Just really hated the Horizon Zero Dawn.
Stealth and human-vs-human combat mechanics were trash, as were the climbing mechanics. Enemy forts didn't seem to have any significant design or thought process, just kind of threw things together. There was one single enemy fort that was impressive that I can remember, because it had a significant number of pathways and ramps that created some need for strategy.
Story was okay, though the 'find 300+ easter eggs to piece together the background narrative' was a bit tedious.
Graphics, scenery, and 'ruins' structures were beautiful and unique, IMO, as was the combat against robot dinosaurs.
I wish the weapons/trap system had been a bit more diverse, or that there was use for more than just the arrows that made machine components come off, but I finished the game without ever feeling like it was a true slog, or too long.
The Cauldrons also had great potential, but were mostly squandered as underwhelming combat arenas.
TL;DR
I liked the first one, so I'll play the second one for the scenery and the robot animals, but I hope they refined Aloy's stealth and environmental traversal, instead of just adding swimming and a Zelda glider.