Jump to content

Leaderboard

Popular Content

Showing content with the highest reputation on 09/25/21 in all areas

  1. Kirby and the Forgotten Land looks to be up there with Pokemon Legends: Arceus and BOTW's sequel as a favorite to be my personal GOTY for 2022. That was the best new announcement from the Direct. The addition of Nintendo 64 games to the NSO service hopefully will at most cost $30, up $10 from the current year plan. If it's that price, I'll upgrade when the new tier launches and look forward to playing Ocarina of Time on the Switch as I have Super Mario 64 available already through Super Mario 3D All-Stars. Once it's added, the Switch might be the right system to experience Majora's Mask on for the first time. Bayonetta 3 is looking good and I'm excited for the release in spite of not yet being too into the current games. I still have to finish up the first game and then play Bayonetta 2. 2022 is shaping up to be a special year for the Nintendo Switch, like it's 2017 launch year. I'll say too that I'm glad that they are making the final Smash character reveal its own presentation. As fatigued on Smash news and speculation as I am, Ultimate deserves a Direct all on its own for its final character.
    3 points
  2. Here's a game that needs no introduction. The most highly anticipated Zelda title in years, and the reason millions of people bought a Switch (though it's available on the Wii U as well). The Zelda game that would defy series conventions while also returning to the core element of the original title: freedom of exploration. The Zelda adventure that would trust players to experience however much or however little of the game's world that they chose. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a bold move for a beloved franchise with thirty years of history, so it's all the more surprising to see the developers pull it off seemingly effortlessly. Breath of the Wild hits all the right notes to make Hyrule the sprawling, welcoming, challenging, and magical land that it has always been in the hearts of its fans. One of the many ways in which Breath of the Wild breaks convention with the Zelda franchise–and indeed many games in general–is its approach to storytelling. The game doesn't force you to progress through cutscene checkpoints to fill in all the details, nor is it devoid of plot like Mario platformer games. Instead you are free to discover the story at your own pace (after the prologue portion of the game that introduces the gameplay basics and the base plotline). This easily could have felt like an unwieldy way to tell a story, but Breath of the Wild manages it beautifully. This is largely because the heart of the story is in past events which you can learn about in varied locales around Hyrule, so seeing events out of order doesn't matter. In fact, unlocking these story moments at your own pace allows each player to see the story unfold in a unique way, which is rather brilliant. The emotional journey of the characters is still preserved no matter what order you progress in, and these brief glimpses of the characters only makes you eager to discover more. And there is plenty of depth to uncover, which only adds to the weight and tragedy of what happened prior to the events of the game. Even with this disjointed format and Link's typical silence, Breath of the Wild manages to tell one of the more emotionally affecting stories in the Zelda series. The leap to open-world gameplay might seem a bit odd at first, but once you start playing any apprehension melts away. In typical Nintendo fashion the basics seem familiar to other games in the genre, but soon enough you see the brilliant Nintendo touches that make Breath of the Wild stand out from any similar games. For one thing, freedom of exploration means true freedom here. Link can climb almost every surface you can see–there's no need to find the "correct" path up a mountain, you can scramble up sheer cliffs wherever you want (limited only by your stamina meter). This degree of freedom is intoxicating; it's easy to lose hours of your day simply exploring every nook and cranny that Hyrule has to offer. The truly incredible thing is that this never loses its charm. It is so satisfying to discover things in Breath of the Wild, even a small item like the numerous seeds hidden throughout the world. Indeed, one of the true joys in this game is discovering things at your own pace, from all-important shrines to new ways to battle enemies. And although this is the biggest map of Hyrule yet there is never a lack of things to find. There is a perfect balance of free space to roam and activities in which to participate, so you're always engaged with the game world. Let your feet take you where they may in Breath of the Wild and you'll never be disappointed. As mentioned Breath of the Wild's freedom isn't limited to exploration. Practically every time you defeat a group of enemies you'll find a different tactic that you could have used instead. The gameplay is incredibly varied, and while the direct approach works well there is a wonderful sense of satisfaction in taking on challenges with unconventional tactics. Be sure to engage with your environment when fighting enemies–you'll most likely discover new ways to play. The usual combat elements feel great in Breath of the Wild as well. It's not much more complicated than past Zelda games but it still rewards playing well–dodging at the right time and unleashing a flurry of blows is always satisfying. And the variety of weapons helps keep combat fresh from start to finish. Initially the concept of equipment breaking seems annoying but once you're playing it just keeps you constantly engaged with the world's weapon options, from swords and spears to boulders and steep cliffs. Different weapon types feel genuinely different, and you may just find yourself changing tactics depending upon the enemy you're currently facing. Though it still would have been nice if, once a weapon breaks, Link automatically switched to a new one in your inventory. Selecting a new weapon mid-battle does feel clumsy initially. Two important mainstays of the Zelda franchise have been reworked for Breath of the Wild: items and dungeons. After the prologue Link is equipped with all the items he needs–just four abilities. It's definitely shocking to see a change like this but after a few minutes in the game you'll forget all about it. Link's smaller selection of abilities only encourages the player to experiment and come up with unique solutions to the various challenges the game provides rather than cluttering up the inventory screen with items that are only used in their respective dungeons. Speaking of which, Breath of the Wild is virtually dungeon-less. The four main "dungeons" of this game are hardly dungeons at all, and are instead more like extended puzzle challenges. This is one area where Breath of the Wild might have gone a bit too far with changing the Zelda formula, though. These