🔥 HOT: Id/ApexB/recommended/ - Complete Album!

While I encountered a few issues involving seemingly random areas and scenes lagging, generally the game is optimized well and runs fine on recommended settings. Regarding the random lag areas, they only appeared rarely, however were irritating when encountered. When the lag started, I often found myself in my settings menu constantly adjusting settings and constantly checking if the issue was resolved, often times, it did resolve and continued to run smoothly, however other times there seemed to be no way of fixing the lag. I have a good graphics card (4070 Super) and a decent CPU, so I'm unsure why in some small parts it struggled to run on high, or even very rarely medium. However, overall, the experience was smooth.

I'm unsure if this is an unpopular opinion, however I found the gameplay to be a step-up compared to the previous game. I find movement is one of the elements significantly improved upon, with combat and general exploration feeling far more varied in ways to navigate and avoid enemies. As well as this, the game also introduces new types of weapons, allowing for varied combat styles, whether it be close-range, fast paced combat or long-ranged methodical engagements. The abilities of the AI have also been enhanced compared to the previous game, having many unique attacks, varied movement and weaknesses.


The game picks up shortly after the ending of the previous game, with Aloy on the hunt for a GAIA backup, the way this is done can be a tad bit confusing at first, however as you continue playing it begins to become less confusing. Not too long after the start, Aloy is faced with a machine which I find really enjoyable to fight against, the Slitherfang. This is the point that caught me, the way the machine moves and fights you feels so fluid and unique. Every one of its attacks can be read and understood, making the ability to watch for cues vital. A bit later on, the massive improvement of human enemy AI is shown by Regalla's rebels, where in the previous game I found fights with the Eclipse bland or just irritating, I found myself enjoying encounters with the rebels out in the wilds. Encountering HADES again was nice, however it seemed anticlimactic to encounter it and kill it in the state it's left in by Sylens, I would've liked to be able to have one final small fight even with the malevolent AI. The Zeniths were a confusing, unexpected, but appreciated twist, I however do not like the concept of their immortality, but that might just be a me thing. The encounter with MINERVA is well done, it is very clearly scared, "suffering" and lost without GAIA, even being willing to cease existing to end its own misery, this is something the encounters with the other subordinate functions severely lack. The recovery of POSEIDON, AETHER and DEMETER are quite forgettable, with the fights leading up to them often being more memorable. The sense of the functions being deranged is not very apparent in these functions, especially compared to that of MINERVA. Beta is an interesting character, and she offers a unique insight into the cruelty of the Zeniths (If it wasn't already apparent). Cauldrons are a lot more enjoyable to complete now, often involving a variety of puzzles and combat scenarios, making them far more memorable than those of the first game. The failed capture of HEPHAESTUS was a predictable plot-twist, however it was done nicely, and Varl's death did actually catch me off-guard. The ability to mount flying machines opens up the world in so many unique ways, and offers a new perspective on the world of Forbidden West. The assault on the Zenith base is a really fun quest and ties a lot of things up nicely. The "final" boss fight with Specter prime is quite fun and unique, and I really like the design of the boss itself. The fight with the HORUS at the end of the Burning Shores is everything the fight with HADES should've been in the first game, the pure scale of the machine is magnificent and the fight is intense, but fun.

I know the spoilered part of the review was a bit of a mess, but it's generally just a brief few points I wanted to make/mention about the game and parts of its story. Overall, the game is a massive step-up from the previous game, the gameplay is far more varied, the story is nice and the atmosphere and design is amazing.

[h1]This review is written by somebody who did not play the game on console (initial release), so it will not just revolve around the quality of the port, but also the quality of the game itself. I will mark the segments that contain the spoilers as clearly as I can, if you just want to see performance wise and gameplay wise.[/h1] [h2] Performance [/h2] While I encountered a few issues involving seemingly random areas and scenes lagging, generally the game is optimized well and runs fine on recommended settings. Regarding the random lag areas, they only appeared rarely, however were irritating when encountered. When the lag started, I often found myself in my settings menu constantly adjusting settings and constantly checking if the issue was resolved, often times, it did resolve and continued to run smoothly, however other times there seemed to be no way of fixing the lag. I have a good graphics card (4070 Super) and a decent CPU, so I'm unsure why in some small parts it struggled to run on high, or even very rarely medium. However, overall, the experience was smooth. [h2] Gameplay [/h2] I'm unsure if this is an unpopular opinion, however I found the gameplay to be a step-up compared to the previous game. I find movement is one of the elements significantly improved upon, with combat and general exploration feeling far more varied in ways to navigate and avoid enemies. As well as this, the game also introduces new types of weapons, allowing for varied combat styles, whether it be close-range, fast paced combat or long-ranged methodical engagements. The abilities of the AI have also been enhanced compared to the previous game, having many unique attacks, varied movement and weaknesses. [h1] (!) THIS FINAL SEGMENT WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR BOTH THIS GAME AND THE FIRST GAME (!) [/h1] [spoiler] The game picks up shortly after the ending of the previous game, with Aloy on the hunt for a GAIA backup, the way this is done can be a tad bit confusing at first, however as you continue playing it begins to become less confusing. Not too long after the start, Aloy is faced with a machine which I find really enjoyable to fight against, the Slitherfang. This is the point that caught me, the way the machine moves and fights you feels so fluid and unique. Every one of its attacks can be read and understood, making the ability to watch for cues vital. A bit later on, the massive improvement of human enemy AI is shown by Regalla's rebels, where in the previous game I found fights with the Eclipse bland or just irritating, I found myself enjoying encounters with the rebels out in the wilds. Encountering HADES again was nice, however it seemed anticlimactic to encounter it and kill it in the state it's left in by Sylens, I would've liked to be able to have one final small fight even with the malevolent AI. The Zeniths were a confusing, unexpected, but appreciated twist, I however do not like the concept of their immortality, but that might just be a me thing. The encounter with MINERVA is well done, it is very clearly scared, "suffering" and lost without GAIA, even being willing to cease existing to end its own misery, this is something the encounters with the other subordinate functions severely lack. The recovery of POSEIDON, AETHER and DEMETER are quite forgettable, with the fights leading up to them often being more memorable. The sense of the functions being deranged is not very apparent in these functions, especially compared to that of MINERVA. Beta is an interesting character, and she offers a unique insight into the cruelty of the Zeniths (If it wasn't already apparent). Cauldrons are a lot more enjoyable to complete now, often involving a variety of puzzles and combat scenarios, making them far more memorable than those of the first game. The failed capture of HEPHAESTUS was a predictable plot-twist, however it was done nicely, and Varl's death did actually catch me off-guard. The ability to mount flying machines opens up the world in so many unique ways, and offers a new perspective on the world of Forbidden West. The assault on the Zenith base is a really fun quest and ties a lot of things up nicely. The "final" boss fight with Specter prime is quite fun and unique, and I really like the design of the boss itself. The fight with the HORUS at the end of the Burning Shores is everything the fight with HADES should've been in the first game, the pure scale of the machine is magnificent and the fight is intense, but fun. [/spoiler] I know the spoilered part of the review was a bit of a mess, but it's generally just a brief few points I wanted to make/mention about the game and parts of its story. Overall, the game is a massive step-up from the previous game, the gameplay is far more varied, the story is nice and the atmosphere and design is amazing.