e3 Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

[TPA5]

Just watched the E3 demo for the new LoZ game and I gotta say, I think this is going to go down as another Nintendo masterpiece. It looks absolutely stunning, in a graphical style that reminds me of the best parts of Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. As far as gameplay, there is a lot that is breaking the Zelda conventions. I saw changeable outfits, a fully-voiced NPC character, chopping down trees to harvest resources, a more technology-driven lore, a jump button (so awesome), Prince of Persia-esque free running, items that wear out, improved combat physics, and a frankly jaw-dropping open world. It looks very, very, very cool.

 

Up to this point I hadn't been getting very excited for this game, but I am fully on the hype train at this point. It's supposedly going to release in 2017 for the Wii U and the NX, so if Nintendo comes out with a few more games like this I definitely see an NX in my future.

[KreatorKat]

Just watched the E3 demo for the new LoZ game and I gotta say, I think this is going to go down as another Nintendo masterpiece. It looks absolutely stunning, in a graphical style that reminds me of the best parts of Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. As far as gameplay, there is a lot that is breaking the Zelda conventions. I saw changeable outfits, a fully-voiced NPC character, chopping down trees to harvest resources, a more technology-driven lore, a jump button (so awesome), Prince of Persia-esque free running, items that wear out, improved combat physics, and a frankly jaw-dropping open world. It looks very, very, very cool.

 

Up to this point I hadn't been getting very excited for this game, but I am fully on the hype train at this point. It's supposedly going to release in 2017 for the Wii U and the NX, so if Nintendo comes out with a few more games like this I definitely see an NX in my future.

 

 

100% agree with this. I liked the concept of a so-called "Zelda U," but now I'm sold. The graphical style might be my favorite in any game ever- really. The world looks so alive, and even plain things seem interesting. WW+TP+HD makeover sounds exactly right to me. Everything in the trailer was exactly what I wanted to see. At the very least it can be a great excuse to buy an NX day one, which I wan't planning on doing until recently.

[Professor Gull]

I guess the only big question for me is will it use the Wii U pad and then how and then if not choices? Looks great though and definitely something else either for my Wii U or possibly NX.

[JamesD]

Is this what you are talking about?

[Skippy B. Coyote]

I'm in total agreement with the previous posters on this one! Seeing the trailer and gameplay videos for Breath of the Wild today completely sold me on not only picking up the game day 1, but also pre-ordering the NX as soon as the option is available. That may not sound like too big of a deal but the last time I was excited enough about a new game or console to pre-order anything was the DS Lite back in 2006.

 

It's been 10 years since then, but this game looks absolutely worth shelling out the money to play it on Nintendo's latest and greatest hardware ASAP! To me it's like the classic Legend of Zelda formula meets the freedom and immersion The Elder Scrolls series, and the result is something far more beautiful and enthralling than I could have ever imagined. I am so looking forward to this game consuming untold hours of my life next winter!

[Atariboy]

I want some communities to explore even if they're just ruins, so I hope that they're just not showing that just yet. And I'd love to actually experience a true forest in a Zelda game someday unlike the scattered trees we always see due, I imagine, to technical limitations. But otherwise I loved what I saw and think it's looking great.

 

And this will certainly have gamepad support. I don't think that you have to look past the two HD remasters to see how they'll be utilizing it here. Even if the NX doesn't have an equivalent, there's no way that Nintendo could get away on the Wii U without at least meeting the basic expectations that they've created via those remasters (A large map display, real-time inventory management, off-screen play, etc.).

 

Since I'll be playing it on the Wii U, I'm crossing my fingers that the NX version is more like what the Wii version of Twilight Princess was to the GameCube counterpart rather than a significantly better performing and more attractive game. If not, I'll still get it and undoubtedly will love it since I don't want to wait until I own a NX someday, but I hope it's a close comparison between the two even if that means that it's not pushing the NX hardware very hard.

Edited June 15, 2016 by Atariboy

[TPA5]

Here's an E3 demo, not the live one I saw on the Nintendo Treehouse stream but still shows some great stuff:

 

 

Like Jin said a few posts above this one, it has the feel of Zelda meets Elder Scrolls. I try not to get hyped about things because I find it almost always leads to disappointment. That being said, this game looks like it could be the killer app for the NX, and would definitely be the reason I would buy the console seeing as I don't own a WiiU.

[Flojomojo]

It's certainly beautiful, I just hope it's fun ...and in a fun way that *I* like! I sometimes have trouble getting hooked by open world games, and hope this is an exception.

[MotoRacer]

I certainly hope the NX version looks significantly better. The landscape looked very flat (texture wise), geometry was extremely simple, the grass effect at times looked like it went down in resolution (see end of trailer), and most importantly (to me) shadows seem to be completely missing in several parts of the trailer.

 

It's not all about graphics, but to be fair, Zelda has usually shown off the system capabilities in the past. The first Zelda showed off what the NES was capable of, LthP showed off transparency effects, weather effects, etc. that we had never seen, Ocarina definted 3D adventure games in both controls and scope, and Windwaker shook things up with a completely new visual style (I'm... not going to bother with SS. Sorry, I just... I just can't stand that game). At this point (again my opinion), I feel the Wii U remake of Windwaker looks much cleaner than this.

 

We'll see. Either way, coming to E3 with what, two games? I really think that's a huge mistake.

Edited June 16, 2016 by MotoRacer

[Atariboy]

And this will certainly have gamepad support. I don't think that you have to look past the two HD remasters to see how they'll be utilizing it here. Even if the NX doesn't have an equivalent, there's no way that Nintendo could get away on the Wii U without at least meeting the basic expectations that they've created via those remasters (A large map display, real-time inventory management, off-screen play, etc.).

 

It sounds like the decision to go cross-platform might mean otherwise for at least some of these expectations that Nintendo's remasters have established for us.

 

I've seen mentions of the map being menu based rather than something that's just displayed on your gamepad that can be glanced down at anytime. There will be a basic one displayed on your tv, but for a detailed view it will operate like traditional Zelda titles.

 

Nintendo is trying to spin this as a positive change, but I was under the impression that the gamepad usage of these remasters was viewed by fans as one of the better uses of the touch screen on the system. To me the disruption from the flow of the game comes when I have to hit the start button just to glance at my map or manage my inventory.

 

Rather seals the deal on the question of the NX offering second screen support since I think this is an easy one to see through the PR line to the true reason why they've regressed in this area.

 

 

We realized that having something on the GamePad and looking back and forth between the TV screen and the GamePad actually disrupts the gameplay, and the concentration that the game player may be experiencing. You have your car’s GPS system on your dash. If you had it down in your lap, you’re going to get into an accident! Still, you can play the game entirely on the GamePad screen, if you like. Considering how vast the world is, it would keep you from monopolizing the TV.

Edited June 18, 2016 by Atariboy

[Atariboy]

Nintendo releases some footage of the Temple of Time in ruins.

 

https://www.facebook.com/Nintendo/videos/1089827307768388/

Edited August 12, 2016 by Atariboy