Support NeoGAF

[Burny]

So if BOTW is all it is hyped up to be, It must also have a great story to go along with it.

From the reviews I've watched, the story is said to take mostly a back seat.

Frankly though, what can we expect in terms of story from a Zelda? It's aways been a means to an end, to the point that the story was used as excuse to have you drive everywhere in a train...

 

[fantomena]

Some perspective on Review scores. Here are the top Metacritic scores for games released since 2012 (the last 5+ years).

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017): 98
Grand Theft Auto V (2013): 97
The Last of Us (2013): 95
BioShock Infinite (2013): 94
Super Mario 3D World (2013): 93
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phanton Pain (2015): 93
Mass Effect 3 (2012): 93
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (2016): 93
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015): 93

Everything else got a 92 or lower.

Uncahrted 4 is a 2016 game.

 

[Labombadog]

Think bigger.

 

[Astral Dog]

Could somebody who beat the game or spoilered themselves in the spoiler thread tell me if there are more dungeons other than the

Spoiler

Divine Beasts and Hyrule Castle?

Dungeons, that are more in the sense Zelda fans are used to, longer and complex and themed after their enviroment. Yes and No answer is enough for me, thanks!

None in reviews i seen,wait for the DLC.
In fact

Spoiler

the divine beast don't appear to have combat at all,its all about the shrines and overworld

 

[casey_contra]

DLC question:

Anyone have any pics they can link me to (or PM me) of the Switch garb you get for pre-purchasing the expansion pass?

 

[OrbitalBeard]

Come on now. Skyward Sword and Ocarina of Time have better written "Naratives" then most modern story focused games.

Not sure why people always overlook this stuff. Is it the lack of voice acting, mocap and press A to Awesome cutscenes?

The stories in those games are perfect for the type of experience Zelda offers, but they aren't the reason most people play them.

 

[Fleet_of_Foot]

Can someone explain to me what (if anything) Zelda Amiibo will do in this game? I have the Link Amiibo from Smash Brothers and the Wolf Amiibo that came with Twilight Princess HD. Do they do anything? I read something about Wolf Amiibo doing something, if you actually used it in Twilight Princess. I didn't use it, in fact it's still in the package. So will it be of any help to me in BotW?

And what about the new BotW Amiibo? Do they do anything?

 

[dampflokfreund]

Spoiler

Yes, but not part of the main quest.

Spoiler

That would be awesome. Are you sure about that? Have you beat the game? I heard there are also so called mazes but they are not really like dungeons but yeah.. mazes! Are you sure you aren't confuse them with dungeons?

Sorry that I am asking so much, if true it would be a dream come true

 

[Zedark]

Some perspective on Review scores. Here are the top Metacritic scores for games released since 2012 (the last 5+ years).

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017): 98
Grand Theft Auto V (2013): 97
The Last of Us (2013): 95
BioShock Infinite (2013): 94
Super Mario 3D World (2013): 93
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phanton Pain (2015): 93
Mass Effect 3 (2012): 93
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (2013): 93
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015): 93

Everything else got a 92 or lower.

Witcher 3 is 92 (the PS4 version is 92 and it is by far the most-reviewed version).

 

[davidwhangchoi]

Nah son. We looking at game of the generation.

Think bigger.

i feel like its incomplete w/o the season pass

 

[Icolin]

Can't wait to play this once I get my Switch. By all accounts, this might be the one to dethrone Wind Waker as my favourite Zelda game.

 

[HyruleGuardian]

Uncahrted 4 is a 2016 game.

Yeah, my bad.

 

[Astral Dog]

Come on now. Skyward Sword and Ocarina of Time have better written "Naratives" then most modern story focused games.

Not sure why people always overlook this stuff. Is it the lack of voice acting, mocap and press A to Awesome cutscenes?

I love them depending on the game but its not what i would call modern or narrative heavy.

 

[ElectricKaibutsu]

Some perspective on Review scores. Here are the top Metacritic scores for games released since 2012 (the last 5+ years).

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017): 98
Grand Theft Auto V (2013): 97
The Last of Us (2013): 95
BioShock Infinite (2013): 94
Super Mario 3D World (2013): 93
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phanton Pain (2015): 93
Mass Effect 3 (2012): 93
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (2013): 93
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015): 93

Everything else got a 92 or lower.

Wow. Seriously. This game looked great, but I didn't expect THIS. Glad I pre-ordered

 

[Rush_Khan]

So what's the verdict on the Wii U performance? Decent or terrible compared to Switch?

 

[The Hermit]

Hey all, Lou Contaldi (Reviews Editor at DualShockers) -- I was the reviewer, not Giuseppe! Wasn't even aware there was so much controversy about our forthcoming review until I spotted this thread. ¯_(&#12484_/¯

Let me know if you have any questions on the review.

Is the framerate really improved after the updates?

 

[Coffinhal]

Yeah, you're right. The game is shit, all those 10 mean nothing.

Scores don't mean anything, sorry to teach you this. The void that this thread is built on confirms this.

