Horizon Forbidden West: 'The Burning Shores' Is Almost Great [4K] [Review]

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The Burning Shores DLC contains additional content for Horizon Forbidden West, including new characters and experiences in a stunning yet hazardous new area. To enter the Burning Shores, you must complete the main quest (up to and including Singularity) in the PS5 version of Horizon Forbidden West.
Horizon Forbidden West is a 2022 action role-playing game developed by Guerrilla Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The sequel to 2017's Horizon Zero Dawn, the game is set in a post-apocalyptic version of the Western United States recovering from the aftermath of an extinction event caused by a rogue robot swarm. The player can explore the open world and complete quests using ranged and melee weapons against hostile machine creatures.
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#horizonforbiddenwest #playstation #ps5

[@djspace3]

I can't believe after all this time you have not enabled the auto-pickup or at least disable the pickup animations on ressources in the wild.

[@AdamNoizer]

Wait, is that a thing I can do in the game settings?

[@wking8]

​@@AdamNoizer yes

[@AdamNoizer]

@@wking8 Oh wow.

[@djspace3]

@@AdamNoizer Yes ! from day one you could disable the pickup animation but with the new patch that comes with burning shores there is an "auto-pickup" option ! try it it's game changing haha

[@maineman5757]

Yeah, I would kms if I had to play the game like that.

[@Trisred]

I'm a bit disappointed with the Waterwing, there's not much you can do with it after unlocking it, other than swimming. I wish we could use it to access new underwater areas, like caves or ruins and to unlock new side quests

[@mysterious___1]

It’s just another flying mount that you can use to swim faster. There’s not going to be a person underwater to give a quest 🤣. Tf.

[@Trisred]

@@mysterious___1 no shit Sherlock… idk maybe a fuckin robot mermaid

[@nathangardner772]

Thing is clunky and loud 😂

[@Ingisen]

@@mysterious___1 Solutions I see are: - Free-roam explorations underwater, mandatory traversal (more than just 1 time) - Quests like in the main game, example: finding required parts for custom armor - Vantage Points and Black Boxes underwater Or maybe this: use the main quest Poseidon as an example and expand further on that concept - Main map has key points of interest that has to be navigated several times, but varying degree on foot, air and sea. It could challenge the developers and the gamers in regards to platforming

[@loudenlaffnite246]

It has a grand total of 1 minute of functionality in the story. The advertisement for it lasted longer than it was actually used in the game.

[@jt.hudgens7156]

How did we get to the point where what makes a bad open world is over abundance of fast travel points, I do recall people complaining in the Witcher three that they had to go up to one of the signs to fast travel

[@jonbodhi]

I have to disagree about your characterization to Aloy. In the first part of HFW, she’s called out CONSTANTLY by characters from the first game for taking off without even a goodbye (you can return to that last area and get scolded by even MORE characters. ) She continues her: ‘I have to do this myself’ until she almost dies after her first encounter with the Zeniths. After this, she begins to soften and gather allies around her. It’s kinda the whole POINT of that home base. By the end, she KNOWS she needs their help to succeed, and couldn’t have done it without them. She grows as a person. She also get growth in her interactions with her ‘sister.’ Aloy is, frankly, kinda awful to her fir a LONG time, until she realizes that being raised by a loving parent made her into who she is, and she gets closer to her ‘sister,’ and more forgiving of her timidity and flaws. Did you engage with the companions at the base? Because she goes through genuine character growth through them, along with their side quests. Furthermore, her attitude comes from the fact the was literally CREATED to save the world, and is the ONLY ONE, who can do certain things, and she feels an enormous responsibility to her ‘mother’ to save her legacy, but as she goes through the game and meets all sorta of oddballs, she becomes determined to save it because SHE wants to, not simply as her ‘mother’s’ legacy, but because he appreciates the beauty of this world. The Las Vegas quests especially highlight this. I spent some 200 hour with the game, doing almost all the story-based side-quests, and repeatedly engaged the companions between main quests, and Aloy’s growth seemed obvious to me (as well as mourning a death that affects her the test of the game!). I think you rushed through HFW, and missed a lot.

[@lustrazor44]

If you have to go through countless side quests to see the main character grow as a person and that’s not reflected in the main story, (it isn’t), then the character isn’t growing. They’re being segmented. She’s also as boring as they come as far as protagonists are concerned.

[@oyjinboo7699]

You are right, if you wanna know the game, you should play it all.

[@dhampirdemon]

Well said

[@RobTheDoodler]

@@lustrazor44 The story does have Aloy change in its main campaign. The side quests are more reflective of that change than segmenting it, I think.

[@kvm6]

​@@lustrazor44 I guess Mass Effect 2 is the worst game then.

[@KTSky01]

Walter Londra is played by Sam Witwer, who is actually the same actor who played Deacon St. John in Days Gone, among many other things. He’s an incredible actor and so talented, but unfortunately his talent has been criminally underutilised twice recently. He was Cpt. Leon Ferris in The Callisto Protocol too, but both of his most recent video game characters barely have any real screen time.

[@-tcbms-8849]

Don’t forget, he’s also Darth Maul in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars show. If you want some amazing voice acting, check out some of his scenes

[@KTSky01]

@@-tcbms-8849 I will absolutely do that, thank you for the recommendation. I have seen his work as Starkiller in great detail, but not a lot of his work as Darth Maul in Clone Wars. I’ve obviously seen the iconic scream from Rebels though, of course.

[@TheIronMask1954]

Found it funny when he mentioned Days Gone after not recognizing Sam

[@KTSky01]

@@TheIronMask1954 Yeah, I found it very coincidental that he just happened to bring up Days Gone whilst having no idea it’s the same actor.

[@jamesmcmoore5434]

He was also in the GOAT Battlestar Galactica

[@Jchil9123]

I don’t understand the issue Luke has with the fast travel things. Sure there doesn’t NEED to be that many, but it no way does it hurt or take anything away from the game even a little. Not even sort of. It makes getting to the area you desire that much quicker and more convenient. I understand that there’s an excessive amount, but I can’t think of even one negative consequence of having that many and I’ve never heard him come up with one either. Just a weird thing to dwell on. I get mentioning it once, but over the coarse of a few videos I’ve heard him complain about it a handful of times as if it’s something that takes away from the games experience. I’m confused by this, maybe I’m missing something?

