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Liliannar (58 KP) rated Hyrule Warriors in Video Games
Oct 20, 2020
This game gets more and more challenging, but is still easy to grasp and understand. Starting with story mode you're taught how to play and what to look for. The Definitive Edition on Nintendo Switch was absolutely worth purchasing even though I had the standard edition on Wii U. This game has a wide range of characters from a slew of Legend of Zelda games and provides an engaging story mode.
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in Video Games
Jul 25, 2017
Bonus Points - An Example Of The Favoritism Towards Certain Developers In The Gaming Industry, Even When They Don’t Deliver
Zelda: Breath Of The Wild came out last month and it has taken the gaming world by storm. As a non Zelda fan, I am left wondering why this is the case. Why is this Zelda game so revolutionary? I don’t own the game, but I have played the first few hours of it and I have read a good number of reviews on the game. There are a few critics claiming that this game, ‘writes a new chapter in the videogames industry,’ and that it is an, ‘evolution of everything that has come before.’
While I appreciate that this is a well made game and it is doing new things within the Zelda franchise, these statements stick in my throat a little. This isn’t because I don’t agree that this is an impressive game, because it is. Other than the odd frame rate drop, there aren’t many flaws with this game and I did enjoy the few hours that I spent with it, (I had a lend of a friends Switch for the night so I could try the game for myself.)
My problem comes from the fact that this is a well made game that isn’t doing anything that hasn’t been done before a million times and frankly been done better. Full disclosure, I have never been a Zelda fan, but I wanted this game to convert me and I’m sorry to say that it didn’t. The purpose of this piece isn’t to attack the Zelda franchise, so you fanboys can put your pitchforks down. What I want to discuss is how when Nintendo do anything that is slightly better than a disaster, it is heralded as the brave new step in video games by a large number of the video game press.
I get it, nostalgia is a powerful lens and most writers in their 30’s grew up playing on Nintendo systems and franchises like Mario and Zelda, but as someone who is around ten years younger and grew up with Playstation, I don’t feel that Nintendo has advanced a great deal since the turn of the millennium and frankly, I don’t see Nintendo as having broken any new ground in the last twenty years.
If games like Breath of the Wild came out on another console, they wouldn’t be lauded as the best thing since sliced bread. In fact they have, it’s called Horizon: Zero Dawn! When Horizon came out it received a positive critical reception and high sales, but no one was writing articles claiming it was the next step in the evolution of video games. Splatoon has been put on a pedestal and has been described as ‘fresh,’ and, ‘unique,’ even though it is nothing more than a dumbed down version of Team Fortress 2 for a younger audience. Super Mario Maker was released in 2015 and it was essentially a $60 level editor. Level editors have been included in other games since forever and no fuss has been made, but when Nintendo sell an entire game based on the concept, it’s hailed as another, ‘triumph by Nintendo.’
When you compare Breath of The Wild to other recent open world games like The Witcher or Skyrim, there is nothing that makes it unique from a design and functionality standpoint. If Breath of The Wild came out in 2008, then sure you could get away with labeling it revolutionary, but in this day and age it isn’t any more special than Horizon or Skyrim.
Let’s look at some of the features that have been called unique in the game. The tower climbing to uncover zones of the map mechanic has been done in the Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry series’. Using plants for crafting and cooking has been done in Far Cry and Skyrim. Far Cry 2 and Dead Island had degradable weapons. The inventory system is very reminiscent of multiple Ubisoft titles; essentially Breath of The Wild has taken some elements from other games and made something from that within the Zelda universe.
This may sound patronizing, but it honestly isn’t intended that way. I get it, Nintendo fans have had it hard over these last five years, they have had nothing to be proud of since the launch of the Wii and they have had to stand by their console of choice and defend themselves with very little ammo to defend themselves with, but as a result nowadays when anything better than a car crash is released by them it is inflated by a large number of critics in the industry and so Nintendo fans are given a justification for putting their mediocre games on a pedestal. This is why to the rest of the industry it appears that Nintendo fans can’t accept things for the way that they really are and everything is blown so far out of proportion.
Some examples of Nintendo games being blown out of proportion and reviewers being clouded by nostalgia are available to go and check out right now on Metacritic. Zelda: Skyward Sword is currently sitting at a 93, Zelda: Twilight Princess is sitting at a 95 and Metroid: Other M has a 79. All three of these games are recognized as subpar and once the novelty wore off, even the most hardcore of Nintendo fans would agree that these are forgettable, black marks on the respective franchises track records. Not that BOTW isn’t a game for Zelda fans to be proud of, because it is. I can see why this would be people’s game of the year so far and I can see why it could be considered as the best Zelda game, but to someone that isn’t a Zelda fan that praise is meaningless.
In summary, the inflation of mediocrity in the industry has to stop, if we want gaming to improve. If we want to break new ground across the gaming media, these sycophants and apologists living in a false perception of reality have to go. These novelty games that are applauded for simply carrying the title of a beloved franchise, have to stop being praised so highly and given a free pass of any sort of criticism just because of a nostalgic lens.
