Horizon: Zero Dawn Looks Far Better And More Interesting Than Uncharted 4

While both, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, and Horizon: Zero Dawn, are slated to be flagship exclusives for the PlayStation 4 next year, I am being completely honest when I say that one looks far more exciting than the other, to the point that my excitement for the other has paled to a subdued acknowledgement at best.

I have made my dissatisfaction with what we have seen on Uncharted clear in the past - it looks like just a prettier Uncharted 3, with no real evolution in gameplay, sans an appropriation of binary approaches to each encounter from The Last of Us - but it is only when you compare Uncharted with Horizon head on that you realize how much better Horizon has a chance of being.

• First off, Horizon just looks better. It has a far prettier artstyle, and it is graphically stunning. There are some noticeable framerate drops, yes, but the game is in a pre-alpha stage, and there is no reason to believe they will be in the final product. Uncharted, by comparison, while technically sound and proficient, lacks the personality and vibrancy of Horizon's graphics.
• Horizon promises to be a more interesting game to play, and with far more lasting value. While Uncharted has the multiplayer mode (that I personally do not care about, but it's there, so let's acknowledge it), Horizon promises to be a sprawling, epic, 30 hour open world action RPG, with thrilling, dynamic encounters, loot hunting and crafting, and exploration. Uncharted, on the other hand, is promising a tightly controlled joyride that is always through one path and one path only (though Uncharted 4 gives you more room to play within that path than previous games in the series did). Uncharted 2 was a revelation when it did this, because it was something new, but the law of diminishing returns has kicked in, and there is a distinct sense of staleness and 'more of the same' that is hard to shake off with Uncharted 4. And while I do speak out against the Ubisoft style cookie cutter open world games flooding the market currently, Horizon looks like a far more sensible approach to open world design than that.
• Horizon looks like it will have better combat. Let's be clear here, Uncharted has terrible gunplay. It's just awful, and far outclassed by other shooters. Horizon's combat, on the other hand, looks thrilling and dynamic, against massive creatures, where your skill and presence of mind matters as much as your gear or armor do. It looks very exciting, and at the very least, better than anything that Uncharted has shown us so far.
• Horizon has the better premise. We know the drill with Uncharted- old treasure, friend who betrays you, but comes over to your side to help you in the end (this will probably be Drake's brother, who will betray him on the adventure, but in the end, in a 'touching' scene of redemption, comes over to the right side, and dies trying to save Drake), and the treasure is lost as Drake barely escapes with his life. We have seen this happen and play out four times now.
  Horizon, though? Horizon is new. I don't know what's going on here. We have a primitive, tribal society, with what seem to be high tech weapons, squaring off against massive dinosaur robots? What? Clearly, there is something more going on here, and I want to learn more. Lore or narrative, I don't care, but because Horizon is intrinsically new, it excites me far more on a personal level here than Uncharted does.
• The one thing that goes in Uncharted's favor here is the respective studios' track records- Naughty Dog is an amazing studio who have done great things in the past, and deserve the benefit of the doubt, even if I can't bring myself to care for Uncharted 4. Guerrilla Games have made middling games in the past at best (though an argument can be made that they were just trapped by the Killzone universe; now, freed from it, they will get to exhibit their real ability), with Killzone 2 being the only standout, and even that not approaching what Naughty Dog has accomplished. Given that, I can see someone simply using studios as a reason to prefer Uncharted 4, which is the safer choice. I can understand and respect that- but everything I have seen of Horizon tells me that it will be better.

TL;DR- Horizon will be better than another fucking Uncharted, and Sony fans are getting all worked up over the wrong game. They've backed the wrong horse.

Lots of games look better than Uncharted 4.

Getting both

It does, but remember this is Guerilla we're talking about here.

Most likely this will just be another tech demo.

Uncharted is Uncharted, you love it or hate it. I love it so I'll buy 4 when it comes along.

Horizon I have hopes for but to me, robot dinosaurs sounds really, really stupid. I can suspend my disbelief as wantonly as the next guy but that's a real stretch. I'm also not sure how much the world desperately needs yet another open world game where the devs feel obliged to fill it with really boring things to do outside the main event otherwise why is it there?

Opinions...

I disagree.

