The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

[The Cid]

Only about a very slow-playing hour in (I milk my time in great video game worlds) I'm already a bit blown away. And not just in the WiiU having a relevant title for the first time since *Super Mario Maker* either.

Granted, I have strong bias toward liking Nintendo's offerings. I love the series so much I've slowly been learning to speedrun the original. Hell, I love the series so much I got completely lost in Zelda Theories on Youtube (both for nerdiness and the unintentional hilarity of it all--there are HOURS of these things, and they're almost all hyper-bloody, and it's all directly Nintendo's fault for putting forth an official timeline. Long story short, turns out the official pastime of Hyrule is genocide!)

But that said, I think my favorite part of this game is how it seems to draw from so many non-Nintendo products. The trailers make it look like it should be called The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Just Dead Assassin's Uncharted Arkham Fallout and that's going to earn my seal of approval any day.

Anyone else playing this? Is it living up to expectations?

[Deacon]

I thought it was only for Switch?

[Sir Spankspeople]

I thought it was only for Switch?

It was designed for Wii U but took so long they decided to release it on both. Main difference is 900p resolution instead of 720p, and... Actually that's about it. Most of the comparison videos make it look nearly identical on both, and some of the current slowdown issues seem like they might be bugs rather than poor performance.

I'm glad I'm so caught up in Horizon: Zero Dawn right now. By the time I can afford BotW it'll have been decided whether it's worth picking up on Wii U, or if I should save up more for a Switch too.

I'd really love to get one last hurrah out of my Wii U.

[NorthernComfort]

I actually just checked a few reviews and got tempted to get a switch... but I don't think I'll follow through- bit pricey considering I'd probably just play this one game.

So... instead I've put on ocarina of time OST for some nostalgia, and am promising myself that I will play it at some point down the road when I can snag a used or borrow a friends.

[The Cid]

I'd really love to get one last hurrah out of my Wii U.

I have to admit, I love the WiiU and I'm a little bummed it'll go down as a disappointment. Yes, there was a very limited library of games, but I guess those games just hit my sweet spot more often than not. (For example: I adored Super Mario 3D World.) If nothing else, it's a great console for the speedrunning enthusiast, and not just for those romhack style Mario Maker levels. Plus I never got around to getting an original Wii, so I could always boost the library with a Punch-Out or Skyward Sword when I needed to.

I bought the console (granted, a couple years ago) for three reasons: Super Mario 3D World, Mario Maker, and Breath of the Wild. Hard for me to walk away disappointed when I loved the first two experiences (and continue to love Mario Maker) and the third is nailing it so far.

I actually just checked a few reviews and got tempted to get a switch... but I don't think I'll follow through- bit pricey considering I'd probably just play this one game.

I feel like the Switch is going to sink or swim on their promise of more third party titles, as that's been a growing problem for Nintendo consoles for a while now. If you like Nintendo's intellectual property they'll probably keep delivering in that regard, they pretty much always have. But if they can start expanding their library with some of the new releases people are playing on PS4, XB1, and PC that will go a long way.

---
Every game should give you some kind of infinite parachute. The entire video game industry could learn much from Just Cause. I will never object to any game--not even a series I love like Zelda games--trying to be a little more like Just Cause.

[NorthernComfort]

For awhile I've enjoyed Nintendo games about 6-7 years late, so I'm always a full console generation behind. They don't go for cutting edge graphics so it never feels super outdated. But, damn, the way they're describing exploring Breath of the Wild makes a trip to Hyrule extreeeemely tempting.

Every game should give you some kind of infinite parachute.

Haha, I noticed that immediately, and it reminded me of another game/world I adored... warcraft. I played a priest, so climbing mountains and floating away was a key form of transportation. I tried a different class that couldn't levitate and was like, um, no. Priest life.

https://youtu.be/yo3f_6Fy1Lk?t=45s

[Sir Spankspeople]

Haha, I noticed that immediately, and it reminded me of another game/world I adored... warcraft. I played a priest, so climbing mountains and floating away was a key form of transportation. I tried a different class that couldn't levitate and was like, um, no. Priest life.

My main's a Shadow Priest, my main alt is a Mage, and I made a Demon Hunter for Legion, so imagine my surprise when I boosted a Warlock and jumped off a cliff not thinking about it, hit the hotkey I've usually got dedicated to levitate/slow fall, and... why am I still falling?

As for the Wii U, my wife bought it for me, off a coworker who was selling it. Apart from Twilight Princess and Wind Waker HD, all the games for it are the Wii games I missed. Skyward Sword and The Last Story and all that. Trying to track down Silent Hill.

[The Cid]

My main was a rogue. I can't remember what tricks I had to get around. I also made a lot of characters when I played WoW, but I can't remember most of their classes because I don't play MMOs properly. I remember my alts as a banker, a fisher(wo)man, a crafter (inscriptionist/alchemist), and an archaeologist. The overall mission was to screw with the auction houses and do a lot of exploring. I got really good at it after a while. I also barely played the actual game in any way. Couple of trips to arenas and some early questing to get the foundation on which I built my fortune.

For awhile I've enjoyed Nintendo games about 6-7 years late, so I'm always a full console generation behind. They don't go for cutting edge graphics so it never feels super outdated.

Agreed. I also like that the "cartoony" look of a lot of their games can make a lot of the power they have. Wind Waker has aged incredibly well, for example, and I really liked the art in Super Mario 3D World as well.

[BtEO]

Good god being caught out in the open in this game during the middle of a lightning storm is fucking terrifying. I know unequipping anything metal helps — but I've no idea if it removes the chance of being struck of just lowers it.

[The Cid]

Still playing through it, but this ought to sum up my feelings.

Also my feelings on Gorons in general. Most games could use more Gorons.

[JermCool]

I got a Switch for Christmas. I’m still not done. I am getting ALL THE HEART CONTAINERS!

This game is evil. The DLC stuff is so incredibly hard, but the rewards are so great it seems dumb not to do them. No game since Tomb Raider 2 has made me so frustrated yet so addicted.

[Gageno]

I agree, it can be pretty brutal in the beginning. But I found that it gets a lot easier after the first half of the game when you get geared up a bit and start using all the abilities properly. I really enjoyed the difficult parts for some reason though. lol

[volebagels]

I still don't like it as much as Majora's Mask, but technically and graphically, it's the best ever. MM's story was so damn good, but there is far more to do in BOTW. Maybe in years to come I'll appreciate it even more.

[Rabidmuskrat]

I agree, it can be pretty brutal in the beginning. But I found that it gets a lot easier after the first half of the game when you get geared up a bit and start using all the abilities properly. I really enjoyed the difficult parts for some reason though. lol

I'd say it's less about just getting better and more about the way the open world makes it so that the difficulty isn't ramped up in comparison to how much your raw power increases.

[I like pie]

I should try the DLC, I haven't played since I finished it.

There's a funny/sad story btw, I played through the first 20% or so of the game not realizing that I could get those towers to open up new areas of the map. The gf and I were in constant awe with how vast the game world seemed. It was so adventurous feeling!

Then I realized my mistake and we laughed at all the time we wasted not making proper use of the map. Interestingly, the experience very quickly lost some of its novelty as a result.

I'm convinced that games are better when you don't use the built-in maps. I've heard as much about the GTA series. I totally get it now.