Ya, the first time I played I went the wrong way and didnt know it, so I gave up. I was talking to someone months later, at found out I went the wrong way lol. I wouldnt mind seeing your thoughts on it if you do end up trying it out.
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Is the tide of public opinion turning against BOTW?
- Thread starter ZixlerBavala
- Start date
If anything, I feel like people talk about it in a more positive light then they did a month after launch.
I wonder. Like I said combat encounters are hit or miss in new GoW. The actual combat is super satisfying tho. Maybe people speak about it because it just changed whole direction to what GoW is? Like what RE was before RE4 and what RE is after RE4? Right? Otherwise I have no idea. Whats strange, that you are interested in it, since the general movement and combat is also very deliberate and animation heavy. Tho it feels way way better than either TLOU or W3.
It did not take almost a year to get to that point, it took a few months. GTA4 was not even a factor in the GotY for its own year, that was dominated by Fallout 3 and MGS4.
On the contrary I'm finally getting past the 20 hours that kept leaving me hanging dry and beating more divine beasts and I'm leaning a bit more towards a favorable viewpoint and am in support of this formula being done once again on the principle that they up the ante with story and more next time.
Pulling a BotW twice is hard and I seriously doubt it will happen on the same scale but really I find that the game is like this nice expansive prototype of a new cool formula but it doesn't manage to keep itself well paced as a "do whatever you want but also please save the world" game. I find every time I finally get to the end of a Divine Beast and there's these beautifully produced cutscenes and voice acting I go "oh right! This game has cutscenes and stuff!" And I just don't feel the context or the emotion of any of it because it's simply too sparse and SO different from the vast majority of its game time. Also, Ganon being a character and not a blob would've really just given the game that little something which it so sorely lacks.
It really does feel like the Metal Gear Solid V of Zelda to me; they gotta do better with story next time, and figure out a possible way to make the pacing feel right regardless of how much the player likes the overworld and wants to chill.
Pulling a BotW twice is hard and I seriously doubt it will happen on the same scale but really I find that the game is like this nice expansive prototype of a new cool formula but it doesn't manage to keep itself well paced as a "do whatever you want but also please save the world" game. I find every time I finally get to the end of a Divine Beast and there's these beautifully produced cutscenes and voice acting I go "oh right! This game has cutscenes and stuff!" And I just don't feel the context or the emotion of any of it because it's simply too sparse and SO different from the vast majority of its game time. Also, Ganon being a character and not a blob would've really just given the game that little something which it so sorely lacks.
It really does feel like the Metal Gear Solid V of Zelda to me; they gotta do better with story next time, and figure out a possible way to make the pacing feel right regardless of how much the player likes the overworld and wants to chill.
It's a really good game but I feel like it gets a shitload of praise for things that have been done before in tons of open-world games.
Watching Joseph Anderson's video on it also illuminated just how poorly designed the combat, shrines and final sequence are.
Watching Joseph Anderson's video on it also illuminated just how poorly designed the combat, shrines and final sequence are.
Some people are intent on perpetuating the Zelda Cycle. But BotW is such a radical shakeup for the series, it can't be automatically applied to it. Sure, the next Zelda may add things that expose gaping holes in BotW, but aside from the weak dungeon consensus and a minute handful of people that don't like its (intentional) lack of direction and focus, there's no real or even simmering outcry ATM. This time, Nintendo just did too many things right, from the gameplay mechanics to the sound design to the graphics engine, to get the hate ball rolling. Even the big initial complaint, the breakable weapons, has shown itself to work within BotW's carefully crafted ecosystem - I barely hear anybody majorly against them anymore. The only complaint I personally have aside from opinions (the music doesn't have enough melody and bombast) and nitpicks (Hyrule Castle is less a proper game-ending test than it is just another place to visit) is a lack of replay value, in a game that's given me around 250 hours of satisfying non-DLC playtime.
So I say, throw away your worries and enjoy the (spoilery!) sights... :)
So I say, throw away your worries and enjoy the (spoilery!) sights... :)
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Weapon durability is not a flaw, it's a design choice that you didn't like.
