1150°

I'm Just Saying, Look At How Horizon's Protagonist Turns Around On Horseback

Kotaku: "I like a lot of things about Horizon: Zero Dawn, but for now let me just say holy shit, look how they animated her legs when you spin the camera while on horseback."

Kingthrash3602637d ago

It's the little things that make quality games.

Nitrowolf22636d ago

FYI while it prompts you to hit triangle to mount, they actually made it so you can jump onto it which I thought was neat because I've called one a few times and jumped from high places

ziggurcat2636d ago

yes, it's those tiny, subtle details that make a huge difference. this will come across as kind of lame, but when I first played Uncharted, I was amazed at when you walked in water, the water line on his jeans showed up depending on the depth you went.

ShadowKnight2636d ago (Edited 2636d ago )

@Ziggurcat

Yup!! I notice that too!

bouzebbal2636d ago

I remember back in the days games like zelda 64 when you climb a ladder link puts each foot on each step, or turn his head around to look around. It's things like this that made it one of the best games ever made.

Killzone 2 had this heavy feel of the weapon, or standing still with the sixaxis on sniper mode .. I love those kinds of details.

YAO-BLING2636d ago

yup, like ants crawling on a tree carrying grass... you saw here first from GG!

andrewsquall2636d ago

@Nitrowolf2 Sounds like we have a game that can stand up to Shadow of the Collossus' horse animations FINALLY.

himdeel2636d ago

How does she keep her dreadlocks tight though?! I bet she smells like pine trees...

AlphaCentyros2636d ago (Edited 2636d ago )

@ziggurcat
Or in TLOU when you shine your flashlight into Ellie's face, she will squint her eyes and will look away, those little details really bring a game to life.

UltraNova2636d ago

God damn this game is a work of art...

XanderZane2635d ago

Having the bow and arrow holder pass through the horse's back is not quality. The animation is very weird and not smooth. They could have had the horse just circle instead. Oh well. No game is ever perfect.

+ Show (8) more repliesLast reply 2635d ago
2636d ago Replies(3)
DarXyde2636d ago

This is definitely up there in cool little touches. I'd say it's the fourth neat little touch I've come to appreciate this generation, right behind...

A) the reloading animations in The Order: 1886.

B) that warm cartilage glow under certain lighting conditions when looking at Nate's ears in Uncharted 4.

C) the fact that Nate experienced muscle strain and he starts shaking when he's holding onto a ledge with one hand and reaching with the other.

I love little things like this. Sony works with some very talented fellows.

MasterCornholio2636d ago

Well I hope her legs dont stay in place while she rotates her torso. That would look really creepy. Kind of like how in the exorcist that women made her head turn 180 degrees.

I'm happy that Guerilla Games paid attention to these types of detail. If I'm not mistaken Naughty Dog did the same where animation is concerned.

kevnb2636d ago

I think working with sony really helps since sony does movies as well.

DoomeDx2636d ago

So did The Witcher and a lot of other games actually.

I love Horizon a lot but animations like this aren't special anymore

dirkdady2636d ago (Edited 2636d ago )

No you can't really turn around while on the horse in witcher unless you turn the entire horse around.

Kingcorey132636d ago

Can you sit backwards on the horse in witcher 3.. I spent over 100 hours in that game and never remember sitting on the horse backward....

Gwiz2636d ago

Did you even play Witcher3?lol.

MasterCornholio2636d ago

I sunk over a hundred hours into the Witcher 3 and you can't make Gerald turn is body around while sitting on the horse.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 2636d ago
SpinalRemains1382636d ago

Her name was Regan McNeil and she was no woman. She was 12 years old.

MasterCornholio2635d ago (Edited 2635d ago )

Must have gotten confused with another movie.

I apologise for that.

ziggurcat2636d ago

that's attention to detail.

game4funz2636d ago

Animation really pays off.
I am sure most companies would like good animations for all movements.
It is a shame not all devs have animators to spare.

VideoGamesAreDumb2636d ago

It's actually time and money. I'm sure there's plenty of animators that would love to add these small touches. But they aren't a priority due to timelines and budgets.

Big_Game_Hunters2636d ago

@video games are dumnb. Time is money bro.

