Nintendo Switch

[Thief]

Judging from the trailer, I prefer the English voice acting.

[Hyo Razuki]

There won*t be dual audio.

[drunkensailor]

Judging from the trailer, I prefer the English voice acting.

agreed

[Anonymous81]

Breath of the Wild receiving MASSIVE acclaim.

Damn. As a Zelda fan, I'm very excited now.

More than 30 10/10 reviews so far. Puts it in the discussion for GOAT with Ocarina of Time. (Subjective, obviously, as I'm sure we all feel Shenmue belongs in that discussion too and is very underrated.)

http://www.metacritic.com/game/switch/t ... ild?ref=hp

[KidMarine]

People said Skyward Sword was better than Ocarina and it turned out to be the worst thing ever made*


*hyperbole

[Thief]

I'm just at a point where I don't trust the opinions of anyone. I'm sure the game is probably fun/good, but I'm skeptical of claims of "best game ever". Usually those games are just popular/good within a "general" mindset of pop culture. It's non-critical claims that get passed around and assumed by the majority. Right now everyone is hyped for Breath of the Wild, and it likely has an influence on the reception. I'll bet it's better than Skyward Sword, but I doubt it's life changing.

[Anonymous81]

Well, I have to say, it's doing a lot of really elegant and beautiful things from a sheer mechanical standpoint in my personal opinion at least.

Combining the emergent gameplay of physics and an open world with typical Nintendo mechanical acumen is a beautiful thing imo. Replacing the traditional Zelda dungeons with physics based puzzles that involve complex manipulations of the entire structure to solve is really ingenious to me.

Being able to experiment physically with absolutely everything in this massive open world, set fires that create updrafts, cook, dye, craft armor on a rudimentary level, etc. as well as the level of difficulty (some of the bosses are brutal... like, sincerely Dark Souls brutal... and there are other things I won't spoil that make the game a cruel mistress in terms of completion,) make this a definite departure for the series.

It's also the most varied feeling Zelda in terms of atmosphere and game systems I've seen so far. And I've played them all. And... It's easily the most ambitious game Nintendo has ever produced imo. And that's NOT hyperbole.

Greatest ever? Ehh... probably not for me. Its continued narrative simplicity (which I actually find charming and expect from a Zelda game, but still,) lack of at least a few more traditional dungeon designs (I always thought Zelda's dungeons were some masterful level design, and I miss that somewhat,) and frame rate issues keep it from earning that title from me.

But best Zelda game ever? That remains to be seen, I have to get 60+ hours under my belt first to declare that. But so far, for me? Yeah, it's shaping up that way. Surpasses Ocarina for me, so far. Something I never thought I would say, because for that to be true, a game has to overcome what Ocarina felt like to me back then, at that age, during the 2D to 3D transition which... I never thought would happen.

But for me, this MAY be my new favorite Zelda of all time. It's that impressive, and that much of a seismic shift in game design for Nintendo. The freedom and sense of magic and wonder are amazing to me.

It's much more than the sum of its parts, and much more than simply Zelda crammed into an open world formula. It's done in a very inimitible "Nintendo" way.

IMHO.

[sand4fish]

Alright Anonymous81, you have just sold me the game. I will pick up a copy tomorrow for WiiU. I dislike the Zelda games because its world outside the dungeons consists of pretty much empty landscapes to go around with your horse, so I was still wary of Breath of the Wild. But after reading your comment and watching a footage in which Link got struck by lightning during a fight because it was raining and he was carrying an ice or lightning rod and actual combat challenge, it got me impressed. The hype has won me over.

[redline]

Alright Anonymous81, you have just sold me the game. I will pick up a copy tomorrow for WiiU. I dislike the Zelda games because its world outside the dungeons consists of pretty much empty landscapes to go around with your horse, so I was still wary of Breath of the Wild. But after reading your comment and watching a footage in which Link got struck by lightning during a fight because it was raining and he was carrying an ice or lightning rod and actual combat challenge, it got me impressed. The hype has won me over.

i played a few zelda games on the game-cube, they looked great but i would ended up getting lost and eventually giving up.

i think you have to be a certain type of gamer to enjoy them,

[Henry Spencer]

Lack of dungeons is a big negative for me. Dungeons ARE Zelda to me, without those, it's just yet another open world game with cel shaded graphics. :/

[Thief]

Lack of dungeons is a big negative for me. Dungeons ARE Zelda to me, without those, it's just yet another open world game with cel shaded graphics. :/

Interesting, because lack of dungeons is sort of a plus for me, oddly enough. The Zelda games I've enjoyed the most are the ones that either had few dungeons (majora's mask, wind waker) or didn't rely on overly puzzly elements in their dungeons (link to the past, zelda 1/zelda2).

I think this is largely due to my interest in exploring and side-questing over solving a planned contraption. A lot of modern zelda puzzles disinterest me because there is usually one way to solve it, it's usually very clear, and the act of solving ultimately becomes a chore.

Majora and Wind Waker had large amounts of side-quests and generally open mechanics of exploration (expansive NPC's in Majora and the ocean in Wind Waker), while the first three zelda games felt like more of a challenge for survival (along-side exploration).

