Game Reveiw: Horizon: Forbidden West

Title: Horizon: Forbidden West
Developer/Publisher: Guerrilla Games; Sony Interactive Entertainment

Release Date: February 18 2022
Platform: PS4 / PS5
Source/ format: Purchased, Disc

Other: Played on PS4

What I Thought:

I tried my best to keep this review vague, but there may be minor spoilers since I talk about specific parts of gameplay. 

I played Horizon: Forbidden West. Some of  what I said and felt in my review for Zero Dawn applies here, but it's done even better. All of this culminated to an enjoyable and dynamic playing experience.

The main plot was a wild ride with many expected and some unexpected twists. Needless to say, I’m glad that it didn’t hesitate to go in a more fantastical direction. Plot aside, like Zero Dawn, the side missions colored and expanded on the world, environments, and the plethora of characters both new and old. Each character felt super individualistic in their personality and in the way they spoke, moved, etc. Besides Aloy's interactions with different characters, it was nice being able to hear more of her personal feelings via periodically examining objects. Also nice was seeing more self realization developments for Aloy, especially by the end. The environments were straight up gorgeous, colorful, and felt broader. Finally, I have to mention Cauldrons. I enjoyed playing through them since, in a way, they seemed darker and more menacing. It's the same ambience I loved from the Frozen Wilds DLC.

To list my favorite new additions: the weapons (especially Spike Throwers),  different ways to get collectables, the ability to climb in countless areas, face paints, and armor dyes. Then there were others like a board game (Strike), racing, Melee Pits, additional mounts, and swimming. Swimming, sadly, ended up being frustrating during one of my favorite main missions. It felt a little awkward at times, even later when it was a lot easier. I enjoyed the added complexity to some of the puzzles like the Relic Ruins that used multiple Datapoints. Or how Tallnecks take additional and varied steps before being able to override them. The custom difficulty –where players can adjust a handful of options like the damage Aloy deals to or is dealt to for a truly customized experience. Last but not least, my absolute favorite and most important on my list –that I didn’t know I wanted –is none other than the Infinite Stash! With the Workbench based crafting system, it worked out great. Though, I definitely had to get in the habit of stopping by a bench to find out what was required for said upgrades.

My less enjoyed parts were mainly the later Melee Pits and combo chaining. The earlier ones, as well as the Pit Master and Enduring, were fine. But the instructions for the advanced combos weren’t as clear. After figuring those out, I then had to face the timing.  With that being said, I appreciated the combos in that they added more variety rather than a plain heavy or light attack.

Well, I loved how vibrant it got at times. And something I forgot to mention was, after going back to Zero Dawn, the controls felt smoother. Honestly, I want to see more. Overall, I had a swell time playing.

Thanks for reading.

*I originally published this on Our Thoughts Precisely under I Played Horizon: Forbidden West

Hello Again, Some Art and Art Block, New Old Books

I'm back from my break and wanted to catch up over here. 

I wanted to return earlier but that never happened. My art block kind of extended into everything. Before that I finished some art.

And sometimes it's nice to just sit there and create abstract things until they form something. That’s how I ended up with these two after feeling better.

Not much of a haul person, but I did get some things. First up are the last books from two series I needed to complete, The Books of Elsewhere and Dead City. Then I got some books from Better World Books. I was mainly after the Old-Fashioned Baking by Better Homes and Gardens. Then I looked for tap dancing books. 

I have to admit, I love old books. That's why I jumped at The Book of Tap by Jerry Ames and Jim Siegelman. I’m already  reading Inside Tap and currently like it –especially that Feldman starts with defining the terms. But, I'm going to stop myself here because this isn't  a review.

Thanks for reading!

Kinda, Sort of Break / 2021 Art Dump

Hey, I usually take a break when Our Thoughts Precisely posts the break announcement, but I think I'll be away a little longer. I'll be around, but not posting (except for post that were prescheduled). Anyway, art dump in coming! Also, thanks for reading and enjoy your holidays.

Sweet Dream Afro

Spring Showers and Flowers | Mermaid Dress

Strawberry Girl + Adjusted version

Random Sketch | Sketch Inspired by Let Me Call You Sweetheart (Mary Higgins Clark)

My Favorite Looks from Valentino's FW21 Show

Halloween 2021 | Halloween Art on Our Thoughts Precisely Part 1 / Part 2

Holidays 2021 | Doodle About to Sit/Party Girl

End of the Year (EOY) Round Up 1 Melanie Main & Melanie Halloween

*(I'll post the other parts later. *Edit they're below.)