Bathyj2636d ago

So if they had heaps of money but no time left, they could just buy more time?

rainslacker2636d ago

Animation is quite labor intensive really. Even when you have motion capture, which helps, it still takes a lot of work to make it look just right and blend in with the overall presentation. Even if something is just off by a cm in game measurements, it can ruin the whole immersion.

IamTylerDurden12635d ago (Edited 2635d ago )

Animation in games is all about the blend. It's arguably the most technically difficult part of making a game lifelike. The difference between low quality animations and Naughty Dog quality animations is immense and arguably more important than the graphical quality itself as it not only affects the aesthetics, but the gameplay as well. What GG, Sony Santa Monica, Sucker Punch, and Naughty Dog are able to achieve is remarkable. These are some of THE best animators in the entire industry. Quantic Dream in terms of cinematic and facial animations is very impressive as well.

rainslacker2635d ago

Blending is more of a process task that will compile and analyze changes between animations. It's done on the fly and not anything the animator has to worry about too much if their tools are good.

It's more making the actual animation that is being created look natural. Funny thing is, animation is often exagerrated from what the same movement would be in real life to achieve this. Getting those types of proper movements right is what takes time and and can be quite tedious.

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340°

Sony Has Added More Titles To The List of Games Leaving PS Plus In May 2024

Sony Interactive Entertainment has added a few more titles to the list of games that will be leaving PS Plus in May, 2024.

Read Full Story >>
twistedvoxel.com
darthv727d ago

curious... if a game leaves PS+, does it make it unplayable if you have already claimed it before it leaves? I know on the XB side, games leaving Gamepass are no longer playable. You need to pay for them to be able to continue playing after you installed them from GP.

CrimsonWing697d ago

The 3 monthly “free” games you keep as long as you have PS+ subscription. The PS+ library is like Netflix. They rotate stuff out and replace them with other titles.

MrNinosan7d ago

Yes, PS+ Extra/Premium games are unplayable after the leave the service, just like GamePass and Netflix.
PS+ Essentials games are available as long as you have an active PS+ account.

Profchaos7d ago

Monthly games, special promos like the free games during COVID or PS plus bundle on ps5 are forever yours. Premium and above are time limited

If you claim a game on the premium tier (not yours to keep) and it comes out as a monthly games later e.g. fallout 76 it appears you do not retain ownership on that one.

Notsofast7d ago

The 3-4 monthly games that are free that are part of every service are yours forever I canceled my service over a year and you never lose access. I dont know what these other comments are talking about maybe they are in a different country but in the USA I could play any game I claimed of the free monthly games

MrNinosan6d ago

Then one of the accounts on your PS5 probably has a PS+ Essential subscription.
Because the 3-4 PS+ games you get every month, is not available to be played if you don't have an active sunscription.
It's the same in US, Europe, Japan and everywhere else.

Petebloodyonion6d ago

Essential stays in your library
Extra and premium become locked when titles leave the service.

It's actually one of my gripes with Extra, you can't remove the title from your own library, so basically it countss as one your title but it's locked so you own library become a cluster F... unless you filter your titles.

MrNinosan6d ago

Well you can just chose to hide them.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 6d ago
-Foxtrot7d ago

Wonder if Horizon ZD leaving gives credit to those remake rumours

Sigh. If true…another remake that’s not Bloodborne.

SimpleDad7d ago

Probably yes cause of a remake.

Skuletor7d ago

I still remember them giving that one away for free, regardless of if you were subscribed to Plus or not

ApocalypseShadow7d ago (Edited 7d ago )

They did. It was during the pandemic and the "play at home" initiative.

Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition. Sony gave away a lot of games just to push gamers to stay home and not get infected by COVID.

Eonjay7d ago

I think you're right.
There is a separate Bloodborne rumor by the remake is allegedly scheduled for next gen.

Kingrizzy907d ago

Yes cause of the remake good thing I got the plat
And is bloodborn really that good? I never played it due to being Incarcerated 8½ years but I read the comics. It's pretty dark

Profchaos7d ago (Edited 7d ago )

Highly likely I also bet the remaster will be over priced and under whelming.

I'd also bet most people will simply stick with the PS4 pro and ps5 60fps patch over paying to upgrade when it offers the bare minimum.

