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KalJ95 (25 KP) rated the Nintendo Switch version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in Video Games

Dec 28, 2019  
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
2017 | Action/Adventure
9
9.0 (52 Ratings)
Video Game Rating Watch
Exploration is epic (2 more)
Incredible open-world.
Mechanics and gameplay is Nintendo's greatest achievement.
Narrative is limited. (0 more)
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.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2086 KP) rated Finding Zelda in Books

Oct 2, 2019 (Updated Oct 2, 2019)  
Finding Zelda
Finding Zelda
Sue Ann Jaffarian | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
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.
  
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David McK (3227 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Immortals: Fenyx Rising in Video Games

Feb 22, 2021 (Updated Mar 6, 2022)  
Immortals: Fenyx Rising
Immortals: Fenyx Rising
2020 | Action/Adventure
6
7.8 (9 Ratings)
Video Game Rating
*Final review*


Finally finished the game! Did get a bit repetitive, with the banter between Zeus and Prometheus beginning to jar towards the end and, boy oh boy, do those Vaults get tiring ...

*Preliminary review*

Consider this as a preliminary review, as I'm only a few hours (if even) into the game, which I won as part of a Giveaway right here in Smashbomb.

As I'm not that far into it, I can only give general impressions: entertaining enough so far, with my nephew saying it reminds him of a PS4 version of The Legend of Zelda - never having played that game, I can't comment on the same!