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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | Review Thread

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Realeza

Banned
Fuck why did I cancel my Switch preorder a week ago.

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KScorp

Member
there's no objective metric such that having this many frames as opposed to that many frames automatically detracts some amount from a score

if you accept this, then logically you have to accept that it's ultimately the overall subjective experience a game achieves for you that's most relevant, and we kind of maneuver through all the moving pieces in a somewhat arbitrary way

if the technical issues or limitations a game has noticeably interfere with the height or depth of that subjective experience, then they'll clearly deduct from the score

on the other hand, if the technical issues a game has don't noticeably interfere? if they feel like part of a compromise to achieve something that wouldn't have been possible with an emphasis on technical flawlessness? if it doesn't feel like they reflect a lack of technical competence (in fact, the game might be technically impressive in other ways) or an overall lack of polish, but merely reflect the limitations that the design of a game cut itself against? maybe that's a different story

i kinda feel like being a technical marvel tends to boost a review score more than not being a technical marvel tends to detract from one, because your capacity to notice the achievement is equal to your capacity to adjust to imperfect performance and aesthetics that don't rely on cutting edge graphics, depending on the quality of everything else

Good post. Reviews are both subjective and holistic. Some people ask "why is this game getting 10s if it has framerate issues" and the answer is simple: it didn't affect their enjoyment of the game. It doesn't mean a stable framerate doesn't matter.
 
When people were guessing Metacritic scores before the reviews dropped, throwing around low to mid 90s estimates (which would have been my guess as well), Duckroll came in hot with that 98. It sounded insane at the time but boy did he call it.

Yeah I backtracked and caught it. That is brilliant.
 
God damn it, i'll have to buy a switch now. I love zelda too much to pass it up. What's the chance of this being a 99 meta when it's all said and done? lol
 

Grakl

Member
When people were guessing Metacritic scores before the reviews dropped, throwing around low to mid 90s estimates (which would have been my guess as well), Duckroll came in hot with that 98. It sounded insane at the time but boy did he call it.

it's like it was only yesterday
 

LordKasual

Banned
I think the real question is... if we were to remove all the Zelda trappings, and release the game under another name, would it still receive the same torrent of perfect scores? We won't be able to say either way until we get our hands on the game.

No.

There are elements of Zelda that inspire good feeling just by merit of being from Zelda. A bow, slingshot, bomb, or shield in a different game (that functioned exactly the same) wouldn't have the same feeling as the same item from Zelda.

When most gamers play a Zelda game, they're playing more than just the game that's on the screen. New IPs don't have this perceptual advantage.


If the first zelda game was post-apocalyptic and full of demons, then Darksiders would be the nostalgic series and Zelda would be...well, the Darksiders.
 

daxy

Member
As someone who hasn't played a Nintendo game since the SNES days. Is this game good or not? Why is this thread so confusing and controversial?

It's aces. Much of the controversy stems from people questioning whether the high reviews are truly reflective of its quality; the implication being that it's just reviewing well because it's a Zelda game. The universal acclaim it's been getting is, however, overwhelmingly indicative of it simply being a great game and that's it.
 

brad-t

Member
As someone who hasn't played a Nintendo game since the SNES days. Is this game good or not? Why is this thread so confusing and controversial?

What's confusing? The game has received perfect or near-perfect scores from basically everyone that's reviewed it. Whether or not this reaction is hyperbolic, the fact that the game is good should at least be obvious.
 
98 at 61 reviews. That means it's basically for sure going to hold at 98, right?

It would probably need to land a half dozen really low scores to even have a chance of dropping a point. All the heavily-weighed outlets have already reviewed the game . I think the only somewhat major site left is The Jimquisition. Other, smaller sites will have little impact on the Metacritic average.
 

SomTervo

Member
I'm just kidding around, I think it's funny because of Twilight Princess 8.8-gate so long ago, and now Horizon literally has an 88 at Metacritic. I'm not trying to bring it down or anything though, I've already seen and heard a lot about it, it looks good.

Dead on!
 

Mael

Member
Let's be real though,
Gfx matter, framerate matter, animation matter, sound matter, controls matter...
They all matter, it's just that beyond "good enough" it's merely "who gives a shit".
If BotW used Ocarina of Time n64's models in 2017 it certainly wouldn't be as well received and people certainly would like it a lot less.
What we have now on BotW is above "good enough", how much beyond is arguable but it's still beyond "good enough".
the whole package is however what makes it go toward legendary status.
I say that but I haven't played it, if it's shit you will hear me shit on it for DECADES though.
don't believe me? Ask me about other M or Dawn of Mana (DoM is the superior game btw)
 

Spman2099

Member
It would probably receive the same amount of praise. Imagine a nobody developer releasing a new IP of this caliber out of the blue.

Well, the hypothetical question didn't require it to be a "nobody" developer. However, I see the appeal of removing all the baggage associated with a known developer. I think part of the problem with a new developer is that it is a lot easier to knock a new IP down a peg than it is to do the same with the new Zelda game.

