Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wind wins "Ultimate Game of the Year award" at 2017 Golden Joystick Awards

@onesiphorus:

Why would anyone have an award for streamer? Talk about stupid!

@Epak_: I think it's the novelty too. There's something weirdly novel about playing game we're used to seeing on TV but in handheld. Like, the performance is objectively worse but it's just cute or something. :P

1. That's the issue..... the ideas and mechanics have been done before...... the fire propagation for example was done in Far Cry 2 all the way back in 2008 - Granted Far Cry's implementation doesn't have the same physics but it's still there. Maybe I'm just getting old.......

2. I would be more then happy to provide you with a copy of my name on a piece of paper pictured next to the Switch and the copy of Zelda I played should you wish to see it.

@scatteh316: Fire is one mechanic of course that has been done before but the game flow in terms of progression freedom, and twists on familiar mechanics like towers, and the overall use of physics is refreshing in an action adventure game. Granted, it's not as story driven as its contemporaries which I think it differentiates. It's less about these mechanics being new, rather these mechanics being handled in a fresh take. Again it's more the application of the familiar than the existence of something we have seen that makes Breath of the Wild different.

No, I don't think it's even necessary for a picture. Regardless of whether you have played it or not, it's still evident by your posting history that you have a bias toward Sony and against Microsoft and Nintendo. Regardless of what you have or haven't played, your perspective is decidedly closed minded so it really doesn't matter if you have played it or not. If you have though, it doesn't seem like you were paying all that much attention. :/ The picture wouldn't do much to help. Any amount of circumstances could lead to that picture happening, which is fine. It doesn't bother me really, but one can tell by your replies that you're skewed against the game (and Nintendo as a whole), even going so far as to exaggerate frame rate issues. ("Zelda straight up made people nauseous with it's 20fps frame rate!" game played at 30fps on Switch 90% of the time after the patch...) Like going so far as to prove the game 'runs' at 20fps by posting a picture of the game being being demoed in beta before release in contention to a video of the game running mostly at 30fps post patch. :P

Maybe that's a tad presumptuous of me and all of this isn't necessarily against you; it's more like a precursor to reading your thoughts on a video game.

On contrary.... My top 2 games ever are on a Nintendo device :)

And when I found out they were doing a remaster I wet myself and bought it immediately :)

@scatteh316: That really doesn't mean much to be honest. :(

It's different when you are being untruthful about the performance of a game and then alluding to criticisms of another system's games (Sony first party games) as defense for your allegations. That's just fanboy narrative stuff. It's not really a ground, open minded opinion.

It's fine to prefer a game over another, but just say that. Honestly, the reason I don't believe you played Breath of the Wild was because you exaggerated the frame rate issues to such an untruthful extent and backed your opinions up with deceitful evidence that it seemed impossible for you to have played it. If you were just honest from the beginning, people wouldn't question the validity of your opinions. :P

Did you buy your Nintendo Switch? Because even that seems suspect when you consider your post history.

Frame rate was bad.... and still isn't perfect.... that is just pure fact and by no means 'untruthful'

And no I didn't buy it..... I have the pleasure of having siblings with 1 being a Nintendo nut and the other being a massive Xbox fan..... so we all get to play everything with out the costs involved of buying 3 systems.

@scatteh316: No but stating that the game runs at 20fps, is nauseating to many and using a pre-release screenshot of the game to prove it IS untruthful, but that is exactly what you did. :P The game now runs with the occasional dips at 30fps on Nintendo Switch but you were pretty determined to say otherwise so to make the game out to be worse than it actually is, then brought up an unnecessary dialogue about how Sony first party IPs are criticized for performance issues and not Nintendo games like that was even part of the discussion.

I have a preference for Nintendo games because I believe they make well designed games and are able to maintain freshness (mostly) in long standing franchises by innovating and building new ideas around existing mechanics. I can happily admit that I prefer Nintendo's first part IPs to the IPs I have played from Sony and Microsoft (though that is limited to PS3 since I don't own a PS4). I get the impression that you're more into Sony content than Nintendo content. That's fine but being disingenuous about games isn't helping any in having a constructive conversation.

So yeah, you can understand why people will be suspect about your playing of BoTW when you peddle false narratives about the game running at 20fps on Switch which is completely untrue.

It does make more sense now that you didn't buy your Switch as I wouldn't understand anyone buying a Switch but not being interested in Nintendo franchises like Metroid, Smash Bros. or Pokemon as many will agree that Nintendo consoles are best enjoyed for Nintendo games. It makes sense now that you didn't buy the Switch yourself.

