The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

[Keth]

 

 

how's it going by you axels?

 

 

Welp http://theconcourse.deadspin.com/god-help-me-i-dont-like-the-new-legend-of-zelda-game-1793718635

[The NZA]

...yeah, that dude's a lost cause, reads like he's just staying around the same areas, using his best weapons on random (easily avoided) moblins and the like.

 

kinda stopped reading around "post-apocalyptic setting" as a negative since literally the last few games have done variants on that take, but i was talking with space cowboy last night about just how very broken this game would be without broken weapons. like we'd prolly be right back at having 3-5 tops including the master sword (and i was telling him how even that doesn't screw up the formula here, which is great).

 

i'd say do what you're doing & put it down for a while, man. i dropped demons souls for an entire year and other games i ended up loving for half that before coming back right & discovering their greatness.

 

*edit: this dude's really gonna say he's a zelda fan & thinks "drudge past the rougher early points for the good ones!" is a new critique? welcome to at least 10 years back my dude

[Little Nemo McFly]

Yikes - that was a harsh...review??? LOL

 

That 'review' boiled down to the reviewer having 'limited game-playing time'. Dude has only 5-6 hours a week - free to play video games - and he doesn't want to spend it exploring / wandering. Sez he doesn't have the time to 'earn rewards' - wants a video game that delivers immediacy. LOL - hell of a game review for someone who only put in 4 hours...and quit.

 

It's different strokes. I was the only one in my circle growing up who was into Zelda - my buds thought Ocarina of Time sucked because there's too much reading. You can imagine...

 

(clears throat) Some people also think the original Zelda doesn't need a map.

 

There's very different kinds of Zelda - not everybody is gonna love every kind of Zelda. I loved the original and grew up w/ the series since the beginning - so something like this (gameplay-wise) is right up my alley.

 

People who play FPS, play for a certain kind of experience - same goes w/ platformers, RPGs...ect. I think expectations for a Zelda game / 'Breath of the Wild' kinda fall into 'where in the Zelda series one was introduced to it'...'what game defines Zelda for you?'

 

BotW is not A Link to the Past...or Ocarina of Time...it's more akin to the original - and I've said many a time - I firmly believe gamers today could not handle the original...because it needs a map...LOL!!! Can you imagine BotW without a map?! Forcing people to hand-draw...ah, damn - I miss the 80s.

 

Seriously, tho - I can see how people just 'don't have time for that' when it comes to BotW...but, it's in no way 'broken'.

 

Edited March 30, 2017 by Little Nemo McFly

[The NZA]

that's a good point, i assume most younger people came in on OoT, but i'm working with a dude who started with Wind Waker & doesn't care for anything before that (...).

 

related: finished this up last night, and damn...i really think they outdid themselves here. nemo's onto something with so many little things throwing back/honoring the original one, but as a huge fan of that & LTTP, i recognized the importance of Ocarina - the jump to 3D, the revolutionary mechanics allowing you to move so well for its time, the incredible vastness of Hyrule field, day/night cycles - it was just so tremendous for a point when said jump was still so new & so many classic series were stumbling over the heavy effort of preserving enough for people to feel like it was the same series, but still make it fun (Castlevania, etc). part of me has always thought OoT stays on its pedestal because barring VR or something, i couldn't picture nearly as big a leap.

 

but after the last 3 zeldas - all of which i enjoyed, but all of them showing the age of the formula to varying degrees - they just really outdid themselves here. the tremendous overworld that invites you to explore places you clearly don't belong yet, the seemingly endless ways to handle different encounters, the balance of a system that doesn't really "penalize" you (autosaves are plentiful, and even if you save while in an ass-whupping, the game will usually load you up right before said encounter so you can think it through, etc), there's just a lot to love here in a way that i've nod felt since the original.

 

reviews like that one are quick to point at lesser stuff like Skyrim for any comparison they can find, but i don't hear as much about how, say, the approach to lore is a lot more like Metroid Prime: you have to seek it out & kinda earn it yourself, if you want answers on what happened. i spent time before hitting the castle to collect the remaining memories and i was rewarded with more character than i usually get from this series.

