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Matthewmatosis - Breath of the Wild Review

Datajoy

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Nice, I've been waiting for this. Will watch after work.

Looking forward to seeing his take on Mario Odyssey as well. I love that he doesn't feel the need to rush these out. Just look at how his reviews of 20 year old game are still getting views and staying relevant. It is smart for him to sit on the games for a while and allow his feeling to develop over time.
 

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I'm watching right now. Great video so far! It showcases again why Breath of the Wild is my favourite game of all time, while also stating, that there is potential for an even better game!
 
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Odeko

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InsaneTiger said:
Hmm, I'll just have to disagree. He doesn't present his opinions as fact. But this not the thread for that discussion.
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I'm not sure I phrased it exactly right. Basically I agree with:
ghibli99 said:
Excellent video, and as I expected, it was entertaining, thoughtful, and not a complaint-fest like Joseph Anderson's. I like JA too, but I sometimes think that he needs to take a breather and not be so overwhelmingly negative. Here, while Matthewmatosis has his critiques and offers solutions, he also takes into account that Nintendo may have already thought about those things, considered the wider audience, didn't have the resources, etc. I love that about his observations, and is why he's easily one of my favorite YouTubers.
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Anderson frequently treats his negatives like "I don't like this, therefore it's a bad decision and the game would be better if it were done differently," while I think it's a lot more interesting to instead take design decisions on their own terms and instead analyze how they effect the experience and why they may have been coded that way.
 

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Odeko said:
I'm not sure I phrased it exactly right. Basically I agree with:

Anderson frequently phrases things like "I don't like this, therefore it's a bad decision and the game would be better if it were done differently," while I think it's a lot more interesting to instead take design decisions on their own terms and instead analyze how they effect the experience and why they may have been coded that way.
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I think that's why I liked this video so much. Matthew has a fair few criticisms of the game, but he also acknowledges why they exist at all, rightly traces them to the game's central conceit, understands that it might not be possible to address them with the game being what it is, but doesn't use that to handwave them away. It's so much better than "this sucks, here's 45 minutes of why", without at least an attempt at understanding why (not that JA does that's often—he does sometime, but usually he's on the right side of this, though not as good as Matt).
 
Raijinto

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I enjoyed this video. Due to the fact that I'm very tired and it's late here I can't extrapolate my thoughts definitively but I feel like that was the best critique I've seen/watched/read about this game, and boy have I seen a lot. For lack of a better phrase he *gets* what makes BotW (so) special despite not being quite as enthusiastic about it as most are. His criticisms are therefore much more reasonable and relatable than the dozens, no hundreds, no actually thousands or in fact it's probably even more than that that boiled down to 'I hate the weapon degradation and the rain and the insert other nebulous nitpick here' that I've read solely on this site even. Of course most people don't have the luxury of making a quality 55 minute video like MM but still the discussion surrounding the game has been disappointing IMO so it was refreshing to (finally) get MM's review which didn't disappoint.
 
Pascal

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I really loved his discussion of the music and sound design, the art style, and the little subtleties of the world and how it all comes together to make the world feel alive. Breath of the Wild truly lives up to its name.

I've always preferred Joseph Anderson to Matthewmatosis, but this video is making me reconsider that stance lol.

Phantom Thief said:
I think that's my primary point of disagreement. I think Nintendo didn't go far enough with the climbing (though I appreciate why, the challenges he brings up with a game where the player can go anywhere across all dimensions must have been a headache for designers) but I don't think the solution is to limit climbing as much as it is to flesh it out and design things around it further.
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Yeah, I agree. Climbing was very enjoyable to me, and it would be a shame to see it limited, even though it poses some issues that need to be considered. It's definitely gonna be interesting to see what Nintendo does with the next entry. I think I'd rather see the core foundation of BotW built upon, rather than altered too much. If that makes any sense.

If anyone can figure it out, it's Nintendo.
 

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Raijinto said:
I enjoyed this video. Due to the fact that I'm very tired and it's late here I can't extrapolate my thoughts definitively but I feel like that was the best critique I've seen/watched/read about this game, and boy have I seen a lot. For lack of a better phrase he *gets* what makes BotW (so) special despite not being quite as enthusiastic about it as most are. His criticisms are therefore much more reasonable and relatable than the dozens, no hundreds, no actually thousands or in fact it's probably even more than that that boiled down to 'I hate the weapon degradation and the rain and the insert other nebulous nitpick here' that I've read solely on this site even. Of course most people don't have the luxury of making a quality 55 minute video like MM but still the discussion surrounding the game has been disappointing IMO so it was refreshing to (finally) get MM's review which didn't disappoint.
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Actually I would say he was far more positive on the game than I was expecting lol
 

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Pascal said:
Yeah, I agree. Climbing was very enjoyable to me, and it would be a shame to see it limited, even though it poses some issues that need to be considered. It's definitely gonna be interesting to see what Nintendo does with the next entry. I think I'd rather see the core foundation of BotW built upon, rather than altered too much. If that makes any sense.

