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Is The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild the most acclaimed game of all time?

Soulnado

Soulnado

Alt account
Banned
Nov 7, 2019
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People love their GOTY talks, so l thought this would be interesting.

Facts:
- The Witcher 3 holds the record for being the game that has received the most awards of all time, at least going by that GOTY Blog that tracks every award that is brought to their attention. https://gotypicks.blogspot.com/2015/09/2015-game-of-year.html
- The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild won almost every award, and specially big awards (biggest publications, organizations, etc.), when it came out in 2017. However, the number of GOTYs received is lower than that of Witcher 3, because the overall total count for that year was also lower. https://gotypicks.blogspot.com/2017/09/2017-game-of-year.html
- BOTW ranks in the top 10 best ranked games of all time in Metacritic
- BOTW has topped the lists of best game of the decade a whooping 17 times, with the closest competition having 14 less awards. https://www.metacritic.com/feature/best-videogames-of-the-decade-2010s
- Respected magazine EDGE crowned Zelda Breath of the Wild the best game of all time https://nintendoeverything.com/edge-ranks-the-top-100-greatest-games-2017-edition/

Either Zelda Breath of the Wild is enjoying the longest honeymoon period ever, or this is the most acclaimed/awarded game of all time.

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Is there something else that can be in the same conversation as BOTW? Whenever this conversation was made prior to 2017, Ocarina of Time was another extremely common answer, but I'm interested to hear if there are other games that have earned the same amount of critical acclaim.

Discuss.
 
Phendrift

Phendrift

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Oct 25, 2017
32,420
Probably so, yeah. The classics from the early 2000s and before can't really match up because less awards were given out, and it's definitely the most acclaimed of the '10s
 
The Unsent

The Unsent

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Oct 25, 2017
19,481
I think you've got to include a lot of 'greatest games ever' polls. BOTW is loved but has mediocre dungeons, a unmemorable story and a comical weapon durability system, we'll see how it will age, depending on how much the sequel improves upon it. In comparison I believe Ocarina was considered a more well rounded experience.
 
DeusOcha

DeusOcha

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Oct 25, 2017
1,591
Osaka, Japan
Sure, I'd believe it. There's also the tidbit that the Zelda series (and Nintendo in general) are way more popular than the fandom of the Witcher games/media. And I say this as a big Witcher series fan. Alot more people are aware of Zelda and Link than Geralt of Rivia.
 
Damn Silly

Damn Silly

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Oct 25, 2017
7,228
Sheer number of awards (GOTY, GOTD, GOTG etc), probably, because there are so many more different outlets nowadays.
As a percentage of the outlets around at their respective time though, I feel like (I definitely haven't done the math here, to be fair!) Ocarina of Time is probably more acclaimed on that front. Not that that should take away from the awards BOTW has received though.
 
The Unsent

The Unsent

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Oct 25, 2017
19,481
Damn Silly said:
Sheer number of awards (GOTY, GOTD, GOTG etc), probably, because there are so many more different outlets nowadays.
As a percentage of the outlets around at their respective time though, I feel like (I definitely haven't done the math here, to be fair!) Ocarina of Time is probably more acclaimed on that front. Not that that should take away from the awards BOTW has received though.
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Ocarina I guess has recieved a lot more greatest game ever polls, but it's like about 25 years old.
 

Deleted member 4346

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Ocarina of Time enjoyed much of the same talk around it, but the shine wore off. Breath of the Wild is a significantly more flawed Zelda than OoT. It's not going to be remembered as a top 10 game ever, just like most lists don't put OoT there either.
 
Lobster Roll

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Sep 24, 2019
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♡♪!? said:
I think you've got to include a lot of 'greatest games ever' polls. BOTW is loved but has mediocre dungeons, a unmemorable story and a comical weapon durability system, we'll see how it will age, depending on how much the sequel improves upon it. In comparison I believe Ocarina was considered a more well rounded experience.
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Complaints about dungeons and story are valid, but the weapon durability system isn't "comical". It works perfectly with the combat system in the game, and the player typically ends up with so many weapons that one breaking is a relief after like hour 3.
 
