Zelda BoTW Really Doesn't Deserve Game Of The Year. Here's Why;

Park of CD assess the rampant "perfect" scores Zelda BoTW has received as well as its numerous Game of the Year awards. Does the fact it's Zelda give it a pass to the top of the pile even with its issues?

[SCW1982]

My thoughts after over 100 hours of playing. It is a very good game but I would not say its a great game, way to many issues that I can't overlook. It is very flawed but the sense of discovery is intoxicating. Still have not faced Calamity Gannon.

[Akarogg]

I would give it 8/10 tops

[sampsonon]

more like a 7/10

[TyrellCorp]

After about the 30hrs I’ve put in I’d give the game around an 8.5 so far. I was actually shocked at how poorly the game started but the more time I put in the better BoTW seems to get, and something about it keeps pulling me back in.

[Alexander1Nevermind]

I have to say its a damn good game. Definitely one of the best games I played within the last year. Nioh was also one of my favorites that I put up there as the years best.

[Seraphim]

one of the authors complaints is mine as well, "lastly, that it simply was an empty world with little to do, not to mention its severe lack of variety of things to do"

While I sunk in approx 70 so far the world feels so empty that I find myself losing interest. Fetch quests [to me] aren't bad, though they do get old in any game. Exploring is absolutely awesome. There are definitely some fine points in BoTW and it's a solid game, there's no denying that. But not being engaging is a major crux; for me. Where as other games I was constantly engaged, interested, etc. Even Xenoblade 2 is far more engaging and interesting, so far, than BoTW. I think BoTW could do very little to improve this issue but sadly it'll likely never happen. Especially given the praise it's been given as is. Or perhaps it was designed as a fast travel and exploration game and I'm playing it all wrong.

[michellelynn0976]

Obviously you didn't play it. You can do what you want.

[indyman7777]

I second that michelleyn0976 that game has ENDLESS stuff to do from the very start of the game. It is the opposite of his complaint. I can't think of a game that has more to do.

This is a 300 hour game and people are saying there is nothing to do? wah? Look at the list of impressive things about BOTW on youtube. Look at the 55 website GOTY award member ratings and they say the same thing. That is why it got mostly 100 out of 100 ratings. That is why have of them rated it the best game EVER...as in the history off.......LIFE!

[gwumper987]

@michellelynn0976 and @indyman77 it seems you missed the point of the comment. You both assumed that Seraphim was saying there is no content, but what was being said that it was repetitive/boring content. A gaim could have thousands of hours of things to do, but if they are always the same thing, and if that thing isn't particularly interesting in the first place then that game probably isn't going tok be a fantastic experience. I loved the game but I understand this sentiment.

[rainslacker]

I would have to agree. I don't find the game overall to be that amazing. The game play itself isn't really all that innovative, although it does do some things very well. The story isn't even really passable. But just the compelling nature of going around exploring is very strong.

I've spent quite a few lunch hours now, or down time at work, just running around doing things with no consequence whatsoever to the overall story. It's somewhat addictive, which isn't a bad thing for a portable.

[zb1ftw777]

What's so flawed about it?

[madforaday]

I actually just started playing Zelda, I am amazed at how good the exploring is, and the feeling overall. I just got the Divine Beast Mission and need to find Robbie to give you an idea of where I am.

The combat- Firstly, I am not attacking the enemies often because weapon durability is a joke. I can only kill a few enemies, weak enemies, with one weapon. Switching your weapons back and forth and making sure you have enough already is tiresome. I don't mind weapon durability, Fary Cry 2 was annoying but once you started making money you can buy brand new weapons which last much longer. My friend kind of said there isn't a way to make them stronger, just the Master Sword. I am still early into the game so who knows if I will get better weapons that last longer. When I watch videos of people playing who are super far into the game, they are using weapons that I seen still.

The Story- This is the main one and the main reason why I haven't got a switch until just recently. I am 30 years old and now I am a sucker for a story. I just want a decent story, from Zero Dawn to Wolfenstein, just something. In Zelda, (This is my first time with a Zelda game and before I played the game), I guessed I need to save Zelda and defeat Ganon. I started playing Zelda, and now my next mission is defeat Ganon. I do like the lore around certain places that look like a battle took place and lore about what happened. For the most part, it is the same concept has a Mario game. I also got Odyssey and that game I got the same feeling (Even more with that game). Horizon Zero Dawn, you are put into the world randomly, you have no idea what surrounds you. You slowly learn what the Hell is going on. The more and more I learn the more and more I want to know more. The power of wanting to know everything so you move forward. The story in Horizon was great (for a video game)! That pushed me throughout the whole game!

