Search
Search results
Toni Lynn Donald (1997 KP) rated The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - 3DS in Video Games
Mar 18, 2020 (Updated Mar 18, 2020)
Been a long time since I played it. I remember it being cute and funny like most Zelda games. I didn't care for the 3ds when we had it. Games looked cool on it, but I found a lot of them hard to play. I think I prefer a game system over any type of ds.
Leighann Twist (26 KP) rated Pet Sematary (2019) in Movies
May 15, 2019
Meh....
Contains spoilers, click to show
I am so on the fence about this film. I liked some of the changes they made to this film. The kids in the masks made me uneasy which I like in a horror film but I feel like they could have done more with the orgin of the masks but other than the kids wearing the masks in the beginning of the film, the only other time you see them is when Ellie starts her killing spree. So the scene at her birthday party....I find it ridiculous that there were all those adults there and while Louis is blindfolded no one is watching the kids to make sure they dont run out into the street. Now one could argue who was watching Guage when he dies in the original but there are A LOT more parents around in this one. And who plays hide and seek in the front yard of a house on a busy highway anyway? Dont they have a backyard too? But despite all that I really enjoyed the scene leading up to Ellies death. They did a good job with Louis going after Guage and then Ellie getting hit instead. It was intense and sucked me right in. Let's talk Zelda for a second. Quite possibly the best and most terrifying part of the movie. Wasnt sure how Zelda could be anymore creepy than she was in the original but OMG they so nailed it. My favorite parts of this remake were the Rachel and Zelda storyline and it had me on the edge of my seat for sure. The ending however lost it for me and left me so angry that I paid to see this movie in the theater. The ending is where everything fell apart for me. It seemed very rushed and sloppily done. Such cheese. Realistically would everyone turn 3 seconds after they were buried? Do zombies have superhuman strength? Cuz Ellie taking her dad to the burial ground and making it over that hill with the weight of his body seemed so cheesy. Then the father killing the mother and them going to get Guage
...I dunno it fell apart for me and was so cheesy. It felt rushed
But hey Zelda... am I right?
...I dunno it fell apart for me and was so cheesy. It felt rushed
But hey Zelda... am I right?
Andy K (10821 KP) rated Star Fox Adventures in Video Games
Jun 9, 2018
Lots of fun!
One of my favorite Game Cube games was Star Fox Adventures.
Certainly very Legend of Zelda in style and gameplay with story, fighting and puzzle type quests. Not very much flying like in other Star Fox games. This one focused more on Fox out of his ship conquering quests.
There was enough variety to keep me entertained for several playthoughs.
Certainly very Legend of Zelda in style and gameplay with story, fighting and puzzle type quests. Not very much flying like in other Star Fox games. This one focused more on Fox out of his ship conquering quests.
There was enough variety to keep me entertained for several playthoughs.
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.
Stampy ;) (90 KP) rated the Nintendo Switch version of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim in Video Games
Apr 29, 2019
Character creation (3 more)
Huge map
Tons of quests
Reasonable priced
Gameplay Too slow (2 more)
Graphics are dark and kind of depressing
Too many glitches
Addictive but not for me!
I bought this game based on recommendations with an expectation of experiencing a more grown up Zelda type experience. I didn't get that feeling after clocking up about 24 hours worth of play. Although the gameplay is addicting and I was finding myself wanting to continue my quests I felt a lack of direction and things just seemed to be moving along far to slowly. The world that it's set in is rather dark and the lack of positivity experienced during my time playing and at times it left me feeling rather miserable. I appreciate the amount of effort that has gone into this game and its huge fanbase and that's why I have given it a 7, however I've decided that it's just not for me. I'll be sticking with Zelda
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.
Sara Becker (20 KP) rated The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in Video Games
Jan 16, 2018
Best Game of 2017
The world in this game is breathtaking. Gorgeous detail went into this game and it maintains the 'toonish' Zelda style while being a more refined work of art. There's so much to explore, the main storyline itself as well as different areas off the beaten path. The cooking system is fun to play with, and you can interact with almost everything in the world. Secrets are everywhere and discovering them all presents a challenge aside from the main questline.
Dakota Morrill (17 KP) rated the Nintendo Switch version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in Video Games
Mar 4, 2018
Beautiful world, nice story, but some flaws
In the beautiful land of Hyrule you'll experience a wonderful modern story of the famous knight Link and his adventures to aid Princess Zelda. In a beautiful world full of interesting creatures and sometimes unique ways to kill them using your environment or smacking them with their own hand, you will also find yourself drowning after 30 seconds of swimming in a river or trying to rock climb as you'd expect a famous knight to be capable of. You will also find yourself in epic battles with giant mechanical beasts then inside of them doing insanely difficult puzzles that will make you give up and just google the solutions only to realize you still have no idea how to get through them.
This game is the high praise game of the year for all the Nintendo die hards and young adults who grew up with the Zelda series, but in reality is an average game that feels like it took way too much spotlight away from better games such as Horizon: Zero Dawn, or Super Mario Odyssey.
This game is the high praise game of the year for all the Nintendo die hards and young adults who grew up with the Zelda series, but in reality is an average game that feels like it took way too much spotlight away from better games such as Horizon: Zero Dawn, or Super Mario Odyssey.
KalJ95 (25 KP) rated the Nintendo Switch version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in Video Games
Dec 28, 2019
Exploration is epic (2 more)
Incredible open-world.
Mechanics and gameplay is Nintendo's greatest achievement.
Breath of fresh gaming.
