Breath of the Wild reviews and the question

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

Well remember if you don't praise Nintendo and Zelda until your throat is raw, then the fanboayz of the Outer Void will come to you in the night, slowly peel the skin off your genitals with a rusty sprok and then force you to play through the entire Call of Duty: Black Ops story, on Ultra Hard, with only your bleeding genitals. And if you die, you get a glass needle shoved under a fingernail.

So its no real surprise it gets Perfect 10/10. I mean who the hell even has a spork these days?!

Replace Nintendo and Zelda with Sony and Uncharted, you get a more accurate depiction of reality.

Never actually played any of the Uncharted. Any good?
And I'd say Nintendo has the most hardcore of fans

 

[Poetic Nova]

I've been hearing that the new Zelda has quite some slowdown on either platform. If it were any other game it wouldn't have been a 10/10 all over the place. Either way, atleast it seems better than Skyward Sword. But perfect score reviews tend to sound fishy to me.

 

[Las7]

The game might just be that good, I don't buy the whole idea that reviewers aren't being objective - most of them played Horizon Zero Dawn a week ago. Horizon reviewed extremely well, yet most seem to score Zelda above ZDH despite the weaker hardware and the Wii U graphics. If there were real issues with the game we would have seen at least a few reviewers give the game a lower score. The delays for Zelda in the end - ended up very positive for Nintendo. It's undoubtedly going to be one of the best handheld game to be released - so that should ensure that 3DS owners actually have a reason to upgrade.

Here's the thing. I'm fine with the game being that damn good.

But even Horizon got criticisms in the reviews. As good as everyone said the game was, they did go on to explain issues with the game.

Zelda reviews read like a Nintendo wank-fest. And look if you criticize a game and still give it a 10/10, that's fine. But I read reviews for feedback on a given title. I wanna know what works, what doesn't quite fit, all that stuff. And every game has it, every game has opening for feedback, including this one. Yet the reviewers don't bother to mention it.

Maybe there is more issues with Horizon or reviewers played Zelda in portable mode and never noticed frame dips(since it only dips in docked mode). Maybe they are scoring it better because they played it in bed or on the toilet and that has been their dream since being kids - who knows...

 

[CritialGaming]

The game might just be that good, I don't buy the whole idea that reviewers aren't being objective - most of them played Horizon Zero Dawn a week ago. Horizon reviewed extremely well, yet most seem to score Zelda above ZDH despite the weaker hardware and the Wii U graphics. If there were real issues with the game we would have seen at least a few reviewers give the game a lower score. The delays for Zelda in the end - ended up very positive for Nintendo. It's undoubtedly going to be one of the best handheld game to be released - so that should ensure that 3DS owners actually have a reason to upgrade.

Here's the thing. I'm fine with the game being that damn good.

But even Horizon got criticisms in the reviews. As good as everyone said the game was, they did go on to explain issues with the game.

Zelda reviews read like a Nintendo wank-fest. And look if you criticize a game and still give it a 10/10, that's fine. But I read reviews for feedback on a given title. I wanna know what works, what doesn't quite fit, all that stuff. And every game has it, every game has opening for feedback, including this one. Yet the reviewers don't bother to mention it.

Maybe there is more issues with Horizon or reviewers played Zelda in portable mode and never noticed frame dips(since it only dips in docked mode). Maybe they are scoring it better because they played it in bed or on the toilet and that has been their dream since being kids - who knows...

I'm sure there might be some outside influence to playing a console Zelda literally anywhere. But again I wouldn't see that being universal praise. This praise is universal.

Maybe it is that good. I'll find out friday for myself.

 

[CaitSeith]

Well remember if you don't praise Nintendo and Zelda until your throat is raw, then the fanboayz of the Outer Void will come to you in the night, slowly peel the skin off your genitals with a rusty sprok and then force you to play through the entire Call of Duty: Black Ops story, on Ultra Hard, with only your bleeding genitals. And if you die, you get a glass needle shoved under a fingernail.

So its no real surprise it gets Perfect 10/10. I mean who the hell even has a spork these days?!

Replace Nintendo and Zelda with Sony and Uncharted, you get a more accurate depiction of reality.