puzzles are decent but are a little too similar to one another with only modest senses of difficulty, including their boss fights–the absence of traditional dungeons with varied puzzles and combat scenarios is keenly felt. Such massive, engaging temples or caves would not have necessarily felt out of place in this version of Hyrule either. Incidentally the final portion of the game, before the climactic fight, is the one area of the adventure most aligned with a traditional dungeon, and it's one of the best parts of the game–it manages to combine Breath of the Wild's philosophy of freedom with a slightly more intricate environment to explore. The other key dungeons of the game could have used a bit of that blend as well. Breath of the Wild makes up for its limited dungeons with over one hundred shrines which are shorter, themed puzzle or combat challenges. Shrines exemplify the incredible gameplay variety that the developers were free to incorporate into the game, not just for the challenges within shrines but for finding the shrines as well. Many can be spotted while exploring, others have a specific side quest tied to them, and some are a challenge just to reach and instead incorporate environmental puzzles. Not all of the shrines are particularly difficult, and the ones that rely upon motion control can be a little annoying, but the flexibility with which you can approach shrine puzzles and shrine hunting is one of the many joys of Breath of the Wild's philosophy of allowing players to experience the game in their own ways. As far as controls are concerned Breath of the Wild doesn't try to reinvent the wheel. Although there are a lot of controls to keep in mind, a few hours of game time will make all of Link's abilities feel familiar. And while the motion controlled puzzles in shrines can be awkward the other gyro controls are fairly comfortable. Most notably aiming the bow with motion controls can be quite helpful for making slight adjustments to perfectly line up a shot. You can always turn motion controlled aiming off if it's not helping though. The visuals of Breath of the Wild are stunning. The colors are beautifully vibrant and, consistent with the free-flowing open-world nature of the gameplay, there are no harsh outlines around objects. The very graphics of the game flow together, emphasizing the unbroken energy of the entire adventure. Each region of the game has a distinct visual personality, from the snowy mountaintops to the sandy beaches, but the overall style is still consistent with one sprawling world. The scenery is simply gorgeous, and you can't help but pause now and then to appreciate it. The music of the game is beautiful in its own right, and provides a soft, muted, ambient soundtrack for much of the adventure. In fact that ambient music could have been just a bit more forceful, more prominent in the game, as outside of the main theme there are few particularly memorable tracks. Longtime fans will enjoy hearing the musical influences of past Zelda games though, which is a nice treat. And finally, a first for the series, Breath of the Wild includes voice acting. The voice work fits perfectly with the rest of the game, though it's a shame it's only in important cutscenes. The actors did a great job of bringing out the personality and emotions of each character, and it would have been fun to see that in the more goofy and charming characters that you tend to meet in side quests. Perhaps not surprisingly such a vast game has the occasional technical hiccup while playing. Most common are frame rate drops during visually intensive scenes, like having a big fight in the middle of a dense forest area. At times the entire game pauses for a split second as it struggles to keep up with the action. There have been various explanations for these issues but the bottom line is that they do pop up sporadically and can be annoying to see but never actually hinder gameplay. The length of the game is hard to pin down: it can so easily vary from one person to the next, and I don't just mean speed runs that try to finish the game in one hour. Granted there are a ton of collectibles to find which affects the completion percentage you can see once you've beaten the story but even so, Breath of the Wild is an incredibly content-rich game. The biggest challenge of the entire game is finding the willpower to take a break from playing. There's always something else to do here, from the main story to simply gathering ingredients and cooking up a few stat boosting meals, and every single moment of it is a blast. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a masterpiece. There's simply no other word for it. The game is a masterpiece, an unparalleled experience that draws players into a sprawling adventure with just enough familiarity to keep it accessible. Exploration has never been so free or so rewarding. This wildly different direction for a Zelda game was a gamble that paid off in a huge way, though that's not to discount all the various pieces that come together to make Breath of the Wild so incredible. The depth of the emotional journey for the characters further brought to life by quality voice acting, the beautiful visuals that invite you to explore, the captivating soundtrack–every element of Breath of the Wild combines perfectly into a truly magnificent piece of video game art. Maybe there is one other word to describe it: breathtaking. Rating: 10 out of 10 Korok Seeds
    1 point
  3. IMO, a good thought-provoking video about pricing, tiers, and other systems .... ****** ****** My own thoughts: NO WAY this is more than $20 extra / $40 total Arguing it should only be at most $10 more They are going to need more features added as well.... was the bluetooth audio update a hint at full voice coming? --More free full trials? --Messaging system? I mean if they could do this on the Wii.... (man I miss the glowing blue light) Really need an upgrade to servers/service.... if you pay more there is the expectation the connectivity will be better/smoother Where were the GB/GBC/GBA rumors With Genesis coming.... SMS? TG16? Neo Geo?
    1 point
  4. If they have gone in the direction of bringing back multiple old bosses, at least in the realm of how iconic Kraid is, that would elevate the experience for me. Metroid: Other M's final stretch within the Bottle Ship still stands out to me among every boss line-up in the series with the exception of Super Metroid, where the entire line-up may be iconic status. Ridley, Masked Nightmare, Unmasked Nightmare, Queen Metroid and Phantoon, I would say that experience of getting to and prevailing over those boss encounters is Other M at its best. Kraid and a Chozo leader are a great start for Metroid Dread to do better and the result could definitely be argued as the series' best boss line-up certainly in status and impact. Maybe they can even sprinkle in some balls and poles into the game for good measure.
    1 point
×
×
  • Create New...