No matter the genre, Nintendo is top of the line

Guerrilla Games’ Horizon Zero Dawn is an amazing game. It’s a very polished first attempt at an open world, which is why it’s hard to believe Guerrilla Games had never done anythi…

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

Some pretty good points, though I'd also argue that their pursuit of doing things so differently also slows down the pace of releases.
They need more teams, basically, so that they can make more games like these faster.

[PlebeGamer]

That's the beauty of the Switch though. As soon as they pull the plug on the 3DS, all of their dev teams will be focused on one platform. The 3DS didn't help the Wii U at all: Why make a low selling home console game when a handheld game is easier to make, cheaper, and has an audience that's five times larger?

Now Nintendo has the Japanese market on lock. They're the only game in town for handheld developers and the Switch is on fire in Japan.

[TheColbertinator]

@Shin Zantetsuken

If you want an exploration Nintendo RPG with a great story check out Xenoblade Chronicles

[LOGICWINS]

@Shin- I feel what you're saying. I'm not a fan of Mario, Zelda, or Metroid either. But you have to understand what Nintendo's plan is.

For Nintendo to get the 3rd party support that WE want, the Switch needs to sell a ton of units. These "kiddie" franchises sell a ton of units.

Switch will have Bayonetta 3, Ace Attorney, Shin Megami Tensei, and a crap load of other JRPGs. The mature games that you want ARE coming, you just need to understand that the Switch needs to be a financial success first so that 3rd party devs feel that the Switch is a safe bet. I haven't bought a Nintendo portable since the GBA SP for the reasons you stated, but I'm buying a Switch in 2018. It's not a matter of IF the Switch will get massive third party support, it's just a matter of when.

[mikeslemonade]

You mistake too of the line for last gen standard. Their games are graded on a lower standard.

[Sono421]

Botw constantly having fps drops and freezes in Docked mode is top of the line? Good to know. and yes it does still happen so don't even bother replying saying "OHH bu bu but they fixed it!" Because they didn't, I own a switch and Botw on it.. it still happens all the time so enough of that nonsense. but hey lets just give Nintendo that free pass again.. and that's not even mentioning that lackluster ending..

[HollowKnight]

It's not that Guerrilla Games or any other developer can't make their games play like zelda, It's that there are other aspects In every video game that make them shine over the others, In case of HZD, story telling & combat are superior In a sense, where you have different choices of weapons and shooting Individual parts of the robots with different types of arrows,ropes,bombs to make them vulnerable.

" HZD feels like a plastic doll house where virtually all of the player’s freedom disappears: Can’t cut that beautiful grass, can’t climb that highly detailed wall, can’t knock down this tree and launch it at the enemy as a massive projectile, and you sure as hell can’t manually create a makeshift catapult to launch Aloy into the air for the purpose of raining arrows and high powered explosives onto her enemies."

Those are just minor refinements that enhance the experiences, It does not necessarily turn games Into masterpieces, they can be Implemented Into any game, however the main focus of each developer Is subjective, and Is always dependent on what's Important and cost,time effective at the planing stage.

[AspiringProGenji]

This BotW physics bragging is getting out of hand. It is ridiculous!! Every open world has its share physics too, BotW happens to have the most due to its design and how it shifts gameplay. Who would have cared about any of that if Horizon had it? Who cares about cutting grass and burning it? I though I was supposed to hunt machines in perphaps the biggest combat scale yet?

Horizon focused on enemy AI and their animations and physics. That is where it shines over Zelda, and also story and combat. So we are gonna compare Zelda's physics to every open world game and ignore what those games do better over Zelda?

That is just blatant bias!!

BotW is an amazing game, but the combat still needs tuning. When you fight the lynels is when you realize its limitations. Basically, all you have to do to beat them is dodge attacks and do that Flurry attack thing over and over. It is the most effective way, as there's not much versatility in movements (Like rolling, sidestep, etc) that makes dodging attacks a pain. Like, I can see Zelda trying to be Dark Souls, but it still needs work. Horizon, Tw3, nor Bloodborne suffered from this

[deafdani]

There's nothing minor about the physics system in Zelda Breath of the Wild, so don't try to downplay it.