Zelda BOTW, doesn't have that sensation, an hour into my game I already have the quest, defeat Ganon. I could go to that fight, defeat the divine beasts, or just explore and do side quests. The story is done, until I beat Ganon. I am sure the Divine Beast will have something cool (going to do my first one today). I know the memories should do something as well but haven't done one yet. It is so hard to explore the world when you don't want to fight something because you don't have many weapons or arrows. I shouldn't have to ignore combat because of a mechanic in the game. That may or may not be a flaw because I am sure Nintendo wanted to make feel like your are a survivor and a gatherer.

If Horizon Zero Dawn had an awful story you bet your ass review sites would lower the score by A lot because of it. Zelda and Mario are two amazing games that deserve all the praise but their games, I have a hard time pushing through because they aren't story driven games.

[Bahamut]

Played for about 100 hours on the Wii U, then got a Switch and started over. About 150 hours in now, loved every second of it. Idk why people say there isn't anything to do. Over 100 shrines, main quests, sidequests, forgotten memories, collecting materials for cooking and upgrading gear, searching for ore, korok seeds, collecting monster parts and killing big monsters for Kilton, both DLC packs, and so much more to do. Idk, maybe the people struggling to find things to do just can't figure out how to play it right? I don't know. There are a lot of menus to look through, it can be tough for some.

[notachance]

a great game, but definitely not a 10/10.

- boring side quest, other than very few ones with plot (e.g. building that one town at the top-left) almost all of them are fetch quest, even that quest is a fetch-quest, bearable because there's plot and you get to make new town. very far cry from something like The Witcher 3
- severe lack of enemy variety
- weapon break system definitely needs improvement
- copy-pasted divine beast plot, my main gripe with this game. go to x place, meet a champion's successor, disable divine beast with their help, solve puzzle, beat the boss. repeat for all of them. I mean come on, even a 20-years-old OoT has more variety with its temples than that.

No other game would get a 10/10 with glaring flaws like that.

[PhantomTommy]

Well that's the obligatory "Here's why you're wrong for liking Breath of the Wild" artifice taken care of for this month. Now all we need are two or three "Five reasons why The Order: 1886 is actually like... amazing" articles and we're good.

10 does not mean perfect. If you believe a 10 signifies a "perfect" game, you should not be reviewing games. It's perfectly fine if you don't like BOTW, but it's been out nearly a year -- gotta move on sometime.

[mastiffchild]

Then what happens if there IS a perfect game? Surely it's got to be best to get rid of the grading systems and READ a review and hear what is good and bad. When people just look at scores 10/10 might not MEAN perfect but it implies it and the fact that average games routinely get sevens or higher just shows what issues reviews with scores can lead to.

[elkaki123]

Is pretty much accepted that tetiris is the perfect game

[rainslacker]

There is always something that can be criticized. A perfect score isn't really for a perfect game, rather one that gives an unparalleled experience that one shouldn't miss.

Personally, I think anyone that plays BOTW would probably like it if they have even a passing interest in Zelda or open world exploration games, but I don't feel that everyone would actually think it's as amazing as the ratings made it out to be. I just find that a lot of the reviews giving it perfect scores tended to praise things in the game that weren't really all that meaningful in what makes the game good, or overstated just what the experience would be and made it out to be much more epic than it really is.

[kneon]

Personally I would score games very differently, because are you say, no game is perfect. Going from worst to best I would use something like

Not even under threat of death
Maybe if it's free and you're really bored
If it's in the bargain bin and you have nothing else to play
You can wait for it to go on sale
Worth it at full price
You must play this game no matter what

There wouldn't be many games at the ends of the scale, most will fall in the middle somewhere

[kayoss]

In a normal scaling or grading system, a max score means perfect. What you're saying is not logical. Here's an example,
You scored 10/10 but it's not perfect.

[PhantomTommy]

You mean like a test? Yeah in tests where the answers are objectively right or wrong, you're right. Do you want there to be a checklist that games need to adhere to in order to achieve a perfect score? The game must have great combat -- well what is great combat? Games, like movies and music, are subjective. A ten means a truly outstanding experience (in the reviewers opinion) but it does not and never will mean perfect. Disagree all you like.