[@dr.nottanownudder]

He's a big "map aesthetic" guy😂😂 He doesn't like cluttered maps I guess

[@DoomToshi]

He likes clean Maps like FarCry6

[@evansinclair1999]

I agree it doesn’t really matter but he just doesn’t wanna like the game for some reason

[@commitdubs]

Because his entire channels gimmick is to find faults and nitpick. Some points of course are warranted/valid, but when that's the entire premise of his content, you're bound to find filler arguments. This being one of them lol.

[@slickstar96]

​​@@dr.nottanownudder but something that confuses me is that he is the same guy that likes witcher 3 a game that is known for having a cluttered map its a dumb arguement

[@RupertNigelson]

Funny how you mentioned days gone but didn’t know deacon is the same va as the villain in this dlc, I mean they’re literally both modelled after Sam Witwer too 😂

[@dr.nottanownudder]

😂😂right!? Lukey better get his name right!!👍

[@victoriatowns9237]

Maybe I played too much Force Unleashed, but I don’t know how people don’t immediately recognize him across characters. He’s got a distinctive voice and face!

[@DEEDSNOTWORDS]

I mostly enjoy this game for its visuals, lore, and gameplay, but yeah, the stories they tell are hard to enjoy when you can't really connect with the characters.

[@DoomToshi]

True, I just got it for the Graphics and “Exclusive” game

[@maineman5757]

I guess you aren't a lesbian.

[@naterod]

I liked seeing Gildun again and that story got pretty deep but yeah they need some new writers or something. It’s me of the best looking games ever made it’s it’s just so fucking mid

[@DEEDSNOTWORDS]

@@naterod Yes! It was great seeing him again. That was the last quest I did, it felt like a great way to end my playthrough of the DLC. In my opinion it was definitely one of the better quests in the DLC.

[@Ingisen]

@@naterod Where's the main writer(s) behind Frozen Wilds? That someone knew what they were doing

[@somethingfierce8859]

Luke, 'good but not great' is NOT an 8/10. 7/10 max.

[@ieajackson5518]

Exactly lol!

[@j.a.n.e.n]

In his eyes a bad game probably is a 5/10

[@Pontif11]

I wonder if people use 7/10 as an ok score because in schools a 5 or an F is a failing grade.

[@hazelcrisp]

@@Pontif11 American grading is weird. In the UK a passing grade is a 50%-60% which is a C

[@robot3266]

Yeah he did the same thing with hogwarts legacy

[@2709rahulravindran]

Bro you have to feel for the people who complained about the kiss. All those people just lost their only imaginary girl friend.

[@imnotapipe]

In my mind, Aloy just doesn’t have time for romance so I gave her the “yes but not now.” Aloy gets hit on a lot and always dismisses it. Sure, it’s apparent now it’s because she’s a lesbian but even still she just has a lot on her plate. As a player controlling Aloy, I didn’t care for Seyka as a love interest. She’s fine and capable but Aloy kept getting flustered with her and sure, crushes don’t always make sense, but I just couldn’t relate to it. Aloy has met a lot of fun, interesting, likeable people and Seyka isn’t even in my personal top 5

[@sxerwin]

@@imnotapipe Is it optional?

[@imnotapipe]

@@sxerwin Yeah

[@andreiparthenpopaeus2666]

That's not it at all. It's that they keep doing this. Just shoving shit in that means nothing. Am I mad about it? No. But I am mad that it didn't happen with a choice in who...and in the base game.

[@nathanielclaw2841]

@@andreiparthenpopaeus2666 so you ARE mad...

[@itsdantaylor]

I would say while I was OK with this DLC i think it's biggest flaw is that there isn't enough NEW in it. While similarly frozen north didn't add much to the story of Zero Dawn it gave us a new local that was different as we didn't have much experience with a frozen environment save for a small area, it gave us a look into the Banuk tribe and bit more of a glimpse into some of the lore of the old world and AI. In burning shores we got.............well..........a area that seemed very familiar to areas we had gotten in Forbidden west, we got a story with the Quen which I feel was better done in forbidden west and a story involving a zenith being a general POS/Villain which was similar to the story of MOST of forbidden west. Even Seyka (while i don't have that much of a issue with her as a character) is more of the same. She's a Quen who feels apart from her tribe, (better done with Alva) who is a warrior, (better done with Kotallo), and looking to desperately save her sister, (which we got with Erend in Horizon Zero Dawn.) There just wasn't enough NEW in this DLC which was really disappointing. It's the first time I really feel like a mis step or a wasted opportunity in the Horizon series.

[@Rackcoon929]

Yeah, a new mount that isn't that different, a bug that dies in one shot, barely new weapons

[@barryschwarz]

I liked the further look into the rigid, paranoid Quen society (Stalinist), the mechanics of the bilegut, which made for a fairly challenging foe on very hard, using the waterwing to explore the seas off the forbidden west (and trying to find a new way into the forbidden island). Fooling around with the new weapons was fun, too. It all seemed to be worth $20 to me.

[@pedrorocha3161]

Wtf are you talking about, we finally got to see a Horus in action and actually fight it

[@ForiamStudios]

I hear what you’re saying. If anything, it was a chance for GG to show off how they can utilise the PS5 for Horizon 3

[@TheMordgan]

I feel like they made the world map extremely beautiful but did nothing to incentivise me to explore it

[@claytonbearden7793]

I'm shocked Luke didn't recognize Sam Witwer. I haven't played it yet and didn't hear dialogue, but that face was instantly recognizable.

[@versversa8083]

aloy was not written the most lively in the first game, but they really developed her through the second game...they should go just a pinch further, less scared, but they are doing an amazing job

[@ChiaraKeating]

Warning spoiler: I think Mass Effect is a really good example of why I don’t go back to the horizon games once I’ve completed them, but I have hundreds and hundreds of hours in mass effect. Your companions really make the game and I just can’t connect with any of the characters you collect in these games. I even forgot I had a clone sister until Aloy mentions it in the dlc. The companions just don’t pull me back in, maybe that’s just me

[@austinplatt]

I personally love this game.

[@daylen577]

5:24 He definitely is. Other than Lance Reddick, Sam Witwer is probably the most expensive actor they cast. Getting him to do voice lines would not have been cheap.

