Horizon Zero Dawn represents a rarity these days. You don't often see big companies like Sony take a risk in developing a big budget console game that isn't a sequel in an existing, successful franchise.

Fun combat; Great story; Fantastic world to explore; Meaningful conversation system; Well-realised NPCs

Lack of a ‘lock-on' system in melee combat is puzzling; Inventory management could be better

The world of Horizon Zero Dawn is full of promise. From mountainous tribal villages to clusters of long-decayed skyscrapers, through to mechanical caverns measureless to man, the environment of Guerrilla Games' open-world adventure is one that urges exploration.

'Horizon Zero Dawn' nails every aspect of the open-world action RPG, including robot dinosaur hunting.

Rich; compelling world-building; Visceral; tactical action; Gorgeous visuals and music; Refreshing diversity

Rote open-world RPG mechanics; Terrible title

Leading up to reviews, Sony and Guerrilla were so confident in Horizon Zero Dawn's protagonist, Aloy, that they said she may be the next PlayStation icon - Colm thinks they may be onto something. Check out his thoughts in this feature

Slick package in terms of visuals and sound; Tactics involved in taking down large robots is exciting; Aloy's story is compelling

Side-quests suffer due to similarity

Across a vast and beautiful open world, Zero Dawn juggles many moving parts with polish and finesse. Its main activity - combat - is extremely satisfying thanks to the varied design and behaviors of machine-creatures that roam its lands, each of which needs to be taken down with careful...

For the first 20% of Horizon: Zero Dawn the game felt to me like a Far Cry game. Not Far Cry Primal, because Horizon didn't omit dinosaurs in some ludicrous effort to pander to the concept of realism.

I have a confession: when I first saw Horizon Zero Dawn back in 2015 I let out a big ostentatious yawn to signal that I was unimpressed.

Compelling; Sprawling environment; Stunning in 4K; So much to do

Watch out for 'side-quest fatigue

I remember when I saw the first Horizon: Zero Dawn trailer during E3 2015 and immediately became fascinated once the harmonious music kicked in. It was breathtaking to see the mammoth-sized machines roaming a post-post-apocalyptic world that was once home to millions of people.

Living; breathing world with day/night and weather cycle; Interesting cast of characters with deep backgrounds; Best graphics in a PS4 game; Fast paced combat with on-the-fly crafting system; Large amount of story and side missions with plenty of replay value; Each sidequest is unique and enjoyable,...

Mediocre animation quality with a few bugs; Tags

Horizon Zero Dawn is disappointing. It has a story that I struggled to care about (complete with massive expository dumps-yay), a bland protagonist, and overtly repetitive and constraining missions that worked against its open world sensibilities.

It's rare for a game to have so many facets of brilliance without any sacrifices along the way. Nothing about Horizon Zero Dawn is weak, everything has been built with the utmost care, and there was

Story is gripping and well-written; The machines are unique and designed to perfection; Combat is constantly enjoyable; Everything looks wonderful

Some AI issues; GPS waypoint system can occasionally mislead; Character decisions aren't really necessary