Will Breath of the Wild be a better open world game than FF15?

It seems to me that they will be very similar in scope. I hope Zelda can match FF15 in enemy variety and gameplay. I honestly haven't read much on the game because I want it to be a surprise, but I hope we're in a surprise. The only video I watched was the Jimmy Fallon reveal lol. Your thoughts on this very important topic, SW?

You have sunk in a new low with your threads.

YES. I expect great things from Aonuma. I'd be hugely disappointed, if it wasn't the case in the end

I expect so. As much as I like Final Fantasy 15, the open world in that game is entirely superficial and incidental to the core gameplay loop- it not being there would have ultimately made no difference to how the game plays. On the other hand, Zelda appears to be built with the open world inextricably integrated with the game's various gameplay systems, mechanics, and interactions- this leads me to believe that the open world will be far better in Breath of the Wild than in Final Fantasy 15.

All of this is, of course, not even considering the simple fact that Nintendo are far better at level design than, well, anyone else, and that includes Square Enix, too- presuming they can take their level design chops and apply them globally to an open world, we should be in for a treat.

@charizard1605:

"On the other hand, Zelda appears to be built with the open world inextricably integrated with the game's various gameplay systems"

couldn't have said it better. Most open world games tend to lengthen the playtime with unnecessary fetch quests, but the way zelda open world works seems like a huge puzzle in itself. Kinda like ALTTP aand zelda 1, just in its first 3D re-imagining

@charizard1605: I think I know what you mean about FF15. Besides the hunts, there really isn't much use of it lol.

Right- I am with a lot of people in expressing open world fatigue. As much as I like the notion of linear, open ended games, the truth of the matter is that most modern games simply throw in an open world to an otherwise linearly progressing game, and add it there for 'content'; the open world in this case serves to do nothing but add tedious filler. See also: Batman: Arkham Knight

Zelda does not appear to be such a case. This seems to be a game designed around the open world as a mechanic. Whether or not Nintendo can execute it on this scale remains to be seen, but I have no reason to doubt them for now.

Yup! And even then, the hunts didn't necessarily need an open world per se- they could easily have been confined to specific areas or zones in a segmented world, and it wouldn't have changed anything from a gameplay perspective. In Final Fantasy 15, as pretty as the world is, it just exists independently of the game's mechanics. I just don't see that being the case with Zelda.

@charizard1605: Like monster hunter?

Lol the open world in FF15 was used specifically to emphasise the feeling of a country esque roadtrip with friends, the empty vistas were made (just like almost every other part of 15) to hammer that feeling as much as possible, weather you think thats good or not, there is at least a point to it

Zelda gonna be good, but in conpletely different ways to ff so i probably wouldnt compare them

Uh, sort of? I was thinking more like classic FF games, which had segregated areas and dungeons with major bosses and enemies.

@charizard1605: admittedly it's been a while since I've played final fantasy prior to this one. I really enjoy the hunts and dungeons in this game. I just beat one of the hardest bosses in the game. So addicting lol. I'm not sure how I could envision playing them otherwise. I do think that the main campaign was really lacking. But I'm willing to give it another shot. As an open world game though yea it's lackluster. How would you compare that to Witcher? I really need to get back to that game.

Can you climb rocks in FF15? No. Zelda wins.

Lol, yeah, same. I keep meaning to go back and play FF4 (I love that game so much), but ehhh, I haven't even got the time to play new games anymore lol, how will I ever find the time to play older ones? I agree that FF15 is stupidly addictive though. The battle system, once it clicks, is ridiculously fun. It's like a dopamine rush when you are chaining Team Techs, dodges and phases, and actual attacks. I've also spent far more time doing side quests and hunts than actually playing the campaign lol. Don't really care much for the actual story, mostly care for the character interactions and banter, and that comes out best in side quests anyway.

As an open world game, I'd honestly say The Witcher 3 is better- The Witcher 3 uses the open world very effectively for its central conceit, which is interactive storytelling. Even from a gameplay perspective, it is bigger, better designed, and encourages more natural and organic exploration and emergent gameplay than FF15's open world does. That said, FF15 is definitely a better playing game than Witcher 3.

Yes, I'll take a lot of the "bad" (well not the CDI ones) over what gets gassed up as a "good" Final Fantasy. Plus the new Zelda, actually looks Aunoma proof. I'd actually be a bit stunned if he found a way to **** this up.

I don't know what it is but I'm just not connecting with this games world, it just seems so samesy as everything else that is open world.

I mean don't get me wrong I love Zelda games, they're amazing, but this just doesn't hit me with that vibe, I think the removal of the overall linear layer of the game is going to harm it. Ocarina of Time for example was a great mix of a linear game with an open ended world, this just feels too lacking in direction and identity from what I've seen.

I think it will be a lot better and a lot different. It will be Twilight Princess without the loading. It will be Zelda.

@charizard1605: I kind of feel like Witcher 3 has the opposite problem that FF15 does. Seems like it's very story heavy but the combat didn't seem that great. I've been playing FF15 like a madman lately.. I'm pretty close to platinum lol. Also, this video is actually pretty apropos to what we're talking about right now https://youtu.be/efKxC0RgyV4 I'm thinking about watching Kingslaive and Brotherhood

Yeah, FF15 is ridiculously easy to platinum, just playing it as you naturally would (or as you or I naturally would in any case, lol).

I saw that earlier today- I agree with it to a very large degree. It seems that most games took the wrong lesson from Skyrim's success (they just saw open world=success, without understanding why open world=success, and so missed the point when it came to doing their own version). Effective open world games are few and far in between- Skyrim, yes, the Ezio era Assassin's Creed games, yes. The Witcher 3, yes. I've read compelling arguments for MGSV being an effective open world game, but having not played enough of that game, I defer that judgement to you (or anyone else who has). Most other games released these days, though? Absolutely not, sadly enough :/

@charizard1605: I was actually really disappointed with MGS V. Gameplay was tight, but also suffered from that repetition we see from the wannabe open world games. Also, story was very unsatisfying and incomplete. Really sucks Kojima couldn't finish his vision. And sucks even more that MGS is dead.