 

[KevinG]

Get out of here with those spoiler tags!

 

[Jonneh3003]

Technical flaws can be overlooked if a game is as good as BotW appears to be, if that wasn't the case Ocarina of Time wouldn't be considered a masterpiece either as it ran like ass on the N64.

Basically this, look at games like Bloodborne and The Last of Us on PS3, technical flaws really don't reflect how fun the game is.

 

[Incendiary]

While the reviews are stronger than I expected, I don't see how any of you were expecting mid 80s for a Zelda game


Mainline Zelda Console Games
Ocarina of Time - 99
Windwaker - 96
Twilight Princess - 96
Majora's Mask - 95
Skyward Sword - 93


Handheld Zelda
A Link Between Worlds - 91
Phantom Hourglass - 90
Minish Cap - 89
Spirit Tracks - 87


Zelda Remakes
A Link to the Past GBA - 95
Ocarina of Time 3D - 94
Windwaker HD - 90
Majora's Mask 3D - 89
Twilight Princess HD - 86

Yeah I'm kind of shocked people are so excited over this score. Zelda routinely scores high. Not saying the games don't deserve it by any means, obviously, but I was totally expecting a 95+ score for this Zelda considering how crazy the hype has been and how positive all the previews have been.

 

[Kinsei]

i feel like its incomplete w/o the season pass

None of the people that have played the game felt that way.

 

[PrimeBeef]

I'm 75% of the way through the game and will beat it tonight, probably. It's not false.

Big spoilers for people not in this conversation:

Spoiler

The divine beasts are not dungeons. They're a series of 5 puzzles in one big room, really. Not a Zelda dungeon by any description, not shaped like a dungeon... just not.

They are not traditional Zelda dungeons. They are BotW versions of dungeons. That is what Aunoma calls them so they are dungeons.

 

[bgbball31]

Man, this wait till later this year to get the Switch is going to be rough. I know I could get this on the WiiU and play it just fine, but Zeitgeist and all that. I want to experience it on the best platform available.

Also, I was expecting big numbers, but not near perfect across the board. Holy crap.

 

[Kodaman]

so... is this game of the year?

On Gaf at least no, it won't.

 

[Meowster]

Very happy to the crew for a job well done! It'll be a few months before I can play but enjoy everyone else!

 

[KojiKnight]

The rumors of the game originally launching in summer, I'm wondering if we won't get a performance patch in June/July.

 

[Trickster]

Well..I played The Last Guardian on the regular PS4 and it's one of my games of the generation. As was Shadow of The Colossus with its 15 fps on the ps2. There will always be two camps of players, I guess. I think as long as it's playable – which Zelda obviously is – it shouldn't detract from the experience.

This is obviously one of those issues that can vary from person to person.

But I know that I personally find it incredibly frustrating, and can easily ruin my fun.

 

[APZonerunner]

Could somebody who beat the game or spoilered themselves in the spoiler thread tell me if there are more dungeons other than the

Spoiler

Divine Beasts and Hyrule Castle?

Dungeons, that are more in the sense Zelda fans are used to, longer and complex and themed after their enviroment. Yes and No answer is enough for me, thanks!

I just want to chime in on this:

Spoiler

There are the 4 beasts and hyrule castle, obviously. The 4 beasts are the closest to a traditional dungeon (culminate with a boss etc) but are still quite different. Hyrule Castle is different because you can explore it at any time - in fact if you're brave even when you're weaker it's a good place to go for loot.

Beyond that, the shrines are scattered everywhere, and each of these is like a chunk of a traditional Zelda dungeon. I've seen shrines that are maybe 50% of a Child Link OOT dungeon (but harder) in size and I've seen ones that're one room. It really varies. There are also shrine quests where you have to find the shrine and THAT is the puzzle... overworld puzzles, basically. Mazes, custom challenges, all sorts. Anyway, my point is... you won't be wanting for 'dungeon-esque' content even if there aren't 'traditional' dungeons. There's definitely more dungeon content here than in your average Zelda, I think, it's just spread out across a massive world rather than concentrated into 8 tight spaces.

Not really spoilers, but spoilered to be very safe for the super sensitive. I've played over 50 hours, fwiw.

 

[othersteve]

Scores don't mean anything, sorry to teach you this. The void that this thread is built on confirms this.

If only reviews included verbal descriptions and other associated words attached to their scores. Someone should start a website that does this.

 

[Rushersauce]

Scores don't mean anything, sorry to teach you this. The void that this thread is built on confirms this.

Talk about denial. Lmao.

 

[Firemind]

I usually don't give a fuck about metascore, but this time I'll make an exception. I'm very very happy for Fujibayashi, Aonuma and the rest of the team, but mostly I'm happy that we have something that is a continuous pattern of excellence in this industry in Legend of Zelda. If you can rely on one thing in your gaming life is Zelda being stupendous.

This is a fucking awesome day.