Horizon looks interesting, but there's far too little I know about what it will be to put more faith in it than a solid franchise like Uncharted. I'll probably buy both but UC4 is a guaranteed day 1 purchase.

I'm really not all that hyped over UC4. So, Horizon stomps all over it for my tastes. I'll still enjoy the heck out of both, but it's nice to see something pretty damn fresh.

lolno

Meh disagree. The Uncharted demos have been fantastic imo. Both the setpiece chase and the sandboxy stealth/gunfight sequence. So much energy, looks like a lot of fun :D!

Horizon seems a bit clunkier. Like for example the hero is runnging away from the robot. The entire giant robot fight was kind of weirdly paced. Also Horizon will have crafting/RPG elements, while Uncharted remains pure!

Well yeah, because Zero Dawn is a brand new concept. Uncharted 4 is exactly that, the 4th installment of an established series.

Did you really expect Naughty Dog was going to drastically change the formula with the last Uncharted game?

Only with new IP's can a developer go all out and do completely different things. I'm sure Naughty Dog can't wait to work on something completely brand new after UC4.

@charizard1605 said:

While both, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, and Horizon: Zero Dawn, are slated to be flagship exclusives for the PlayStation 4 next year, I am being completely honest when I say that one looks far more exciting than the other, to the point that my excitement for the other has paled to a subdued acknowledgement at best.

I have made my dissatisfaction with what we have seen on Uncharted clear in the past - it looks like just a prettier Uncharted 3, with no real evolution in gameplay, sans an appropriation of binary approaches to each encounter from The Last of Us - but it is only when you compare Uncharted with Horizon head on that you realize how much better Horizon has a chance of being.

• First off, Horizon just looks better. It has a far prettier artstyle, and it is graphically stunning. There are some noticeable framerate drops, yes, but the game is in a pre-alpha stage, and there is no reason to believe they will be in the final product. Uncharted, by comparison, while technically sound and proficient, lacks the personality and vibrancy of Horizon's graphics.
• Horizon promises to be a more interesting game to play, and with far more lasting value. While Uncharted has the multiplayer mode (that I personally do not care about, but it's there, so let's acknowledge it), Horizon promises to be a sprawling, epic, 30 hour open world action RPG, with thrilling, dynamic encounters, loot hunting and crafting, and exploration. Uncharted, on the other hand, is promising a tightly controlled joyride that is always through one path and one path only (though Uncharted 4 gives you more room to play within that path than previous games in the series did). Uncharted 2 was a revelation when it did this, because it was something new, but the law of diminishing returns has kicked in, and there is a distinct sense of staleness and 'more of the same' that is hard to shake off with Uncharted 4. And while I do speak out against the Ubisoft style cookie cutter open world games flooding the market currently, Horizon looks like a far more sensible approach to open world design than that.
• Horizon looks like it will have better combat. Let's be clear here, Uncharted has terrible gunplay. It's just awful, and far outclassed by other shooters. Horizon's combat, on the other hand, looks thrilling and dynamic, against massive creatures, where your skill and presence of mind matters as much as your gear or armor do. It looks very exciting, and at the very least, better than anything that Uncharted has shown us so far.
• Horizon has the better premise. We know the drill with Uncharted- old treasure, friend who betrays you, but comes over to your side to help you in the end (this will probably be Drake's brother, who will betray him on the adventure, but in the end, in a 'touching' scene of redemption, comes over to the right side, and dies trying to save Drake), and the treasure is lost as Drake barely escapes with his life. We have seen this happen and play out four times now.
  Horizon, though? Horizon is new. I don't know what's going on here. We have a primitive, tribal society, with what seem to be high tech weapons, squaring off against massive dinosaur robots? What? Clearly, there is something more going on here, and I want to learn more. Lore or narrative, I don't care, but because Horizon is intrinsically new, it excites me far more on a personal level here than Uncharted does.
• The one thing that goes in Uncharted's favor here is the respective studios' track records- Naughty Dog is an amazing studio who have done great things in the past, and deserve the benefit of the doubt, even if I can't bring myself to care for Uncharted 4. Guerrilla Games have made middling games in the past at best (though an argument can be made that they were just trapped by the Killzone universe; now, freed from it, they will get to exhibit their real ability), with Killzone 2 being the only standout, and even that not approaching what Naughty Dog has accomplished. Given that, I can see someone simply using studios as a reason to prefer Uncharted 4, which is the safer choice. I can understand and respect that- but everything I have seen of Horizon tells me that it will be better.

