Trigger Cut Game Reviews

When I played the first entry in the franchise I felt gaslit.  Everyone was saying Zero Dawn was an amazing game, with great gameplay, great characters and a cool world and story.  I disagreed with almost all of this sentiment and it felt like a glorified Ubisoft game with flat characters and fun, yet repetitive combat.  I didn’t think it was bad by any stretch but it certainly didn’t leave much of an impression on me.  The sequel does not fix any of the issues I had with the first entry and in some ways makes some aspects worse. Aloy is still an incredibly boring, borderline unlikable character, the story once again falls flat, and the combat is worse and more limiting in this sequel.  For some reason the developers thought it was a good idea to lock elemental arrows to specific bows/weapons.  It would be much better if I could choose any element with any weapon but nope go fuck yourself says Guerrilla Games.  The world is much bigger than the first game but that only adds to the checklist nature of this game.  There are some cool areas in the world.  Las Vegas being the standout however, you never stay in these areas for very long.  Like Atreus in God of War Ragnarok, Aloy never shuts up and will solve every puzzle for you before you even get the chance to attempt it by yourself. I really hope Sony abandons this approach to game design since it is maddening. Forbidden West is bigger but it is not better and I continue to feel gaslit by the inordinate amount of praise this franchise gets.