Tantai Jin Apologist

( floral arrangement )

Horizon Forbidden West (PS5)
I'm just gonna lie here & let the flowers grow through me.

( get rekt, idiot )

It's not often you can stand atop the smoking corpse of the boss you've just defeated.

I've earned these photos.

Appreciation post for this cute toy tallneck I found in Plainsng.
I want one!

( I love these guys )

Horizon Forbidden West (PS5)
Tallnecks

Bonus:

( soaring )

Horizon Forbidden West (PS5)
In the air.

( pose )

Horizon Forbidden West (PS5)

Favourite looks [5/5]
Tenakth Dragoon + Night Blood dye + Tenakth Dragoon face paint

( she's got balls )

Horizon Forbidden West (PS5)

Favourite looks [3/5]
Tenakth Recon + no dye + Pangea Forever face paint

( playing dress-up )

Horizon Forbidden West (PS5)
Favourite looks [1/5]
Carja Behemoth Trapper + Dune Shadow dye + Carja Noble face paint (& some without face paint)

Been absent from DW recently, as my free time lately has revolved around Horizon Forbidden West. I played & finished it, along with the Burning Shores expansion, a while back, but I wanted to do a New Game+ playthrough. Which meant farming some resources in preparation so I could immediately fully level up the new gear that would be available in the NG+ version, as some of the things required would only become available later in the game, so the gear you've just got is nerfed, sometimes until the game is practically over. And the list of required resources was long, even with me having a lot of it already in my inventory there was going to be some grinding involved (I'm sorry, you want me to fight HOW MANY Apex Fireclaws???). I also wanted to try & find more lore entries, because I'm a sucker for that sort of thing. So it required me to set aside some time to get my arse kicked by angry machines & fast travelling to & fro, before getting onto the fun stuff of the NG+ playthrough. And that playthrough itself would be a huge time commitment.

But I finally sat down & gathered the resourced I would need, before embarking on the new playthrough. I did more this time around too. As before I did all the side quests & errands. But I made more effort to go for things I gave up on during my previous playthrough. I ignored the drones first time around as I kept missing the jump to catch the few I tried to collect, but this time I managed to get one, so made more of effort for the trickier ones. Same deal with Vista Points. I'd managed one previously, but they were pretty finnicky to line up & there was so much else to do. But this time there was less pressure to progress any actual quests so I was more willing to make the effort. I also completed all the Relic Ruins & collected the last Ornament that I'd missed before turned out I was doing the wrong thing due the guide I'd been following being confusing. There was a Tallneck I bailed on before (even though I love those guys) because finding the correct route to access it was annoying, but buoyed by my successes with the other collectables, I managed it.

I also tried out the Hunting Grounds this time around. Previously the list of challenges looked annoying so I didn't bother. But this time round I had a good loadout, which made some challenges doable, at least enough to pass all 3 challenges at 2 Grounds, but several challenges at the other 2 proved too annoying so I bailed. And there were collectables/challenges I didn't bother with. Gauntlet Runs didn't look like something I'd enjoy. I considered at least giving it a try this time, but nah. I didn't even go near the Melee Pits this time as I couldn't even get through the tutorial on my first playthrough. I fully support making efforts to add something to the melee combat, but it's so clunky & poorly-explained (Game: Press this sequence of buttons to execute this spear attack! Me: *presses sequence as instructed* Game: INCORRECT!) for a longtime DMC fan it's like being used to feasting at a banquet & getting offered old napkins to eat. I also avoided the Aerial Capture things in Burning Shores because fuck all that.

(The other stuff I 100%ed on both playthroughs.)

I also found every single one of the lore entries in every category, even the one that involved backtracking through some quest location while trying to locate the thing via a guide that used the quest as a reference point (like the whole reason someone is using a guide to find a collectable is because they missed it during the actual quest so 'the area where you did this thing/encountered this enemy' is not helpful).

I accumulated a lot of in-game photos during both playthroughs, so those are incoming.

It's late now, so I'll catch up on my flist tomorrow. And reread this post & find it's an incoherent mess.

100% completed Lego Horizon Adventures & got the platinum trophy. Loved it. I think my favourite part was probably Teersa. All the voice actors were clearly having a blast, but her character in HZD was basically a background character who was barely in it & she clearly relished the opportunity to go a little nuts ("TEERSA SMASH!" lol). It did get a little grindy when it came to levelling up all the characters for the final trophy, but that's kind of on me. The intention is probably that you'll unlock it gradually by occasionally dipping in & playing a bit here & there. Even with the restriction that I have less than a month to do this before my PS+ expires (I'll likely buy it properly, but who knows when that will happen) it's doable. But I know me & if I put it down I will get distracted & not pick it back up (case in point: I still have not got around to replaying Horizzon Forbidden West for NG+).

I can particularly see this as a good purchase on the Switch. It'd be perfect for picking up & playing on the go. Fun & engaging, but not something where I'd feel frustrated at being interrupted because my bus arrived or I got called in for my appointment or whatever.

Next up: Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.

EDIT: Bailed on Ratchet & Clank a few minutes in. This game is just not for me.