220°

Horizon Zero Dawn PC revisited: is it fully fixed?

Digital Foundry writes, "With the announcement of more PlayStation exclusives coming to PC, starting with Days Gone this Spring, the time felt right to return to Horizon Zero Dawn, Sony's first full-blooded attempt at porting one of its most celebrated triple-A masterpieces. On release, performance and the overall quality of the user experience was poor, but six months on there's no doubt about it: the game has dramatically improved. It's not perfect, it's still far from ideal, but Guerrilla Games has taken onboard feedback and corrected many of the issues, while dramatically improving performance in some scenarios."

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eurogamer.net
BiofourceGun1177d ago (Edited 1177d ago )

completed this game last week on ver 1.10. played it on two setups. (GTX 1060 and GTX 1660)
enjoyed them both pretty well at 1080p 60fps and 1440p 60 fps. (custom settings)
the only thing as DF mentioned was some tech quirks that spans across all versions of the game. (@ 7:20)

bouzebbal1177d ago

That's the reason I will always game on consoles

SDuck1177d ago

Hate to beat a dead horse since i loved the game but... cough cough Cyberpunk cough cough

anast1176d ago

Probably wouldn't want to compare the number of bad PC ports to the number of games that originally worked well on consoles...cough cough. I can't even begin to list them.

MadLad1176d ago (Edited 1176d ago )

@anast

Please do.
As a PC gamer, the only ones that at all stand out to me are Arkham Knight, from years ago, and was the product of outsourcing the port to a new, inexperienced team.
More recently was Red Dead Redemption 2, with half the issue being Rockstar's launcher, itself, and the rest being fixed via a patch, and updated drivers.

So please, enlighten us all with this sheer avalanche of poor PC releases that rendered the PC version a pale comparison to the console versions. I'll wait, though I think you're just speaking out of your bum-bum :^)

RazzerRedux1176d ago

@anast

Probably wouldn't want to compare the number PC ports that perform significantly better on mid-tier PCs than their console counterpart either. Let's not pretend people game on console for the superior performance.

Father__Merrin1176d ago

Just because you have experienced little issues with xyz game on pc doesn't men the next person has.

Google any game then type in any GPU and Il guarantee forums are flooded with complaints.

That's how it's always been, where on console things are more equal across the board pending patches etc

Your best of with having both units side by side as some experiences won't be on console and vice versa but it ticks me when ppl say or claim everything is smooth sailing on comp

mcstorm1176d ago

Farther_merrin

I have to disagree with you on this. If we go back quite a few years pc gaming was hard and a pain in the a$$.

I moved from console gaming in 2019 to pc due to having less time to game with now having a family. Bought a ryzan 5 2600x & 1070ti as i dont own a 4k tv (plan to next year when we move home) but looked at the processor and graphics card and could see it ran most games hight 60fps at 1080p.

Jummped over and i have only had 1 issue with 1 game and this was burnout paradise remastered. It fialed to get past the 1st screen. Quick search found it to be my kinect. Unplugged it not had an issue since.

I have played the following games and had no issues.

Dirt 5, Control, Gears 5, Forza 7, Forza Horizon 3 & 4, Rez 7, Halo TMCC, Grid to name a few new games and all works fine without any issues and in high 1080p.

Pc gaming is far better now than it was a few years ago and will get better now Microsoft are pushing pc gaming along with others.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 1176d ago
ProjectVulcan1176d ago

Because console games have always launched in a perfect state

Excuse me just....a minute

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLL

anast1176d ago

Not always, but in general, console releases are better out of the box.

ProjectVulcan1176d ago

"Console releases are better out of the box."

Only in dreams of console only gamers. Spent the past 15 years downloading monstrous and multiple patches for games on consoles, barely any noteworthy difference to PC gaming in that respect.

Plus there is the fact on PC you can actually tailor settings and tweaks for custom performance if there are issues and factor in community fixes, neither of which you can do on console. Considering that mitigation anyone that thinks console games are better in these aspects are behind the times.

Smellsforfree1176d ago

@anast not really the case and hasn’t been for years. Since game patches on console became as common as PC patches, it’s been basically the same.

Smellsforfree1176d ago

I have a hard time going back to Horizon Zero on console with capped 30fps after playing 60fps in the PC version. PC is a much better experience for this one at this point, but I’d love to see a PS5 patch.

Espangerish1176d ago

I cannot understand where the horizon and TLOU2 patches are....I would have expected them to be among the very first rather than say Days Gone (as welcome as that was).

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1177d ago Replies(4)
Levii_921176d ago

Horizon is not a masterpiece DF

RazzerRedux1176d ago

DF disagrees. So do I. Opinions.

Kilua1176d ago (Edited 1176d ago )

Come on dude, Horizon is a masterpiece. You dont have to like it,but at least give credit where it is due: Innovative and incredibly fun gameplay, deep story and compelling open world - a technical powerhouse too. HZD ticks all the boxes for being masterpiece (add in the sales and critical reception). Most definitely one of the best new ip from last gen.