[@dblackout1107]

Was wondering if that was Lance. Rest in peace Lt Daniels

[@kaibradburn-lewis7310]

Star Killer is a legend

[@garthantash]

I am an unabashed Horizon super fan and I think your take on the DLC is pretty much spot on. I didn't gel with Seyka and you are right, it needed more time. I am pleased that the kiss is just an option as I thought the "I am not ready for this" response was more in keeping with my experience with Aloy and actually showed a bit of vulnerability in her, something she wasn't sure about for once. (Plus if Aloy is going to hook up with a woman, Petra is my girl.) I couldn't help but feel the DLC was putting work into back-end technical improvements ready for Horizon 3 at the expense of story and content now.

[@blackmanwithcomputer]

Yeah, Aloy being grouped up with other characters allows for her character to be explored and developed more. I look at this as an experiment, and hopefully they build off this foundation. I think the "new thing" was the companion system being introduced with Seyka. With Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man, that's how Spider-Man has always been. Tho, Spider-Man does it throw enemies off. Aloy (and other modern characters) just do it to be badass or make sure the tension is never too high, and it's annoying.

[@voxploxx]

Can the companion system really be considered new though? It's been a minute since I played vanilla but I do remember multiple quests where you'd have a companion with you. Not for the entirety like this but many quests with different companions.

[@blackmanwithcomputer]

@@voxploxx This style is new, where the companions stay a long time and are useful. Maybe could even play into a relationship system, where actions or choices, with them with you, could affect the narrative.

[@voxploxx]

@blackmanwithcomputer would be cool but I doubt it. Horizon always been a "this convo only" thing. I would welcome it though

[@Czoslop]

My biggest issue with the DLC is the amount of new machines. The new machines that were added in Frozen Wilds were impactful, I mean I remember the way you get greeted by a Daemonic Scorcher. The fight with three Daemonic Frostclaws and the fight with Fireclaw! In my opinion they only added two machines: Bilegut and Waterwing (which could have been a variant of Sunwing).

[@Ingisen]

Agreed. It bothered me that traversal into BS was by a cutscene instead of actual travel (FW had you climb all the way from the Gravehoard). Leaving BS is done by fast-traveling. Why not start the DLC by air and end it by sea? Could have added a post-game segment, that also included the Hoover Dam (far south-east on the main map) and hopefully Brin.

[@Czoslop]

@@Ingisen Yeah, that bothered me as well. A mission were the Hoover dam breaks and you need to sneak past the Tideripper or something like that. I mean I still think some of the bigger machines from Forbidden West were a little underutilized as in: Shellsnapper and Tremortusk.

[@Ingisen]

@@Czoslop In summary, this DLC felt rushed (to me). I doubt GG will make a DLC #2 (Hoover Dam, maybe that castle on the mountaintop near Barren Light)

[@Czoslop]

@@Ingisen I would love at least one more DLC (Hoover Dam + North of Barren Light + a bigger DLC that covers Baja or even Hawaii) Otherwise we will have to wait at least 3 years for the third entry.

[@Ingisen]

@@Czoslop Assuming people would be willing to play it... I'm worried Horizon will fizzle out if it keeps going like it has.

[@zachsheets9033]

When you did the review of Valhalla I felt so validated that you thought it was so bad. I totally agreed. But here is where I don't. I love forbidden west and I loved the DLC. I'm so addicted to machine hunting and trying to get the rare parts to upgrade weapons. The loop has me ..

[@PeachShortcake_]

I feel the exact same way. I'm so disappointed by his HZDFW videos. In his first one he just straight up lies multiple times. He complained about things that he's praised in other games. I just don't understand??

[@iansteelmatheson]

exactly.

[@kevinthunder3375]

​​@@PeachShortcake_ he is not very bright lol. Nor is he good at gaming. I am pretty sure he plays Horizin on story mode. He also constantly snipes about the map and quest markers when he has the option to disbale them; and dont even get me started about him bitching about grinding and looting, when there is an auto-pickup feature.

[@Calakapepe]

10:34 I agree 💯% No one's talking about how rushed the romantic feelings are going.. like humans CAN get going really fast... but Aloy just took 50 hours recently to accept having friends simply help her sometimes.. She never (though she couldve) showed a yearning for the spark that Varl found... she hasnt experienced anything with Seyka that showed that Seyka filled an empty spot in her soul (and it didn't need to be this big problem) She couldve throughout realized that she was impressed, enthrawled by seyka.. or even that she likes seykas face/ eyes lol ... side note, I agree the water wings needed more utilization! But also, you may just have that thing where big hype makes you dislike the flaws tenfold. Like you're here complaining about the number of campfires. Like yeah, they're plentiful.... and then... thats it. Its not gonna break the game. If you want to be forced to explore more.. then just do it. But when Im not in the mood nor have the time to explore organically.. Im glad I have the fast travel virtually anywhere. Then the other side.. games that are georgous and perform well have the pretty bias.. we give it more excuses probably idk. hehe But we all loved zero dawn despite terrible talking animations.. cause the rest was beautiful! Just let horizon be horizon and hopefully they address the problems that are actually problems :)

[@Nonlifting_breezy]

I got my platinum trophy today and I have over 300 hours in the forbidden west. Geurilla actually casually announced on Twitter that there will be a sequel.

[@kevinthunder3375]

❤ to the absolute surprise of noone.😂 The sequel was prolly greenlit before HFW ever came out.

[@Nonlifting_breezy]

@@kevinthunder3375 most likely. The series still has sold a lot

[@kevinthunder3375]

@@Nonlifting_breezy damn. Its my favorite series now. Can't wait for Aloy's next adventure. But I am yearning to sink my teeth into that Horizon mmo they got going on. I just hope its good.

[@mauroenemy6369]

Aloy and I can even understand a little that they made jokes in the final boss of the dlc. The Horus is huge, which makes it a very easy target, slow and with little accuracy. apart from its big disadvantage of overheating, which in my opinion makes a machine like a Tremortusk more "worrying" in a 1v1 fight. Because it's faster, more accurate and can find you more easily. A Horus is more threatening to a city and not to an individual person. And I think part of the jokes is because. during the dlc we see that Londra has a very inflated ego, making jokes, going to be upset and consequently he will lose his mind and make mistakes. I thought it was also part of the strategy to beat him. Obviously it could have been less jokey and a bit more serious, but as I thought of it that way, it ended up not bothering me as much as it could have.