If anyone can figure it out, it's Nintendo.
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I think my primary fear, which he brings up in his video very eloquently, is that Nintendo won't be able to figure it out, and they will walk back from what makes Breath of the Wild so special—making it that much more unique.
 

NuclearCake

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It was probobaly for the best that he didn't do a review for this game right after it came out. he instead let the dust settle for a bit. It's one of the things that i like the most regarding Matthew's output.
 

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Odeko said:
I'm not sure I phrased it exactly right. Basically I agree with:

Anderson frequently phrases things like "I don't like this, therefore it's a bad decision and the game would be better if it were done differently," while I think it's a lot more interesting to instead take design decisions on their own terms and instead analyze how they effect the experience and why they may have been coded that way.
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Fair enough. I think he does do it both ways (sorry), I'll have to give his next video a watch and see if I noticed him NOT talking about the game in it's own terms. His last one was on F76 and while the game is tough to praise a whole bunch I thought he did critique on it.

Obviously we have different opinions and tastes and that okay. Everyone is still alive and respected.
 
Nymir

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Odeko said:
I'm honestly not a huge fan of him either. He doesn't quite strike the balance of objective facts balanced out with subjective critiques to be in the top tier of long-form gaming essayist crowd. Obviously that'll be a different point for everyone, but he often presents his clearly opinionated takes as being objective flaws which can be a bit annoying.

Also he gave Hollow Knight an 8/10 which is unforgivable
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I think JA is at his best when he focuses on facts, his gameplay analysis are very in depth and kinda unique on the platform for how much research goes into them. But on other, less clear cut aspects he has a very rigid taste, ha has some blind spots in particular on storytelling in games, I would say to a fault sometimes. He can come off as very stubborn, both in edited videos and in his streams.
 
Fat4all

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VDenter said:
It was probobaly for the best that he didn't do a review for this game right after it came out. he instead let the dust settle for a bit. It's one of the things that i like the most regarding Matthew's output.
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I think at the time he was busy reviewing all the Zachtronics games anyways
 
Red

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Good review. Bit weird, that complaint about the forgotten temple not having more of a story beat. I thought it was one of the most explicit references to other titles. It's got a full statue of the goddess from SS, and holds the hero's tunic.
 
aerie

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I'll give this a watch later on. The more time passes and the more I reflect on the BoTW, the more I love it. It's such an incredible game.
 
ckareset

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At around 37:00 he describes the Wii U and doesnt realize it lol. Even forgets the sheika slate should have been the wii u
 
Vigamox

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I used to like Joseph's stuff, but recently a lot of his appeal is dwindling for me. As many others have mentioned, I think he focuses too much on small, minute flaws and spends forever describing why it's bad, and seems to make claims with the air of them being objective facts. He comes off as having a really snobby attitude that he didn't used to have. All those supporters on Patreon and Twitch have really gotten to his head.

Speaking of Twitch, watching any of his recent streams really shows how insufferable he can be. He was complaining about how Mr. X in RE2 can't enter the clock tower room, after only learning of this fact when told by the chat (he had no idea beforehand). He then proceeded to spend the next twenty minutes trying to bait Mr. X into the room, laughing and complaining about how it was so bad.

Matthew definitely remains my favorite critic, and this review was enjoyable. Plus, if you ever get a chance to watch Matthew stream it's very enjoyable as well (his stream of a Devil's Third playthrough was especially great).
 
Kinsei

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A good critique that perfectly encapsulates why I don't like the game. I need those extrinsic rewards.
 
Charamiwa

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I thought a lot about ways to make the final boss more engaging (without falling into the trap of asking for more content as if that was easy) and his idea that the four beast would each brings element of the engine that you could use against Ganon is brilliant. Great way to finish the game off with some of that freedom and ingenuity.

But I made my peace with that final boss, it was disappointing but it's clear that it was not the focus of the devs at all. Pick your battles, as he says in that video.
 
Cess007

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Finished. Again, I really love Mat review, and he touches pretty much all the points that shape my opinion, and while he's more enthusiam than me, I agree overall with his review.

Sense of place and exploration is unparalleled; but combat, dull climbing, broken puzzles and shrines, unsatisfactory story, an ocassional empty world and a disppointing final boss brings are things that bring the games down. Still, when the good things in the game get together, the game can be quite an unique experience.

The only thing I don't agree with him is the music, but he seems to really liked it. Overall, one of the best analysis of the game.
 
Capra

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I love how chill this particular critique is. He addresses the areas where he sees room for improvement but acknowledges the reasons the developers may have made the choices they did. He gives praise where praise is due and approaches the game based on the developers' goals, offering constructive feedback for how they could better attain those goals in the future. It's a very fair overview.
 
theotherMittens

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Odeko said:
I'm honestly not a huge fan of him either. He doesn't quite strike the balance of objective facts balanced out with subjective critiques to be in the top tier of long-form gaming essayist crowd. Obviously that'll be a different point for everyone, but he often presents his clearly opinionated takes as being objective flaws which can be a bit annoying.