While I appreciate that this is a well made game and it is doing new things within the Zelda franchise, these statements stick in my throat a little. This isn’t because I don’t agree that this is an impressive game, because it is. Other than the odd frame rate drop, there aren’t many flaws with this game and I did enjoy the few hours that I spent with it, (I had a lend of a friends Switch for the night so I could try the game for myself.)
My problem comes from the fact that this is a well made game that isn’t doing anything that hasn’t been done before a million times and frankly been done better. Full disclosure, I have never been a Zelda fan, but I wanted this game to convert me and I’m sorry to say that it didn’t. The purpose of this piece isn’t to attack the Zelda franchise, so you fanboys can put your pitchforks down. What I want to discuss is how when Nintendo do anything that is slightly better than a disaster, it is heralded as the brave new step in video games by a large number of the video game press.
I get it, nostalgia is a powerful lens and most writers in their 30’s grew up playing on Nintendo systems and franchises like Mario and Zelda, but as someone who is around ten years younger and grew up with Playstation, I don’t feel that Nintendo has advanced a great deal since the turn of the millennium and frankly, I don’t see Nintendo as having broken any new ground in the last twenty years.
If games like Breath of the Wild came out on another console, they wouldn’t be lauded as the best thing since sliced bread. In fact they have, it’s called Horizon: Zero Dawn! When Horizon came out it received a positive critical reception and high sales, but no one was writing articles claiming it was the next step in the evolution of video games. Splatoon has been put on a pedestal and has been described as ‘fresh,’ and, ‘unique,’ even though it is nothing more than a dumbed down version of Team Fortress 2 for a younger audience. Super Mario Maker was released in 2015 and it was essentially a $60 level editor. Level editors have been included in other games since forever and no fuss has been made, but when Nintendo sell an entire game based on the concept, it’s hailed as another, ‘triumph by Nintendo.’
When you compare Breath of The Wild to other recent open world games like The Witcher or Skyrim, there is nothing that makes it unique from a design and functionality standpoint. If Breath of The Wild came out in 2008, then sure you could get away with labeling it revolutionary, but in this day and age it isn’t any more special than Horizon or Skyrim.
Let’s look at some of the features that have been called unique in the game. The tower climbing to uncover zones of the map mechanic has been done in the Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry series’. Using plants for crafting and cooking has been done in Far Cry and Skyrim. Far Cry 2 and Dead Island had degradable weapons. The inventory system is very reminiscent of multiple Ubisoft titles; essentially Breath of The Wild has taken some elements from other games and made something from that within the Zelda universe.
This may sound patronizing, but it honestly isn’t intended that way. I get it, Nintendo fans have had it hard over these last five years, they have had nothing to be proud of since the launch of the Wii and they have had to stand by their console of choice and defend themselves with very little ammo to defend themselves with, but as a result nowadays when anything better than a car crash is released by them it is inflated by a large number of critics in the industry and so Nintendo fans are given a justification for putting their mediocre games on a pedestal. This is why to the rest of the industry it appears that Nintendo fans can’t accept things for the way that they really are and everything is blown so far out of proportion.
Some examples of Nintendo games being blown out of proportion and reviewers being clouded by nostalgia are available to go and check out right now on Metacritic. Zelda: Skyward Sword is currently sitting at a 93, Zelda: Twilight Princess is sitting at a 95 and Metroid: Other M has a 79. All three of these games are recognized as subpar and once the novelty wore off, even the most hardcore of Nintendo fans would agree that these are forgettable, black marks on the respective franchises track records. Not that BOTW isn’t a game for Zelda fans to be proud of, because it is. I can see why this would be people’s game of the year so far and I can see why it could be considered as the best Zelda game, but to someone that isn’t a Zelda fan that praise is meaningless.
In summary, the inflation of mediocrity in the industry has to stop, if we want gaming to improve. If we want to break new ground across the gaming media, these sycophants and apologists living in a false perception of reality have to go. These novelty games that are applauded for simply carrying the title of a beloved franchise, have to stop being praised so highly and given a free pass of any sort of criticism just because of a nostalgic lens.
Nick Friesen (96 KP) rated Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in Video Games
Jul 17, 2017
Huge Character Roster (5 more)
48 Vibrant and Delightful Tracks
The Best Couch Multiplayer Game for Switch
Excellent Music and Sound Design
The F-Zero Homages!
Battle Mode is Back!
Not Just the Biggest, but Best Mario Kart Ever
Everybody loves Mario Kart right? My wife even loves Mario Kart, and that's saying something. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is currently the only game we play together, and it's awesome. I've personally experienced Mario Kart's power of bringing family and friends together since I was 5 years old and owned a Nintendo 64. I still own Mario Kart 64, and even have Super Mario Kart for the SNES. While these games are much simpler than the current iteration, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe still retains that blissful split-screen couch multiplayer magic. I never played Nintendo's handheld entries for that very reason; for me, Mario Kart has always been best experienced with other people. With Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Switch, however, fans of the series can have it both ways. The game is excellent, and it's simply a must-own on the Nintendo Switch.