Never actually played any of the Uncharted. Any good?
And I'd say Nintendo has the most hardcore of fans

I played the first and second one so far. In general they are good: a little weak in gameplay (but not even close as bad or lacking as The Order 1886), ok in story, strong in visuals and cinematics. Personally I enjoyed them.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

Scores are rigged, believe me! Believe me, it's rigged, believe me! #fakereviews

That's definitely one way to put the post-release wave

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

Nintendo's trifecta IPs (Mario, Metroid, Zelda) seem to largely adhere to the Pixar principle as far as being immune to common criticisms. No matter how derivative, formulaic and in some ways shallow (specifically almost everything outside of general game design, but occasionally even that too) a work might be, a great deal is brushed aside because it's just got that "special something"; even when half the time people couldn't even identify what exactly that something is.

Chalk it up to a peculiar little proclivity of human nature.

Technically its a Quadfecta?

Mario, Zelda, Metroid, and Pokemon.

 

[Hawki]

Nintendo's trifecta IPs (Mario, Metroid, Zelda) seem to largely adhere to the Pixar principle as far as being immune to common criticisms.

Cars, Cars 2, Brave, and The Good Dinosaur hardly escaped criticism. Likewise, the only Zelda game I've seen that seems to be immune from criticism (from fans at least) is A Link to the Past (though not from me at least, I don't like that game that much).

It surely isn't story. Zelda games have always had a childish, passable story at best.
It surely isn't combat, there is nothing much to the combat nor really the development of special skills, abilities, magics, etc.
It surely isn't the puzzles, use X item in X spot to solve X puzzle. Though this latest game seems to address that supposedly.
It might be the exploration. From what i've heard, finding secrets and exploring areas are the driving force of these games.

There isn't any one reason that I like Zelda - it varies by game.

For instance, I've played 7 LoZ games to completion, and no set of criticisms could apply to all of them. Of the following:

A Link to the Past has a barebones story, while Twilight Princess and Ocarina of Time are quite good. The other ones fill the spectrum.

The combat is quite good in TP and Wind Waker, but simple in the 2D games.

I generally find the puzzles enjoyable.

Exploration is a factor, but it can take a side-seat to other elements (e.g. doesn't feature as heavily in Twilight Princess as, say, Wind Waker.

There's also a noticable divide between the 2D and 3D games.

I can give you a few reasons why I enjoy Zelda as a series (exploration, themes, characters, narrative, aesthetics, sense of wonderment, etc.), but those features on a by-game basis. There's a formula, but Zelda is a lot more varied than a lot give it credit for.

Technically its a Quadfecta?

Mario, Zelda, Metroid, and Pokemon.

No, not really. Blizzard arguably as a quadfecta with Diablo, StarCraft, Warcraft, and Overwatch. As far as Nintendo's IPs go, I think it's more productive to group them by tiers, e.g.:

Tier 1: Mario, Pokemon, Zelda, possibly Fire Emblem

Tier 2: Metroid, Donkey Kong, Super Smash Brothers

Tier 3: Golden Sun, F-Zero, Advance Wars, etc. (the forgotten IPs)

I think it might be fair to say that their IPs shift between IPs over time. Fire Emblem was definately tier 2 at best before Awakening. Metroid was arguably tier 1 until Corruption. Splatoon is too early to say, Xenoblade is iffy, etc.

If there is a trifecta, I think it would be Mario, Pokemon, and Zelda, as they're practically always guaranteed to have a cycle of releases.

 

[Skatalite]

I don't get it either. The bits I've seen make it look like a mid 80s game. Even before this people kept going crazy over Zelda's trailers and all the ''new'' things it was doing gameplay-wise, but all I saw was Zelda finally catching up to what games have been doing for over a decade now.

 

[stroopwafel]

Granted Breath of the Wild does look really good. Apparently Nintendo did take a few risks with the standard structure for Zelda games. Way more interested in this game than I was in Skyward Sword. If there is one thing I still trust Nintendo with it's how to make a great Zelda game.

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

Nintendo's trifecta IPs (Mario, Metroid, Zelda) seem to largely adhere to the Pixar principle as far as being immune to common criticisms.