That said, Horizon's focus lies elsewhere, and it's also a great game for different reasons.

[Sitdown]

You don't think cutting grass or burning grass could play a role in Horizon?

[Razzer]

I'm really enjoying Zelda, but the Horizon comparison is just stupid. The things Link can do in a game like Zelda do not translate well into games like Horizon. Of course Aloy cannot scale every mountain or be catapulted all over the place. That's like me asking why Link can't use some sci-fi gadget to scan for enemies. These comparisons just don't work.

[PlebeGamer]

The idea was to show the difference in interactivity between the two titles, or really Zelda and literally any other open world. Aloy can climb, but only in areas that are designated by yellow scraps. Aloy can hide in tall grass when it's designated as hiding grass by shades of red, but she can't really interact with it. Aloy can fight enemies with melee weapons and ranged attacks, but only if she hits them of the glowing green environmental hazard herself, not by manipulating the the environment, which is as interactive as a.children's play house with painted on fixtures.

Nintendo made the best open world, with no useless space or artificial boundaries, and made it feel more interactive and alive than any that came before it.

[Razzer]

So what you are ultimately saying is that Zelda has a more interactive environment than other open worlds. Arguable. Best? I disagree. Horizon and The Witcher were not games about manipulating the environments. You are comparing games that aim to do very different things. I could argue that Minecraft is a better open world than Zelda if we really wanted to go down that path. Why can't Link dig a massive hole down to the center of the earth? You say that the "idea was to show the difference in interactivity between the two titles". But then you went of the rails to "best open world". I'm not going round and round on that because changing minds on subject of that nature just don't happen. I think you have a good argument about the interactive aspects of Zelda. I just think the game stands up on its own without useless comparisons to other games.

[PlebeGamer]

It being the best open world is my opinion after I explained the comparison of interactivity. It's a separate thought in a separate paragraph.

Also, the comparison between the games is to highlight the main point of the article: People have forgotten that Nintendo can do any game genre excellently. They didn't make an open world that put them on the same stage as everyone else, they made a world that is now considered by a great many to be the the greatest ever created.

As for why it's the best to me? It offers complete freedom, like Xenoblade Chronicles X, and has an interconnected world that sells the illusion that it "lives" even when you're not around. There is no single solution, nor are there hard coded paths you're forced to pick. There's so much attention to detail that it's ridiculous. I especially love how some elements of the world work more closely to real life than video games, and that's poked fun at in puzzle design.

[Razzer]

"It's a separate thought in a separate paragraph."

Ah....I misread what you were trying to say. Cool. Thanks.

[moegooner88]

" they made a world that is now considered by a great many to be the the greatest ever created. "

If you are gonna make a claim, at least back it up. Wanna list the user review scores on aggregate websites ? Last time I checked, both Metacritic and Open Critic user reviews favor Horizon over Zelda

[PlebeGamer]

User Reviews are f*%king internet AIDS. And of course Horizon is going to have more Metacritic user reviews in its favor, it's an exclusive title whose demographic is more likely to use Metacritic in the first place.

[Dark_Knightmare2]

Dude there was plenty of empty space in Zelda with next to nothing going on not to mention there were way too many swathes of land that were barren of enemies which made exploring boring after awhile

[Dark_Knightmare2]

Get back to me when Nintendo does the best fps,rts,third person action adventure in the vain of Uc or tomb raider etc since they are the best ever in any genre according to you. I'm sorry Nintendo gets one of the biggest passes in gaming and their games get treated like the second coming when their not. Are some really good or classics most def but that can be said of the other two also it's just nostalgia really helps Nintendo. For example a game from last gen was puppeteer a freaking amazing and unique game that scored well enough but didn't get the hype or reviews it deserved but I can almost guarantee if it would have been a Nintendo title it would have been treated as a classic and that's just the truth

[InTheLab]

"No useless space"

It's 90% open and empty space though. And most of the space is indistinguishable from any other area.

