Time has come to initiate your artistic flair. #HorizonZeroDrawn BEGINS this Friday! Stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/W2gESa5ohX
— GAME.co.uk (@GAMEdigital) March 22, 2017
Although video games are without a doubt an incredibly entertaining medium (why else would we spend hours of our lives playing them if they weren't so much fun?) there are also arguments that games should be classed as artworks. Personally, I'm a strong advocate of this. In fact, I wrote my entire BA Honours dissertation on exactly this subject.
With such realistic graphics, emotive storylines, incredible soundtracks and Hollywood-standard voice acting, it's really not hard to see why people think they should be defined as art, as well as an enjoyable time-passer. But the leap to PS4 Pro and Xbox One S mid-gen hardware has truly escalated one thing in particular: stunning visuals. Some of the graphics in gaming these days could easily be mistaken for films, and, as someone who's gamed since the PS1, it's flippin' awesome to experience this evolution.
One game in particular that benefits from the HDR glory of PlayStation 4 Pro, yet still looks absolutely gorgeous on the standard PS4, is Guerrilla Games' most recent title: Horizon: Zero Dawn.
The open-world action RPG has already smashed review scores across the board, being described as "a modern classic" - (PlayStation Universe) and "a masterpiece" - (Nerdist), and has gained a passionate fan base. A huge part of this perhaps that Horizon features a kickass female protagonist (Bae-loy for life!) voiced by the distinctive tones of Ashly Burch, who you may remember voicing the sassy, blue-haired and equally awesome Chloe from DontNod's episodic masterpiece, Life Is Strange. Let's be real, games are still vastly overpopulated with male heroes, and whilst they're gradually introducing more equality, (a-la Lightning from Final Fantasy XIII, Ellie from The Last of Us, and the classic Lara Croft) it's so refreshing to take control of a woman's story.
This is a world where Matriarchs are worshipped and War Chiefs can totally be women, without question. It's just... normal; nothing out of the ordinary. And that's awesome.
Aloy's Adventure
Our fiery redhead Aloy is journeying far and wide to find answers to questions that have plagued her whole existence, and this takes her to the swirling snow of the mountains, grassy mainlands, humid swamps and hot, dusty deserts where the Carja's answer to London resides: Meridian.
Dynamic and sometimes shockingly rapid weather changes can transform the hunt and, thus, your advantage. Bright daylight shifts to gloomy drizzle, only giving you the blue glow of the machine's light to figure out where they are - or, a quick push of R3 uses Aloy's focus to illuminate weak points. The DualShock 4 speaker function really comes into its own here. Sometimes I'll press R3 just to hear that mechanical boot up sound emit from my hands. We are in the future, people. Now, where are those hoverboards?
Watchers and Snapmaws and Glinthawks, oh my!
The atmosphere can change from tranquil exploration of the open world as you stroll beside a trickling river or scale up a cliff side, Nathan Drake-style, to bewilderingly stumbling into a "Longleg" site and sprinting to cover as these massive, mechanical chickens search for you. Aloy is a seasoned huntress with pinpoint accuracy and a feisty personality to match her crimson hair, but with dinosaur-like, fire-breathing machines patrolling the lands, it makes you pretty darn vulnerable. It truly does feel like a battle for survival where humans are no longer top the food chain.
Given that the world of Horizon is utterly stunning and the champion of the tale is marvellous, it's no wonder that artists across the globe have been showing their love with submissions of fan art all over the Internet.
Here's Where YOU Come In
To celebrate the massively successful launch of Horizon: Zero Dawn, GAME have partnered up with Sony to give one lucky gamer the chance to win a copy of Horizon Zero Dawn: Collector's Edition by putting your artistic skills to the test.
All you need to do is draw us some artwork relating to Horizon: Zero Dawn - it could be based on Aloy, the machines, the bustling Meridian streets, the shadowy lands of Sunfall, - anything! And don't worry, the winner will be selected at random so don't fear if you're no Michelangelo. We're all about the passion, here!
Just submit your art using the hashtag #HorizonZeroDrawn (punny, right?) to @GAMEDigital on Twitter to be in with a chance of winning. Good luck, and get those pencils fired up.
Check out our Aloy fan-art attempts!
TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR #HORIZONZERODRAWN COMPETITION
1. ACCEPTANCE: By entering this competition, you agree you have read and accept these terms and conditions. We reserve the right to verify any entries and winners and may refuse to award prizes where we have reasonable grounds to believe that there has been a breach of these terms and conditions. You can access these terms and conditions at any time during the competition at http://bit.ly/GAMETCs.We suggest that you keep a copy of these terms for your own records.
2. ELIGIBILITY: You may enter this prize draw if you are resident of the United Kingdom. If you are below the age of 16 you must have express consent from a parent or guardian to enter and we reserve the right to confirm that consent before determining eligibility for a prize. You are not eligible to enter this prize draw if you, or a member of your immediate family (which means parents, children, siblings, spouse and life partners), are an employee, contractor or sub-contractor of GAME, Multiplay (UK) Limited or Ads Reality Limited or any of their advertising or promotion agencies. You promise that all the personal information you provide to GAME in connection with this prize draw shall be complete and accurate.