[@Growfe]

Great reviews bro! Your vids are a fav pastime and has gotten me into many franchises I wouldn’t have tried. Hope your baby girl is doing fine. God bless

[@BK77677]

As a bi dude myself I will say: the kiss feels very bandwagon-y. Stop pandering to us.

[@chickenvilla]

I agree with most of what you've said, except on a couple of points: as a queer person, I thought they did a really good job of coding Aloy and Seika's romantic interest throughout the DLC. It was subtle but there, and I suspect it was one of those things that only queer folks might've picked up on until it got to the kiss and became REALLY obvious to everyone else. 😂 Anyone who is familiar with lesbians and U-hauling probably wouldn't be surprised by the speed at which they went from meeting to expressing feelings for each other. I also think games like Horizon make it difficult to judge the passage of time, and I have no idea if they were together a few days or a while longer. Otherwise, this DLC was the first time I thought the Horizon writers did a great job of showing that Aloy isn't in fact aloof or full of herself, but extremely bad at forming relationships with other people, be it friendships or romantic entanglements. (She explains this in one of the romance options if you turn Seyka down.) It does track when you consider she was raised away from society and by one man who also wasn't great at expressing emotion or knowing how to relate to people. Aloy is hyper independent and a loner with poor social skills because she wasn't given much opportunity to develop them. So it's less surprising to me, having seen her development through to this DLC, that her interactions with others are really wooden and uncomfortable. She's like a homeschooled kid trying to make friends for the first time in her life. (And from Tilda's descriptions, Elisabet didn't sound much better.) But I do agree seeing more screen time with her and other companions would go a long way to develop her character further. Anyway... she's grown on me, is what I'm trying to say. Seyka brought out a side of her that made me like her a lot more. Thanks for this great review!

[@can_can9119]

I just can't get into a romance that isn't decently fleshed out. Given that Alloy is very stiff as a character, they should've had more time to gradually break down her social awkwardness utilizing Seyka. It just sort of felt unnecessary, like the emotional attachment aspect was just an afterthought they slapped together with a poorly built up romance.

[@sawdust8691]

​@@can_can9119agreed. I actually have a ton more issues with this DLC than the base game. And Seyka is one of them. The problem with the relationship isn't only that it is indeed rushed and unnecessary. But I'm also not a fan of Seykas character. Because she is too similar to Aloy. When pretty much every interaction they have is just "you go girl! You're just as good as me!" It got a bit grating. They don't have different personalities to play off of, which makes the character dynamic just as boring as the characters themselves. They're not complete bricks, they just aren't interesting. And throw that into a rushed romance just doesn't pay off. There is nothing to be invested in. Thats just one of my issues with it. I liked the base game much more honestly.

[@ApotheosisTunes]

i bought HFW and Elden Ring last year, i decide to play ER first and after 300 hours i finished it, then i tried playing HFW, man it was so dull.

[@CornOnDeCobb]

300 hours? Doubt that number. Please tell me you did more than one playthrough.

[@ApotheosisTunes]

@@CornOnDeCobb 1 playthrough but a lot of farming and i did everything, all bosses and arears.

[@vincenzobulla113]

@@ApotheosisTunes i have 400 hours and 4-5 characters on ER but doing all that farming on your first run is totally pointless, 150 hours and you do a full complete first run.

[@SiD19884]

@@vincenzobulla113 very weird to brag about how good you are at a game don't you think? elden ring is hard ass game.. you could struggle with a boss for days. But he has a point, HFW was so dull.. I agree with him and I am someone who platinum the first game, finish 3 runs and played it on highest difficulty available (that was how much I liked the first game and how's that for bragging)

[@Sandlund93]

I finished HFW on release and found it a bit dull compared to HZD. I guess I knew what to expect this time around and your expectations matter a lot on how you judge an experience. I´m in the middle of Elden Ring now and that´s actually a real drag, even though I´m killing the bosses on the first or second attempt. It´s not a build or skill issue, it´s just not a fun game to play. Then again, Sekiro took me a couple of runs to really appreciate. Maybe it´s the same with Elden Ring. But that amount of hype is never good, it gets your expectations up too high.

[@LeeEverett1]

I'd rank it a solid 6. It's lacking in things to do, hardly any new machines or side missions, very few unique weapons, and the romance (although I'm not against it) was very rushed. The Horus fight was amazing though.

[@editing5157]

What do you expect? it is a 20$ expansion. For the price, there is a good amount of content in there.

[@loudenlaffnite246]

@@editing5157 We expected the equivalent of Frozen Wilds -- and Burning Shores is at best half the size of that. With a way shittier story.

[@James-gj8rn]

I really want to play the main game but every time i do, i bounce off it, i don't why or what it is but it just doesn't grip me like the first game did :(

[@evepoole3966]

Just have to give it time

[@clkgtr12]

i played the first got to lvl 20 and quit it

[@UrDadsFavouriteMaleEscort]

Might just be losing that gaming spark. Started when i was like 17. Just cant get fully into it most times

[@James-gj8rn]

@@UrDadsFavouriteMaleEscort no i still love gaming, it's my passion but i just can't get into this one :)

[@kotoba4399]

Same here, I'd rather go back to Zero Dawn than play the sequel.

[@KillerBobby808]

I truly don’t understand the flack that this game gets at all! No one can tell me that it is not at all close to being a masterpiece. I can recognize some issues but everything else about it is so close to if not amazing. The story in the first game is exactly perfect.

[@sudhakarnayak1210]

😂 i couldn't even finish the first game. The story has no substance, the characters are lifeless and the game mechanics are frustratingly repetitive. It doesn't feel like a game, it's a chore which doesn't even pay with a satisfactory fight and interesting story.

[@robfrawley]

After clearning stating in this video (and others) that you "hate Ubisoft mechanics," and after Guerrilla removes an example of such a mechanic from their latest DLC (i.e. "tower mechanics"), you somehow fault them for not having Tallnecks in the DLC. This logic doesn't track.

[@brett84c]

I was whatever about tallnecks in HZD but they made them so much more interesting in FW by creating interesting quests to get them working.

[@Ingisen]

@@brett84c Underwater Tallneck? Or, even better, using the new mount to reach deep-sea levels?