[kayoss]

@PhantomTommy
But a game review is like grading system. But i agree with you that this grading system for games are very subjective from person to person. If a game is not perfect then why give it a perfect score. If there are flaws in a game regardless if its a minor or major flaw. It should never be given a perfect score.
This is the problem with these grading system, game reviewers should hold back on giving perfect score to games that have flaws. This just give consumer a false sense of what they're buying.

[Jinger]

That really only works if there is a right or wrong answer. This entire article proves that this could never happen because reviews are subjective, tests are not. As PhantomTommy said that all a 10 should mean is that its an un-skippable experience for that reviewer, doesn't mean its a 100% flawless game. Personally I don't believe it deserved a perfect 10 because I had issues with it as a Zelda fan, but that is nostalgia actually working against it's favor in my case.

There is no right or wrong here, if you believe another game deserves it then you have every right to, honestly the year was so good. Zelda, Horizon, Nier and Mario, any of those could have taken it... Personally I think Mario should have taken it with Nier being a close second then Zelda and then Horizon.

[SarsOxley]

BOTW is good to me...still haven't finished it and am growing impatient for the New Game+ update to Xenoblade.

I agree 10/10 means perfect (numbers are so...definitive?), can't get any better and should be the only game you need to play from now on (impossible). If I'm on the fence about a game I'll read a higher scoring review annnd one of the lowest ones.

I think if I were to ever review games, I would opt for the letter grade approach D-S...and F reserved for FML I can't believe I just lost all of that time to review said game.

[CaptainObvious878]

Just like the obligatory 5 articles per week saying how amazing ninty is.

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

At what point was that a thing?
If anything it's been the opposite, on this site, most of the time; for every positive none-Sony article there's at least one, usually two, per month taking either subtle or blatant digs at anyone and anything that isn't Sony-centric.

[Deep-throat]

I really liked BOTW, but I thought it isn't a 10/10 game.

[aarogree]

8/10 at best.

[eagle21]

11/10 AT BEST.

[bluefox755]

Uh oh, you're gonna get DDOS'd. That kind of talk is heresy, apparently.

[Einhander1971]

BOTW is amazing, I'm pretty sure Nintendo worked just as hard as Naughty Dog to achieve what they did. The sheer scale of BOTW is incredible, give credit where credits due.

[WOLFofWALLSTREET]

Zelda GOATY

[Eiyuuou]

Also give criticism where criticism is due. Yet people tend to forget that part.

[Jinger]

That is true for all companies and all companies fanboys. ND and Nintendo aren't without sin...

[Christopher]

I don't disagree that they worked just as hard, but that doesn't make any game great or amazing. It's all subjective in the end. I'd rate Zelda about the same as the average ND game, which is about an 8/10. Others would rate ND games or Zelda as much higher. That's just life.

[showtimefolks]

Nintendo games especially zelda and Mario have soft spot in most people who are reviewing because they grew up playing these games

Human nature

Out of the 2 big Nintendo released games Mario is more GOTY than zelda

But to each their own

[Jinger]

Actually most of my issues with Zelda are because I'm a big Zelda fan... It was lacking Zelda fundamentals, was it still a fun game? Yes, I played over a 100 hours, but it was missing some of the Zelda charm. If they included actual dungeons and boss fights and a item/weapon progression system then it would have been a perfect 10/10 for me.

[Sm00thNinja]

This is ridiculous.

[Cy]

Does it deserve perfect scores? No. Does it deserve Game of the Year? Yes. Just because something isn't perfect doesn't mean it wasn't the best game that came out last year.

[luckytrouble]

> Looks at Horizon: Zero Dawn

BotW isn't even the best game in its genre to come out in 2017, much less the best game of the year in any respect. As others have stated, Mario was actually the best Nintendo game of 2017 by a decent margin, and having played both, deep into Mario and over 40 hours on BotW before beating it, I have no trouble agreeing to that wholeheartedly. BotW was a good first stab at true open world. Nintendo has a lot to learn though, and this constant "oh, it's Nintendo, so being behind is okay and we'll excuse them for what we'll ream other games for" mentality is absolute poison to the industry.

[ZombieKiller]

Here's why: "We need clickbait"

I'm buying it based on what I've seen from it. Looks amazing!

[godashram]

Is zelda a perfect game? no, it has it's issues. Is it game of the year material? OH GOD YES. This coming from someone who did NOT like all the previous 3D zelda entries, which yes, I know that's blasphemy, but until BOTW, my favorite was LTTP with LBW as a close 2nd....I got bored within a few hours of fan favorites like Majora's Mask. Currently 139 hours in after the last DLC.