[Wallstreet37]

We must have played two different zeldas. Horizons world is way more lush and alive than zeldas. In horizon at every corner you have npcs, enemies and lush fauna. Yes on a physics level Zelda is doing things Horizon doesn't do but at a huge expense. The world density is sparse, I cant count how many times I was traveling empty terrain just to end up finally at some samey type enemy. Yes it has more physics in it and they made a huge world but guess what? It's empty compared to a game like Horizon and enemy variety is very limited. Overall I'll give the nod to Horizon on so many levels including better combat, OST, story, world, enemies, weapons, etc What Zelda does better is climbing, some physics but the world payed a huge price.

Best open world for you and thats OK but for me? Not even close. Horizon has won my heart over. To be honest I put Zelda down after Zora boss bcus the empty world killed my immersion.

fell free to pm me and send me your friend code, I'll be happy to add you on switch :)

[Kallisti]

Manipulating the environment? You mean like how you can shoot piles of logs to fall on the enemies?

[Erik7357]

I really like the climbing in Zelda, that needs to be a thing in every open world game now.

I hated the stupid obvious climbing controlled platforms in Horizon. If your gonna have it at least do it good. If skyrim had climbing I don't think they would of put obvious looking ledges and platforms all over the place

I also think Zelda did a way better job and your gonna see games follow it. PlebeGamer's comment was perfect.

Zelda was way more interactive, videos proof this.

https://youtu.be/aVPXKdSEGN...

You see a ton of games like Horizon who just look pretty against a Nintendo game but they end up having less depth to the gameplay because all they focus on is the eye candy

[Razzer]

Skyrim didn't have climbing. You had to find a path or be able to jump. I like the markers that show where to climb. It is part of the games challenge. Sure....you can turn every character into Spiderman who can scale any surface, but that is really out there. The fact that Link can scale ANY mountain is pretty neat, but come on.....no way in hell is it realistic. Zelda trades off the challenge of finding climbing markers for managing a stamina bar. I'm not trying to trash it, but there are reasons other open worlds do not do this. If Aloy could climb up a flat surface then it would look cheesy as hell. But it works great in Zelda.

I'm not arguing that Zelda doesn't have a more interactive environment. It certainly does and I love it. That video does a great job showing what Zelda does really well. There are some trade offs though. If I'm hunting a boar in Horizon and that boar goes over a hill to some place I don't see (without using the focus) and I run over that hill......that boar is still there. In Zelda, that boar disappears into thin air. I was hunting a boar to make that recipe for the old man and on two occasions I saw one and it just vanished. And it is great that you can chop down trees and such, but nothing you do persists. That tree will be right back standing where it was if you leave and come back. Is that a big deal? Not to me. But the point is there are trade offs in what you can do in a game. Horizon certainly makes them, but so does Zelda.

I loved Horizon and I'm currently loving Zelda. But anyone who has played both can tell you....these are VERY different games because they are not trying to achieve the same things.

[Silly gameAr]

You guys spend to much time trying to make other games look bad. It really makes me wonder if you really think Zelda is the greatest game ever, or if you're just giving it crazy praise just so you can trash other games that also deserve praise.

[Dark_Knightmare2]

Dude horizons gameplay shits on Zelda and it's never even close. There's a lore and story reason why the climbing sections are marked in horizon so actually play the game instead of talking about things you have no clue about.

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

@Razzer
"Skyrim didn't have climbing."
Tell that to the horses that are basically part mountain goat.XD

[Razzer]

@wonderfulmonkey

LOL. Touche'

[Wallstreet37]

Lol I like how you mention interactivity but don't mention how that interactivity cost Zelda big time w8th it's empty, half barren world. Zelda isn't the first open world to have interactivity and a dynamic world, games like Just Cause, GTA, and others have actually done it better. Zelda suffers from a sparse world with a low variety of enmies and combat cant even compare to Horizon. Horizon not only looks like eye candy as you say but slays Zelda in terms of world density, lush terrain and enemies IMO are just better. Great they did a huge world but if half of it is a walking simulator it bores me which is why I put Zelda down after Zora boss.