Levii_921176d ago

I like the game but how is it a masterpiece ? Come on .. do gamers really have such low standards today.

Kilua1176d ago (Edited 1176d ago )

I just explained why it is a masterpiece, and no, i have high standards - i dont play or entertain rubbish. I wish more developers would make new ip as great as HZD. No, it isn't perfect but GG delivered a GG.

O, and that forbidden west trailer was absolutely fantastic. Jaw dropping in fact.

Michiel19891176d ago

@kilua, i agree besides the compelling open world, beautiful world? yes, for sure, but i wouldnt call it compelling, there is not much to do in there once you killed all monsters a couple times and the exploration just dumbs down to finding some metal flowers which are just marked on your map.

DefaultComment1176d ago

that is kinda subjective, I played just as you probably, I did almost all the missions and explored the hell out of the map until completing the game, hell I even took the time to find all the mugs for the merchant. But now that being said it's an amazing game, but definitely not a masterpiece.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 1176d ago
Silly gameAr1176d ago

I bet you thought Breath of the Wild was a masterpiece, though.

Levii_921176d ago

First of all i don’t think i consider any game to be a masterpiece only masterpiece in certain aspects of the game but back to your question compared to Horizon ? Absolutely. Open world game design and freedom and the map in Horizon isn’t even in the same universe as BOTW.

RazzerRedux1176d ago (Edited 1176d ago )

"Come on .. do gamers really have such low standards today."

Seriously? So if someone doesn't agree with your perception of games then they have low standards? Come on.

Espangerish1176d ago

What you mean is ‘I don’t like Horizon’ which is not the same as ‘Horizon is not a masterpiece’.

I don’t like Bloodborne but I recognised it’s a masterpiece of its genre.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 1176d ago
anast1176d ago

Most people had no trouble with this game when they completed it over 3 years ago.

MadLad1176d ago

Probably because it was built from the ground up for one specific platform.
This was the first time the developer had to design a game with multiple variations of tech in mind.

All I have to say is Sony 1st party devs really need to start wrapping their heads around it, or hire quality 3rd party development studios, because, as per Sony themselves, there's a lot more titles moving over to PC going forward.

anast1176d ago

Hopefully they make quality ports going forward too.

specialguest1176d ago (Edited 1176d ago )

Well considering you're playing the game at 30fps, that's already "trouble" for some gamers. 30 fps is painful for me since I primarily play my games on PC. I don't always need a solid 60 fps, but 30 fps feels too sluggish for most game genre. I would rather lower the graphics settings if I can get a higher frame rate

anast1176d ago

I only do Pacman at a 1000 fps...

specialguest1176d ago

@anast

Impossible!! Da huMan eYE canNot see passed 1173$298(#(( frames per second

Rocketisleague1176d ago

Yeah for me the major downside as 30fps, fps and tps are a different level of quality in 60fps

Show all comments (42)
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.

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twistedvoxel.com
darthv7220d 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.

CrimsonWing6920d 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.

MrNinosan20d 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.

Profchaos20d 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.

Notsofast20d 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

MrNinosan19d 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.

Petebloodyonion19d 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.

MrNinosan19d ago

Well you can just chose to hide them.

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-Foxtrot20d ago

Wonder if Horizon ZD leaving gives credit to those remake rumours

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

SimpleDad20d ago

Probably yes cause of a remake.

Skuletor20d ago

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

ApocalypseShadow20d ago (Edited 20d 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.

Eonjay20d ago

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

Kingrizzy9020d 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

Profchaos20d ago (Edited 20d 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

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Friendlygamer20d ago

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

gold_drake20d 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

Friendlygamer19d ago

Oh I will definitely play it eventually, chained echoes too

Jingsing20d ago

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

Petebloodyonion19d 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.

MrNinosan19d 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?

Petebloodyonion19d 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

MrNinosan19d 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
-Foxtrot179d 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

PrinceOfAnger179d 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

darthv72178d 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.

specialguest178d 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

Cacabunga177d ago

Killzone 2-3
Golden Abyss remake
Infamous 2

RaidenBlack178d 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)

-Foxtrot178d 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

CrashMania178d ago

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

vfl523178d ago

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

178d ago
GamingSinceForever178d 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.

JackBNimble178d 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 .

notachance178d 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..

Gamingsince1981178d 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.

Barlos178d 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-Long178d 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.

FinalFantasyFanatic177d ago (Edited 177d 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 177d ago
Battlestar23178d ago

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

178d ago Replies(2)
Duke19178d 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

PRIMORDUS178d ago

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

46player177d ago

No complaint here, I want the updated graphics.

Ra3030178d 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.

specialguest178d ago

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

Chocoburger178d ago

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

BehindTheRows177d ago

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

Amplitude178d ago (Edited 178d 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.

VonAlbrecht178d 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.

Sonic1881344d ago (Edited 344d ago )

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

ChronoJoe343d 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.