People that don't like it seem to think that nintendo always gets a pass, but they don't realize a review is someone's opinion. You don't have to like it, but that doesn't make it any less valid.

[Grilla]

I’m in the same boat. I’ve only finished 3 Zelda games, Zelda II , LBW and BOTW. Could never get into the other ones. BOTW is great. Beaten it twice now, once on the WIIU and once on the switch.

[Pennywise138]

Almost a year later and we are still getting click bait article about Breath of the wild. I've put in over 400 hours into and it's easily my game of the year. I also found Skyward Sword to be a big disappointment so I can't be accused of being a biased fanboy.

[Mungamingzone]

LOL! My god !! Just let it go , go play your games and enjoy life 🤣

[aarogree]

The article isn't that well-written, let alone convincing. It comes across as a rant that wants to just complain rather than make any actual argument.

[Aaroncls7]

It is an incredible game, the best from the big N in many years.
It might be GotY for me, maybe not for you.
Who gives a shit?!

[OzzY-waZZy]

It's a good game and just that. A good game. Hopefully the next Zelda turns out to be a masterpiece with better story, music, dungeons, bosses, and keep the overall world scope.

[Tross]

The perfect game doesn't exist and you can find flaws in even the most well-regarded titles if you dig deep enough. Also, I think the jury for The Game Awards is a tad biased, putting not one, but both of Nintendo's latest titles in their top 2. But, 2017 had its share of solid GotY contenders. So many studios brought their A game, and Nintendo was one of them. In fact, Nintendo brought their A game, twice. BotW deserved to be on the list of GotY contenders, and I don't think it was a bad pick to win. I do think The Game Awards gets too much credit when there are so many sites with equally valid opinions, but I was never too hung up on the whole GotY thing anyways. Everyone has opinions, and they're not always going to match yours. Just accept that and move on.

[sampsonon]

the article ht the nail on the head. Horizon is a better game.

[acnookjr]

That linear story and those linear pathways are so compelling in Horizon. I always dream about climbing those static mountains in the distance.

[sampsonon]

stories are supposed to be linear idiot. and the mountains are what? https://www.youtube.com/wat... this shows just how full of it you are :) oh and don't let the BEAUTY of ths game blind you.

watch from beginning to end and see why this s the best open world game ever made.

[mamotte]

Yeah, that interactive world, when you cant even move the grass, or burn it, or chop a tree, animals walk underwater, water gets fire, gravity doesn't apply to any item, NPCs doesnt care about you, you can eve shoot the in the face...

Yeah, Horizon is a pretty model.

[sampsonon]

if they decided to seriously gimp the graphics and make the world barren like BoTW all grass would move when you walk through it but instead they decided to make certain grass move when you go through it. other than that all foliage moves because of the environment it just doesn't move when aloy interacts with it.everything moves in the world,and unlike BoTW Horizon is lush and alive with animals, insects, and machines not Barren and devoid of life. https://pwner.net/images/re... While Horizon is alive https://fsmedia.imgix.net/f...

who the F cares about burning grass? lol

the trees are all destructible as you can see here. http://i.imgur.com/dhhxTbg....

rocks are destructible https://imgur.com/GGq48zR
Look how alive the world is https://www.youtube.com/wat...
water gets fire? show me cause I've never seen such a thing.

gravity doesn't apply to any item? sure it does lol https://www.youtube.com/wat... everythng follows the laws of physics in this game unless there is a glitch

and https://www.youtube.com/wat...

and Aloy reacts to the environment as well does Link? https://imgur.com/Hn9Ye6z

now let's have a look at how amazing horizon is :) we can compare moments with BoTW ok?
https://imgur.com/hqxfsR2
https://www.youtube.com/wat...

BREATH OF THE WILD FIGHTS HAHAHA!!! https://www.youtube.com/wat...

[Big_Game_Hunters]

So don't giveit GOTY then. it is already mot people's GOTY.it need yours.

[kayoss]

Almost all Zelda gams and story are the same. A matter of fact, Zelda story is the same story as Mario. Princess is in trouble, needs help from an unlikely hero to save her or her kingdom.
What is so great about botw story wise?

[metalgod88]

I'm sure there's a handful of people who didn't enjoy it, but everyone else in the world seemed to.