No one will be following Zelda because all Zelda did wasvencompass things others have done before just like every other open world. And frankly if world density and enemy variety have to suffer like it did in Zelda I'll pass. Give me a world like Horizon any day over that.
In defense of Zelda I do like its climbing and more dynamic physics gameplay but horizon trumps it IMO in...

World overall
enenies
Better OST
Better comat
Better Story
and was just more fun to me.

[iplay1up2]

Link has lots of powers...in BOTW...they are all tech.

[Erik7357]

Well didn't say skyrim had climbing, i'm saying if it did it wouldn't of been done like it was in Horizon.

Why? Cause that developer doesn't suck and didn't want stupid obvious unnatural looking ledges in its game. Seriously I wounder if Guerilla put any thought into designing that gameplay mechanic and was just like " Lets pretend this is a platforming game like uncharted and not treat it like its a open world game"

Open world all about exploring and being free why not have the climbing if your gonna have it build upon that? Zelda knew that and did that

[OtakuDJK1NG-Rory]

except you scan enemies and the Sheikah Slate is high tech that creates bombs, stop time, can move object and even take pictures, identify objects, plants, lifeforms, has a map and can teleport you.

[Sirk7x]

You actually can use a sci-fi gadget to scan for enemies in BotW. Enemies, weapons, animals, various types of plants and foods. Almost every collectible item in the game, and every enemy can be targeted and tracked.

[Istolla]

Zelda is the best open world game I've ever played. The fact that there is very little hand holding, and no artificial boundaries to direct gameplay and story it's amazing.

I just got Horizon and will compare them later, but I honestly think Zelda is the new standard for open world games.

[EddieNX]

Agreed.

[Pearljam]

Do you ever see the amount of dislikes you get? Why bother speaking. Like in general you should stop talking people would be way more happy.

[EddieNX]

I also get likes. Being a Nintendo fan naturally russles the feathers of the haters
. Who are u anyway? Youre just giving an excellent band a bad name. Try debating rather than personal attacking, You cant attack people on message boards who have different oppinions to you, it just exposes your insecurities. Zelda botw is the new standard for open world games, ive finished it and I know.

[prankster101]

Have to agree with PearlJam here... we get it that you're a Nintendo fanboy... But can you just at least try to be a tad more objective? Some of the other people consider you to be a laughing stock and a loon.

[InTheLab]

The side quests are embarrassing in zelda.
The story is trash
Voice acting is mediocre
Some characters speak during cutscenes then revert back to grumbling
The combat is mediocre and broken in some areas...

This is a decent game blown up by a combination of havok physics cheerleading and perceived freedom.

[Istolla]

Well now I know not to get game suggestions from you. Lol.

[Rippcity]

Very little handholding? The game is easy as fuck man I'm sorry. I beat every dungeon in less than a half hours time, didn't die a single time on any of the boss fights and basically spammed Gannon until the part where it's mandatory you shield parry which, once you get the hang of it, is not even a challenge. Yes the game just lets you go and do whatever you want, but it provided me not a single challenge. Not even once. Horizon's battles had me on my toes the entire time even when I was prepared. The AI in Horizon outsmarted me multiple times where as the AI in Zelda was piss poor. Enemies just running directly at you over and over again until they're dead. With three exception of Lynels, the battling in Zelda is a joke compared to Horizon.

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

We know you're lying by the claim that you finished all 4 main dungeons in half an hour.
Sit down and just stop.

[Istolla]

Wow what a bold face lie... I mean it's okay if you don't like the game, but 30 minutes for all the Divine beasts? I assume that's what you meant by dungeons.

[Istolla]

By the way what I meant by hand holding is the have not directing me his to approach any task or quest. I didn't have any mandatory path to follow. There were no markers directing me or anything like that.

[Rippcity]

When I said I finished every dungeon in 30 minutes time I meant each not all of them in less than 30 minutes. I'm just saying the dungeons were glorified shrines. They weren't as monumental as previous Zelda games.

[InTheLab]

Agreed. The divine beasts were a joke compared to the random ass bokoblin with a shitty bow that one shots you out of nowhere.

