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[Brix]

Shit so it's gonna be god tier going by these impressions.

 

[lenovox1]

So are there any impressions of the Wii U version?

This gets asked a lot, but none of the press will be previewing the Wii U version. They were all sent the Nintendo Switch version.

 

[OrbitalBeard]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that particular post is just commenting on how strange the overarching reception of these titles can be.
In recent years these games have released to amazing critical reception and very positive initial fan impressions, but once the smoke clears they seem to develop a loud and active hatedom that gives off the notion that they're actually really awful games.
The Zelda cycle and all that jazz.

Well yeah, that's true. The Zelda fanbase is weird.

 

[VanWinkle]

the previewers love it - but with your concerns, maybe you should wait this one out just to be on the safe side.

Because the framerate seems to be much more stable on the handheld, I'll probably play it all on that.

 

[Hindl]

Quick question to whomever has played - how quick are the loading times when you fast travel. I appreciated fast travel in Xenoblade Chronicles X and FFXV... but it took an incredibly long time. In FFXV I barely used it because I'd rather watch the car and the characters. Or do a small chore while it was on auto drive.

I hope they are fast, especially because of cartridges. Anyone have any input (or can show me a source who talks about this?)

I saw one dude fast travel and it looks like it was around 25-30 seconds. I didn't time it but I'd say it's about what you'd expect from open world games, not much faster

 

[phanphare]

I think the emotional highlights of SS would be when Zelda

Spoiler

seals herself into the stone, especially with that beautiful rendition of Zelda's lullaby

.

And the ending scene where

Spoiler

Impa is revealed to be the old woman, having waited all this time for Zelda and Link

. That really got me sobbing.

yeah, that game really hit it home with the story for me

especially because it was released with 25th anniversary fanfare

 

[Adam_Vania]

im pretty psyched from everything i've read/seen so far. haven't anticipated a Zelda game this much since ALTtP.

really impressed by how gorgeous it looks. pixel counters will complain it doesn't look as realistic as game X but the art design here is intoxicating and for me art design always wins over graphical horsepower

 

[SinCityAssassin]

I saw one dude fast travel and it looks like it was around 25-30 seconds. I didn't time it but I'd say it's about what you'd expect from open world games, not much faster

I think that was the Wii U demo build.

 

[Ocarina_117]

Bullshit.

There's no reasonably consistent way to dismiss SS as a "black sheep" of its franchise and not the other games that got controversy (TP, WW, MM, etc).

It's a Zelda game with good dungeons and interesting story, and possibly the most interesting puzzles and combat to date (until 3/3)

I like you.

The only part of skyward sword I fully disliked was travelling all over the volcano area again a second time. GOAT Zelda dungeon and boss imho (ancient cistern) and some wonderful moments (pirate robot captain fight) and mechanics (leeeewd the timeshift stones) throughout.

 

[Undubbed]

Every zelda game they sucker me in. The last 2 were a bit disappointing, but were still good games that I'm glad I played. I expect more though.

Skyward Sword, I was SO hyped for only to find that the game was just merely ok. When I first played it, I played to the first dungeon and then completely lost interest and the game stayed in my collection unplayed for I think a year or so. Then when I finally played it and played to the end, I thought it was just...'good'. Not great, just good. I expect more from a Zelda game.

But what's worrying about this upcoming Zelda game is that I'm near the event horizon of hype, but I refuse to come closer cause I have a feeling that there'll be SOMETHING that Nintendo fucked up on in BoTW that reviewers haven't caught or care about(as per usual). I have zero faith in reviews of big name games with high pedigrees in general, really.

Not that it matters I guess. Can't play the game anyway as money's tight and I have no Wii-U

 

[Strictly]

Asked earlier, but got no reply: can we dive in this game?

 

[Ocarina_117]

Let's gooooooooooooooooo!!!

Throw bomb down hill

Whip out shield snowboard

Detonate bomb whilst over it

Holy shit this might actually be doable

 

[Pif]

Which is the best way to explore the map:

- follow where the game wants you to go next.
- explore on your own

I'm afraid some parts are gonna be impossible to go through if your character is not buffed yet, resulting in a lot of walking around without doing any progress at all.

 

[CharminUltra]

Currently on page 24. Just wanted to mention I'm glad I'm reading the thread slow.ly cuz I've already noticed several spoilers that were posted and then removed later. PHEW

Great impressions so far. Man, we might just have a new GOAT on our hands.

 

[mrklaw]

It's sounding like I probably shouldn't play horizon and Zelda at the same time, as I'll get messed up with the different mechanics and world handling. So sequential sounds better. But horizon comes out a couple of days before Zelda...but Zelda.

 

[CopperPuppy]

Some Twitter comments:

Goodness gracious.

 

[Jpop]

Throw bomb down hill

Whip out shield snowboard

Detonate bomb whilst over it

Holy shit this might actually be doable

It is I'm pretty sure

 

[tiebreaker]

Throw bomb down hill

Whip out shield snowboard

Detonate bomb whilst over it

Holy shit this might actually be doable

I'm honestly surprised no one has tried it yet.