The only thing that truly bugs me about this game is the lack of music. I know it was a design choice, but I wish that I could use my "map thingy" to tune into a zelda radio or something haha. Enemy variety could have helped as well, but the tower placement and dungeon designs kind of make up for it.

[TheOttomatic91]

I agree but just because its not my personal GOTY (or anywhere near it) that doesn't mean other people aren't allowed to enjoy it or call it their GOTY.

[Petebloodyonion]

Well, like usual Nintendo get a free pass where others don't.
Do you remember Farcry 4? A 2014 game? As I recalled that game was far from a GOTY because: fetch quest seems repetitive, the main bad guy was not as cool as the one from Farcry3, Sidequest and characters are void of personality.
Also the game boot a coop mode.
Now this game was awarded a 7 from Gamespot and average 8 elsewhere.

Now How come this game gets an 8 when Zelda has an even worst story, repetitive fetch quest, no Coop mode and his a copy paste of Skyrim meet Farcry but score 10? Witcher 3 should at least be scored 15 then.

[acnookjr]

Far Cry 4 was sooooooo boring and just another action shooter.

[Germaximus]

BOTW's #1 problem is being a huge EMPTY open world.

It has fun stuff. The puzzles are great. But yeah the hype behind it is ridiculous and undeserving.

[acnookjr]

Let's see another developer fill a map the same size as Breath of the Wild with activities and secrets like in Skyrim. We would be waiting 10 years for such a game.

[JimmyDM90]

Zelda was a good game but the confidence with which every site seems to pick it as #1 game of the year makes me feel like I'm taking crazy pills as I much preferred Mario Odyssey.

[Moe-Gunz]

BOTW is a good game but is very overrated. I got a Switch just for it and I find it pretty weak in comparison to Horizon. I do think it is a solid game. However, Mario Odyssey is the best Nintendo game to me.

I also feel Nintendo gets a lot of passes with their games. At the end of the day it's all subjective anyway,

[Scar-]

I agree completely most of there killers apps are grossly over rated it's like they set the bar significantly lower for Nintendo it even translates to portable. You can take a okay game and slap Nintendo exclusive on it and suddenly its GOTY

[acnookjr]

Breath of The Wild and Mario Odyssey's polish and gameplay would not be outputed by other game developers. So these games cannot be overrated.

[Armaggedon]

Im actually surprised ot won as well. We are in the generation of the movie gamer, where people love games that incentivize watching more than playing. Games that just focus on good old fashion gameplay have taken a backseat, but luckily Nintendo still knows how to make games that are just fun.

[Zikax]

It was the best game 2017 fact

[MrVux000]

My only problem with BOW reviews, is that the issues it has were overlooked (cuz it's Zelda) while the competition were getting a score lower because of the very same issues.

Double standards like that, does make people question reviewer's integrity and makes the general public think that those games are getting 10/10 because of nostalgia.

To me personally it is a good game with 8/10 score.

[windblowsagain]

I haven't finished it yet.

But as Far as game mechanics I think it's excellent.

Crafting, cooking, varieties in all aspects. It's not a hard game. But it's well thought out.

Physics simulation - Water,weight,heat,fire, etc do there job very well.

Gameplay, There is a story 100years old. I never played the original so it's new to me.:) (shock!!)

I love the graphics, just something about them. But rain,wind,snow, day/night cycle.

I played Horizon Zero dawn and while it's decent. Graphics excellent. I found it slightly boring. Just metal dinosaurs. Story bored me as well.

Best games in the genre.

Witcher 3
BOTW
Bloodborne (although not fully open etc)
Dark souls (not as good as bloodborne for me.)

[DarkKaine]

It doesn't indeed.
There are way better games that came out this year.
The best thing about BotW is the music from the epic trailer they showed, then you start playing it and realize there is pretty much no music whatsoever. It also lacks the atmosphere that I love Zelda for. All I'm doing is walking around fucking fields of grass occasionally finding a Korok seed or a weapon that breaks in 3 swings. Nice videogame. It's the most overrated Zelda game that's for sure.

[Elda]

I don't see it either.

[coolastheycome]

All I can say is that I got further into it before getting bored than I did with Horizon Zero Dawn. HZD bored me really quickly.

[zb1ftw777]

Everyone has different opinions.

It's just that....this journalist's opinion is.....well.....

.....wrong.

[TheOptimist]

It definitely does not. But it's a good game. That's it.

