Topic: I don't like the Switch

C'mon, man, how many times do we realistically need to fight the same heavily scripted enemy who can't be damaged until a glowing eyeball pops out of its body?

They had the right idea with BotW's bosses... they just needed better execution and designs. Bosses should be testing a player's skill, not their patience.

Anyway, the game didn't really need bosses in the first place. It conflicts a bit with the overall game design. I just think Nintendo was just a bit hesitant to drop bosses, considering how many aspects of the game they already altered. The ecstatic response the game received might encourage them to go even further with their evolution of the franchise.

@Ralizah Great points!

I admit to not being able to get into Breath of the Wild when I first played it on the Wii U. I kept comparing it to previous games in the series and specifically focused on what was missing. It isn't like other Zelda games and I disliked it for that. I now admit that it was unfair of me. My failure to judge the game on it's own merits simply skewed my experience. When I started afresh on the Switch around a year later I quickly became hooked. Perhaps playing in handheld mode made a difference, because I was certainly immersed. My favourite area in the game is the tropical Faron region to the south of the map. The persistent lightning creates a really interesting dynamic.

Breath of the World's open world is unique compared to other open world games. It rewards exploration and player curiosity, and the environment has an interactivity entirely absent in other games. In every other open world title I've played, be it GTA V, Fallout 4 or or Horizon Zero Dawn, the worlds are simply a means to an end. They are filled with side activities to the extent that playing quickly become a case of ticking things off a to-do list. I'm not criticising them for that - in fact I find it very therapeutic - but Breath of the Wild is very much about the world itself. It also has a verticality missing in almost every other game. I recently played HZD for the first time and laughed at Aloy's awkward fumbling when trying to climb a mountain. It was actually quite jarring just how limited the world is. Jumping on rocks is the most effective way to traverse a mountain because Guerilla made it so that Aloy can only properly climb in pre-ordained locations where there are conspicuous handholds jutting out. With Breath of the Wild it's interesting not just how much freedom there is to explore, but how much interactivity there is. The physics engine and Sheikah Slate tools are both very well utilised as core components of the gameplay experience. I'm hopeful that both of these things will prove influential within the genre as it's generally an area that has evolved surprisingly little over the past twenty years.

I'm excited for Breath of the Wild 2 because it will be interesting to see where Nintendo go from here, especially if the rough edges can be smoothed out.

I've criticised the soundtrack before, but having listened to it in isolation (I have the Japanese soundtrack boxset, which is rather gorgeous as a collector's item), now consider it to be an excellent piece of work. It's not my favourite Zelda soundtrack by any means, but I appreciate the gentle, relaxing ambience and the moods evoked by certain tracks.. The pieces with stronger, more traditional melodies such as the village themes are excellent and the tiny, subtle hints of past games dotted throughout are very nicely done. It would do anyone's head in to have the same tune repeat endlessly while exploring the map.

I think my switch is great as a hand held complimentary system to my PS4. I'm very much in the same boat as @Rudy_Manchego in the my time is limited on the big tv as time is split with my wife and daughter. The switch has let me experience games that I might not have had the chance to play, like skyrim, bayonetta, bastion and okami. There are so many indies and older games I would not play without switch. Added to that there is truly some great first party content that are perfect for local coop gameplay. Mario kart, Mario odyssey, mario maker, splatoon 2, mario aces and animal crossing have been increadible to play with my daughter. Finally botw is outstanding, nothing more I can add to @Ralizah eloquence on the subject, it's just a masterpiece of design. I genuinely felt that fighting my first lynel in botw was as much a test of how I understood the mechanics of the game as father gascoigne was in bloodborne. Fun times!

Let's stick with the official Switch thread: https://www.pushsquare.com/forums/retro_and_other_gaming/nint...