the most even handed review of Horizons I've seen

Katie Byrne

Katie Byrne
Hey guys, i found this review on youtube and to me this perfectly sums up my feeling on ED and Horizons
in both its sucesses and its shortcomings. Even down to the reason i love the game. So I thought i'd
post it here to see what you guys think (and to get this guy some views for his efforts ;))

[video=youtube;gr4UcyGOGvM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr4UcyGOGvM[/video]
 

Makya

Makya
CMDR Burnes of the 15th said:
Hey guys, i found this review on youtube and to me this perfectly sums up my feeling on ED and Horizons
in both its sucesses and its shortcomings. Even down to the reason i love the game. So I thought i'd
post it here to see what you guys think (and to get this guy some views for his efforts ;))

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr4UcyGOGvM
Click to expand...

Yes, I would agree with most of what the reviewer has to say - particularly how he categorized who should buy Horizons and who should not. The reviewer is honest in that he really likes the game but goes on to explain why and why it may not be for everyone. I like that.

I don't fully agree with his comment that nothing you can do in the game actually changes anything in the game. The emerging player groups that have gained official minor faction status and are becoming the controlling faction of their systems would say otherwise. However, I would agree that this is not yet apparent at all in the game.
 

Hellhawk666

Hellhawk666
Indeed. A balanced and rational appraisal. Like the reviewer I love the game and have hundreds of hours logged (I even own two separate accounts so I can have a character in deep space exploring and one back in civilization). However I also frequently criticize aspects of gameplay and there are many features that I find annoying or poorly implemented.

It's a game that particularly appeals to a certain type of gamer, while others who are looking for a different kind of game will loath it. It's also a work in progress, and I don't think that fact can ever be made strongly enough.

The one comment he made with which I disagree is about supercruise - yes it is sometimes tedious, but I actually enjoy it, and again it's that thing about ED appealing to a certain type of gamer.
 

Kayweg

Kayweg
The guy seems to come from an RP/immersion point of view but still understands (and accepts) the more traditional gamers perspective, and he does it in a calm and unexcited manner.

He doesn't cover a whole lot of ground, but what he does adress he does well.
 

Flea King

Flea King
onto on

Hellhawk666 said:
It's a game that particularly appeals to a certain type of gamer, while others who are looking for a different kind of game will loath it.
Click to expand...

And that's the crux. While the gaming industry continues to grow, and with the every increasing sources of competition, the pressure is on secure a return on the ever increasing cost of investment. And what better way to secure a return? Well, aside from going with what's worked before, widening a games target demographic is a trusted strategy.

But of course, this isn't really a 'better way'. Context is king! And as costs rise and consumers become generations, you can bet we'll see a rise in games being targeted at the discerning gamer, rather than trying to develop a 'one size fits all' experience.

Until then, we can expect many a 'big' game to be a watered down mishmash of design decisions in an attempt to make everyone happy, all the time.

And we all know how that saying goes...

Edit: ...but of course, if you can make *enough* happy...
 
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GunnerBill

GunnerBill
A great review!
-
I get the feeling that if you like Test Cricket then Elite is for you: "sedate with moments of high tension and excitement".
-
I love cricket therefore I love Elite.
-
CQC is perhaps T20
CG is ODI
 

tafkabb

T
GunnerBill said:
A great review!
-
I get the feeling that if you like Test Cricket then Elite is for you: "sedate with moments of high tension and excitement".
-
I love cricket therefore I love Elite.
-
CQC is perhaps T20
CG is ODI
Click to expand...

It's funny you should say that. I've often mentally compared online gaming to American sports. Fast action, high scores, close games. I mean, in basketball you can win 54-52 and that's a win. To me, as a Brit, that's virtually a draw.
Being up against one opponent, using skill and technique to wear them down and you either survive or die - once - appeals to me. i.e., the core combat in Elite; which is the complete opposite of CQC.
 

metatheurgist

metatheurgist
GunnerBill said:
A great review!
-
I get the feeling that if you like Test Cricket then Elite is for you: "sedate with moments of high tension and excitement".
-
I love cricket therefore I love Elite.
-
CQC is perhaps T20
CG is ODI
Click to expand...