I hope Sony has learnt from the last of us 2 and stop remastering games that just came out they have nearly 30 years of content to work with but always remaster games that are like 5 years old and don't need it. I assume this was In development alongside tlou2 so fingers crossed this is the last time we get this because what's next god of war on PS4 to ps5 for 70 dollars probably anything outside of bloodborne

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 7d ago
Friendlygamer7d ago

Glad I played sundered and the messenger, both great 2d games

gold_drake7d ago

ahh the messenger is such a good game.

u should play sea of starts. same people, its a sort of prequel to the messenger tok

Friendlygamer6d ago

Oh I will definitely play it eventually, chained echoes too

Jingsing7d ago

Can N4G adopt a policy of games leaving subscription services as not being a new story, it is just spam at this point.

Petebloodyonion6d ago

Is it me or have there been a lot of great games leaving the extra tier but barely anything in terms of wow factor joining the service in return?
When was the last time that Sony added a PlayStation studio game?
Now I don't expect Sony to have day 1 like Gamepass but I would expect to at least care to make the offering interesting especially when they raised the price by 30% last year.

MrNinosan6d ago

PS Studio Games:
May - Destiny 2: Lightfall
April - MediEvil, Jak&Daxter: The Lost Frontier,
March - CoolBoarders

What Playstation Studio games is it you're missing?

Petebloodyonion6d ago

Sight...
let me check my comment again
" Is it me or have there been a lot of great games leaving the extra tier but barely anything in terms of wow factor joining the service in return? "
Yeah pretty sure I mentioned the EXTRA tier and not the PREMIUM tier
but glad that you consider a DLC to a free-to-play game a great offering

MrNinosan6d ago

I repeat my question, what PS Studio games is it you're missing?

And regarding the first part of your comment, lots of great games leaving and nothing added?

What great games iyo has left the service?
For me, "wow-factor games added would be".
Dave the Diver, Tales of Kenzera, Raji, Miasma, The Outer Worlds, Resident Evil 3, Ace Attorney, Rainbow Six Siege, AC: Valhalla, Far Cry 6, Watch Dogs Legion, Both Southpark jrpgs, Fenyx Rising, Tales of Arise, Session, Lego Worlds, Vampire the Masquerade Swansong, Legends of Mana....

And many more.

Compared to what has been removed, the adds are better than the 'offs'.

280°

DF Weekly: Do we actually need The Last of Us Part 2 and Horizon Zero Dawn remasters?

With the details we now have in terms of features and pricing, I don't think there are any significant concerns remaining - just that perhaps that the term 'remastered' in the title is a little misplaced. Essentially, what we're dealing with here is broadly equivalent to a release along the lines of Death Stranding: Director's Cut. It's the original game with a dash of extra content and additional visual modes that tap into the power of PlayStation 5.

Read Full Story >>
eurogamer.net
-Foxtrot166d ago

Bloodborne, Infamous, Killzone, Resistance, Puppeteer, Jak and Daxter etc are all better choices

Even a full on remake of Drakes Fortune I’d take

PrinceOfAnger166d ago

killzone 2/3 definitely a better choice, i have recently finished the games on pc and thought about that, a full remake like demon souls is even better

darthv72165d ago

2&3 are still fine... I'd take the first one as a full remake before the others. They could flesh out more of the backstory that the sequels touch on. Even go deeper into the lore of Helgan.

specialguest165d ago

KZ 2/3 would be amazing. KZ 2 was a graphical masterpiece back then. With today's modern tech, all of those tricks Guerilla Games did to create the effects like the lighting, storm effects, etc, they could now be done in real-time and more realistic

Cacabunga164d ago

Killzone 2-3
Golden Abyss remake
Infamous 2

RaidenBlack165d ago

Uncharted 1 still got a decent remaster for 8th gen ... a remake is not that much of a requirement ...
instead remake candidates should be from 5th or 6th gen
and as for proper remasters (not just lazy res upscale): Killzone 2 & 3 obviously and also Resistance/inFamous (as well as MGS4 :P)

-Foxtrot165d ago

My point with the list is that I’d rather see those titles than what we are getting…titles which are only 3-5 years old and still hold up today

CrashMania165d ago

Sony own the Demons Souls and Bloodborne IP, I wish they'd do something with Bloodborne at the very least.

vfl523165d ago

The way you worded that makes me think you don't realize they already remade demon souls

165d ago
GamingSinceForever165d ago

Not one of those will sell more copies than TLOU2 Remaster. The sooner we realize that these gaming sites and their followers are less than 1% of the buying public the better off we’ll be.