 

[ckaneo]

Asked earlier, but got no reply: can we dive in this game?

 

[Evil's Bane]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that particular post is just commenting on how strange the overarching reception of these titles can be.
In recent years these games have released to amazing critical reception and very positive initial fan impressions, but once the smoke clears they seem to develop a loud and active hatedom that gives off the notion that they're actually really awful games.
The Zelda cycle and all that jazz.

It's mostly because they overhype the games and don't take them for what they are initially imo.

 

[Mohonky]

So the impressions are;

Straight into action Zelda NES style (one of my very first ever games)

Massive open world but it never feels sparse

Clearly takes the whole modern concept of main storyline but plenty of side stuff to do (Skyrim style) that really fills out the game and has you gping for hours completely forgetting to even to main quest.

Still very distincly Zelda




So my only concern at this point is weapon breakages. I will typically horde high level weapons and subsequently never end up using them, so I hope some can be repaired or are more permanent.

 

[Inferno313]

Every zelda game they sucker me in. The last 2 were a bit disappointing, but were still good games that I'm glad I played. I expect more though.

Skyward Sword, I was SO hyped for only to find that the game was just merely ok. When I first played it, I played to the first dungeon and then completely lost interest and the game stayed in my collection unplayed for I think a year or so. Then when I finally played it and played to the end, I thought it was just...'good'. Not great, just good. I expect more from a Zelda game.

But what's worrying about this upcoming Zelda game is that I'm near the event horizon of hype, but I refuse to come closer cause I have a feeling that there'll be SOMETHING that Nintendo fucked up on in BoTW that reviewers haven't caught or care about(as per usual). I have zero faith in reviews of big name games with high pedigrees in general, really.

Not that it matters I guess. Can't play the game anyway as money's tight and I have no Wii-U

Who could think A Link Between Worlds was dissapointing?!? o.o

So the impressions are;

Straight into action Zelda NES style (one of my very first ever games)

Massive open world but it never feels sparse

Clearly takes the whole modern concept of main storyline but plenty of side stuff to do (Skyrim style) that really fills out the game and has you gping for hours completely forgetting to even to main quest.

Still very distincly Zelda




So my only concern at this point is weapon breakages. I will typically horde high level weapons and subsequently never end up using them, so I hope some can be repaired or are more permanent.

For what it's worth, I've only actually seen praise for that feature in these previews. People are saying that it's a great implementation of that sort of thing, that it doesn't feel like it's punishing you, but is instead encourages you to try a variety of different weapon types and play-styles.

 

[ckaneo]

Which is the best way to explore the map:

- follow where the game wants you to go next.
- explore on your own

I'm afraid some parts are gonna be impossible to go through if your character is not buffed yet, resulting in a lot of walking around without doing any progress at all.

Depends on your play style. Im gonna follow where the game tells me cause I wanna see most of the story

 

[Primethius]

Watched the EasyAllies vid. Everything sounds fantastic. Still not a fan of the look of the world and areas, but ah well, everything else more than makes up for it.

 

[BashNasty]

Metacritic predictions are dumb and pointless, but dumb pointless things tend to be pretty fun, so what's everyone's guess for the score?

I'm thinking 94.

 

[Hindl]

I think that was the Wii U demo build.

No it's the Switch version. You can see him load from the Home screen and you can see the Switch icons for the D-pad on the UI. I've timestamped when he fast travels:

https://youtu.be/mGAMaKhlG-E?t=831

Almost 30 seconds exactly, not including the animation before the load screen

 

[Evil's Bane]

Metacritic predictions are dumb and pointless, but dumb pointless things tend to be pretty fun, so what's everyone's guess for the score?

I'm thinking 94.

90-94 range for me.

 

[Dystify]

That OP for a preview thread is incredible.

Crazy excited for this next Friday.

Thanks. I wanted to set a high bar for the OT. (Still see a lot of room for improvement here though.) Zelda game threads deserve a good treatment haha.

 

[eltercero]

Some user in Reddit posted the splash screen of the Wii U game. Maybe it's old, but I've never seen it before: http://imgur.com/7Ze20f7

 

[brandonh83]

Thanks. I wanted to set a high bar for the OT. (Still see a lot of room for improvement here though.) Zelda game threads deserve a good treatment haha.

Yep, it's a great job. You doing the official thread?

 

[sunshine and gasoline]

Metacritic predictions are dumb and pointless, but dumb pointless things tend to be pretty fun, so what's everyone's guess for the score?

I'm thinking 94.

65/10

The ending is going to be so horrible, something like Link and Zelda not kissing, that everyone agrees that the game is tarnished by it.

 

[Metalgus]

Metacritic predictions are dumb and pointless, but dumb pointless things tend to be pretty fun, so what's everyone's guess for the score?

I'm thinking 94.

I bet 5 bucks with a colleague regarding the final MC score. He said 94, I said 97. I'm bold like that.

 

[Shirke]

Not sure how new this is, but seeing that you can

Spoiler

deflect the Guardian's laser beam

is pretty hype.