Also he gave Hollow Knight an 8/10 which is unforgivable
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He gave Hollow Knight WHAT
 

Rogue Agent

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That was really fun to watch and makes me look forward to the next Zelda even more.

After watching this video, I now really want the next Zelda to have Link in another land that's not Hyrule, simply because it has the potential to improve exploration as you discover new races, lore, etc.
 
jonjonaug

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Spinluck said:
Is this another YouTuber that over analyzing everything therefore can't enjoy anything or do they offer critique worth watching?

Very hard to sit down for anything on YouTube that's close to an hour.
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EDIT: Never mind I'm dumb and confused this guy with Joe Anderson

Odeko said:
I'm honestly not a huge fan of him either. He doesn't quite strike the balance of objective facts balanced out with subjective critiques to be in the top tier of long-form gaming essayist crowd. Obviously that'll be a different point for everyone, but he often presents his clearly opinionated takes as being objective flaws which can be a bit annoying.

Also he gave Hollow Knight an 8/10 which is unforgivable
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I've liked some of his videos but his Odyssey one was awful. Could basically be summed up as "I don't like that less skilled players can also get enjoyment out of this game and be rewarded for doing things in the same way I was for doing harder things".
 
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Hentz

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he sais he was gonna talk about Eventide Island but im pretty sure he didnt? or maybe I missed it....
 
Evil Lucario

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I'm currently on my third playthrough of BotW but the more I play it, the more I'm really loving the game. I actually did not really like traditional Zelda for various reasons, but BotW was the first Zelda game since Zelda II to really hook me. On my second playthrough I started to really get into the game, and now on my third playthrough I'm absolutely REALLY digging so much stuff in the game.

Even in this review I learned stuff I never knew. BotW is just so well designed.
 
Pascal

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theotherMittens said:
He gave Hollow Knight WHAT
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For what it's worth, I'm fairly certain JA did his Hollow Knight review before some updates dropped that addressed a few of his issues with the game. He's mentioned that he's going to do a second video on Hollow Knight in the near future with these updates taken into consideration. And he seemed really excited for Silksong as well.

I don't really remember a score being attached to his review though, an 8/10 is news to me.
 

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Capra said:
I love how chill this particular critique is. He addresses the areas where he sees room for improvement but acknowledges the reasons the developers may have made the choices they did. He gives praise where praise is due and approaches the game based on the developers' goals, offering constructive feedback for how they could better attain those goals in the future. It's a very fair overview.
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I think I'm more surprised at how high he is on the game, I never excpected him to have liked it quite this much, I guess.

Pascal said:
We'll see I guess. BotW just really inspires optimism in me, despite my better judgement.
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I really want to be optimistic too haha, and I have no doubt the next game will be amazing, but I don't know if it will be special like BotW is special.

BeaconofTruth said:
Both did one. Anderson was as usual more detailed n thorough, but way too long. Matthew has great broad points, but his details were either wack or a patented Matt scrub talk moment.
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I think the Matt one was the one I watched (I started watching both just now and I am sure Matt's one is the one I liked); that was more negative on the game than Era would have liked, I think, but I found it to be, as usual, on point. Watching Anderson's now.
What's your take on Matt's BOTW one?
 
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Odeko

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theotherMittens said:
He gave Hollow Knight WHAT
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Basically his main gripe was pacing and lack of end-game content, though that second one has definitely been somewhat-rectified by the free DLC.

He thought the upgrades were doled out too slowly and then once you got all of them, there wasn't enough to put your full moveset to the test.

I was mostly kidding on the 8/10 being unforgivable. I definitely don't fault those critiques especially on the launch version on the game — I'm just not as big of a fan of his style of critique.
 
Jencks

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Amazing critique, as expected from Mathew. I never even picked up on some of that environmental storytelling stuff he points out.
 
Zelretch

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Phantom Thief said:
I think I'm more surprised at how high he is on the game, I never excpected him to have liked it quite this much, I guess.
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it was pretty similar to his wishes in the zelda comparison so i saw that coming, that plus in the God of War video he complained mostly about the lack of focus of the game and how it did not did anything particularly impresive or unique which is quite the opposite of BotW (an hiperfocused game)
 

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Zelretch said:
it was pretty similar to his wishes in the zelda comparison so i saw that coming, that plus in the God of War video he complained mostly about the lack of focus of the game and how it did not did anything particularly impresive or unique which is quite the opposite of BotW (an hiperfocused game)
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I think the reason I expected him to be more negative is because he had very specific wishes for the Hard Mode that the game just didn't... meet (Master Mode, on the contrary, is awful). That said, he does acknowledge that, but this is what I like about him, he acknowledges that while understanding the game was still great at what it set out to do.
Ironically enough, as much as I agreed on a lot of things he said in the GoW video, I do disagree that the game didn't have focus, it did, I just think that for a player like him, the focus it had was not satisfactory.
 
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