Strawberry Girl and (lack of) Mermaid Gown EOY 2

EOY Spring Showers and Flowers

You can catch my time-lapses over on AdriArting 

Book Review: The Way To Go by Kate Ascher

Title: The Way To Go: Moving by Sea, Land and Air
Author: Kate Ascher

Illustrators: Vic Kulihn, Design Language, David Preiss, Ken Batelman, Jason Lee, Aaron Ashley, Michael Fornalski, Jim Kopp, and James Provost

Source/Format: Purchased; Hardcover
ISBN: 9781594204685
More Details: 
Publisher/ Release date: The Penguin Press; Mar 20 2014

Goodreads        Barnes & Noble

Synopsis From Goodreads:

In our digital age, it’s easy to forget that almost everything we enjoy about modern life depends on motion. We ride in cars and on buses and trains to work; enjoy food shipped over oceans; fly high in the sky to any point on the planet. Over the last century, the world has come to rely on its ability to move just about anywhere effortlessly. But what prompted this transformation? What inventions allowed it to happen? And how do the vehicles and systems that keep us in motion today—airports, trains, cars, and satellites—really work?

Read more on Goodreads

What I thought:

The Way To Go by Kate Ascher covers the three main ways humans travel. It’s as the subtitle puts it, Moving by Land, Sea and Air. It’s not a deep dive into every topic. Instead, it shortly delves into finer details that we may not think about (like how train tracks are laid, or maintenance of ships in a dry dock). I liked that it’s a nice general over view of travel.

I mainly picked up the Way To Go as some leisure reading. I did feel there were a couple of parts that got repetitive; especially since certain areas naturally overlap. They were often named in one paragraph, and then further explained in another nearby, or on a different page with a closely related topic.  With that being said, I did enjoy it a lot. There were illustrations on every page. And, like many books I’ve read, technical terms are given a definition. Definitions of which could be found in the text that accompanied illustrations and photographs. Next, I love how the chapters are broken down into specific areas. For example within Sea is Life at Sea, Navigation, and Closer to Shore. This brings me to my next favorite. A single topic or closely related ones within the sections were contained in one page and/or a two page spread. 

The Way To Go is not an end all, definite, or technical book. And, I think it does what Ascher set out to do well. So, overall I enjoyed it a lot. I recommend checking it out if it sounds interesting to you, or if you want to simply discover the broad details of traveling.

Thanks for reading!

ARC Review: Her Honor by LaDoris Hazzard Cordell

Title: Her Honor: My Life on the Bench...What Works, What's Broken, and How to Change It
Author: LaDoris Hazzard Cordell
Source/Format: Celadon Books; Paperback ARC
Publisher/ Release date: Celadon Book; Oct 26, 2021

Goodreads     Barnes & Noble     Celadon

Synopsis From Goodreads:
In Her Honor, Judge LaDoris Hazzard Cordell provides a rare and thought-provoking insider account of our legal system, sharing vivid stories of the cases that came through her courtroom and revealing the strengths, flaws, and much-needed changes within our courts.
Judge Cordell, the first African American woman to sit on the Superior Court of Northern California, knows firsthand how prejudice has permeated our legal system. And yet, she believes in the system. From ending school segregation to legalizing same-sex marriage, its progress relies on legal professionals and jurors who strive to make the imperfect system as fair as possible.
Read the rest on Goodreads.

What I Thought:

I wasn’t ready for the rollercoaster when I started Her Honor by LaDoris Hazzard Cordell, a retired California Superior Court Judge.

Her Honor Details the various cases that Cordell has presided over, and issues as well as people she’s faced in and out of court. And in some ways, how it shaped her perspective. Something I enjoyed is how she took the time to explain the history of many terms and procedures. All of which were typically sandwiched between the cases that it related back to in each chapter. Since this was the majority of the book, the introduction, served its purpose well. It mainly went into how she became a judge, what was enticing about it, and some of her background. This let the rest of the book get on and do its thing. As the synopsis states, it does “shine a light on all areas of the legal system…” Especially the countless difficult decisions that she and other judges had to make concerning heavy topics and/or complex situations.

Overall I enjoyed Her Honor, and I recommend checking it out if your looking for a nonfiction court book that's very informative.

I received this book from Celadon Books for this review.

Thanks for reading!