I'm not too familiar with Triforce's products other than their Last of Statue that came with the Pandemic Collector's Edition. That was a decent piece but felt more like a collectible in the $50 price range (as opposed to this $200 Thunderjaw).
I got the Aloy statue that came in the Collector's Edition of Horizon. And I saw they recently released another larger Aloy statue in the 10-inch range for $40.
I'm taking my time with Horizon and sunk 80-hours into it so far (2/3rd done?)... I really like Aloy, the overarching premise of the story and the beautiful environments. But I find most of the characters you interact with a little bland. The combat is super-solid (one of the best arrow and weapon mechanics ever) but the fetch quest mission structure felt very Assassin's Creed-esque.
Also, I played Zelda: Breath of the Wild prior to Horizon so I felt somewhat constricted not being able to climb/glide anywhere and the sense of discovery is not as grand with so many checkpoints filling up the map. That being said, Horizon is still one of my favorite games this year. And I'm sure the sequel will build upon this solid foundation and be even better.
Appreciate the follow up.
I'm still on the fence, but have set up a saved search on the bay of E in case a used one pops up (i.e non scalper) as I'd be ok picking this up from a fellow collector via a open listing.
Spending $199 + Shipping to the UK + import on a unknown supplier leaves me a little anxious, albeit the promo pics and what not do make it look quite good. I just worry it'll feel too plastic and as you not more reminiscent of something normally priced at say $50-80.
When I finished the game (I have to say I absolutely loved the last boss / final showdown) I had around 70+ hours invested, the majority of that was just wondering around the getting distracted by the amazing scenery, doing some side quests and basically just having an absolute blast.
I thoroughly enjoyed the main story arc and as you note and I too loved the combat and customisation of both the weapon and attire. Things that probably caused minor niggles were definitely the somewhat bland side characters.
- Rost and Sylens being note worth exceptions.
I'm currently going through obtaining the collectables and finishing side quests with a view to getting that Platinum.
Zelda: I've yet to finish it so can't really comment. I have maybe 8 hours of game play to my name. That said, having played both for me Horizon is a far
better game - subjective as that statement is, I don't disagree that it's a fantastic game, however it didn't hook me like Horizon did. For me it's one of the best games I've ever played, where as Zelda is (and has been) on the back burner since the launch of the Switch. Don't know why but once I put it down I've just never had the urge to go back and play it again. Have since picked up Mario, so will likely complete that first before considering playing Zelda again.
I'm a fan of their products, but be careful ordering from Project Triforce, the company has gone downhill in recent years. Delays up to 3 years and little to no answer from customer service through email or Facebook. Most people have to resort to credit card chargebacks to get refunds.
Ouch, yeah that doesn't sound like a Company worth taking a punt on. I guess in this case it's not really a matter of it being a pre-order situation, but good to know going forward.