Cars, Cars 2, Brave, and The Good Dinosaur hardly escaped criticism. Likewise, the only Zelda game I've seen that seems to be immune from criticism (from fans at least) is A Link to the Past (though not from me at least, I don't like that game that much).

It surely isn't story. Zelda games have always had a childish, passable story at best.
It surely isn't combat, there is nothing much to the combat nor really the development of special skills, abilities, magics, etc.
It surely isn't the puzzles, use X item in X spot to solve X puzzle. Though this latest game seems to address that supposedly.
It might be the exploration. From what i've heard, finding secrets and exploring areas are the driving force of these games.

There isn't any one reason that I like Zelda - it varies by game.

For instance, I've played 7 LoZ games to completion, and no set of criticisms could apply to all of them. Of the following:

A Link to the Past has a barebones story, while Twilight Princess and Ocarina of Time are quite good. The other ones fill the spectrum.

The combat is quite good in TP and Wind Waker, but simple in the 2D games.

I generally find the puzzles enjoyable.

Exploration is a factor, but it can take a side-seat to other elements (e.g. doesn't feature as heavily in Twilight Princess as, say, Wind Waker.

There's also a noticable divide between the 2D and 3D games.

I can give you a few reasons why I enjoy Zelda as a series (exploration, themes, characters, narrative, aesthetics, sense of wonderment, etc.), but those features on a by-game basis. There's a formula, but Zelda is a lot more varied than a lot give it credit for.

Technically its a Quadfecta?

Mario, Zelda, Metroid, and Pokemon.

No, not really. Blizzard arguably as a quadfecta with Diablo, StarCraft, Warcraft, and Overwatch. As far as Nintendo's IPs go, I think it's more productive to group them by tiers, e.g.:

Tier 1: Mario, Pokemon, Zelda, possibly Fire Emblem

Tier 2: Metroid, Donkey Kong, Super Smash Brothers

Tier 3: Golden Sun, F-Zero, Advance Wars, etc. (the forgotten IPs)

I think it might be fair to say that their IPs shift between IPs over time. Fire Emblem was definately tier 2 at best before Awakening. Metroid was arguably tier 1 until Corruption. Splatoon is too early to say, Xenoblade is iffy, etc.

If there is a trifecta, I think it would be Mario, Pokemon, and Zelda, as they're practically always guaranteed to have a cycle of releases.

You should add good Mario Spin off games like Mario Kart and Wario games in Tier 2 which Donkey Kong games are also in the "Mario Spin off" section.

Advance Wars and F Zero definately needs a come back.

I rather have a New F-Zero game than a new Star Fox game.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Nintendo's trifecta IPs (Mario, Metroid, Zelda) seem to largely adhere to the Pixar principle as far as being immune to common criticisms. No matter how derivative, formulaic and in some ways shallow (specifically almost everything outside of general game design, but occasionally even that too) a work might be, a great deal is brushed aside because it's just got that "special something"; even when half the time people couldn't even identify what exactly that something is.

Chalk it up to a peculiar little proclivity of human nature.

Technically its a Quadfecta?

Mario, Zelda, Metroid, and Pokemon.

I think Metroid's been forsaken for so long it doesn't count any more. Not counting Federation Force - and why would anybody - the last proper game came out in 2010 (and the last good game long before that). In contrast Mario, Zelda and Pokemon have regular releases (usually a main game every 3 or 4 years with lots of portable shovelware in between).

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

ProJared gave Breath of the Wild a 10 out of 10!!!:

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

Nintendo's trifecta IPs (Mario, Metroid, Zelda) seem to largely adhere to the Pixar principle as far as being immune to common criticisms. No matter how derivative, formulaic and in some ways shallow (specifically almost everything outside of general game design, but occasionally even that too) a work might be, a great deal is brushed aside because it's just got that "special something"; even when half the time people couldn't even identify what exactly that something is.

Chalk it up to a peculiar little proclivity of human nature.

Technically its a Quadfecta?

Mario, Zelda, Metroid, and Pokemon.

I think Metroid's been forsaken for so long it doesn't count any more. Not counting Federation Force - and why would anybody - the last proper game came out in 2010 (and the last good game long before that). In contrast Mario, Zelda and Pokemon have regular releases (usually a main game every 3 or 4 years with lots of portable shovelware in between).