 

i'm gonna put it down for a bit but there's so much in that overworld i've still yet to see...debating buying the season pass at some point cause i know i'll wanna be around for the new content later this year. this really feels like a new high mark for the series.

[Little Nemo McFly]

related: finished this up last night

 

 

 

 

Weeks! The game took weeks to just do a basic-ass, comfortable play-through! There hasn't been a legit, connected Hyrule since Twilight - the Wii launch - hell of a return! They rebooted and brought that shit back to the NES era! The freakin' world is giant, dangerous and it will kick. your. ass...if ya ain't got the mustard. Legit puzzles n' riddles scattered throughout - random wandering folk peppered here n' there - plenty of monsters w/ confrontations risky enough to consider...to just keep moving.

 

There's only this and the OG Zelda that're like that. Baaaallsy - I don't see them doing this again. Glad to see the vast majority of people 'got it' - and liked it. They did it right. They took their time. Hope whatever DLC comes - will just be plugged into this world. They could keep this game going for a bit - they kept Hyrule Warriors supported for a long-ass while, w/ legit content. Maybe more enemy types? Sum Red land Octoroks...Blue BULLDOG Moblins...Likes-Likes...I looked all over - no graveyard?! Poes at night? Ghoma? Dodongos?

 

This has to be in the DLC 'sequel'...

 

That Dark Beast-thing from Twilight that they seem to be sticking w/ () had it's run - I need me an epic sword-fight w/ a blue, biped pig! Bring his ass back!

 

TIMELINE!!! Dunno - if that interests you, but I like to know placement relative to the other games. I always thought the games have always been clear as to placement - if you played the games, I mean - it's always been clear to me. The only issue for me was A Link to the Past / NES sequels' placement - in either the Adult or Child Timeline. Hyrule Historia: "In the Downfall Timeline" Oh. (cough)

 

Still not sure 'bout this one, the game seems to directly reference all Timelines...but, I'm leaning toward post-NES games (Downfall). Dunno if you found all the tablets in Zora's Domain, yet (don't wanna spoil that for you...)

 

 

[Keth]

It's my own fault I don't like this game. This is one of the few pieces of media that I did a semi blackout on. I watched the last big trailer before it released and a couple gameplay ones before, but other than that I really went in blind. I just had confidence in it. I think if I consumed every piece of info before it came out, expected different of it I would be having a better time with it. I went in not just high expectations, but completely different ones. I just thought it was gonna be a different game.

 

I'm focusing on Horizon and NieR right now. And with Persona 5 and Yooka-Laylee about to be here I won't be coming back to this for some time I think. Hopefully I can shift my feelings around until then. Maybe get it on the Switch when I can finally get my hands on one of those.

[The NZA]

fair enough - ill say this, i don't think there's too much difference with the switch version, though it's been nice getting shrines done on the go!

[Little Nemo McFly]

Nintendo just dropped a big patch for BotW...

 

 

Not completely obliterated but, "Less severe and last for shorter durations..." I'll take it.

 

I really hope Nintendo maintains constant support of this game - I'm thinking they will. I'm taking this as a good sign.

 

I keep coming back to the damn game - and not being able to put it down. I'm basically just soaking in all the little details - models / animation - (ever just watch a group of Moblins or Bokoblins? LOL - brilliant) Still trying to fill out my Compendium and I find myself trying to take better shots of gear, monsters n' creatures. The game does have a different feel once Shrines are done...

[Little Nemo McFly]

Has anyone else beat it, yet? So what path did everyone carve for themselves? I...

 

 

 

...did the Zora first - then the giant iguana monster on Death Mountain, the Camel at the desert and I saved the Rito for last. I figured that would be the most lovely-looking...so I saved that for last.

 

Before I beat the game (after smiting the Divine Beasts), I did a couple of reconnaissance runs @ Hyrule Castle. One, basically picking apart the exterior - looking for secret entrances, hidden outdoor swag...then, much later - did an 'indoor' run. NZA mentioned earlier he did a run going for the Hyrulian Shield...now, how'd he know it was in there? - LOL I found it right before I declared the Castle 'done' and went for Ganon - I basically found the shield at the very end of the game. I was worried it wasn't in the game, at all! Then - 'Dah-na-na-na-naaah!'