There'll never be a game like OoT...... or Mario 64....

@scatteh316: I think Breath of the Wild is better than Ocarina of Time. :P I also think Majora's Mask is better than Ocarina of Time. In fact, I think the majority of the 2D Zelda games are better than Ocarina of Time. I know it has a very prestigious reputation for being the game that launched the series in 3D and rightfully so but in terms of dungeon design and exploration, the series has done better.

Mario 64 is a great game. Mario Odyssey definitely surpasses it in terms of mechanical depth. Level design and challenge is definitely a little up in the air. I can understand fellas preferring 64. I prefer Super Mario Galaxy 2 over both in terms of level design but Mario Odyssey's mechanics are honestly inspiring from an aspiring developer's perspective. Gave me a few ideas for my game. It's excellent in that regard.

Nintendo have better games though, in my opinion. Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time are among the best on N64 but honestly A Link to the Past, Link's Awakening, Mario Bros. 3, Yoshi's Island and maybe Mario World are preferrable in my opinion. Don't get me started on Super Metroid. Damn thing is amazing. <3

@jumpaction - It just be because I was much younger when I played them so they made more of an impression on me then the newer games. But for me at least they're the best, I even bought a 3DS for the remasters.......and I've never bought new hardware just for a single game....... Although I would love a Mario 64 remaster for the 3DS.

@scatteh316: The 3DS remakes of OOT and MM are excellent. Really, really good. The art style is fully realized yet still preserves some of the quirks that make those games so atmospheric. The gameplay kinks have also been ironed out. Aiming on the original N64 releases was extremely rough but the gyro on the 3DS makes aiming a breeze.

I would love a remake of Link's Awakening. Easily one of the best Zelda games but the Gameboy aesthetics are crude. I'd love to see this gameplay and untouched but just cleaned up a bit with a modern aesthetic.

All the same, Breath of the Wild is easily one of the top 3D Zelda games, and on of my favorite open world games. Definitely didn't feel like a typical Zelda game to me. I get the criticisms from fans who labeled the game with 'Not being Zelda enough' though.

IMO it's all well and good to take individual mechanics and say they've been done before, but I've never seen things come together in a package like this before. I've been playing video games since the late 80s... if you want to be cynical, you can point to every game and say "it's been done before". IMO the better question to ask these days is "does this combination feel fresh". For me, with BOTW, the answer is absolutely "yes".

A couple of things I wish were better: improved dodge. His dodge mechanic is very primitive and limited. And tighten the world up a LITTLE bit. Not a lot - it does a good job encouraging open exploration and emergent gameplay. But it does suffer from a bit of open world malaise... it's too easy to wander looking for something to do. This works to some degree because the world is "post-apocalyptic" in its own way, but the fact is it can be a bit directionless at times. Still better than a lot of open world filth, though

@xantufrog: I get what you mean.

It's not enough to say the game 'has fire like Far Cry'. It's what you do with fire. You can set grass on fire, then use the wind to paraglide above your enemies, then take out your bow mid-air to land a critical or sword to slam down and perform a knockback. It's not the existence of mechanics but what Breath of the Wild does with them that makes them distinct.

Towers is something in the game I feel is often misunderstood. Many allude to the fact that other Ubisoft open world games have towers; but from my perspective, climbing these towers was not the issue. The problem was that activating them littered your map with middling and repetitious tasks that simply weren't fun to do and how these tasks were presented was in a laundry list fashion that sucked the exploration from the games. Different then to Breath of the Wild's use of structural language and vertical space. The towers gave you some information but it was still up to you to map out what you wanted to do and what looked interesting; it preserves the sense of discovery and exploration without spoiling the fun or presenting the game as a laundry list of tasks, but you know, using the open world as more than just a space to separate the list...

@jumpaction: yes i love how sparse the map itself is - the game doesn't tell you where stuff is with stupid markers - it tells you to look with your eyes at the world itself. The towers basically just 1) unlock a geographical map and 2) give you a vantage point to do some visual scouting from. Oh, they also give you a teleportation point

But could the Breath of the Wild formula be used again? Would it have that same effect, when people already have an idea of how the experience envelopes?

@xantufrog: Yeah for sure! It's an engrossing way of actually engaging in the open world. I never felt like it was just distance between two points, but a meaningful part of the gameplay loop.