Sure we prefer newer titles but this is business and a business is what Sony is running.

JackBNimble165d ago

Don't you think they could be doing something better with their time and money, like maybe making something new? Or have they become lazy and just reliving the past with the same old games over and over.

Gez ... do something fresh and new already .

notachance165d ago

I'd rather for them to go Square Enix route and remake/remaster their PS1 libraries instead of these unnecessary remaster

come on, legend of dragoon..

Gamingsince1981165d ago

What's with the "need" anyway ? This is video games, no one needs them at all, we need water , we need air, we don't need games.

Barlos165d ago

I would love a remake/remaster of KZ1. For its time it really pushed the PS2 hard and because of that it had a few issues. This is begging to be given the Bluepoint touch and brought up to date. I'd love to see an updated Killzone trilogy collection for sure.

Yi-Long165d ago

Sony killed the game and the studio behind it, but a Remaster of the excellent Driveclub would absolutely be my favorite release if it happened. Just a delicious racing game.

FinalFantasyFanatic164d ago (Edited 164d ago )

So many better choices, I can't fathom why reasonably recent games are getting picked over Classics that are more deserving.

+ Show (7) more repliesLast reply 164d ago
Battlestar23165d ago

Well I want a Horizon Zero Dawn remaster especially if it's an upgrade to Forbidden West Graphics and Animation.

165d ago Replies(2)
Duke19165d ago

Nope. But HD remasters are an easy cash grab that the masses shovel cash for because while they complain about remakes, they still buy them

PRIMORDUS165d ago

Not if they release on a platform that never received the original in the first place like PC.

46player165d ago

No complaint here, I want the updated graphics.

Ra3030165d ago

My thoughts on this is do we need Richard Leadbetter's or Digital Foundry's opinion on anything........ever? I know I don't they do nothing for me and never have.

specialguest165d ago

You may not, but tons of people do since the video has 4,700 Likes to 112 Dislikes

Chocoburger165d ago

That guy is a buffoon, DF Direct is the best gaming podcast around. I look forward to it every week.

BehindTheRows164d ago

By that same token, some may not NEED remasters, while others may/do.

Amplitude165d ago (Edited 165d ago )

DF videos are typically absolutely amazing game reviews first and foremost. They have great intros, explain the mechanics well, tell you if they enjoyed it or not (I usually vibe well with John's games personally), and then they have the best tech breakdowns of a game's performance which is very very important to me. I want to know what settings to run at on PC, and on PS5 I wanna know if the 60fps mode runs well or not because if it doesn't... well I'll just get it on PC (If it isn't completely broken there too). DF Retro is also always unbelievably interesting and super well edited and inspired my YouTube channel which just crossed 1200 subs (wooo!). They helped me a lot with understanding game development and got me interested in goofing around with game engines and PC building in general back in the day.

I don't mean any offence by this but you sound like somebody who skims their analysis videos, selectively scrolls to the stats, says "who cares?", and then closes it. Or possibly somebody who watches (stolen) cut clips on TikTok? Even if you are somehow unaffected by blurry images and fluctuating frame rates (some people are and I envy you) I recommend watching a full DF episode one day. They're extremely interesting and I watch literally all of them even if I have no interest in the game.

VonAlbrecht165d ago

"I personally don't enjoy this extremely well-presented and highly informative content so it shouldn't exist."

-Ra3030, Nobel Peace Prize Nominee

Show all comments (66)
80°

Joris de Man on composing music for the Horizon series

In the video game industry, where visual design and game mechanics typically grab the limelight, the significance of music in enhancing the overall gaming experience is often underestimated. Music can be a key component in the player’s emotional connection with a game. It amplifies emotional impact, heightens tension, and can be a powerful driver of narrative. We’ve had the chance to speak to Joris de Man, a renowned Dutch composer best known for his work on the Killzone series, Horizon: Zero Dawn, and its sequel Horizon: Forbidden West. During the Game Access conference in Brno, we talked about the process of composing music for video games and how he created the harmonies that have shaped some of our most beloved gaming experiences.

Sonic1881331d ago (Edited 331d ago )

To keep using him as the music composer in their games.

ChronoJoe330d ago

Joris seems like a great guy. I spoke to him briefly once about how much I loved his music and he was really friendly/humble.