when Sony is comfortable with PC ports. But this one, despite some initial technical issues, seems to be delighting a lot of players who never gave the first one a shot back when it was only on PS4.
I am seeing a lot of interest in the game on Twitch especially, as many streamers will mainly only play games that are available on PC, and that isn’t the case for PS exclusives, until now. It’s a story-based game, no room for multiplayer antics or competitive skill play like many other well-performing Twitch titles, but it’s been a popular playthrough all the same.
Horizon
Why? It’s a great game. It’s the model for Sony giving their studios freedom to try new things, as Guerrilla Games went from Killzone to…fighting robot dinosaurs in a post-apocalyptic future.
Sony has already started plugging Horizon Forbidden West as an upcoming PS5 title, though it will not be out until some time in 2021, barring delays, and not at launch.
Why was Horizon so good? And why is everyone figuring it out it’s so good now? A few different reasons, but I think the Monster Hunter-ish dynamic of stalking the robot dinosaurs and animals was a satisfying, unique combat loop unlike much else like it in the genre (and more accessible than MH, I would say).
I think what surprised me the most about Horizon Zero Dawn was its story, and the final explanation for why we exist in this bizarre world full of robot dinosaurs actually made way, way more sense than I was imagining, and getting the full breakdown of what actually happened to create this world was fascinating, and in my opinion, the best part of the experience. I’m not sure if the sequel can replicate that aspect, but Aloy also has been established as a new era PS icon, and I’m excited to see more from her specifically.
I am glad to see Horizon getting its due from PC players at last, and I think the lesson here is that maybe Sony doesn’t need to wait 3+ years to allow for PC adaptations of its exclusives. Again, they’re never going to go full Game Pass/PC cross-launch like Microsoft but I hope to see them loosen up a bit more past where we are now.
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