[@robfrawley]

​@@brett84c​I absolutely agree that Guerrilla Games greatly improved their "towner mechanics" by introducing puzzles and quests around the tallnecks in HZD.

[@unmotivated_might]

Their story was written by someone who has never been in love.

[@jbabie04]

I finished out the dlc last night. While flying around I found an apartment. In a chest ther le was a toy bow and toy arrows that can be equipped. I thought it was so cute.

[@jonhythelast]

I loved how you showed Days Gone gameplay but didn't realise the protagonist from that game is the bad guy in this DLC XD

[@Axelrun1994]

I said this before and I'll say it again. I don't care that she's bi or gay I don't care that they made her kiss a girl. What I didn't like is the logic behind it for all the reasons you already stated from a narrative and exposition perspective and story perspective. You spend 5 years making 2 games and all its dlc's with a stiff, hyper masculine, wet blanket, one dimensional protagonist. You have a fully expansive lore with DOZENS of characters that had the chance and development to creat some sort of emotional connection with Aloy JUST so the writers have an excuse to make her go: *scoff* -ew, gross. You could've literally named the series "redhead turns down any potential opportunity to create a human connection" Then in a hailmary dcl dump at the final 10 yards of ending the game, you throw in a discombobulated option for a kiss... My problem isn't that she kissed another chick (a character that never had the chance to develop any meaningful depth, comparable to modern hookup culture), it's that she kissed another person. If you look at the narrative as an allegory for current events and culture, Aloy is essentially the mass media produced version of the "boss bitch" female archetype. She knows everything and you can't teach her anything new that she hasn't already learned from her focus i.e. the internet. Everyone is inferior and she should only focus on her job because that's the only thing that will give her value and meaning. I loved the gameplay and the idea behind the concept but the narrative is poorly executed. And that kiss came off as some member of staff with a non-binary slew of personal pronouns that went "make it inclusive or I'll make up a story on social media that you are homophobic! Everyone will love this kiss scene!" They could've made her kiss a cactus and I would've rose out of a squeaky recliner with a beer in one hand and a burger with sauce drip on my beard, shouting "fuck yeah, let's gooo, whoooo!" But for the love of god, make it make sense! Call my opinion whatever you think it is but that was just lazy, uninspired and loose writing.

[@crisschan2463]

the problem with this kind of narrative design, having a choices, developers tend to put all the character and emotions through dialogue choices, but it shows that it makes them soulless as you partake to that choice, it never shines the character, and even felt force, also looks like an agenda lmao

[@Error-0x0194]

9:50 The difference between Aloy's kissing and Mass Effect is when Mass Effect came out we were not inundated by this. Today we are. People are sick of it. Got it?

[@kensheldon7430]

Well said.

[@user_unsub2553]

Inundated...in what way??? This is a ridiculous first world problem

[@can_can9119]

Romance is one of those things writers/developers seem to have the hardest time with. Perfect example tp parallel Burning Shores is the Wheel of Time books, I love them to death so far (on book 6 so please no spoilers) but a lot of the romance just comes out of no where with little build up. Case in point Lan and Nynaeve, they spend a decent amount of time together but with how little interaction between them we were given, you'd think they had just met. Then out of nowhere Lan who's one of the most stoic and emotionless characters I've seen is confessing his undying love for her, it just felt so off and forced. Which is what this Seyka romance reminds me of

[@matthewapril3119]

The fact that aloy is fighting this thing with a bow and arrow and running after it with her own two legs is more ridiculous to me than her keeping calm while this fight even happens.

[@ahobbyist9520]

Well when it’s how you’ve been taught, it’s what you do

[@kevinthunder3375]

She has seen a lot of crazy shit.

[@gjdalupang4219]

If people hate the Bilegut, after finishing the one cauldron in the DLC, go override one and mess with other machines with him. On the optional choice in the ending, that one really feels forced with some people likely seeing it as a "Hollywood gone woke"(I don't hate it though, the best magic's still lesbomancy) so I instead reloaded a save beforehand and chose the brutal answer, which played out a denial of her feelings, reloaded it again and chose the other one, and it wasn't a rejection, more like a postponement of a relationship till the Nemesis problem is resolved, other people may hate it because they placed a love interest in the DLC yet they didn't give that option in the base game.

[@labrat001]

Enjoy your comments, I have very mixed feelings about the game. Specifically the last boss fight which lead me to restart the DLC. Thanks again for your point of view.

[@withoutthejuice7193]

The last boss fight was very much the highlight of the DLC for me. Why didn’t you like it?

[@XxWolfxWaRioRxX]

​@@withoutthejuice7193fully agree with you it saved the DLC for me TBH

[@labrat001]

@@withoutthejuice7193 As a newbie, it was very hard to time everything that was going on. So, I am a noob. Thanks for listening.

[@loudenlaffnite246]

@@withoutthejuice7193 It's the highlight, but that's relative to how mid the rest of the DLC is. The last boss fight is essentially a God of War boss fight -- climb, shoot weak spots, look for patterns. Then it turns into the last boss from Bioshock once you're inside the horus taking on Londra. Then Seyka miraculously rips open the horus with a sunwing? All the cringey millenial quipping between Aloy and Seyka during the battle doesn't help -- you're battling that fearsome, stadium-sized machine that killed whole armies and wiped out humanity; maybe have some seriousness & actual fear?

[@JustFun-wl3jf]

​@Louden Laffnite I mean they needed a hole army/team to defeat this small crab thing in game 1 and know they defeat this big boy casually while flirting. Sry but this fight could be so epic in game 3 or ending of game 2.

[@ThenderZ94]

Hi luke i love your videos and great analazys of the dlc. Would it be ok i the future to keep upp the spoiler warnings? I am in the middle of playing through plague tale and i was spoiled to a degree. Otherwise great video and great points :)

[@Lorondos]

Snap, this DLC felt more like a technical showcase of things they could do on the PS5 and they threw a story on the stuff they had, trying to make it fit into this condensed content (you have the boat but becomes redundant as soon you have flying again and you only use the new flying mount for one sequence)

[@sarcastictruth9427]

"I get what you were trying to do but it's still stupid" is how I would describe TLOU2. People made a lot of excuses for that game when things didn't make sense. If we can excuse that, we can excuse any game. Being fair means you don't pick and choose.