[BigTrain]

While I do believe that Zelda has done some things right, I prefer Horizon and I believe that ultimately a gamers personal preference is what will cause them to gravitate towards one or the other. I was turned off by the weapons breaking in Zelda, I hate it, it takes me out of the game. Yes, I know there are a ton of other weapon drops but I still hate it. I hate managing limited inventory slots for crappy weapons. I hate the stamina gauge, I don't want to cook recipes to apply temporary boost to my skill set because no upgrades are permanent in Breath of the Wild. I spend more time in the damn menu screen or monitoring "temporary boost" clock countdowns than actually playing the game, shits annoying! I just want to play a game. I feel as if Zelda has been plagued with a host of micro management concepts and all of those concepts stem from game styles that I do not like, Monster Hunter for ex. Maybe I would enjoy it more if I had more time to play games but I ultimately feel the design of the game has the player tediously micro managing multiple aspects unnecessarily which detracted from the actual fun. If I rated the games design alone I'd give it a 7. I dont expect to like every game and Im glad that so many people have no problem with the issues I pointed out, but once I played BOTW for myself it's issues were so glaring to me that I was scouring the web trying figure out how the game got perfect scores. Lo and behold its the crutch of any debated item and thats personal opinion. For those who like it, have at it. To each his own. Having said that, I hope it will not be the new standard for open world games or even Zelda games for that matter. At best I hope Nintendo listens to all opinions and compromises on some of the gripes myself and others have. Please at least let a weapon last longer.

[InTheLab]

This game also fails as an RPG. I hate the fact that Link never learns anything new and his skill set is based on the weapon he uses. I hate that I can mash Y all day but struggle to climb up a tower doe to stamina. I hate that when I do find a great weapon, I have to save it in my limited space inventory until I run into a stronger enemy. Why is there no recipe book? How stupid is that? The only crafting system in the game is reduced to tedious guess work.

I swear, if this game were not named "zelda" it would sit in the 60's or 70's. I'd give the game a 6 based on a few good things this game does. Maybe even a 6.5

[Istolla]

Why would you need a recipe book? It was pretty straightforward to figure out what boost each ingredient gave you.

Wanna make a steak? That's straightforward. Wanna make a cake? Eggs, flour, and milk.

By the way there were recipes all over if you paid attention

[yomfweeee]

No doubt they have great games.... but no matter the genre? Pretty stupid claim.

[Razzer]

Yeah....that is a silly boast.

[PlebeGamer]

What genre have they attempted and not succeeded at?

[Razzer]

No....you said "no matter the genre". Now it is only genres they have "attempted"? Is that what you meant? Need to change your headline.

[PlebeGamer]

If you can't read the article and digest it, then maybe take some extra reading courses? The point is when Nintendo tackles a new genre, they succeed 100% of the time, and in many cases take over the top spot in the genre. So no matter the genre Nintendo takes up, they are top of the line.

[Razzer]

Wow. Did you write this article? You are suddenly very salty that someone dare question the scope of your claims.

[prankster101]

@Plebegamer... Razzer read the headline. That's enough in most cases... But very well:

FPS - Metroid Prime Federation
RPG - Paper Mario Color Splash
On-Rails - Starfox 0

All came out in 2016. All proved to be major disappointments for fans and critics.

[makkauhijau]

Where's the Nintendo sim racing games? Third person shooter? Strategy games? Plus, if you are talking about open world, GTA V is way better than Zelda. Story telling, world diversity, it even got more things to do, not to mention they got Trevor. Way way more interesting character compared to Link.

[prankster101]

Agreed... Nintendo also have about 3 genres which they truly excel in...

Alright, it's not exactly 3... but you get the idea.

[Bronxs15]

I agree with many points of the article. Nintendo makes some great games. But the article takes it too far in my option.

Calling splatoon the next halo. And saying monolith makes the best open worlds ignoring other open worlds like the witcher.

I think the author has Nintendo blinders on. I agree they make great games. And redefined genres. His example with street fighter and smash is a good one.

But one has to admit. It's not working for Nintendo. Baring the lightening in a bottle success of the Wii, each if their systems have been selling less.