[jmtstan]

BOTW is not the LoZ that we all play due to the new approach. But it is also a good thing. I admit I miss those catchy theme song, the dungeons. I'm a naysayer at first but after spending only 50hours playing. I can understand why its GOTY. Don't get me wrong I wanted Horizon to win so much, but I'm glad BOTW won.

[Grimwood]

Of course it doesn't. Pretty much every GotY ever didn't deserve it.
Games that truly deserve an award are here: https://www.incrdbl.art

[DOSemp]

Its a SOLID 8.5/10 game.

[thesoftware730]

Silly article.

You can literally write something like this about any game.

[CoryHG]

This guy is spot on. If this game wasn't named Zelda or was on multiple consoles, no one would have cared. 4 dungeons. Weapon degradation. Frame drops. Not a Zelda title. Time for the thumbs down votes.

[Scar-]

If it was on Playstation and Xbox it would have been crucified. Hell I don't even think pc would of went easy on it.

[Wotbot]

Amazing game

[InTheZoneAC]

BotW has too much open and blandness to be goty.

[TheEroica]

Zelda breath of the wild may be the goat... All you tech junkies who play games with zero substance can pack that in your pipe and smoke it, base to tip.

[Ittoittosai]

I havent played it yet as I dont own a Wii U or Switch and dont plan too. Ive got several old PC's Im frankenstiening into one that Ill use for CEMU and the new Switch emulator. When its done Ill decide then after Ive played it.

[mgszelda1]

I still have to beat this. I just got a switch. My gripes with the game are too few dungeons and they're small. I know there are shrines but I find them so so.
Personally next time I would like half the shrines and double the size and amount of dungeons.
I won't gripe about story because I love zelda but it's never had a deep story.

[Bennibop]

I honestly was disappointed by BTW and I found a lacking and could not understand the reviews praise. I think we are slowly seeing the same as we had with skyward sword, the dust settles and people reflect and realised it was not as good as first thought. My goty for 2017 was Neir: automata, enjoyed the story, secrets, gameplay and the challange where BOTW did not tick all these boxes.

[DillyDilly]

Im just gonna assume the reasoning for this headline is simply because its not on the PS4 lol

[MadLad]

Should be renamed "Amateur Games Opinion Haver Gets on Soapbox and Complains".

[kevnb]

Im sorry the world hurt your feelings.

[Cobra951]

So this tripe is the hottest story on N4G today? This site is unbelievable.

(1) Breath of the Wild is a stellar game, as evidenced by its near universal accolades in the real gaming press.
(2) Breath of the Wild is a Nintendo exclusive, and not available on the Sony PS4.

GET OVER IT.

[T2X]

Well, it got goty so there's that.

[leeeroythe3rd]

I love the game but it’s not based on much of the game play. What is fun is the exploration of the handcrafted land. Doing the shield surfing... gliding around ... creative approach to using game mechanics. The dungeon should are blah , the combat is annoying beyond measure. Weapon failure makes the time sync not on the game play but on managing gear. I hate to admit I abused amibo cards to reduce the gold farm and weapon farm. The scaling of some enemy damage is also silly... not game of year but still a game I would recommend to most.

[Moonman]

Look ma, a troll article catered to secret Zelda haters because it cleaned up GOTY awards.

[Saturn004]

Even if the game has its flaws, it's still better than Zero Dawn. Get over it Sony-Fanboy. Zelda is truly a magnificient game. Some delusionnal folks here that think that the Zelda name alone can give Game of the Year... Skyward Sword is a example that a Zelda game can be mediocre...

[OffRoadKing]

I'm not sure if you actually read the article but, from the article:

"So before the trolls butt in. I’m not angry and I don’t wish Nintendo or Zelda any ire. I don’t think Zelda should have lost to Horizon: Zero Dawn, or CupHead, or Nier: Automata… or several others for that matter"

Not sure why you're calling him a Sony fanboy as he seems to agree with you.

[Eiyuuou]

Those are still pretty immense flaws though.

I like to call this the Skyrim effect: people will think it’s the best thing since sliced bread for a couple of years until they start to recognise the oh so many flaws the game has. In both cases the ‘freedom’ aspect seemed to seal the deal for many, although it’s not really revolutionary anymore.

Still a good game though.

[sampsonon]

I for one am really happy that the truth about this game is coming out. It was overly praised when it came out because of nostalgia which fed into the perfect scores that it received. This game is a 7 at best and if it were any other game not called Zelda it would have been criticized for its lack of depth, combat, frame rate, and story. But i now have faith again in the gaming community for coming out and telling the truth.