3. HOW TO ENTER: You can enter the competition via @GAMEdigital (Twitter) sharing your Horizon Zero Dawn fan art with the hashtag, #HorizonZeroDrawn. The competition ends Sunday, 26th March at 23:59. You do not have to pay to enter, but data charges may apply from your provider. Entries will not be acknowledged.
4. INVALID ENTRIES: We permit one entry per person - any subsequent entries will be invalid. Any entry made or attempted to be made to the prize draw in a manner which in our reasonable opinion is contrary to these terms and conditions or by its nature unfair to other entrants will be invalid and may result in your disqualification from the prize draw. Examples of entries or behaviour which are not allowed include fraudulent entries, bulk entries (including the use of multiple twitter accounts or multiple entries),automated entries, entries made on behalf of another person, cheating, hacking, deception, use of robots or other automated programmes. We will not accept illegible or incomplete entries.
5. STARTING AND CLOSING DATES: You can only enter the competition between Friday, 24th March and 23:59 on Sunday, 26th March, 2017. If you make any entries outside of this period they will not be valid.
6. PRIZE: One (1) winner will be chosen. They will receive Horizon Zero Dawn Collector's Edition on PlayStation 4 and poster.
7. The offer has no cash value and cannot be exchanged for cash. Prizes are not transferable. Prizes may be considered a taxable benefit and the winner will be directly responsible for any taxes payable on their prize. Only one prize will be awarded to the winner.
8. SELECTION OF WINNERS: The winner (1) of the competition shall be chosen at random from among the valid entries received.
9. NOTIFICATION OF WINNERS: We will announce the winner via @GAMEdigital on Twitter on Monday, 27th March, 2017. We may ask winners to submit valid identification and proof of parental consent before we send you the prize.
10. FAILURE TO CLAIM PRIZE: We will make all reasonable attempts to notify the winners. If we are not able to contact potential winners within 24 hours of the first notification attempt then we may withdraw your prize entitlement and select an alternative winner by the method described in paragraph 8.
11. DELIVERY OF PRIZE: The prizes specified above will be sent from GAME HQ, Basingstoke directly to your choice of UK address.
12. LIST OF WINNERS: You may request the last name and county of the major prize winners by sending a stamped addressed envelope to #HorizonZeroDrawn, Unity House, Telford Road, Basingstoke, RG21 6YJ. By entering this free prize draw you give us permission to make available your last name and county if you win.
13. FINAL DECISION: Our decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into regarding the selection of the winner of this free prize draw.
14. CONSENT TO USE NAMEAND IMAGE: We may require the winners to participate in publicity or advertising. By entering this prize draw, you agree that we may use your name and/or image for these purposes and that you will not be paid.
15. YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION: When you give GAME the information we ask you for as part of this prize draw, we'll use it as needed to conduct the prize draw as we've described in these terms. We may also use it for other reasons, but we'll ask for your permission before we do. We will process, use and store your data in accordance with our privacy policy which can be found at www.game.co.uk/privacypolicy
16. OUR LIABILITY TO YOU: We accept liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence or that of our employees and agents. We do not seek to exclude liability for fraud by us or our employees or agents. For any other loss or damage, we will only be liable for losses which are a reasonably foreseeable consequence of our negligence or breach of these terms and conditions, up to a maximum £50. Losses are foreseeable where they could be contemplated by you and us at the time of you entering this prize draw.
17. WHAT WE ARE NOT LIABLE FOR: We are not responsible for: o losses not caused by our breach or negligence o indirect losses - these are losses which are a side effect of the main loss or damage and which are not reasonably foreseeable by you and us at the time of you entering this prize draw o entries lost, delayed, damaged or corrupted where such loss, delay, damage or corruption is caused by events outside of our reasonable control o technical failures or errors affecting communication lines, website availability or systems errors where these are not within our reasonable control, or o any failure to provide the prize draw, the prizes or to meet any of our obligations under these terms and conditions where that failure a rise because of events outside of our reasonable control.
18. LIABILITY OF THIRD PARTIES: You acknowledge that the prize is provided by a third party not related to GAME Retail Limited. We are not responsible for the performance of any third party involved in this prize draw or the provision of the prizes and will not be liable for any act or omission of a third party, although we will endeavour to minimise the effect to you of any third party's failure.
19. DISPUTES: If you wish to take court proceedings against GAME you must do so within the United Kingdom. The law of the part of the United Kingdom of which you are a resident shall apply, for example, if you live in England the laws of England shall apply and if you live in Scotland the laws of Scotland shall apply.
20. DETAILS OF PROMOTER: This free prize draw is run by GAME Retail Limited, a company registered in England and Wales. Our registered address is Unity House, Telford Road, Basingstoke, RG21 6YJ.