While breath of the wild is great, the problem is the world does t stop and wait. Look how long ago it was first talked about for Wii u. In that time tittles like the witcher dragon age inquisition mass effect horizon zero dawn have come and gone. And while you might argue that breath of the wild is "better" than those other games. Those other games are not bad. They're quite good in their own right. And people play them and enjoy them. they get hyped and excited when they are revealed and new trailers etc.

Nintendo makes pretty great games. But there are no shortage of great games these days. And more people are choosing to purchase and play other systems where more of those great games are more readily available and they don't have to wait long stretches in between games.

[PigPen]

You sound confused. Since the success of the PS2, each of their systems have been selling less (there is no argument there). Zelda: BotW is a great game. The article is just pointing out the obvious.

[prankster101]

Nintendo fanboys are the worst. At least MS and Sony fans (in general) are a tad more objective - partly because they have superior catalogues and hardware to draw from. But all you ever hear from Nintendo fans are ***OMG 3DS and Wii are so amazing***, not realising that both hardware formats reached their peak many many years ago. Oh, and that Zelda quandry... Yeah, so what? That's just ONE FCUKING GAME! And it's not even an optimised exclusive.

[Yohshida]

King of Gameplay

[Mr Lahey]

That would be Fromsoftware.

[AspiringProGenji]

That is as ridiculous as "King of graphics"

[corroios]

For cartony games, colorfull and so on yes, but for more realistic, darker and so not really. There is a huge diference running in a almost real jungle to a colorfull cartony jungle. There a huge diference driving in road exactly like the real one then racing after a crocodile. There a huge diference running with mario in city to running from a robbery in La.

[rhap]

article written by a nintendo fanboy. pass.

[PlebeGamer]

Total fanboy, never says anything bad about Nintendo, never ever...
http://www.gamezone.com/ori...

[IanTH]

Wait. So Aloy can't do all the things that Zelda can do in Horizon and so Horizon is a plastic doll house and is now a second class citizen next to BotW...but Xenoblade Chronicles, a series that also has never done the things that Zelda can do, have "the best worlds in all of video games" and are "critically acclaimed and mechanically amazing" games which "might just become the next big Nintendo franchise, making them a major force in the world of RPGs".

I think most of your points stand, but that makes your focus on why BotW excels and Horizon lags behind ring hollow when, in nearly the same breath, Xenoblade is heaped with praise and given a pass on the very things you knock Horizon for. I like all of those games as they excel at different things, but something felt weird about that as I read the article.

Otherwise, a lot of your other points stand. The Big N has quite a few successes and I'm excited to see what they bring out for the Switch. My Wii U didn't have a ton of great games for it, but I got enough exclusive/unique games to ultimately eek out enough value from it as a secondary console. Hopefully they can prove the Switch can be more than that. I'm watching its 1st year intently.

[BlakHavoc]

Top of line in all genres? Nah not even close.

[Imalwaysright]

Super Smash (fighting game), Super Mario Galaxy (3D platformer), Super Mario Bros (side scroller platformer) Mario Kart (arcade racer), Zelda (action adventure open world game), Pokemon (RPG), Eternal Darkness (survival horror), Metroid Prime (action adventure FPS).... Maybe not all but you can say that many of their games are up there with the best in their respective genres.

[Dark_Knightmare2]

Pokémon best rpg lol gtho than you go on to name two game series that have been dead for years like are you serious and once again I wouldn't call eternal darkness the best survival horror not by a long shot.

[Imalwaysright]

You better believe that I'm serious. 1st of all I didn't say that any of those games/franchises are the best in their respective genres because no one can make that claim for any game ever made. I said that they are up there with the best in their respective genres and I stand by what I said about any of those games and/or franchises. Each one of them are top quality and that includes Pokemon which is loved by millions of gamers around the world and is one of the most successful IPs in gaming and Eternal Darkness which is without any doubt one of the best survival horror games ever made that you can find in lists of "best survival horror games" even today

http://www.ign.com/articles...
http://www.gamesradar.com/b...
http://gameranx.com/feature...
http://www.ranker.com/crowd...