Iain Lewis (2 KP) rated Golden Sun in Video Games
Jun 19, 2019
Great classic jrpg
Top down jrpg made by Camelot and Nintendo for the Nintendo game boy, a well crafted story separated into two games. In the first you play as Isaac a venue adapt from the town of vale located at the foot of mt aleph. Game play for the first half hour to an hour depending on how you play can be seen as slow but helps set up the story of some key characters, some of which don't get payoffs until the events of the second game, a well thought out and crafted story with plenty to do including collecting all 28 elemental djiin which have the ability to change your magic in battle and on the overworld. Experience some top quality puzzles and fight some interesting monsters, accompanied by a high quality sound track made by motoi sakuraba more well known for his musical work on dark souls and the tales series of games.
This game pushes the limits of the game boy advance along with its sequel the lost age which as the way the story is paced and set up you need to play the second to get the full story
This game pushes the limits of the game boy advance along with its sequel the lost age which as the way the story is paced and set up you need to play the second to get the full story
Jas (13 KP) rated The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in Video Games
Aug 21, 2017
Dean (6927 KP) rated Wii Sports in Video Games
Feb 10, 2019
So simple to play (1 more)
Fun simple graphics
A classic game for all ages!
A classic game that came with the Nintendo Wii console. You can play Baseball, Boxing, Bowling, Golf and Tennis. You can play between 2-4 players. There are also various training modes and a fitness multi-game challenge. It's so simple to play whether you are a kid or an Oap, everyone enjoys it. I still play it around my mums when I visit. The fact it uses your Mii characters you create as well makes it more fun.
NickoalaThinks (16 KP) rated Super Mario Maker 2 in Video Games
Sep 29, 2019
The story is excellent and very different to say just the standard super Mario Bros games (3 more)
Lots! And I mean LOTS of options to do if you get slightly bored on one more? Hop on to another !
Addictive and keeps you entertained
Great online community of courses to try!
A Great Ride of a game
If you have a Nintendo switch, no matter what genre of games you like. You need this game! Story is 10/10 and out right fun!
Lee KM Pallatina (951 KP) rated Shaq Fu: a Legend Reborn in Video Games
Jun 1, 2020
Visuals (3 more)
Comments
Story
Humour
Shaq Attack!
Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn is a 2018 beat'em up side scroller style videogame by Saber Interactive and published by Mad Dog Games.
a sequel to Shaq Fu, the game Follows Shaquille O'neil aka Shaq in his thrust upon quest as he is destined to destroy demons from hell disguised as celebrities ( brilliant) and stop and ancient evil.
that was released for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
The game received generally negative reviews upon release.
a sequel to Shaq Fu, the game Follows Shaquille O'neil aka Shaq in his thrust upon quest as he is destined to destroy demons from hell disguised as celebrities ( brilliant) and stop and ancient evil.
that was released for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
The game received generally negative reviews upon release.
Kevin Phillipson (10072 KP) rated Super Mario Bros: The Movie (2022) in Movies
Apr 13, 2023
It's me mario
Start the review by saying it's a better movie than the Bob Hoskins movie there said it. Anyway the movie this is proper Mario bros from start to finish the look of characters the easter eggs thruout the movie which I spotted thru the movie just because I've the played games when I had an Nintendo console back in the 90s one gripe I had was Mario and lugi should have sounded more Italian than they do anyway take the kids to see the movie
pecotter (3 KP) rated Train to Busan (2016) in Movies
Sep 19, 2017
A gripping Korean zombie film
I was excited to watch Train to Busan the moment I saw the trailer for it. I am a huge fan of horror and zombie films and this one looked different.
I was pretty into it as soon as I started to watch it, I was pulled in and couldn't take my eyes from the screen from the moment the characters first board the train.
There were little details here and there that I loved including the fact that one character has a brand new Nintendo Ds (I love Nintendo).
Most zombie movies bore me after a while and I don't care too much for the characters, but in Train to Busan I was rooting for several of them.
I also loved the fact they were on a train, that was ont of the reasons I wanted to watch this film, I wanted to see exactly how they were gonna survive in such a small space.
I highly recommend this film, give it a try even if you don't like the look of it and it might surprise you.
I was pretty into it as soon as I started to watch it, I was pulled in and couldn't take my eyes from the screen from the moment the characters first board the train.
There were little details here and there that I loved including the fact that one character has a brand new Nintendo Ds (I love Nintendo).
Most zombie movies bore me after a while and I don't care too much for the characters, but in Train to Busan I was rooting for several of them.
I also loved the fact they were on a train, that was ont of the reasons I wanted to watch this film, I wanted to see exactly how they were gonna survive in such a small space.
I highly recommend this film, give it a try even if you don't like the look of it and it might surprise you.