Personally I loved this, the only time it annoyed me was at the beginning of Master mode, but that's because Master mode is poorly balanced.
Yep, loved the idea of it initially but I practically hated it once I'd finished. Pushed myself to go through the shrines, the side quests, the memories, waiting for the story to kick in... Only to find that most of the interesting elements were confined to some past-tense AVIs. I like my more linear, narrative-driven Zelda games... This just had barely anything to keep me hooked in, barely any driving force to make me care about the journey to the end. And while I fully agree that it's a very solidly-built game with a lovely visual style, the gameplay isn't for me at all.
Where The heck is the voting option for, Yes I've always liked it but have always seen it's flaws? I can't pick a choice here. The lack of proper Zelda dungeons is why I never absolutely loved the game. The beasts were not even close to good enough for me.
I honestly believe that while it innovated the Zelda franchise, I won't be looking back at it too fondly in a few decades because if Nintendo uses this template and fixes the flaws of BOTW (aka making it more like an actual Zelda; dungeon design, more focused storyline etc.) then it would have more of a historical significance then being remembered as the "best Zelda game", for me atleast anyway.
But everyone enjoys different aspects of the series, my favorite Zelda is Majora's Mask so that should tell you enough about which aspects I tend to favor ( ~_o)
Honestly, I just have problems with open world games in general though, the lack of focus makes me really hype initially but after exploring for a few hours I tend to notice the same patterns over and over and get bored. I need more guidance in my game design personally to keep myself engaged. This is a big reason I also favored Majora's Mask over Ocarina of Time (despite the latter being an amazing achievement in gaming history), because unlike OoT where I would just wander off and explore and get bored when I was 10 years old, Majora's mask's premise, story, and smaller world kept me from deviating too much from the 'proper' path.
What I did like though is how hard it was. Reminded me of NES Zelda and LttP.
But everyone enjoys different aspects of the series, my favorite Zelda is Majora's Mask so that should tell you enough about which aspects I tend to favor ( ~_o)
Honestly, I just have problems with open world games in general though, the lack of focus makes me really hype initially but after exploring for a few hours I tend to notice the same patterns over and over and get bored. I need more guidance in my game design personally to keep myself engaged. This is a big reason I also favored Majora's Mask over Ocarina of Time (despite the latter being an amazing achievement in gaming history), because unlike OoT where I would just wander off and explore and get bored when I was 10 years old, Majora's mask's premise, story, and smaller world kept me from deviating too much from the 'proper' path.
What I did like though is how hard it was. Reminded me of NES Zelda and LttP.
The change in direction would definitely play a big factor. It's part of what allowed Resident Evil to blow up and the same seems to be happening for God of War. Hell, the same change in direction is what allowed Breath of the Wild to blow up and get absurd amounts of praise
I don't know. It genuinely looks fun and the combat looks satisfying. I may not necessarily end up liking it as much as most others but it looks way more than fun than most narrative driven games to me. My own brief time with the game was at least fun to boot
Huh...well I know I did something similar when I came across an enemy in Demon's Souls in a corridor. I was mostly just plowing through whatever I came across...and then here comes this red-eyed knight, killing me in one hit. I had to put my controller down for a bit and do something else before I even considered playing the game again
Yeah, absolutely. I haven't even made a thread on ERA yet so, if I end up getting around to it, I'll make a thread on it, for sure
That kind of sounds like semantics, I would consider a design decision I dont like to be a flaw, intentionality doesnt really factor in. There are multiple reasons why weapon durability doesnt work in this game (just like there are reasons why it does work)
Yeah but is it a good ZELDA game?
I kinda got that feeling a few times, even stylistically that Aonuma's exhaustion with the ip had him pushing the team to make something that almost has a completely different vibe than Zelda, more action sci fi anime something during key sequences.
This game is probably going to sell 15 million copies when no other Zelda has ever cleared 9 million and is still a top selling game in every market, lol.