[TheGamingArt]

There's tons of companies, including Microsoft and Sony, who've single handedly redefined a genere at some point, nintendo is no different. They have IPs that are legacied and can be counted using your fingers and just keep being hashed and iterated over time. I wouldn't call that a feat, I call that legacy. You're point has no merrits.

[Imalwaysright]

@TheGamingArt

I didn't say anything about other companies devs, games or Ips or if Nintendo redefined genres and whatnot. I'm not sure what point you thought I was trying to make and I think I that my comment was very clear (english is not my language so sorry if it wasn't). I was strictly talking about how Nintendo has quality games/Ips in several genres.

[InTheLab]

Last 3 games are suspect af...

[quent]

The only genre nintendo really hasn't excelled in yet is the fps genre, maybe they should go after blizzards P2F2P shooter, would like to see what they can come up with

[sk8ofmnd]

What i read was...

"No matter the genre, Nintendo is top of the line says some random nintendo fanboy".

[Father__Merrin]

Nintendo games don't appeal to me. There's only possibly zelda or Mario (3d) I would ever purchase

[3-4-5]

* Nintendo gets the small details right that most devs don't focus on.

When you focus on the details at a "Nintendo level".....you get games like Horizon on PS4. Not many companies get the small details right like Nintendo does, and the developers that do, end up making classics like Nintendo does.

[senorfartcushion]

Yep. Best developers in the world

[Wallstreet37]

Definitely dont agree with this perception and I am a proud owner of a switch.

Zelda BOTW isn't doing much different From other open world rpgs, matter of fact its just borrowing from every other type open world RPG and encompassing all in their own package like they all do.

For all the praise that Zelda gets for being more dynamic than others in terms of physics and what you can do in the world, I find it very strange ppl don't mention the trade-off and it got a free pass from reviewers. Zeldas world is huge but often times is very very empty and you have few npcs and enemies scattered around. The immersion was easily broken for me as I walked or trasvered for periods of time just to bump into some samey type character and walk over empty barren plains. I found Horizon zero dawn better than Zelda in most categories including combat, weapons, music, story and definitely world density and enemies. Horizons world was packed with so much lush environments and enemies, it was so alive. Not only that the fun gameplay were accompanied by lush graphics and performance trumping most other open world games of its kind.

Ppl on here that have me on both psn and on switch can easily see I completed Horizon but dropped Zelda after I beat Zora boss. Just didn't hold my attention. I'm not saying other ppl don't prefer Zelda but I know I don't.

Up next Mario Kart deluxe because I never bought Mario Kart 8 in Wiiu :)

[PlebeGamer]

The density of enemies in BotW may not be as high as HZD, but the game's focus is exploration, not combat. The density and variety of stuff to do in Hyrule is the highest out of any game. The map is loaded with puzzles to solve, secret areas to discover, treasures to collect, shrines to conquer, quests to complete, towers to scale, koroks to seek, mini bosses to battle, horses to tame, and vistas to photograph.

Not everyone is into exploration, so they may not like Zelda as much as HZD, but you cannot list a single game with a more well-crafted world for the purpose of explration, aside from possibly Xenoblade. That's without even touching the absolute freedom and crazy interactions Link is capable of in Hyrule.

[C_Ali88]

This!!!! You will appreciate whatever aspects of each game suit your own personal tastes. But I never tasted exploration this free and unbinding....

Truly "feels" fresh and maybe thats why people are in love with it, its understandable.

[KTF26]

n4g is full of Xbox Scorpio and Switch propaganda

[Tussin187]

To me even having Horizon mentioned in the same sentence as Zelda should make GG proud.

Zelda has been around for decades and I expect it to be at the top of its game. This was GG's first RPG and I think they deserve some credit. Actually a ton of credit. This wasn't an easy game to make and I applaud them for going out their comfort zone to make this game. Can't they just coexist.

Can't we just say that both are amazing and move on?