On the other hand, wouldn't you argue that seeing Kojima unshackled from Metal Gear is exciting? I kind of want to see what he applies his brand of insanity to next lol.

Does MGSV not utilize the open world to provide the player with more tools and approaches to encounters, though?

@charizard1605: it does and the core gameplay itself is fun. I just wish there was more Kojima in it. It felt restrained. In previous metal gears each section felt like a scene in a movie. I couldn't really get into the narrative or characters in this one.

Well, I've never played Zelda, so I'm going to say yes.

I suppose losing focus because of the open world, and also the fact that the story is inherently unfinished, adds to that sense in this game? I had already started feeling the story was diluted and the game more... grounded? In the very little of it I played.

@charizard1605: it's definitely one of the best games of this gen. I'm speaking more or less from a fan level. Gameplay is the best in the series, though it misses the trademark Kojima boss fights and cut scenes.

Yeah, I will definitely have to return to it, the one thing I have felt was lacking this gen was truly standout games on a mechanical level. Bloodborne and Splatoon are really all I can think of.

@charizard1605: like how you get dropped in the most random area, you find a specific item and wonder how to claim the top of that particular Hill or castle etc. Kinda like what the Dark Souls series does with its open world. Exploration being part of the vague puzzles. I can't wait, if anyone can do open world justice, it's definitely Nintendo

FFXV isn't even close to being the best open world so Zelda would probably be better .

mgsv had a stretched thin sort of feel by the end and it really lacked more complex areas and things inbetween a bunch of small outposts. The game probably would have done better with more smaller maps that had more density in certain areas. Sort of the way hitman approaches a level.

That shouldn't be particularly hard.

I'm afraid of Zelda being too open- the franchise started as "open world" though. I feel like they haven't quite nailed the size yet. I would argue the best "worlds" they created are the original and Majora's Mask. This one is really going for that "this game world is huge" tagline and Zelda doesn't need that. Make it say 50% bigger than the average Zelda game, and add another thing or two to collect than usual and call it at that. Keep the RPG stuff they're trying to add though- it can add a ton of variety to the game and is fun way to make the game more difficult too.

TBH who gives a shit? I have huge franchise fatigue for both of these games and just don't care anymore.

Nintendo puts out an 'open world' Zelda 5 years after we have been completely over-saturated by open-world games and we're all forcing ourselves to get excited.

@Shmiity: It will feel like a game with an open world, not like an open world with a game pasted over the top (Skyrim etc).

As usual with Nintendo, they're way behind everyone else. Breath of the Wild is a game that should have been made at least 2 to 3 years ago.

Open World fatigue is setting in for a lot of players, so it has to do something new and fresh to really impressed people I'd say.

@charizard1605: I just beat Adamantoise so badass (I'm actually really late on that lol, I'm way into the post game at this point)

I think BotW will be better since it looks like an extremely ambitious game and is entering new territory for the Zelda franchise. I can see it being tiring for folks that play lots of open world games but it'll be welcome for me since I don't play that many.

It won't have the same levels of bromance since Link doesn't camp out in the wild with three bros.

@SolidGame_basic: Man, what level are you at this point lol

I wanted to say something but Charizard really said all that needs to be said.

So the only thing left I can say is... Hi Charizard :P

But really... with Breath of the Wild, it seemed like they built an open world and then mechanics and game around that open world. The interactivity and different ways the game allows you to explore and traverse the world. Should make the open world actually well executed.

It is possible for FF15 to still be a better game though. But I dont think the open world will be better.

It will be a better game but not better at the end game. End game content for FF15 is really really good, well so far, I only started doing some of it today.

Yet despite the open world fatigue. This game was seemingly voted the most hyped game of 2017.

I think the issue with Open World Fatigue comes from the traditional Open World formula. Zelda looks to shake up the open world quite a bit. Which is why I am pretty hyped for this.

My only real concern with the game at this point is the health system. Taking heavy damage from most enemies wont mean anything if you can carry infinite healing items. It is this nonsense that made Demons Souls easy too, and Zelda looks like an even bigger offender because you dont even seem to stand still while healing yourself.

@charizard1605: Ya'll two are talking crazy. You couldn't complete the Armiger without searching the open world high and low for the tombs. Ffxv had a decent open world. Obviously, the airship should have been able to land off roads and some areas were sneakily invisiwalled, but that doesn't render the open world mechanic meaningless or even arbitrary.

Again, that doesn't by definition need an open world. Past Final Fantasy games managed just fine without true open worlds, and they had similar mechanics too. I adore FF15, you know that, but the game didn't need to be open world, it could have done just as well with large segmented areas.

@charizard1605: Square-Enix, if you're watching. . . Do not listen to this man!!

Pfft, my comments are more directed at Nintendo anyway :D

There was an emphasis on the size of the world in the demos shown for Zelda and also an emphasis on how long it takes to travel across the map with Epona being automated if you want to. Zelda is going to be just as shallow as other open world games in the sense that world is big for the sake of being big.

@silversix_: lol you can but only in the volcano.

@charizard1605: I'm level 82 and I just started the post dungeons

These two games only have one thing in common and thats that they're open world.

this isn't even debatable. breath of the wild is the first open-world game i've seen with such an emphasis on environmental interactivity. the open world in FFXV is largely just a static, non-interactive visual backdrop. i'd say even dragon's dogma has a better open world design than FFXV.