Skyward Sword was very disappointing to me because the whole game felt almost like one big dungeon, contraption after contraption, with little exploration or side-questing. Even the areas you visited were few - often having to retread old areas to solve new contraptions.

So I guess in theory this game should conform to my preferences for Zelda.

[Anonymous81]

It has dungeons. At least five of what I could call "proper" dungeons, but the design sensibility is very different, owing to the design philosophy of the entire game being different.

The design philosophy of this game was called "open air" by Nintendo, which I chuckled at initially and figured it was one of those (and I say this with respect and affection) distinctly Japanese gaming things like F.R.E.E. or the "Soul Breed" system in Agarest War, etc. - a grandiose title for something that's a lot more straightforward. But I now understand what they meant.

The main dungeons can not only be approached from any angle and done in any order, but they are in fact themselves "open air" in the sense that they have openings which, with zero loading, you can enter and exit at your liesure, go away and come back with better equipment, etc. You can see the outside world, and without wanting to spoil anything, the dungeons actually move, so this makes for quite the epic aesthetic and gameplay experience.

The main dungeons consist of complex physics puzzles. Figuring out how to manipulate the entire structure, the platforms therein, and use your abilities (abilities called runes replace most of the traditional Zelda equipment tropes, and while it's a departure... it's done in a VERY distinctly Zelda and Nintendo way that makes for fresh yet familiar puzzle solving) to suss out how to reach your goals. To that end, the maps of the dungeons are, instead of multi-floor static layouts, 3D transparent maps you can rotate and manipulate in the visual field to see exactly where you are, and how to best get where you're going.

And the rewards for doing the dungeons are immense... some have even said "broken" (hyperbole) in that they are extremely powerful. Despite that, the enemies remain super challenging, which should give you some idea of how tough this game is compared to past Zeldas. It's honestly a stiffer challenge - by far I'd say - than the original game, even. Which is insane. Comparisons to Dark Souls are actually fair imo, though its generous save system prevents tedium.

You can totally forego the main dungeons if you want to and head straight for the final boss... but good luck lol. I won't say why, but it will be a very, very steep challenge if you go that route.

In addition to the main dungeons, there are 120 mini dungeons called Shrines, which consist of logic and physics puzzles but are much shorter. Think of them like rooms in Portal 2, but done in Zelda's style.

There are more than 70 side quests... some elaborate, some very fetch questy and irksome, as per usual lol.

This is also the first Zelda game, for me, which has a real sense of lore and historicity like the Elder Scrolls games do. There are books, journal entries, and memories to unlock that reveal "what hapened 100 years ago" and also hint at where in the multi-pronged Zelda timeline the game may take place. And the mystery surrounding this is a big part of the allure for me. Granted, this too is done in a very "Nintendo" style, so don't expect 1000 books or anything.

There is full voice acting (except for Link, who remains mute) in all cut scenes. Normal NPC interaction is text based. NPCs travel the world, and some can even defend themselves. They also contextually respond to Link in many cases depending on what stage of their daily routine they're in, which surprised me a lot.

And yes, the weather is amazing. Rain makes it harder to climb... and metal armor or weapons attract lightning. You have to survive the elements and cook food to protect against cold temps, etc. etc.

Lastly, the world feels MUCH more vast and varied than I expected. The different environments and locales feel a lot more different than I thought, and while giving me some nostalgic vibes (Zora, Gorons, etc.) the places themselves are gorgeous, multi-faceted, and huge compared to past games in the series. Some places are in spots contray to past games too... which makes finding things like the Master Sword (which you can TRY ... emphasis on TRY... to access right from the outset too... good luck) surprisingly tricky without a guide lol.

All in all, this is easily the most wonder and surprise - and CHALLENGE - I've felt in a Zelda game since Ocarina of Time, and it's on track to surpass that game for me for the first time ever. Best game of all time? Remains to be seen. I don't think so so far, for myself... but I do believe it has to be in the conversation for it. It's that impressive to me.

I doubt anything will knock Skies of Arcadia off the pedestal for me, though lol.

[Mr. Frozen]

After watching a few youtube videos, I am seriously tempted to buy a switch so I can play the zelda game. However, since my 9-year-old niece is basically living with me right now I know she will constantly intrude upon my man-cave to play it, and she will eventually commandeer the console because I don't have as much time to play it as she does.

Shit is still very tempting, though. Unfortunately, I don't think the switch is kid-proof yet. Isn't there an issue where the handle becomes locked if you put it in on the wrong side?

[Axm]

I also saw something about the dock scratching up the bezel of the screen and even the screen itself..Not sure if people putting it in wrong or too rough. (twss)
And also various other defects related to the screen here.
https://youtu.be/Cb-srOfRqNc

[Mr. Frozen]

I also saw something about the dock scratching up the bezel of the screen and even the screen itself..Not sure if people putting it in wrong or too rough. (twss)
And also various other defects related to the screen here.
https://youtu.be/Cb-srOfRqNc

Aww man, I think Ill hold out on buying one then.