[@bobmcbyte2208]

Seriously? The campfires are the problem?-I liked Horizon Zero Dawn, bought Forbidden West immediately, but didn’t like it that much. It has problems. _But the campfires are not part of them!_

[@Sandlund93]

I thought he was joking first. It took me a while to realize that he was serious 😅

[@unchxrted6632]

Are you able to use the ps4 disc on the ps5 to play the ps4 version of HFW? And play burning shores? so I’ll have my saved game and all my weapons and outfits?

[@oyjinboo7699]

Horizon games are very good, the visuals and gameplay are amazing. But I have the basically the same problems that you have with the game. You have great points in the reviews as usual, great job.

[@lustrazor44]

The gameplay I find pretty boring.

[@kevinthunder3375]

​@@lustrazor44thats the beautiful thing about choice and freedom. Plenty of games out there. Something for everybody. I personally find Soulsborne and Bethesda games boring but I know there are people like em.

[@raefletcher8031]

My buddy and I were discussing the DLC the other day and, while we both are all for Aloy and Seyka hooking up, we agreed it was definitely rushed. They needed more missions together. Hell, Seyka could have joined Aloy on the few side missions there were! It would have given them more time together in general, would have given them more opportunities for conversations, they could have had Seyka be able to adapt more to the players fighting style and been more in sync and just altogether let the characters get to know each other much better. Another issue I had was the absolute lack of other NPC's you could interact with beyond small bit pieces related to one thing or another. It just felt very dry to me in terms of interactions and new characters. And I feel reuniting the two halves of the fleet was completely underdone. With how wordy and socially awkward Alva is in the base game, this feels like a missed opportunity for an interaction that could have been deeply insightful about the Quen culture to painfully embarrassing for everyone involved considering how often Alva puts her foot in her mouth. As such, I love the visuals for the base game and DLC but the DLC was definitely lacking in terms of meat.

[@Largentina.]

If only all these kids complaining were doing so because they felt their relationship was rushed. But we both know that's not why they're crying.

[@nine9_abyss]

Why would Aloy need to be there for the quen reunion? She already connected them through Alva and Seyka. What would she still have to do?? Her mission is to end the last zenith and it was done. The End. The quen will be explored more in the third game. I can almost guarantee that.

[@michacarolus6571]

I agree to what you said about the storytelling to some extend. But i think (maybe hope) the end of the main game marks a turning point to how Aloy handels companions and they will show more cracks in her shell. They did show it in FW to a small extend here and there. For example when she admits to Gaya that she does not know if she is able to handle everything single handedly and in the epilogue she says some things that hints a shift in her approach. So i am willing to give Gorilla the chance to proof that she really recognizes that she needs others to solve the looming thread of Nemesis and it leads to more interesting coop missions in the 3rd game. If they manage to pull it off then i would say the personal arc of Aloys character would make sense for me remembering where she came from which was being an outcast.

[@RobTheDoodler]

I think Beta’s been the best catalyst for this, especially since it kind of puts a mirror up to Aloy’s obsession with living up to Sobeck’s legacy and that maybe that shouldn’t be her purpose in life.

[@khalidlouadia2527]

The villain is the same actor as deacon from days gone

[@strahinjagov]

Between this and The Callisto Protocol that's two games recently that have horribly wasted Sam Witwer...

[@jeriah4k218]

How dare you refer to him as Deacon. That is starkiller

[@strahinjagov]

​@@jeriah4k218 and Darth Maul

[@HARLEM-NEWYORK]

I don't get why you care how many fast travels this game has. To me it doesn't make a game better or worse. It seems like your nitpicking tbh

[@ertai222]

He has to grasp at straws because he knows this game isn't as bad as he makes it sound. He's probably just run out of ideas for content.

[@user-mu1os7me8s]

The fast-travel points also act as save points, so that's why they are so frequent

[@bobmcbyte2208]

Finally someone who criticizes the story of this DLC. It is badly written: things fall into place because they have to, but otherwise make little sense. Horizon’s story telling is on the decline.

[@ak-ub1ym]

That's why JP games have a companion system or relationship system either as a party or in a solo game. They understand the concept of engagement in a OW if they are making a long Grindy game with a strong protag where the party banter keeps things fresh / takes ur mind off the grind / makes the MC feel like a human or a person.

[@joelhess1436]

What studio is jp?

[@ak-ub1ym]

@@joelhess1436 Japanese games. It's generally shortened as JP 😅

[@joelhess1436]

@@ak-ub1ym oh, i only know the term jrpg😂

[@MrAjking808]

Oh a weeb lol

[@ak-ub1ym]

@@MrAjking808 what's being a weeb gotta do with this ? 😓 It's pretty common that certain countries have short forms so what's so "weeb" about it? Or is ur reply targetted at me for pointing it how JP games are designed? Cause Aloy in the first horizon was a dweeb/nerd so what is it?

[@thomasr6594]

Londra is the guy who also voices Deacon in Days Gone

[@JamminJoeVids]

Lmao, I looked at the title and said, “of course you did” 😂

[@punchykarma6685]

I could never get into to Horizon. I've tried it a couple times and it just felt very generic to me with combat or a story that wasn't satisfying enough to pull me in. It's not a bad game, but it's just kind of average. The world is gorgeous with just nothing interesting in it. I always heard the combat was really good, but man I just can't get into it at all. I can't put my finger on it, but the combat just doesn't feel good. Horizon is one of those games I should like, but I just don't. Doesn't help that the story is god awful. Idc what people say, the writing is 3/10.

[@mi-skal6880]

This boss reminds me a lot of the final boss of Jak and Daxter 3! such an underrated game.... Jak 3 was a masterpiece and its sad that people AND naughty dog forgot it!

[@tormodbrynestad6403]

the talking ruined it for me in the first one too

[@evepoole3966]

I loved the talking

[@bubbamax1990]

Yeah I get that the kiss is optional but I’m pretty fed up of all strong female protagonists having to be lesbian/bi. Like straight females can be badass too. Instead the only representation hetero ladies get are side characters who have all their cleavage and ass out.

[@gogogaga7441]

We should have the option to kiss any of our companions, but she's the only one we're allowed to pursue....