If you love this game more power to you. But just understand that there are many gamers that don't see games through rose colored glasses, and in turn see the game for what it really is.... a good one at best. 7/10

[eagle21]

Sometimes the majority opinion is the right opinion. It was GOTY. It's 2018 now. Move on....

[klarax]

bland textures
colors usually look washed out due to lighting
empty feel to the world
controls suck for first few hours, but you get used to it.
like a weapon? - to bad it breaks in 30 swings
only 4 REAL dungeons but are find and seek challenges - nothing hard
shrine puzzles are very simple
never seem to have a horse, its always in another zone and cant be called
those little leaf ppl are in silly places - like a life a small rock to find one. really?
bit of a lack in monsters variety

[quantoxtech]

Yeah, and Horizon: Zero Rewards, aside from having a cool setting, is basically a Ubisoft rehashed open world game. Well... the graphics are pretty amazing, but that's about it.

Of course, this isn't about Horizon, but I feel like many of the people commenting here are simply butthurt about Zelda being GOTY instead of a generic ( Again, aside from the setting ) open world game. But okay, have your fun commenting.

[Cuzzo63]

I agree. The game was entertaining but.... It was extremly watered down. There were more engaging games before it. Games that actually pulled you in and wanted to make you discover...

[LordofYogurt]

Great game, not a 10.

8.5 - 9.2

[Kyizen]

Great article and good read. I agree and also feel Mario, Zelda and Nintendo will get that edge in gamers minds amd hearts and are looked at with rose colored glasses. That said I also applaud Nintendo for trying somethi g new with Zelda. Still the lack of story, empty world, insane weapon durability hold it back from GOTY. So many reviewers mentioned this and frame rate issues but it still got a 10/10 with another game would be a 9.2

[HyperMouse]

Agreed its a good game but while i enjoy the open world etc, it lost a lot of the charm some other zeldas have, and after a while your just going through the motions, the world is empty and the armor you find doesnt really add much there is nothing really game changing to find outside the main story, making the huge world even more empty.

[zugdar]

I think a thing to keep in mind is that BOTW, even with its flaws, had a more universal appeal than other GOTY contenders which is why more outlets can agree it as GOTY. Horizon Zero Dawn, Persona 5, Wolfenstien, and many other titles are great but can be very polarizing depending on taste and skill. Many comments in this thread alone say that it was empty but many kept playing for 50, 60, 100 hours which can't be said for many other "flawed" games.

[mav805]

It's all true. While BoTW has a beautiful world, much of what is there is empty or simply filler. That coupled with:

A mediocre soundtrack, with actively obnoxious battle music
Average to below-average combat that is surpassed by multiple games within the same ARPG category last year
An annoying item durability system
Lack of substantial item progression or pacing
Weak story/characters/narrative

...add up to a weak candidate for GOTY

[DafunkyRebel]

It’s great but honestly having played both this and HZD I would give it to HZD for being new, different and overall better gameplay

[Themba76]

after platinuming hzd and getting almost all of the frozen wilds trophys i just started playing zelda on my switch and im far more engaged in this game than hzd. and i played hzd on the ps4 pro with a 4k tv

[wheresmymonkey]

If you think the world is empty and there's nothing to do in botw You are playing it wrong..

[pandehz]

Wow, the first comment got marked inappropriate for no real reason but a crappy opinion piece is allowed to exist?

[PygmelionHunter]

Mine got marked innapropiate, and the guy I responded to got flagged for spam lol

If whoever's moderating the comment section of this already controversial and clickbait article can’t take the heat and would rather show bias on the subject, then that’s pretty sad. Give the job to somebody that actually knows what he’s doing.

[Eltortugagames]

Haha maybe to some sure but to many it absolutely does deserve it

[michellelynn0976]

To many it does. To some it don't. More salt for rabid fanboys.

[michellelynn0976]

Awww. Looks like all the comments sticking up for Zelda grt marked as innaproporiat by the fanboys in here. No mod favortism there huh?

[ZeekQuattro]

I noticed that too anytime one of my comments got flagged for me bringing up that fact about people becoming triggered whenever the topic of BOTW and GOTY is brought up. lol

[Tzuno]

Yes it does, i am glad it won, graphics doesn't make a game, game-play does.

[ChickeyCantor]

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE