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

Earth, 3XXX. The exact date and time is not known, because the world ended several centuries ago. In this land, humanity exists as a loose collection of tribes. Each have their own set of customs, beliefs, enemies, and allies.

Jaw-dropping presentation; Countless things to see and do; Enjoyable narrative

You eventually have no new robots to discover..

Horizon Zero Dawn review – an epic adventure A few blockbuster debuts throughout gaming history have had a surreal, uncanny power to them. You know it when you feel it: a certain magnetism pulling you in, that can't-stop-thinking-about-it quality.

The Dawn of What May Be Sony’s Most Epic IP

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 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

A few hours into Horizon Zero Dawn , Sony's heavily-hyped open-world action-adventure, Empire finds itself stalking a mechanical, Brontosaurus-looking beast dubbed a 'Tallneck'. Upon leaping atop the lumbering monster's back, we scale its elongated nape before jabbing a spear into its enormous,...

Horizon Zero Dawn presents an aesthetically pleasing and inventive world with personality aplenty, but it's not without narrative weaknesses