Eh, Zeldas have been hit or miss in the last fifteen years or so. I still preordered a Switch because of the hype, but let's not kid ourselves. It was getting formualic up until this point.

 

[Jerm411]

I had my doubts w/ this game and wasn't blown away by the early videos but lawd does it seem to have delivered. Should have known to never doubt Nintendo. Don't see myself getting a Switch any time soon but can't wait to tackle this bad boy when the time comes. Sounds absolutely incredible.

This is why I'll take all the grief that comes with being a Nintendo fanboy and I'll deal with their sometimes antiquated, ass backwards thinking (even though it royally pisses me off) because when they deliver...they fucking deliver big time, like no one else can. The thought of getting not only 1 masterpiece like BotW but possibly 2 if Mario Odyssey is in the same class is astounding to me. And let's be honest....who doesn't expect Mario to be anything short of amazing?

 

[lmcontaldi]

Is the framerate really improved after the updates?

I got an hour to play it this morning and checked out some trouble locations, and noticed -- when comparing to old footage I took pre-update -- the framerate drops were shorter, and less severe.

The update fix bumped it from that 9.5 to a 10, because it was my main complaint.

 

[unrealist]

Looks like salt is seeping through the thread now..

 

[Pinky]

I have been making little countdown graphics in the preview thread for the last week or so, but I'm pretty sure that thread will die down now that we have the review thread. Can't let the final day slip away before release, so enjoy.

 

[JobenNC]

Current mood

 

[TissueBox]

Tbh I'm hyped but not really surprised...I mean all things considering Zelda has always performed well in the review circuit lol. It's just nice reading impressions stating that this really does feel fresh and different and 'vital'. Because it's Zelda I could believe it. And if this really is the OoT of our gen, heck it makes sense that Zelda would be the one to provide it. Fingers crossed..!!

Though lest we forget...every Zelda ends up being called the best Zelda yet at one point by people lol. Although this does look like something particularly special; a true 'breath' of fresh air in a genre that has seriously saturated the medium recently.

 

[Putty]

Not something i'm interested in myself, not really a big Ninty fan tbh but good lord the reviews are simply ...astonishing! Bravo Nintendo, bravo...

 

[randomengine]

Some perspective on Review scores. Here are the top Metacritic scores for games released since 2012 (the last 5+ years).

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017): 98
Grand Theft Auto V (2013): 97
The Last of Us (2013): 95
BioShock Infinite (2013): 94
Super Mario 3D World (2013): 93
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phanton Pain (2015): 93
Mass Effect 3 (2012): 93
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (2013): 93
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015): 93

Everything else got a 92 or lower.

That Bioshock Infinite score was a mistake.

 

[Atomicfireman]

I want to like this game but every time I watch gameplay footage, all I can think is "this looks dreadfully boring." Always always always fighting the red pig men, and the combat looks really dull (that bow looks awkward as hell to use). I don't know, I guess the game just isn't for me.

It does seem like a system seller based on these reviews though, which is something that Nintendo needs right now. Hopefully it will set a solid install base for the Switch going forward.

 

[jdstorm]

The stories in those games are perfect for the type of experience Zelda offers, but they aren't the reason most people play them.

While people may play Zelda games more for gameplay then story that doesnt discount how well the stories are put together.

The comparison i was making was between Skyward Sword and Ocarina of Time vs most modern narative driven experiences, purely on the merits of each games narative. In this instance i would personally chose the two Zelda experiences over most of the Narative driven experiences that i have personally played

 

[randomengine]

I have been making little countdown graphics in the preview thread for the last week or so, but I'm pretty sure that thread will die down now that we have the review thread. Can't let the final day slip away before release, so enjoy.

Thank you for these. They are beautiful and brighten my day when I see them.

 

[commish]

Mine comes today.

I've been saying all along that I thought this was gonna be on the short list of best games ever. You can just tell.

 

[Firemind]

And let's be honest....who doesn't expect Mario to be anything short of amazing?

I don't. The hat stuff looks like a dumb gimmick. Reminds me of the FLUDD in Sunshine.

 

[iFirez]

Twilight Princess - 96
Skyward Sword - 93

These are the only 2 I disagree with, TP should be a little lower, closer to its HD remakes score tbh. Skyward Sword is worse so that should be nearer 80. All the rest I agree with though.

 

[HyruleGuardian]

Looks like salt is seeping through the thread now..

Many people are mad they don't have the disposable income to play through this game, so they will do everything they can to mitigate all the lavish praise the game has received.

 

[Chaos17]

" Always always always fighting the red pig men, and the combat looks really dull (that bow looks awkward as hell to use). I don't know, I guess the game just isn't for me.
.

I don't think you watched anything if you could make that statement.

 

[mjc]

That Bioshock Infinite score was a mistake.

Massive, massive mistake.

 

[ShutterMunster]

Damn, those scores are insane. I cancelled my Switch preorder a while back and now I'm kicking myself lol.

 

[InfiniteCombo]

Here's my go at this:

Enjoy!

Amazing! Thank you