Spoiler

 

[ckaneo]

Some user in Reddit posted the splash screen of the Wii U game. Maybe it's old, but I've never seen it before: http://imgur.com/7Ze20f7

It's old. For the record the Wii U version was uploaded online in Europe, but cant be played by hackers yet. The data miner has access to the NA version and seems to be the only one in possession of the wii u version of the game.

 

[hatchx]

Metacritic predictions are dumb and pointless, but dumb pointless things tend to be pretty fun, so what's everyone's guess for the score?

I'm thinking 94.

After the impressions I'm gonna go balls out and say 97.

 

[brandonh83]

Has there been any word on dungeon bosses? Also hoping for some great boss tracks though I doubt it's even possible to top this

 

[Deleted member 10571]

That's really just dive-jumping though. I think the question is, can we swim underwater (and explore).

 

[VanWinkle]

I'm a Zelda newbie, so I don't know if its lack of discussion is because it's a given or because it's not a thing in Zelda games or if it's just unknown, but: will BOTW have side quests? Like, not the shrines, challenges or minigames. Will it have little optional side stories like those in games such as Witcher 3 (not that I'm expecting THAT level of narrative)?

 

[casey_contra]

I saw one dude fast travel and it looks like it was around 25-30 seconds. I didn't time it but I'd say it's about what you'd expect from open world games, not much faster

Hm.... do you have the video on-hand?

Or maybe I can just learn some patience!

 

[DNAbro]

Has there been any word on dungeon bosses? Also hoping for some great boss tracks though I doubt it's even possible to top this

They aren't allowed to talk dungeons

 

[Hindl]

Hm.... do you have the video on-hand?

Or maybe I can just learn some patience!

Posted it here with a timestamp

No it's the Switch version. You can see him load from the Home screen and you can see the Switch icons for the D-pad on the UI. I've timestamped when he fast travels:

https://youtu.be/mGAMaKhlG-E?t=831

Almost 30 seconds exactly, not including the animation before the load screen

 

[ckaneo]

I'm a Zelda newbie, so I don't know if its lack of discussion is because it's a given or because it's not a thing in Zelda games or if it's just unknown, but: will BOTW have side quests? Like, not the shrines, challenges or minigames. Will it have little optional side stories like those in games such as Witcher 3 (not that I'm expecting THAT level of narrative)?

Yes. There are

Spoiler

76

of them.

 

[Dystify]

Yep, it's a great job. You doing the official thread?

Nope, just the review thread next week. I'll put some effort into that though. Ubermatik signed up for the OT loooong ago. I'm excited how it will look like though.

 

[brandonh83]

They aren't allowed to talk dungeons

I guess it's just making me a little worried about the dungeons/bosses... but only really because we haven't heard much if anything. Maybe it's a good thing that they're being secretive.

 

[Undubbed]

Who could think A Link Between Worlds was dissapointing?!? o.o

I really meant TP and SS, but yeah I was disappointed in Link Between Worlds too. Never made it that far in the game. In fact I bought NES Zelda and LBW on the same day, played LBW first, got bored and started playing NES Zelda and that was the most enjoyable run of the game I ever had (I think it was because I decided to not use a guide and download the original map and manual, both which I HIGHLY recommend if you're playing NES Zelda).

LBW got so boring, so fast, I don't know why.

 

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

Metacritic predictions are dumb and pointless, but dumb pointless things tend to be pretty fun, so what's everyone's guess for the score?

I'm thinking 94.

93

 

[Deleted member 465307]

65/10

The ending is going to be so horrible, something like Link and Zelda not kissing, that everyone agrees that the game is tarnished by it.

That's only because Link and Ganondorf will be busy kissing. I think the reviewers will forgive the game.

I'm a Zelda newbie, so I don't know if its lack of discussion is because it's a given or because it's not a thing in Zelda games or if it's just unknown, but: will BOTW have side quests? Like, not the shrines, challenges or minigames. Will it have little optional side stories like those in games such as Witcher 3 (not that I'm expecting THAT level of narrative)?

I haven't played The Witcher 3, but I'm pretty sure Zelda games (apart from Majora's Mask, which is basically Side Quest Stories: The Game) typically have rather simple side quests and plots that wouldn't be comparable to one in a full RPG. But they do tend to have side stories and unique characters you can help out. Skyward Sword had more notable ones than Twilight Princess, though, from what I remember. This game could continue and expand that, and I wouldn't be surprised if it does. There is a number being passed around from leaked guide info, but we don't really know what that means.

 

[VanWinkle]

Yes. There are

Spoiler

76

of them.

Awesome! Thanks, man. Even more excited now. I don't know if you've played this game yet, or have seen any footage of this aspect, but how does the average side quest in BOTW play out?

 

[Atheerios]

Was this already posted?
https://youtu.be/Z9t2uY91kyg

The stuttering on TV is a lot worse than I expected.

Still day 1 though.

 

[ckaneo]

That's really just dive-jumping though. I think the question is, can we swim underwater (and explore).

Not confirmed. Not hinted at either, so I would guess no