[IanTH]

We can. Some, sadly, can't. I don't get it either. Both awesome games that excel in certain areas the other doesn't. I enjoyed them both. And weirdly people can't say one is better than the other without it starting a pissing match. I enjoyed Horizon more than Zelda, but I can easily see why it would be the reverse for someone else. It doesn't offend me to the core of my being if someone else liked Zelda more, but most people appear to like one and then reflexively poop on the other lol.

And would you say that Guerilla went out of their...Killzone...to make this game? Hahahauuuugghh yea, I'll see myself out.

[gbsrnctaln]

Just Cause 3 ...more interactive than BOTW. Link cant hang upside down from a jet, and you can climb literally ANTYHING with the grappling hook. FC3 burned grass...sooooo....

[Kallisti]

Far Cry 2 did the same too, they made a big deal out of it at the time

[C_Ali88]

Keep trying, name some more games to round out the systems Zelda BOTW has in place.

[gbsrnctaln]

You can do a lot in the world, but dont act like its anything new much less mindblowingly innovate.

[Einhander1971]

Totally agree pile all resources now into switch, Wii u suffered for that with 3DS. Nintendo is in a perfect position now with switch offering the best of both worlds.

[PlebeGamer]

Nice name.

[Einhander1971]

Oh and personally I cant understand how you can say Nintendo games are boring or kiddies games what a load of bollocks. Mario Galaxy 1,2 alone has amazing gameplay and level design. Other developers can never seem to match

[XStation4pio_Pro]

I think Nintendo does a great job creating content and IP, but they don't take it as far as they could because they always skimp on robust hardware. Think how much more amazing BOTW could have been with the power of the PS4 Pro or Scorpio.... or even the base PS4 for that matter. The worlds could be bigger, more beautiful, more cinematic, more capable. Don't get me wrong it's fantastic but HZD is mind blowing every time I play it.

[PlebeGamer]

The graphics really wouldn't have been improved much aside from polish and resolution. I'll trade 1080p for 900p docked and 720p on the go.

The art style doesn't require heavy power and comes with the advantage that it will forever look amazing, while photo-realism by HZD, The Witcher 3, Assassin's Creed, etc will age worse and worse as time goes on. Just look at how earlier 3D games have aged: Windwaker still looks great, but every Madden from the PS2 era looks like hot garbage now.

(The reason I chose Madden is because the game is small in scale, had incentive to strive for realistic graphics, as well as multiple iterations to build upon.)

[Kallisti]

First person shooters?

[gbsrnctaln]

Splatoon bro....Splatooooooonnnnnn. Lol

How about survival horror?

[Kallisti]

That's third person silly

[Sirk7x]

Fatal Frame series is pretty much Nintendo exclusive now.

[captainexplosion]

The only Nintendo games I have really liked in the last decade were 3D World, 3D Land, Splatoon, Mario Maker. Captain Toad's Treasure Tracker, and maybe Mario Kart 8. Pokemon, Zelda and Animal Crossing all bore the hell out of me.

[VendettaGamer]

Yeah let's not look at the fact that Nintendo has the nastallgia effect or that Nintendo can get away with their games not pushing things like industry leading graphics or mo cap. Sony and Microsoft can't get away with half ass voice acting. Of course you can concentrate on the gameplay aspect when you can get away with leaving out what the competition can't. If I was to believe this opinion piece Splatoon would be the top shooter on the market.

[C_Ali88]

Spell nostalgia correctly before trying to argue a point centralized around something you don't even have the capacity to spell.

Industry leading graphics always look dated in 3 years... Wind Waker does not! Super Mario World does NOT...

Either way nostalgia is not a valid argument.... Halo, God of War, Mario, FF7.... All have nostalgic effects on us gamers but the argument is only used for Nintendo.

[VendettaGamer]

My point was that nostalgia doesn't allow any other game to not have full voice acting. People will argue and claim that they don't want link to have a voice. Also the games that you mentioned have only been around since the 2000s. It's funny that leading graphics get out dated quick but yet no one said anything bad about the Zelda demo that was shown before the Wii U dropped. People will make up whatever narrative in their head to give Nintendo a pass. What other platform can get away with having the same villain and story every game?

[VendettaGamer]

I also didn't hear anything when they put Mario in the Unreal Engine 4.