[@sylents8005]

I think aloy is the only character that hasnt been written well in the series. I really think they shouldve leaned on her being artificially made a little more. The ubisoft style open world is exhausting but side quests are leagues better than before. Just wish that had quests like in ff14 where people from different quests join together in a major side quest. The rpg decision stuff is unnecessary only because they barely use it. If they leaned on it alot more, i assure you aloy would be a way better character.

[@billywashere6965]

It's hilarious how they give you an artificial choice in her "romance" and still force the decision on players regardless.

[@John-996]

I think there are allot chracters that arw nit written well but there are some good ones.

[@alextownley9388]

You’re seriously complaining about the number of fast travel locations in the game lmao dude

[@amidtownfarewell]

I love the horizon series and was bummed to find out that I won’t be able to play the dlc because I can’t afford a ps5. That being said. I’ve never had a problem with the games, or past dlc’s. I honestly really love the story and the scenery, so I still love your critiques even if your position is opposite mine, we can still coexist lol! Anyway Love the videos bro

[@user-wj3bh1ss8h]

Don’t you think, that you playing FW on your 10 years old system is already a miracle and favour of developers? And there’s no reason for them to release something in 2023 on pastgen

[@thebombdiggity3941]

I remember back when i had destiny on 360 and the last dlc was on next gen i was so bummed, i feel your pain man

[@Eddycut]

If you see the final boss of the dlc you will understand why they didn't release it on ps4

[@EternalNightingale]

Just shows we finally getting closer of devs not supporting last gen and can finally move onto current gen fully ,all efforts can go there using series x and ps5 full power. Spiderman 2 will be a prime example of that

[@sarimveesar4350]

People want to play new gen games on 60 FPS and then complain and cry why it isn't on older gen tf

[@Dingus7696]

He just called Sam Witwer someone who lives in a van nearby? Hilarious 😂

[@AmritZoad]

Didn't know you were this shallow Luke in your assessment of games. The personality of Commander Shepherd is player driven. He can say stuff like he's not gay and the player won't feel anything wrong. In HFW, if you choose other options than kissing, it literally feels like your choice hurt Aloy as she has her own personality apart from the player themselves unlike in Mass Effect. Moreover, the fact that Aloy is lesbian is canon. People are downvoting because this came out of nowhere and felt like the devs are shoving it down their throat because its the trending thing. Its totally the devs fault, they introduced a normal looking character and then suddenly reveal that they are gay. If they were gay from the start itself, it was all fine like in Life is Strange.

[@jwlnsilver6354]

Wasn't a fan of how she passed every potential love interest by the whole series but is magically attracted to seyka after like an hour it doesn't really fit her character since she turns down everybody who ever made a move on her so it feels cheap and honestly her falling for another women in particular leaves a bad taste in my mouth not cause it's gay but because of current trends it doesn't feel natural. they also have no experience together, no history or struggle like with Erend and Varl and her other friends hell even Petra would have been a better match than this pathetic mary sue known as seyka but thats just me cause I honestly didn't like her character she's aggressive, disrespectful and kinda emotionally unaware... (The burning shores were fucking rad aesthetically and the new waterwing mount that can fly and swim underwater was probably my favorite part that shit shit was cool and i now name my waterwing Kyle cause hes a Chadwing)

[@steviemac2377]

Its just way too forced so it doesnt feel genuine at all. Unfortunately thats been the common theme with alot of Video games and Movies/ Tv shows the past few years because of social media

[@demarcusbly3080]

I can agree this was my main issue with the DLC

[@justafish597]

I think people are just upset 😡 Because they can't make Aloy to date any other characters in the story. Except this one... that came literally out of nowhere. That's how I think. 🤔

[@walmart7626]

For the last time decon st.jihn muttering to himself makes perfect sense he's half insane

[@sacrosanctus318]

Her bossy and bitchy attitude towards strangers is also because of her being an outcast for most of her life. Heck I would also treat people passive-aggressively in that situation. I think the writing is good, though indeed she talks a bit too much. That final boss is definitely one of the highlights of my gaming escapades.

[@thomaslaroche9886]

This DLC made me realise how much this game stun-locks me into long animations during combat. Every Bilegut fight got me stuck under it, screwing up my camera in the process and making it near-impossible to dodge away. The Horus fight looked amazing but man I feel like I spent more time getting blown up by rockets or crushed by tentacles than fighting. These games are great, but they look better than they play.

[@Davelever366]

I agree with you so much. You get knocked on your ass for what feels like eternity, but the dumb camera angles make it so you can’t even see the character so you don’t even know that you’re down or if you’ve got up. And the Horus fight was so shit. By far the worst part of the entire game. Was so boring and annoying. I think if would of died on it I would of been so gutted to have to repeat it. This was one of the best games I’ve ever played and I don’t get how they thought that was a good way to do that fight.

[@madlad8601]

For some reason machines just spam their attacks ? Like barely giving you time to move and makes it super annoying

[@imthemoeron]

I don't understand why game developers insist on putting "political practices" in games where they don't belong. It's pointless and only brings them grief. Especially when it makes no sense whatsoever. To pretend that if humanity was about to be extinct, and humanity was trying to prevent it, that the smartest people alive decided "let's make people who don't want to reproduce!" Is ridiculous. I personally can't care less about politics. But when political beliefs are shoehorned into content I enjoy it kills any immersion in the game I had. It needs to make sense..

[@joebrown6778]

You can't stand politics, but sexual preference is a political belief. Huh.

[@imthemoeron]

@@joebrown6778 is that not how people look at it in modern times?

[@imthemoeron]

@Joe Brown i don't know about you but when I play horizon I want to shoot at giant robotic dinosaurs and mammoths and have fun.

[@yngjay2smoovetv216]

I agree, they always mess up games trying to be please everybody... it's nonsense

[@MGsubbie]

"Why would you have a lot of fast travel points in an open world game?" - This guy.

[@Sandlund93]

Yeah, that complaint was useless. The amount is very well balanced, if you don´t want to use all of them that´s up to you as a player. It´s like complaining about having to many choices in general. Okay, cut some of them out from your experience then since that´s possible. If it isn´t possible, then it´s another matter. Then you can complain. Sometimes, I feel like he is complaining for the sake of it but at least he addressed exactly that in this video.