How dare you sully my favourite game with cricket comparisons! :p
 

Comrade Napoleon

Comrade Napoleon
CMDR Burnes of the 15th said:
Hey guys, i found this review on youtube and to me this perfectly sums up my feeling on ED and Horizons
in both its sucesses and its shortcomings. Even down to the reason i love the game. So I thought i'd
post it here to see what you guys think (and to get this guy some views for his efforts ;))

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr4UcyGOGvM
Click to expand...

He nails it pretty good. No he nails it very good.
A burnt out pilot speaking 2300 - 2500 hours speaking since premium Beta and I have actually not played since 1.08.15 , I've dipped in with Horizons and fundamentally nothing has changed, more gloss and no more substance.
We need more substance in this game.

Happy New Year everyone :)
 

Kayweg

Kayweg
GunnerBill said:
A great review!
-
I get the feeling that if you like Test Cricket then Elite is for you: "sedate with moments of high tension and excitement".
-
I love cricket therefore I love Elite.
-
CQC is perhaps T20
CG is ODI
Click to expand...

I really like test cricket, just like i do long, multi day snooker matches at the world championships. The sheer scale and test of character and stamina is what grips me.
I wish your comparison would apply to ED, imo it does not.
Cricket is very much result oriented, there're scores to chase and an end result to achieve.
And in a good test match, what happens between the first bowl and the last out is fascinating, complex and ever changing. I don't see ED do that, not for me anyway, glad it does for many others.
If ED were like the 3rd ashes test at edgbaston or the 4th at trend bridge, you wouldn't hear one word of criticism from me about the game.
As it is, it more resembles a 3 day rain-out ending in a draw.
 
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Lobstris

Lobstris
Flea King said:
And that's the crux. While the gaming industry continues to grow, and with the every increasing sources of competition, the pressure is on secure a return on the ever increasing cost of investment. And what better way to secure a return? Well, aside from going with what's worked before, widening a games target demographic is a trusted strategy.

But of course, this isn't really a 'better way'. Context is king! And as costs rise and consumers become generations, you can bet we'll see a rise in games being targeted at the discerning gamer, rather than trying to develop a 'one size fits all' experience.
Click to expand...

I really hope you are right. I'd rather pay a premium per product, and get something with the depth of Falcon 4, DCS World or Steel Beasts, that a lot of the fodder 'casual' gaming has produced. Not a criticism of that - just personal choice. :)
.
I'm also not surprised that people are feeling burnt out with Elite, especially after 1000-2000 hours in game - but you (probably) can't say you didn't get your money's worth. :D I just hope people are prepared to keep playing, or come back, by the time the good stuff does come along.
 
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Lightspeed

Lightspeed
GunnerBill said:
A great review!
-
I get the feeling that if you like Test Cricket then Elite is for you: "sedate with moments of high tension and excitement".
-
I love cricket therefore I love Elite.
-
CQC is perhaps T20
CG is ODI
Click to expand...

An interesting analogy, but Test Cricket is played on a huge pitch that is only an inch deep ..... oh wait .... :p
 

Colonel Kenney

Colonel Kenney
I agree especially that it will only appeal to very unique individuals and generally isn't very fun. Its mainly for people who want to imagine they are starship pilots. It is polished as far as sound/graphics and flying/driving but other then that its pretty thin. Even spending the time learning how the background sim works and powerplay its such a bloody mess it isnt worth bothering. The interaction with stellar data is insignificant, and exploration basically is only accomplished visually by flying around.

The scope of the game allows for so much content to be added, even procedural. If it wasn't so poorly executed even procedural could be fun. A lot of repetitive type behaviors in other games are fun. None of these are fun. We need to rely on 3rd party tools to make it fun and even those are poorly executed because of the lack of API support. It is like they really don't know where to focus their attention.

But I'm committed. I like what they've done and now I think the consensus around the horn that i've seen the past weeks in the forums is that they seriously need to spend some time on the core mechanic of the game. Exploration. trading and missions.
 

Softan

S
"I didn't watch it. I know how I feel about this game and don't need another to guide my thoughts. Why do you?"

Hearing his take on horizons surely helps me determine if I want to buy it or not. A guide is helpful since I haven't actually played horizons yet.

His review is for people that doesn't actually own horizons or even elite dangerous, he even says as much. Of course you know how you feel about the game, you play the game. But for those who don't reviews are helpful in making their mind up on if it's a worthwhile buy.
 
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