Jimmy Joe

Jimmy Joe

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Aug 8, 2019
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Ocarina's been getting those awards for 21 years and counting; it's going to take Breath of the Wild time to catch up
 
KOfLegend

KOfLegend

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Jun 17, 2019
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I don't know about all time, but definitely the 2010's. I'd say The Last of Us and The Witcher 3 are the only two games that were in the same echelon of critical acclaim the past decade.
 
RestEerie

RestEerie

Banned
Aug 20, 2018
13,618
Of the decade? Maybe.

Of all time? no.

Also, am i suffering from 'Mandala effect' because i remember someone making a thread of similar topic.
 
VXLbeast

VXLbeast

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Nov 28, 2017
185
I think I agree it's a case that can be made.

It's my favorite Zelda game of all time, and I'm in awe of how it could be as good as it is.
 
vestan

vestan

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Dec 28, 2017
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No that's Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 and rightfully so

Stay mad nerds 8) /s
 
The Unsent

The Unsent

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Oct 25, 2017
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Lobster Roll said:
Complaints about dungeons and story are valid, but the weapon durability system isn't "comical". It works perfectly with the combat system in the game, and the player typically ends up with so many weapons that one breaking is a relief after like hour 3.
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We've all heard the explanations, but in the end it still looks stupid when your weapons break after a bit of hitting, like they're made from cardboard and makes combat feel more discouraging that it should be. I'm not a game developer but there has to be another way, (maybe shrines can give your more options including increasing weapons durability) It's up to Nintendo to figure out a way if they want to fix it, they can think of something for the sequel hopefully.
 
Jawbreaker

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Oct 25, 2017
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It's certainly possible. It wouldn't make my top 10 all-time list (Majora's Mask is in there), but I can understand why many feel it's the best game ever made.
 
Lobster Roll

Lobster Roll

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♡♪!? said:
We've all heard the explanations, but in the end it still looks stupid when your weapons break after a bit of hitting, like they're made from cardboard and makes combat feel more discouraging that it should be. I'm not a game developer but there has to be another way, (maybe shrines can give your more options including increasing weapons durability) It's up to Nintendo to figure out a way if they want to fix it, they can think of something for the sequel hopefully.
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Make of cardboard? Yeah, maybe when you're smashing a boko club into a metal shield.

"I'm not a game developer ..." Yeah, no need to explain that. It's a gameplay system that works and the idea of it needing to be "fixed" is what's comical. By no means does the next game need weapon durability, but it works perfectly as intended in BOTW.
 
The Unsent

The Unsent

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Oct 25, 2017
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Lobster Roll said:
Make of cardboard? Yeah, maybe when you're smashing a boko club into a metal shield.

"I'm not a game developer ..." Yeah, no need to explain that. It's a gameplay system that works and the idea of it needing to be "fixed" is what's comical. By no means does the next game need weapon durability, but it works perfectly as intended in BOTW.
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What if Nintendo' improve' it though or make weapons more flexible? Will you still say it was a good system back then.. or will it make the BOTW sequel worse? It's going to be like when people justified the tank controls in Resident Evil, they said that was necessary and it clearly wasn't.
 
Hayama Akito

Hayama Akito

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Oct 25, 2017
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Probably, but for me Ocarina's acclaim was because it was much more than a "great game"... I don't know, but for me the jump from 2D to 3D in that generation hasn't been surpassed in terms of influence and legacy.
 

Deleted member 59109

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It's probably one of or the most acclaimed by journalist standards. I still think it has some issues compared to other Zelda games though. Personally, it barely makes my top 10 of the decade list, though that's both a criticism and a compliment.
 