On December 25th 2018, I finally got a Nintendo Switch, after years of hinting to my other half. There was only ever going to be one game to start with; Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Within the space of a week, I accounted 85 hours of gameplay and exploration around Hyrule. And I was disappointed with what I had experienced. The experience felt hollow, empty even. The story was bare boned, set amongst cut scenes of Link's memories from 100 years ago. I immediately sold the game and bought Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
I was a fool.
Zelda: BotW is a mesmerising behemoth of a game, full of so much to discover and encounter through the breathtaking world of Hyrule. My stubbornness through my first playthrough was largely down to wanting a more linear, story based experience, like past Zelda games. What Nintendo crafted is something else entirely. Rather than focus of Link defeating Ganon, and saving Princess Zelda, your focus is to explore this vast open world and traverse its landscapes through whatever means you desire. And that is why this game is so special. The serene music and light melodies that play as you circumnavigate from land to land could often be quite dull and boring with other open world games, but in BotW its absolutely the right move. It gives you time to breath absolutely everything in, and stare in awe of the beautiful world you've inhabited.
The emphasis on going your own way and exploring is simply remarkable. The world is quite literally in your hands. Then comes the 120 separate challenges called Shrines, put in place so you can gain extra Health and Stamina bars as you progress. The puzzle solving is another great addition to a game already jam packed with content. I could mention and write all day long about its weather system, various amounts of enemies which require different approaches to combat, the side missions and extra content in regards to weapons and clothing, the list could quite literally go on, but I will finish this here with a few final observations:
BotW is a stunning achievement, and I am sticking to my gripe that the game is lacking quite significantly with its narrative, but it's a game that was never built around a long linear story. The simplicity that you are Link, and the world is yours just happens to be everything Nintendo needed to create a damn near Masterpiece of gaming.
I was a fool.
Zelda: BotW is a mesmerising behemoth of a game, full of so much to discover and encounter through the breathtaking world of Hyrule. My stubbornness through my first playthrough was largely down to wanting a more linear, story based experience, like past Zelda games. What Nintendo crafted is something else entirely. Rather than focus of Link defeating Ganon, and saving Princess Zelda, your focus is to explore this vast open world and traverse its landscapes through whatever means you desire. And that is why this game is so special. The serene music and light melodies that play as you circumnavigate from land to land could often be quite dull and boring with other open world games, but in BotW its absolutely the right move. It gives you time to breath absolutely everything in, and stare in awe of the beautiful world you've inhabited.
The emphasis on going your own way and exploring is simply remarkable. The world is quite literally in your hands. Then comes the 120 separate challenges called Shrines, put in place so you can gain extra Health and Stamina bars as you progress. The puzzle solving is another great addition to a game already jam packed with content. I could mention and write all day long about its weather system, various amounts of enemies which require different approaches to combat, the side missions and extra content in regards to weapons and clothing, the list could quite literally go on, but I will finish this here with a few final observations:
BotW is a stunning achievement, and I am sticking to my gripe that the game is lacking quite significantly with its narrative, but it's a game that was never built around a long linear story. The simplicity that you are Link, and the world is yours just happens to be everything Nintendo needed to create a damn near Masterpiece of gaming.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2067 KP) rated Finding Zelda in Books
Oct 2, 2019 (Updated Oct 2, 2019)
Zelda’s About to Experience a Bunch of Bad Holidays
We first meet the Bowen family at Easter as Zelda and her two sisters, Norma and Bea, are arguing over who will wear the bunny costume that year for the kids. Normally, that is something their father would do, but he has vanished without a word to anyone. Even though the three women are grown, two of them with families of their own, his absence has repercussions in all of their lives and in their family overall. As the year progresses, how will they deal with what happened?
I was excited to see this novel come out. It started life as four short stories in a series called Holidays from Hell. Those stories, plus some additional scenes to help fill in the gaps, make up the first half of the novel, and I was anxious to find out what happened to Zelda. I wasn’t disappointed. While author Sue Ann Jaffarian is best known for her mystery novels, this isn’t a mystery. Instead, it’s a dysfunctional family dramedy. And yes, there are scenes that will make you laugh and scenes that will make you feel for the characters and what they are going through, especially Zelda. As our main characters, she is the most sympathetic, but all the characters have their moments as the book unfolds and all of them are great. This book definitely falls into the PG-13 realm with a smattering of foul language and some scenes that discuss characters’ sex lives. I could have done without those elements, but they are worth noting only in passing. Despite the fact that the book takes place roughly over the course of a year, we get a clear plot and only the scenes we need for the story. While originally conceived as a standalone novel, we are going to get more of Zelda’s adventures. I’m not sure where things can go from here, but I’m looking forward to visiting her again.
I was excited to see this novel come out. It started life as four short stories in a series called Holidays from Hell. Those stories, plus some additional scenes to help fill in the gaps, make up the first half of the novel, and I was anxious to find out what happened to Zelda. I wasn’t disappointed. While author Sue Ann Jaffarian is best known for her mystery novels, this isn’t a mystery. Instead, it’s a dysfunctional family dramedy. And yes, there are scenes that will make you laugh and scenes that will make you feel for the characters and what they are going through, especially Zelda. As our main characters, she is the most sympathetic, but all the characters have their moments as the book unfolds and all of them are great. This book definitely falls into the PG-13 realm with a smattering of foul language and some scenes that discuss characters’ sex lives. I could have done without those elements, but they are worth noting only in passing. Despite the fact that the book takes place roughly over the course of a year, we get a clear plot and only the scenes we need for the story. While originally conceived as a standalone novel, we are going to get more of Zelda’s adventures. I’m not sure where things can go from here, but I’m looking forward to visiting her again.