Gameplay wise I thought Metroid Other M was fine I bought and beat that game. It was not the worse game I have ever played.

And well Metroid Prime 3 still felt like a step down compared to Metroid Prime 2. This is how I rank the games from Top Best to Bottom Least:

Metroid Prime 1: Have my Babies Samus - level of Good.
Super Metroid
Metroid Prime 2
Metroid 2 Return of Samus Fan Remake
Metroid Zero Mission
Metroid Fusion
Metroid Prime 3
Metroid Other M
Metroid Prime Hunters
Federation Force
The Original Metroid NES and Metroid 2 Return of Samus on the GBA: Shit Tier at this point, and don't say because thier old, Super Mario Bros. and Zelda NES are still playable.

 

[CaitSeith]

Yet the review does say shit about Super Bosses. I love Super Bosses, how come they aren't mentioned in the review? Are they good? Or are they just powered up reskins of other enemies, or cheesefests? I don't know because the reviewer didn't mention them.

Because he doesn't want to spoil them.

*shrugs*

Wait for the LP's then. So far I have heard a common thing: it's Zelda doing open-world the right way. The most common complain is framerate drops.

 

[CaitSeith]

ProJared gave Breath of the Wild a 10 out of 10!!!:

Spoiler

Yeah, I saw that a minute ago. He's usually pretty strict with his scores and has gave given 7s where mainstream media gave 9s or 10s (except with Monster Hunter games).

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Nintendo's trifecta IPs (Mario, Metroid, Zelda) seem to largely adhere to the Pixar principle as far as being immune to common criticisms. No matter how derivative, formulaic and in some ways shallow (specifically almost everything outside of general game design, but occasionally even that too) a work might be, a great deal is brushed aside because it's just got that "special something"; even when half the time people couldn't even identify what exactly that something is.

Chalk it up to a peculiar little proclivity of human nature.

Technically its a Quadfecta?

Mario, Zelda, Metroid, and Pokemon.

I think Metroid's been forsaken for so long it doesn't count any more. Not counting Federation Force - and why would anybody - the last proper game came out in 2010 (and the last good game long before that). In contrast Mario, Zelda and Pokemon have regular releases (usually a main game every 3 or 4 years with lots of portable shovelware in between).

Gameplay wise I thought Metroid Other M was fine I bought and beat that game. It was not the worse game I have ever played.

And well Metroid Prime 3 still felt like a step down compared to Metroid Prime 2. This is how I rank the games from Top Best to Bottom Least:

Metroid Prime 1: Have my Babies Samus - level of Good.
Super Metroid
Metroid Prime 2
Metroid 2 Return of Samus Fan Remake
Metroid Zero Mission
Metroid Fusion
Metroid Prime 3
Metroid Other M
Metroid Prime Hunters
Federation Force
The Original Metroid NES and Metroid 2 Return of Samus on the GBA: Shit Tier at this point, and don't say because thier old, Super Mario Bros. and Zelda NES are still playable.

I don't dispute that you like Other M or Primer 3 or even Federation Force but the fact remains Nintendo doesn't give the series much attention any more. Certainly not as much as Mario, Zelda and Pokemon.

 

[crypticracer]

You have the initial wave of reviews based on reviewers having to finish in a particular time frame, then the backlash as people over estimate the importance of certain things to contrast the initial reviews. After that, we get a better picture of how the game will be remembered overall.

That said, Link to the Past was perfect, so there is presedence.

 

[crypticracer]

So, according to ProJared, it has simpler combat and barely any main dungeons. I also didn't see any NPCs or deeply wooded areas. It looks good, but not that good. I'm not convinced that making Zelda so open was the right move.

That said, Link to the Past was perfect, so there is presedence.

Was it? I never finished it. 10/10 doesn't mean perfect.

I was being slightly flippant. But i can't actually think of anything I would change, so I'll stand by it for now. Even Windwaker had that awfully designed sailing mechanic. I would love to play the HD version since it sounds like they fixed that.

No plans to get a Switch, but maybe I will pick up a Wii U when the price drops ridiculously. It can be my Zelda playing machine.