NookSports

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Oct 27, 2017
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It is, and it's crazy to think how many GOAT games the Zelda series has had... ALTTP, OOT and BOTW
 

Deleted member 3017

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♡♪!? said:
What if Nintendo' improve' it though or make weapons more flexible? Will you still say it was a good system back then.. or will it make the BOTW sequel worse? It's going to be like when people justified the tank controls in Resident Evil, they said that was necessary and it clearly wasn't.
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Tank controls are fine even today (REmake and RE4 are still two of the best games ever made) and a new weapon system for BotW2 won't diminish how great is was in the previous game.
 
Lobster Roll

Lobster Roll

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♡♪!? said:
What if Nintendo' improve' it though or make weapons more flexible? Will you still say it was a good system back then.. or will it make the BOTW sequel worse? It's going to be like when people justified the tank controls in Resident Evil, they said that was necessary and it clearly wasn't.
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Except the tank controls are a design choice of the earlier Resident Evil games and they designed the enemy encounters and the gameplay around those systems. There's an ocean of difference between "I'd prefer this gameplay system" and "this gameplay system needs improvement". Resident Evil's controls might have been the worst example to use, honestly.
 
The Unsent

The Unsent

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OrbitalBeard said:
Tank controls are fine even today and a new weapon system for BotW2 won't diminish how great is was in the previous game.
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In the longer term, a much improved sequel will mean BOTW might not get the consistent greatest game ever status Ocarina got, (and we need a taste of that to say) because Ocarina did almost everything right, story, length, dungeons, world and there was no dodgy mechanics like exploding weapons (for whatever logic people use) Whereas BOTW does scale, world and music really well but sucks at narrative, dungeons and the bosses blur together. Few people argued the Zelda games over the next 15 years improved over Ocarina (it was generally seen as the peak of 3D Zeldas), I'm repeating myself but indeed it was just very well rounded whereas BOTW isn't and excels more at specific things
 
MisterHero

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Oct 25, 2017
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It's not OoT/MM, Super Mario 64, Metroid Prime, Yoshi's Island, Super Mario Bros. 3, etc.

It's okay though
 

Deleted member 59109

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Xavi said:
Bonus question, do y'all think BoTW 2 will be as highly rated as BoTW?
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Honestly who knows with journalists. As long as it has more diverse dungeons and bosses though, it has a good chance of being higher with me. I can't see them going back on the world style of BotW which was its biggest strength.
 
Cloud-Strife

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DeusOcha said:
It did?

olAfnUO.png


www.metacritic.com

Best Video Games of the Decade (2010-19)

What were the best games of the 2010s? Find out as we rank the decade's highest-scoring releases and compile of best-of-the-decade top 10 lists from a variety of video game publications.
www.metacritic.com www.metacritic.com
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I don't care about journalist reviews.. they are wrong most of the time imo.

Users are the only metric that really matters and TLOU was chosen game of the decade for Metacritic Users.
 
Hero

Hero

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Oct 25, 2017
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Cloud-Strife said:
I don't care about journalist reviews.. they are wrong most of the time imo.

Users are the only metric that really matters and TLOU was chosen game of the decade for Metacritic Users.
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Journalist reviews are wrong most of the time, but anonymous internet users? They're never wrong!
 
The Unsent

The Unsent

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Lobster Roll said:
Except the tank controls are a design choice of the earlier Resident Evil games and they designed the enemy encounters and the gameplay around those systems. There's an ocean of difference between "I'd prefer this gameplay system" and "this gameplay system needs improvement". Resident Evil's controls might have been the worst example to use, honestly.
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The shattering weapons are a design choice but it still sucks and it's just not fun to see the repetitive animations. I want to think more about how to outsmart my opponent with skills and items, not when your weapons will explode and that's where your mind goes to first. That's why it's repetitive and makes combat more dull. You can say it's a design choice about balancing exploration and rewards, but if the fun of combat is compromised, then then has to be room for improvement. Anything else would be an excuse.
 
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