TL;DR- Horizon will be better than another fucking Uncharted, and Sony fans are getting all worked up over the wrong game. They've backed the wrong horse.

They need to really show more of Uncharted for me to get hyped. Horizon looks good too, but I've learned not to get hyped for games too early.

They both look fantastic. I don't know why you're comparing two very different games in the first place. One will be an open world game and the other a third person linear game.

About the only thing they have in common is being PS4 exclusive.

The way i see it is this.

UC4, great developer, not very interesting game.

Horizon, pretty average to below average developer, interesting premise.

I am curious about this game, and it looks really good so far. But right now I know less about how it will be than what I do Star Citizen. Uncharted 4 is a TPS with climing mechanics, it's potential is far less for sure, but I trust that Naughty Dog will make a better game than Guerrilla. Although the last time Guerrilla spent 4 years or more making a game we got Killzone 2, which is a good game. This looks inherently more interesting at every level than KZ2, so they have that going for them. They did after all start with this game before they started Killzone Shadow Fall development. Seems like a developer who needs time to make good games, more than most.

The only way this can fail is if it becomes repetative, and it's pacing is off. I already believe the artist people at GG will make a compelling game world. I just question their ability to put together a game as good as what Naughty Dog can do. After all, Naughty Dog are tackling far less with a chapter based TPS game.

It only looks more interesting cause you know nothing about it. It's easy to make something seem better when you have leeway with your imagination of it. I also never understood why people expect an installment in an established franchise to be so different from previous games.

Killzone games look interesting too... until you actually play them.

pretty much

Naughty Dog have proven capable of making top quality games though.

Guerrilla have not. (No Sony bitchboys, whinging about how "great" KZ2 was meant to be doesn't count)

New stuff is welcome, but it's only worth something if it's executed well. If it's another meh/10 game for G Games, who cares?

Horizon looks like Enslaved OttW, which means it looks pretty but is gonna suck

Yet it does. 91 @ meta

UC has terrible gunplay? Play UC2 and replay the series remastered. Hell UC2 MP was so fun to play.

I believe UC4 will prove doubters wrong. This is by Neil druckmann and Bruce straley the two geniuses behind TLOU and UC2. UC3 was Justin Richmond who thankfully left to riot games. I think UC4 is going to be GOTY material next year. I think it will surprise everybody. This is the last UC by ND people. It's gonna be their biggest and most ambitious game yet.

Horizon looks great. Like a monster hunter western version with dino robots. What gets me excited too that hermen hulst the man behind KZ3 and KZ2 in particular is behind it. Shadow fall was by a second team within gurilla and the game was basically a tech demo showcase.

What's funny is when they showed it at PGW they were like introducing the RPG elements to the viewer like this is the first time we see an RPG LOL. "See the number there? That how much damage you deal" LOL again. I know they are proud of themselves finally tackling a new Genre instead of FPS games but that made me lol. "Hey guys we are making an RPG, this is an achievement"

are you talking graphics, gameplay or both combined? uncharted 4 SP is one of my most anticipated games. hoping it can reach U2 levels of greatness. still one of the best single player experiences ever created. helps that u4 will be the best looking game available if the e3 sequence is representative of the final product

horizon looks good graphically(not as good as u4) but rpgs are mostly boring as shit

I haven't been following any new stuff as of late but I still think people are missing what the draw is that gets people excited for Uncharted. There appears to be a greater emphasis on how the game plays--from everything I've seen there's a little more player movement and decision making which can change on the fly.

Yeah and GTAIV is a 98 or whatever. Sometimes, Meta fails. KZ2 sucked. Grey, clunky, chuddish mess.

I totally agree. I've been waiting for this new IP for a long time. The reveal sold me big time. I'm over the Uncharted series, just like I'm over Halo.

Uncharted looks great but nothing super amazing.

What its doing its superb animations and attentions to detail.

The thing with Uncharted 4 is that Uncharted has always been slightly "cartoon-ish", stylize graphix, and now Uncharted wants to go more into that realism (TLoU) style, but not quite.