 

I got the Master Sword right after I finished the desert area (3rd Beast, for me). I had maxed out my stamina stuffs before I started to build up my heart containers - so I had to swap out pretty much all my Shrine Orbs, so I could get it - which I then quickly swapped back. (Dying trying to pull out the Master Sword is so awesome.)

 

Anyone going for 100%? There's stuff to do post-plot...aside from Shrines and Korok Seeds. If you talk to Kilton @ Fang n' Bone, he asks that you kill all the giant monsters of the world. The game apparently has been saving that progress, since the beginning - keeping track of the ones you've killed before you beat the game...a little indicator pops up when you encounter them post-plot, letting you know if you've killed it already. (They'll respawn after a Blood Moon).

 

My gf picked it up last night (I stepped away to do the dishes and she asked for the controller) Her only experience w/ Zelda is OOT on 3DS - which I applaud she finished w/out any googling - but never finished Majora. It's one of those games you can't walk away from and just pick back up later - you hafta commit.

 

She wasn't bold enough to take on any Hinox or Stone Talus, but enjoyed just experimenting and soaking in the world. The game seriously throws sum majestic moments at you - areas never look the same way twice. Unless you're standing on X spot @ 3:43pm and it just finished raining and fog begins to drop...you ain't getting that same moment. It's sooo awesome when you catch those moments - the ones that can't be duplicated.

 

She was doing sum climbing and felt the sting of slippery mountains. I haven't tested it this out - but she had the great idea of just finding a cave or a nook in the mountain and pulling a LotR: build a fire and 'pass the time'. She figured if you find a spot w/ sum cover - you can just throw down sum wood and flint, (gotta hit the flint w/ a metal weapon) and build a little campfire and just 'sit till morning' or whenever. Instead of testing it - she just jumped off the mountain and went somewhere else - 'test that out on your own time'.

 

It's strange watching someone else play and seeing their thought-process play out. There's no...'you're doing it wrong.'

 

This also needs to be an unlockable skin.

 

LOL! Gotta feeling he would've loved the game. His daughter (Zelda) did a BotW live-stream for charity. RIP - Robin. MISSSSED.

 

 

 

[Little Nemo McFly]

http://www.polygon.com/2017/4/4/15177026/the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-open-world

 

OPEN-WORLD 'BREATH OF THE WILD' TO BE THE NEW STANDARD FOR ZELDA GAMES.

 

 

In an interview with Famitsu, longtime series producer Eiji Aonuma suggested that Zelda games will likely continue using expansive, open-world settings.

When asked by Famitsu whether Zelda games will continue to use the unique of Breath of the Wild, Aonuma teased that we’d see more open-world Zelda in the future.

“I think that, in the future, open air games will be the standard for Zelda,” Aonuma said.

[Little Nemo McFly]

 

Pre-tty keeew. I dig the swag / gear.

 

Knew it! A Korok Seed locator. Hopefully that Master Sword does become...un-drainable. That and the addition of the 8-bit sound fxt of a fully-charged Master Sword beam would be killer.

 

ka-chiiing! ka-chiiing!

 

Hoping that 'multiple rooms w/ enemies' thing has sum 'new' classic enemies. All sounds pretty good - getting the bundle. 2nd DLC has that extra story / sequel stuff. 20 bucks for everything? Eh - I'll take it.

[Little Nemo McFly]

DLC trailer - pretty much what we already know...but a tease at the end of what the 2nd Pack will be.

 

[Little Nemo McFly]

I finally finished the 'Trial of the Sword' and unlocked the 'true splendor' of the Master Sword.

 

 

 

 

The Master Sword is pretty much 'on' all the time.

 

I've tried to drain / break it - nothing yet. I'm on my way to collect the costumes / masks - the game doesn't just give 'em to you - you gotta go out n' get 'em. They're scattered at various Hyrule locales. Gonna finish pickin' up all the DLC swag n' hunt down sum Korok seeds / explore w/ pretty much a lightsaber ensuring smooth passage.

 

 

'Trial of the Sword' is 3 tiers - easy, medium n' hard. Can't save during - can save after each tier. Last one is brooo-tuuuuhl. Edge of your seat engagement.