[@user-ts2ut2mi8g]

You clearly don’t know how lesbian relationships work. I’m surprised they didn’t have a scene at the end of the game with a Uhaul backing into Aloys settlement so they can finally move in together. 5-7 hour whirlwind relationship is like 5 years in lesbian time. Just a kiss is such a straight thing to do. They totally missed the mark on this. I’m boycotting the game for sure now 😂😂

[@xAfroMetalHead1990x]

Horizon is forever cursed to be overshadowed by other games😂

[@Sandlund93]

I usually go with the "brain" option rather than the "heart" or "fist", so I guess it works for me. There will be no kissing when you got a world to save. Also, that critique about "if they are not taking it seriously, why should I?" is exactly my problem with Marvel movies and any movie that tries to copy their tone. It just ruins the immersion for me, even if some of the jokes are good.

[@serrasedai]

I continue to be baffled about how we could have such similar opinions on Ubisoft games and such. radically different opinions on this franchise. maybe it's just not to your taste at the end of the day.

[@widewan7585]

Completely fair playin on normal honestly, I did two play throughs of the first game, one on normal and then ultra hard on new game plus. The dlc (which I played for the first time in new game plus) was SOOO HARD. Looking forward to playing the dlc in 2+ years when I get a PS5 otherwise I’m more likely to go find every voice log from the first game than to replay this one

[@chrisedwards253]

I get it luke. As a sizable youtuber who would prefer not to be cancelled, your kind of obligated to go with anything lgbt or gay in entertainment and say things like "its 2023 ppl" while demonising others as "dried up incels". Since anyone who isnt really into with being confronted with choosing aloys sexuality, so extremely out of place.. is immediately labelled negatively. As a general rule, ppl hate when sexual, racial and gender politics are forced on them be it in movies, tv or games. I am the same. Please write a quality character with depth, flaws and motivations before forcing me decide so out of left field if she a lesbian or not. At least they win brownie points with certain political movements.

[@theoathman8188]

Listen, I love the beef you have with this game and I love reading the angry comments about your beef with this game. This dynamic is entertaining.

[@kafka339]

I've seen horus fight on yt, people not use the Zenit Weapon or used wrong, It's my biggest complaint about FW, Developers doesn't teach well how to use the weapons and combine them, for example I learned how to use the disc launcher (shredder gauntlet) because I watched HFW developer talk about this weapon and how to use it. The training camps are crucial to learn these things and how to haunt machines, they relay on the players to do the training camps, it's so easy to miss in the open world, the same for the melee combat, people who play the game and don't do warriors combats they don't know combos.

[@StationOutlook]

Im Just Now starting to play this game.. (never thought i would) and i think its pretty cool.. the environment is pretty sweet.. i like it more than i thought i would

[@Aliasdings]

Yeah the kiss is optional, but through the story progress Aloys feelings for sayka are very obvious, so is not soooo optional you may let us think. Dont get me wrong i like the dlc i would say 7/10 because its very short but the new weapons/armours are pretty cool.

[@Romulus_Wolf]

I haven't even heard his voice yet, but Walter Londra is obviously played by played by Sam Witwer, I mean it looks just like him wearing a goofy stick-on looking moustache, I don't know how you managed to miss that.

[@ayannaaki]

Aloy having the potential of a romance option is a HUGE deal for her character especially since they made an active effort thus far for it to not be the focus of her. So to hide it away in a paid dlc I feel was the wrong move. Beyond that the dlc was too short and not enough side content (what is there can be hard to find because there isnt a tallneck for some reason).

[@judsonfox4015]

As you were talking about the Horus machine and saying, "if anyone of us saw this thing we would crap our pants." I said the exact same thing out loud only seconds before you did. Definitely got huge laugh out of that! Plus, I totally agree on the point you're making. The "Marvel-ing" of every character has gotten old and I am tired of it.

[@dreamomega]

What a super strange complaint about too many fast travel locations. Lmao

[@TheBatzFiend]

I know I'm probably firmly in the minority here, but since I've never played these games **to completion** I'll just say it. After seeing videos online of the aerial/underwater mount in this DLC I'd love to see Guerilla take a break from the Horizon franchise and make an Avatar game based on the Cameron films (I'm not sold on the 1st person Ubisoft game in development). I mean the aerial/underwater mount in this DLC is essentially the Skimwing/Tsurak from Avatar 2 + the other terrestrial mounts are like the Direhorses/Pa'li, they already have experience with bow & arrow + spear combat, they're great with naturalistic environment/forest open world design, and they're pretty well renowned for their graphically fidelity and storytelling. Do us all a favor James Cameron... call up Disney and tell them to write Guerrilla Games a blank check. 🔥💯🔥

[@shmup6955]

Why do you have two keyboards?

[@jawsofwar]

Sorry still can’t get over Aloys cheeks in the second game. She have allergic reaction or something? 😂

[@mangaas]

You couldn't pay me to play these open-world, by-the-number games. Imagine actually spending money to purchase this.

[@terraconz]

"Van down by the river" I wonder how many people know the reference ?!

[@ZeroRulz0]

You know who he is. He's Starkiller lol And I heard the reason why they removed the tallneck is because of Elden Ring and how it handled exploration...but the side content shows why not having the tall neck is a huge issue

[@jessicaheller3076]

Why would they get rid of tallneck just because of Elden Ring??? I dont understand that

[@davidbrown872]

That actor is quite famous. He plays Deacon St. John, Starkiller, the main villain in The Callisto protocol.

[@XxWolfxWaRioRxX]

Yes Sam Witwer is great and a huge nerd too

[@alexwaterfield6075]

And Darth Maul in Clone Wars and Rebels

[@VirtuaSavage]

Bruh the villain is literally Deacon from days gone lol. How can you not tell

[@jameskrill5394]

I love the comment about not knowing who the actor Sam Witwer is, followed by a reference to days gone 😂

[@lifeadvice3293]

I think most game developers are woke and have no idea what gamers want

[@Kozmo-Kamuy]

☝️☝️☝️ this here is truth

[@shmup6955]

The companion quest idea kinda makes me think of Lee and clementine from the walking dead

[@StarLord1994]

“Idk if he’s played by someone famous” bro it’s literally sam witwer. Ya know, the guy who played starkiller in force unleashed, Darth Maul in clone wars? 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@jass9571]

I was hoping for aerial combat vs the horace..hopefully in the next game