You know what you're getting with Uncharted... whereas Horizon is something new, and damn it does look awesome.

@locopatho: nice opinion u have there mate, but I also have one of my own and both K2 and K3 were great games

UC4 will be the best looking non open world game next year while Horizon will be the best looking open world game next year, apple to orange. But it wouldn't surprise me to see GG surpasses ND in graphics tech knowing Horizon launches 9 months later, the cycle will repeat again when TLOU2 comes out and so on.

I don't think an open world game like Horizon can look better than almost on rail UC. Both devs are very good when it comes to visuals but no way GG's Horizon can match UC4 campaign graphics. Can't wait for Horizon, *may be* a great game. UC will be a boring chore just like TR yawn...

@locopatho: Cool opinion. Nah, just joking

I wholeheartedly agree

Yep, miles better.

If Horizon actually ends up being more interesting than it currently looks then I agree. If not, I think Uncharted is a safe bet.

Has potential, but give it to us straight, that demo look scripted as all hell, like he knew exactly in 360 degrees where the animals would retreat on the explosion where he set up the traps, and then he walks toward the trigger point for the larger monster like someone about to touch hot metal, pulling away prematurely until he finally sees it come after him where he makes a full retreat. Granted, looks good, cool mechanics, interesting setting, but I don't like very disingenuous realtime demos like that Last of Us demo the game plays nothing like.

How does vaporware look more interesting than Uncharted 4?

Gonna bite...but i don't think i will ever get an answer.

How is Horizon vaporware?

You won't get an answer.

The more they showed of the gameplay the less interesting it became. Either way I don't care for neither games.

Yes it does, but then again, we've only seen a few minutes each of both these games and don't know much about them. And it's very easy to make a game look good through just 20 minutes of footage (see Shadowfall).

Technically Uncharted 4 is more advanced but Horizon has very unique art, that makes it look great. Not to mention, GG is famous for showing bullshots and final game looks nothing like that.

I'm excited for both but UC4 is my most anticipated game next year.

@charizard1605-

You pretty much answer your self, track record matters allot here. Its the context of why some one will back another fucking Uncharted game. The funny thing is with all the shit that Naughty Dog have gone through lately. Loosing talents and what not. Uncharted 4 ended up in the hands of directors who most will say worked on the absolutely very best of Naughty Dog. Uncharted 2 and The Last of US. So yeah safer choice. Either way its good for playstation fans.

At this point, I'd rather have Uncharted. I haven't been all that into what I've been seeing on Horizon, and the recent gameplay video of taking down the Mech-Rex didn't do much to excite me either.

Plus, I actually enjoy the gameplay and combat in Uncharted. That's my shit taste and I'll enjoy.

@charizard1605:

Uncharted look a better technologies for my eyes but Horizon could be better at the end especially because of the open world.

When you say there is nothing new in Uncharted, you claim that the tank we've seen in the video with the great physic of the wall falling apart and also the ride after this is not new stuff?

No dude it didn't and meta didn't fail,on gamespot is has 9 as well.

So you are downplaying Killzone because.

1-Is not base on a Rainbow Brite level full of colors.?

2-Because you can't run at 30 MPH like on COD and has a proper sense of weight.?

The king of animation..

Wasn't the game demo play by one of the developers.? How in hell he would not know that when he is part of the team which is constantly testing the game.?

The demo wasn't scripted he found him self in part of the game that he knows already,much like the Griffon fight on The witcher 3,no matter how open a game is and how much freedome you have,you always have some lines you have to fallow and are innevitable,like walking into the first town in the witcher 3.

ya kinda lost me on the whole uncharted has terrible gunplay. Also Im equally excited for both games. Though To be honest im surprised more hype isint on horizon since its a new ip and kinda feels like a breath of fresh air.

Horizon Zero Dawn looks more banal, than UC4.

• One is made by the most prominent devs of the 7th gen and is a game that focuses on getting a few things done right. (As much as I hate them and their games)
• The other one is made by a dev with a mixed history developing another generic checkbox list open world action RPG with crafting, loot hunting, and emphasis on exploration(tm).

I would rather play Uncharted 4, and Uncharted 4 is a game I wouldnt play, even if it was gifted to me.