PixlBit

I get the impression that Zelda isn't as giant a game as some others of its type, which I think is great because these games can get crazy huge and overwelming. Also mega time consuming. I usually burn out on a game nearing the 100 hour mark, no matter how good it is. (not counting Minecraft which is kind of different in that its so open ended and not a story game). 

It's pretty massive for a Zelda game, especially in the beginning when you don't have enough stamina to get over steep areas properly or have to run long distances without a horse. Horses, also don't travel very fast at first. There are long stretches of space in between inhabited areas. It's only after unlocking waypoints that you can get around easier.

Ok, cool. One day I'll get to play it. It's something to motivate me to getting a good job. 

I mostly hunted the robots or completed tutorial missions to level up. Currently I'm at about level 22 for Aloy and halfway through the story. I probably need some hardpoint arrows. 

You mean the Gaurdian robots? I can't even get near them yet let alone try to hunt them. 

No, I was jokingly responding as if this was Horizon, which is the PS4 version of this Zelda I actually own.

Oh right. Yeah. I've seen comparisons of these games quite a bit. I think Horizon beats it on visuals. After playing Zelda, I'd probably be interesting in Horizon now if I can go camping.

I bounce between everything at the moment.  i did just unlock the whole map, and found some places that looked intriguing on the map and am working my  way there.  I actively dislike the Divine Beasts, and am putting off the final 2 until I am less pissed off at them.  I anticipate needing a break from the game in the next day or so.

One of the reasons I put off Divine Beasts is because I don't like how solving them didn't affect the world or the people much. They DBs seem inconsequential to the world and lacks a sense of urgency in needing to be solved apart from being in a main story chain. I'm mostly hiking around and mapping shrines to make travel easier later on. If I know my Zelda games, there will be an eventual necessary retread through the entire map before the final battle so I'm making things easier for myself. I also am having fun just dicking around and cooking. I explored a lot this week and need a good break before jumping back in. Maybe an indie game.

I feel like I am burning out on the game, just like every other open-world game that I play.  I guess that is why I typically skip that genre.  The fact that I have put 30+ hours into BotW so far is a miracle.

Oh. Me too. I burn out on these games very fast which is why I avoid them. Witcher 3 and FF15 are the only exception, but I definitely bounced off of DA Inquisition. Xenoblade on WiiU was very pretty and portable, but it went on forever too.

 I think I played Zelda mostly like you. I was more interested in exploring the world, going to every spot on the map, taming horses, and experimenting with the game's systems. I only stopped to do Shrine's so I could upgrade my health and stamina to aid in my exploration.

 I have some complaints about the game in that while I like the approach they took to this Zelda, I would have appreciated some more of the old Zelda. I really would have appreciated some more items. A grappeling hook would have been nice, or at least a bit more progression. As the game is, the stuff you get in the opening is all you get, and as such, you never get that satisfaction of getting a new item and coming back to an inaccessible place and opening up new areas like you did in the previous games.

 Dungeons are also a bit shit. As an open world exploration game, it's a masterpiece. As a Zelda game, it's a bit eh. Although Zelda herself is the most compelling she's ever been.

  This game did wow me though. I got the same feeling I felt when playing Xenoblade Chronicles X - I wanted to push on just to see what was around the next corner. I don't usually get that in games though outside of the one I mentioned, some Bethesda games and Piranha Bytes games.

I'm playing Zelda like you. Just mapping the world for now and doing a few shrines at a time when I get bored of exploring. The lack of new fantastical items is kind of bothering me though.  The way everything is immediately accesible without needing a special weapon or gear to access is refreshing, but a few 'lock and key' areas requiring special gear to unlock would have added to sense of discovery and made it feel  more like past zelda games. I hope that Nintendo just builds on this engine in the future with more classic Zelda progression added. They also could have added more interesting side quests and characters since they were borrowing from Witcher 3, maybe some boss fights like Dark Souls too. At this point I feel like Dark Souls and Witcher 3 are more old school Zelda than BotW. I still have a lot more to play though.

Yeah, this is a great way to shake things up, but I do hope they bring some more "Zelda" elements back for next time. I would love items and more traditional dungeons on top of what we got.

 While Zelda can be quite difficult, I don't know that it needs the difficulty of Souls bosses. It could definitely learn from them mechanically, especially from Demon's and Dark Souls. Bosses that throw all the rules of what a traditional boss fight should be could be fun in a Zelda game.

 I'd also really like to see them double down on the systems sandbox approach. Add new weird ways mechanics could intertwine and go together. Some actually challenging puzzles would be nice too.

 Man, I would play the hell out of a "Souls" type game with the puzzle style dungeons of Zelda. That would totally be my jam.

Breath of the Wild is big big big big big.  I would play it depending on how much time I had.  If I could play it for a long time, I'd tackle the big robot elephant and camel guys, but if I had a short time to play it, I would just run around finding shrines all over the place.  Even though I had problems with the game, I played it for 60 hours and finished it, so I must've liked it somewhat.  It's definitely the 2nd hardest Zelda game I've ever played (the first being Zelda 2), especially at the beginning.  My favorite thing to do in the game was cook.  I would make Link cook everything and then eat it.  He should've been as big as a house by the time he saved Zelda.

How do you rate this game compared to previous Zeldas? Did you feel an urgency to replay it or buy DLC? My favorite Zelda is Links Awakening, Majoras Mask, Wind Waker, Oracle of Seasons, Link to the Past.

Breath of the Wild is about middle of the road to me.  It's not one of my favorites, but not one of my least favorites either.  I will say this, as much as I may not like some of the changes to this Zelda game, I have to say it's exactly what the series needed right now.  It's like Mega Man X.  I prefer the original Mega Man, but the first X game is exactly what the series needed at the time to keep from becoming too stale.  

My favorite Zelda game is Link's Awakening, too!  I also like Link to the Past, original NES Zelda, and Link Between Worlds.  So yeah, I like the 2-D top down Zeldas a lot.

Hmm, I'm hesitant to claim it's borrowing from any games in particular. I think we too readily assume that when we see a similar mechanic or feature in a game that one game influenced the other. Even if so, how can we be sure what games? Nintendo has been around for a long time and there hasn't been any new features or mechanics in the action-adventure and RPG genres since the 90s. The only game I've seen Nintendo cite is Skyrim, so who knows. 

Anyway, I just started fooling around with the game. The way I play is to just attack the main adventure. I don't really have time or interest for diversions. But I still like that the game overall isn't a guided affair. You can take whatever route you want through whatever adventure you decide to go on, whether the story or an adventure of your own.