@heirren: For sure. it's not really a gimmick but as I mentioned above - part of the gameplay loop. However, future entries will need to put different stuff in the game to subvert expectations. Honestly, more open world games, particularly fantasy games should be designed this way in my opinion. I'd prefer if this became the norm.

Easily..... The hardware in Switch would of more then likely stopped the implementation of some things that could be added on a new machine.

Lol. Unrelated to your point but I remember on System Wars years ago pointing out Far Cry's wild animals and fire as examples of unpredictable systems that create fantastic emergent gameplay that Zelda was desperately crying out for, rather than the sterile linearity and dead world of Skyward Sword. Naturally the sheep had autistic meltdowns and accused me of wanting a Zelda FPS hahaha.

Still, they weren't complaining when these systems finally showed up and were awesome!

Shouldn't Leagues of Legend, Dota 2 or Counter Strike: Global Offensive won best E-Sports?

@locopatho: That's insane and kind of funny too as you'd be hard pressed to find anyone defending Skyward Sword's direction now. :P

I can't even imagine. You were totally right though. Zelda is best in its least non-linear forms. Skyward Sword had some decent dungeon design but the overworld was just... well boring honestly. I bet they were up in arms over the Gamespot review. :P

Learning some stuff from immersive sims the same way FC 2 did was the best thing for Breath of the Wild.

@jumpaction: I reckon that nobody, either fanboys or realists, expected Nintendo to go directly from SS to BotW. They went from an ancient N64-ish design to one of the best open world games ever.

The denial that Nintendo had anything to learn from any other series was a way of keeping expectations down I think. Mainly for themselves? When the planets align and Nintendo DO actually bust out an advanced masterpiece, all the old arguments for why they couldn't before look silly :P

Twilight Princess was the best Zelda review for System Wars btw. Actually best review ever I think. The forums were massively more active back then. Dozens of people were creating "porn suicide" threads. Posting loads of garbage so they'd get permabanned in a blaze of glory. Those were the days! System Wars was so crazy back then haha. Sadly, there were never enough Sheep ever again for a crazy meltdown like that to happen again :P

@locopatho: I didn't think Nintendo were going to do it, honestly. My expectations for Breath of the Wild were very mild considering Skyward Sword. I believe that Breath of the Wild was going to be akin to a Bethesda open world game like Skyrim but with a Zelda theme. I didn't expect the game to be so designed around exploration and discovery the way it was. Granted, I loved A Link Between Worlds, I thought that was great but I haven't enjoyed any of the Wii or DS entries of the series, so I wasn't expecting glorious things from Breath of the Wild.

I was totally wrong. :P

@jumpaction: Long may Nintendo continue to surprise us and make a mockery of the fanboys low expectations!

@jumpaction: I've yet to play Breath of the Wild, but I thought they would've been more like how Monolith Soft makes open world games. From what I've seen of Breath of the Wild it didn't really follow that pattern either even though Monolith Soft helped in the development of Breath of the Wild.

@locopatho: Dude, honestly, if they were as ambitious with the latest Zelda and Mario as they are with all their games moving forward, that would be great. :P

Hopefully we're passed the era of New Super Mario Bros. Switch. :P

@Nintendo_Ownes7: Nope. Very different from what I played of Xenoblade Chronicles and Xenoblade Chronicles X. You should try it when you get the chance because it's very good!

@jumpaction: Let's hope we get a Metroid and Pokemon out of it :D

@locopatho: Those games are already confirmed right? Let's just hope they are inspired. :P

Metroid Prime games are generally good... the first two were excellent.

@jumpaction:

It isn't a gimmick but the entire experience was brand new. The concept was brand new. Nobody knew what to expect. For example, going through the game again would not yield the same results.

I wouldn't mind seeing a second attempt at how open the game was, ironing out a few issues and expanding on the concept. Still, breath of the Wild had that Mario 64 factor of feeling completely fresh.

@heirren: I get what you mean. Of course a new map with its own set of secrets is a must. Another thing is that it needs more at the end of the tunnel than shrines to stay distinct. New environments too. Breath of the Wild had a host of familiar environments such as snow, sand, volcanoes and forests.

I think the new game needs to surprise with new places to visit too. It's alright to use the same game loop and design philosophy as long as the content within is different.

@jumpaction:

Expect the unexpected. That's what Breath of the Wild excelled at and why the large world was so important.

@heirren: Exactly. It won't capture the same magic if they do Breath of the Wild 2, shrines and all. While that would probably still be a good game, you're right in saying it wouldn't be the same.