The truth is, very few games, even games that are essentially flawless, review so consistently highly. Which isn't a bad thing, by the way. Horizon (as this appears to be THE game to compare Zelda to for some reason) was received brilliantly, as an example. But it still had dissenting voices. It is odd that the Zelda series (which is always consistently solid at the very least) seems to receive unique treatment in that regard.
 
Fuck why did I cancel my Switch preorder a week ago.

Not to rub it in but... why did you? Or anyone else for that matter. Unless you had high shipping fees or you really can't afford it to begin with, you might as well keep a pre-order on something like this locked in, just in case, and just return it/not pick it up if you don't want it.
 
I'm assuming everyone taking a dump on THPS2 was born in 2003 or something.

I'm very pleasently surprised by the reception Zelda is getting though. I thought it would be low 80's. Picked it up this morning and hoping for the best - I've never been an open world man though, so it's likely I'll enjoy it much less than most critics.
 

KingBroly

Banned
I'm assuming everyone taking a dump on THPS2 was born in 2003 or something.

I'm very pleasently surprised by the reception Zelda is getting though. I thought it would be low 80's. Picked it up this morning and hoping for the best - I've never been an open world man though, so it's likely I'll enjoy it much less than most critics.

I really like THPS2, but I don't think it's THAT good. It had a lot of hype behind it, though. Same with GTAIV. Really didn't deserve that level of praise, nor do they hold up particularly well.
 
I'm assuming everyone taking a dump on THPS2 was born in 2003 or something.

I'm very pleasently surprised by the reception Zelda is getting though. I thought it would be low 80's. Picked it up this morning and hoping for the best - I've never been an open world man though, so it's likely I'll enjoy it much less than most critics.

Yeah while reviews aren't all that important to me I can only imagine those people haven't played it as that game was legit incredible
 
Well, the hypothetical question didn't require it to be a "nobody" developer. However, I see the appeal of removing all the baggage associated with a known developer. I think part of the problem with a new developer is that it is a lot easier to knock a new IP down a peg than it is to do the same with the new Zelda game.

The truth is, very few games, even games that are essentially flawless, review so consistently highly. Which isn't a bad thing, by the way. Horizon (as this appears to be THE game to compare Zelda to for some reason) was received brilliantly, as an example. But it still had dissenting voices. It is odd that the Zelda series (which is always consistently solid at the very least) seems to receive unique treatment in that regard.
To the contrary, coming off SS and the way everyone sort of soured on it months down the road, I am willing to bet that I was not the only reviewer who approached BotW with a uniquely critical introductory attitude. Excitement, yes, but the franchise's legacy didn't necessarily benefit it in this regard.
 

Sojiro

Member
Tony Hawk easily deserves that position, GTA IV could be lower but still massive game for its time.

Agreed with THPS2, it absolutely deserves the acclaim it achieved. It might hard to imagine now, with the franchise in the gutter, but THPS2 is a phenomenal game, especially if you played it at the time.

Very pumped to see Zelda do this well, I knew it would be good, but not this fucking good! Can not wait to get my hands on it tomorrow.
 
I think the real question is... if we were to remove all the Zelda trappings, and release the game under another name, would it still receive the same torrent of perfect scores?

This is not even a question. If anything... if this was a new IP the scores would probably be better, critics love newcomers.
 

Spman2099

Member
By the way, since I am being a giant negative Nancy, I wanted to go and state a few things...

If I reviewed games I wouldn't dock marks for a few examples of framerate drops. Those wouldn't effect my Bloodborne score, and they wouldn't effect my Zelda score (unless it gets directly in the way of my enjoyment of the game).

Lastly, this game looks great. Like, it looks intensely awesome. I am not suspicious of Breath of the Wild being a bad game. I suspect it is genuinely incredible.
 
I'm assuming everyone taking a dump on THPS2 was born in 2003 or something.

I'm very pleasently surprised by the reception Zelda is getting though. I thought it would be low 80's. Picked it up this morning and hoping for the best - I've never been an open world man though, so it's likely I'll enjoy it much less than most critics.

get back to us when you had some solid hours in. It would be interesting to hear from someone who does not like open worlds.
 

Mael

Member
Yeah while reviews aren't all that important to me I can only imagine those people haven't played it as that game was legit incredible

Can I get a quick rundown on why it's the highest metascore ever so far?
I mean it's a skateboarding game after all, since I'm not into that at all, you'll excuse me if I'm not aware that it's supposed to be the 2nd coming of OoT.
 

Realeza

Banned
If somebody wants to be a hero of the Internet, photoshop the Switch BoTW Boxart instead of the budlight in Aonuma's hand:

giphy.gif
 
98 at 61 reviews. That means it's basically for sure going to hold at 98, right?

Wouldn't be surprised if some less "legitimate" (i.e. closer to hobby grade stuff) sources plop up some shit scores after release and drag it down a little. Of course, the same group is also gonna throw up a bunch of 10's as well, as it tends to be "PERFECT OMG" or "THIS IS STRAIGHT GARBAGE" with them.

It won't stay 98. Review scores tend to go down over time, rather than up, for reasons I won't speculate on.

Still damn impressive.

While I'm sort of countering my own post here, doesn't that trend generally apply more to films than games? I think it does happen in games, but more so in the 80s-low 90s tier.
 
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