 

It's all combat - no puzzles. Item / health / weapon management...plus combat skills are the real challenge.

 

Gotta know those enemies...

 

Dunno if worth 20 bucks - but ya gotta buy the whole 'DLC pack'...soooo. Maybe the upcoming 2nd part / additional story part will make me not feel like such a chump. I'd say what's available is about 10 bucks worth. (shrugs)

 

EDIT / UPDATE: Master Sword did eventually run out of juice. Still takes 10 min to recharge - but it dishes out way more damage than before and seriously took a long-ass time of non-stop use to start sputtering.

 

 

 

EDIT: Update...

Edited July 5, 2017 by Little Nemo McFly

[Little Nemo McFly]

I am hoooooked on 'Breath of the Wild' again.

 

I couldn't stop till I found all the Shrines and I ended up spending the evening yesterday just hunting Korok Seeds.

 

I put the Korok mask on - and just rode from one side of Hyrule to the other. I found well over a hundred Koroks. Since you don't have to 'turn over every rock' anymore - you will get lost and just end up throwing yourself into oddest places seeing if a Korok is nearby. The mask has a pretty good range and will let you know if a Korok is hiding nearby.

 

You really start to look at the environment differently - when you revisit 'em. Sometimes there idn't anything in really suspicious places but a pocket of 'em in plain sight. I don't expect to find 'em all - and even if - the reward really blows. It's more 'something new to do' in that huge-ass Hyrule. Finding Koroks feels a bit more fun w/ a 'Korok detector'...I guess the only real reward is in the hunt / discovery itself. (shrugs) Really wish there was sum bad-ass reward for gettin' 'em all. Honestly, my biggest criticism about the entire game.

 

The Tingle outfit and Majora's Mask look great - but like the Korok Mask, none of that shit can be upgraded...so, gettin' caught in a battle while out struttin' your stuff - is like instant 'Hard Mode'. It's like you're wearing nothing but dryer sheets. Could easily get wiped out by a couple of lucky swipes from a Bokoblin, even w/ max hearts. I haven't touched that Master Mode - no need.

 

[The NZA]

damn. so it's worth going back in for the DLC? maybe i shoulda bought that pass

[Keth]

Ended up buying this for he Switch and I have to say, I'm enjoying it much more than I was on the WU. Pretty sure its because Im using a better controller than he huge pad. 

 

Breakable weapons are still bullshit. Stamina meters are still bullshit. However, I'm playing it smarter I think and am enjoying the world much more. I think once I invest in a pro controller I'll like it even more. 

[Little Nemo McFly]

On 11/2/2017 at 5:46 PM, Axels said:

I'm enjoying it much more than I was on the WU. Pretty sure its because Im using a better controller than he huge pad. 

 

I still can't believe 'the Switch' is actually smaller than the Wii U Gamepad.

 

Glad you're giving the game a second shot - it's worth it.  It's totally not a lazy cash-grab.  There's magic in there...you just gotta play by 'it's rules'.

 

Where the hell is new news 'bout DLC pack 2?

[The NZA]

yeah i'd just read it's post-ending stuff, which is pretty exciting.  really should grab that season pass but i'm waiting to dive back in. 

[The NZA]

update!

 

Zelda Breath of the Wild DLC 2 still planned for this year

But first, here’s your minor but hopefully reassuring Zelda update:

Nintendo detailed the second Breath of the Wild expansion at E3 in June, dubbing it the Champion’s Ballad, and promising a sizeable add-on adventure. But the company did not provide a release date during an expansive September online showcase of Nintendo’s holiday line-up, only providing a November 10 release date for a new array of Amiibo figures for the champion characters highlighted in the expansion. Asked if the Amiibo release dates indicated the date for the expansion as well, Fils-Aime said: “We will shortly be announcing the date for that content, so I would not lock and load on November 10th.”

[Little Nemo McFly]

 

I'm suddenly reminded of when BotW had a 2015 release date...

[Little Nemo McFly]

 

[Little Nemo McFly]

 

[The NZA]

...out now?! but im not ready for more zelda yet

[Keth]

I wonder if that motorcycle breaks after 5 seconds of driving?

[The NZA]