I mean clearly the market is still very interested in this game, that doesn't happen if there's really any significant "backlash" against the game.
I mean clearly the market is still very interested in this game, that doesn't happen if there's really any significant "backlash" against the game.
I would not say my views were influenced by this board or anything reactionary. I enjoyed the game but it wouldnt be in my top 3 Zeldas. Maybe top 5. I had a lot of issues with the divine beasts and the bosses being incredibly unimaginative compared to some of the best in the series. Was not a fan of the breaking mechanic and felt like the world could have been about a 3rd smaller and be more dense.
Also was not a fan of the minimalist music
Also was not a fan of the minimalist music
I still like it as much now as when I first played it, but I never thought it was perfect. It's a very good game with flaws.
Reviewers also took part in a "review event" which almost certainly impacted their initial impressions of the game.
I just bought a Switch in July and BotW was one of the first games I played through. I had high hopes going into it, but eventually realized it's just a huge, empty world with a lot of copy-paste enemy encampments and far too many shrines. Huge disappointment for me, as I'm a big fan of the franchise.
to be honest, this was the first zelda that got my attention. Some friends shared gameplay videos on facebook and everything looked great
Yeah. Same thing they been saying for a year and a half :)
Yep, Tetris is still the greatest game ever created and nobody can convince me otherwise.
On BOTW, I noticed it wasn't perfect when I played it. There are a lot of flaws. But I still loved it more than let's say Mario Odyssey, although I feel like the game has less flaws. No game is objectively perfect. But it can be a perfect experience, where those flaws don't matter anymore.
Haha omg I remember that. And the famous Kane & Lynch Gamespot review was still fresh in everyone's minds. Good times...
I think the next Zelda building on this philosophy will be truly amazing. This Zelda for me, just wasn't fun. Same enemies, weapons breaking, no dungeons, flat side quests... just did nothing for me. It all felt so tedious. Open world design was awe inspiring though.
Can't wait for the next one.
Can't wait for the next one.
hunh? which new generation is that? i mean, the game was released only a year & a half ago :) ...
Kids, breh lol. This is many's first Zelda game.
We're old here. Let's not forget there are other demographics lol.
The "Zelda Cycle" supposedly makes people like the previous interation of Zelda while faced against the newer.
I still don't know a person which likes Skyward Sword more than Breath of the Wild. And when people say that, they are generally talking about the OST's and generally they are comparing the best ones from each game.
Also, I fucking love Breath of the Wild. I have played most of the titles so far, and while my favorite is still A Link to the Past, most of the broken conventions of the franchise were preventing it's evolution. There are still some, like a talking Link or even a female one, but for now the future is brighter for the franchise.
About weapon durability, I missed a way to give the player some unbreakable weapons near to the end of the game. Maybe in a future game they would do that.
I still don't know a person which likes Skyward Sword more than Breath of the Wild. And when people say that, they are generally talking about the OST's and generally they are comparing the best ones from each game.
Also, I fucking love Breath of the Wild. I have played most of the titles so far, and while my favorite is still A Link to the Past, most of the broken conventions of the franchise were preventing it's evolution. There are still some, like a talking Link or even a female one, but for now the future is brighter for the franchise.
About weapon durability, I missed a way to give the player some unbreakable weapons near to the end of the game. Maybe in a future game they would do that.
My wife bought the Switch 3 weeks ago to play Harvest Moon. It turns out she didn't like it. So rather then let the system sit and collect dust, we decided to get Zelda and Bayonetta. I tried to play it and I while I appreciate the mechanics of the stamina bar in Zelda, I couldn't get past the muddy textures in the game. I just can't not notice it to continue. And there's aliasing everywhere. It was very difficult for me to continue playing. Yes I know graphics aren't everything but this game makes the bad parts of the graphics stand out. Artistically it's done very well from what I've seen but doesn't make me want to continue and explore the lands while looks at the terrible textures.
What happens with every Zelda game? People loved it and continue to love it? I don't think that happened with SS or TP.