Introduction:
Breath of the Wild is the latest entry in one of Gaming's biggest and most successful franchises, and it's been hailed as the greatest game ever made. Since it's birth, this game has taken the Franchise we love into an all-new location, but is that a good thing? Is this game really revolutionary, or does this transformation take the franchise in a terrible direction? Either way, we're about to find out if The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild can stand on it's own two feet, without relying on the glory of it's mighty (And not so mighty) predecessors. As usual, beware spoilers.
How it Looks:
Breath of the Wild is, by no means, an ugly game. The world is beautiful and diverse, using a mixture or earthly colors and dreary tones to create a beautiful, yet decrepit sight that speaks of it's thousands of years of history. The creatures look vibrant and powerful, specially the Guardians, and Link himself looks very unlike anything we've seen before, but somehow retaining that iconic Link look. Everything in this game looks great, but there's a bit of a problem with that: The game looks great, but it also can get repetitive. It might be a limitation brought about by the size of the map, but there's very few Monster variations. Or, rather, the majority of the Enemies in the game are simply recolors of each other. Beyond that, the game's bosses are almost identical, mostly because they're basically the same thing but altered to fight a different type of fighting style. Although beautiful, the landscapes look bland, with certain landmarks (Shrines and towers) copy-pasted all around, as if more of the exact same building would give it 'life'. Though the specific towns look great by themselves, the landscapes surrounding them don't, as mountains just feel the same, valleys don't feel unique. The map itself feels unnecessarily large based on the amount of content that's actually there, but more on that later.
How it Sounds:
Would you believe me if I told you that I don't recall any of the music from Breath of the Wild? It's true! I am aware that there's something there, but it's so low, or nearly nonexistent, that I can't remember it. No sound effect, bar the lightning, stood out to me as great or perfect, or even stood out to me at all. The sound effects are good, mind you, but nothing too precious, or memorable. It's unfortunate, as a strong soundtrack would've been able to boost this game into legend, if it had tried.
How it Plays:
Unfortunately, Breath of Wild has a lot of ideas, and no way to execute them in unison. Climbing, a new addition to the franchise, doesn't work well, with Climbing being clunky and slow. The Stamina option discourages relying on movement when in combat, as a lot of the things you do (Like running) take away your stamina. The combat feels stiff, not very organized. The runic system that replaces items is good enough to solve the game's slew of unnecessary puzzles, but does little to provide proper help in battle. Taming is incredibly tedious, and after you get your first horse, it's basically unnecessary. Cooking is so insignificant you can pass the game without ever using it. The problem with these things is not that they exist in the game, but that they weren't implemented properly, leading Breath of the Wild to look more like a proof-of-concept rather than a full game. And don't get me started on the whole weapon-breaking system. If you've never played the game, let me set the scene: You slog through the impossibly large terrain, following clues to find Shrines, and eventually, you gather thirteen hearts (I believe it's thirteen). Finally, you go to the Deku Tree (Yes, he's in the game) and there it is: The Master Sword. You pull it out, only to find out that it is one of the most easily destroy-able weapons in the game, and only actually works against very specific enemies. Oh, but that's not all. You know that iconic shield from the series? Yeah, there's only like, three of those, and they break eventually. The fact that after all your trouble you're unable to use the Master Sword all the time feels like a crappy game design choice, as it's supposed to be THE MASTER SWORD! I can forgive the shield being broken eventually, but after having to go through so many hoops to get it, the Master Sword should be immortal. In the end, the game feels incomplete, and unnecessarily large.
How it Stories:
Breath of the Wild suffers from the Star Wars problem: It tells a story that references a story that is millions of times more interesting than what is actually being shown. The game itself relies on a narrative that, in itself, relies on reminding you that 100 years ago, a colorful cast of powerful individuals (As well as Link and Zelda) fought, and lost, against Ganon, the great pig-king. This, however, is shown to us in cut-scenes here and there, not letting us play or even experience that story beyond carefully fabricated movies, basically. The game's story itself, however, is paper-thin: Zelda is fighting Ganon, and you have to go safe her. Before that, go to these four places and defeat Ganon's minions, Mini-Ganons (That's not their name) and 'recruit' a less-interesting version of those heroes that helped fight alongside Link, who will then waste all of their power dealing one blow (And one blow alone) to Ganon in the final battle. That's it. Really, that's all there is to this 'story'. It's unfortunate, but it could've been so much more.
Verdict and Conclusion:
Usually, I just finish up the review here, but I did want to give a few ideas on how the game could've been so much better. Now I know making a game is hard, and there's a lot that goes into that, but bear with me. Imagine, if you will, a Breath of the Wild that has both the classic story-driven narrative and the free, open world aspect that they wanted to go for. Imagine if this Breath of the Wild opened with you playing through the story of 100 years ago, leading up to a mock ending where you lose, only to reopen your save file and start from what the game is now. You'd have the two-world aspect from all of the games (the past, and 100 years later), you'd have an interesting story without sacrificing the open-world aspect (As you'd be playing through the story from 100 years ago, as well as what's already in the game), and we'd feel more in connection to the few characters that exist, as the five that fight with Link and Zelda in the past are criminally underused characters. It would've been so much better! Either way, in the end, I'm going to give Breath of the Wild a solid 3 out of 5, not because of what it could be, mind you. It gets those because of what it is: A proof-of-concept that could've been so much more.
Tuesday, July 17, 2018
Fortnite Battle Royale (Video Game, 2017)
Introduction:
Fortnite is a game I've been hearing a lot about in the last year, but I knew very little about it. It showed up on the Nintendo Switch's eShop, so I checked it out, and after some research, found out that what was on the Switch wasn't the actual Fortnite, but Fortnite Battle Royale. Now, this review is about Fortnite Battle Royale as it's own entity. It isn't about the PvE elements of the actual Fortnite, nor is there going to be some comparison with a certain other game I won't mention. I will be judging what exists on Fortnite Battle Royale as of this writing, so here we go.
How it Looks:
Okay, let's get this out of the way: Fortnite's art style is gorgeous. It looks really good, but that's a bit of a downfall. It's a very beautiful game that you see again and again and again and again. At no point does the game shows anything that stands out as unique, as far as I've been aware in the time that I've played it. The characters in the game, or outfits as the game itself calls them, are pretty awesome, with both genders being represented well. However, there's far too many similar characters, to the point that I can't tell some of them apart. Maybe that's just the fact that I'm not used to the characters, but regardless. The game relies on aesthetic items for it's variety, providing a large amount of them, either by achieving Tiers or by buying them from the store. Now, just as you expect from these items, they do absolutely nothing, and are just there to look pretty, or as a sort of trophy: 'Look, I have Omega, which means I'm so cool'. Unfortunately, unlike repetitive games like Minecraft, Fortnite has no aesthetic changes to the environment, which ends up becoming boring really, REALLY fast. Sure, it looks pretty, but who loses their breath when they see the Mona Lisa anymore?
How it Sounds:
Fortnite sounds good. There's really not much else to say about it. The sounds are good. Nothing too fancy or over-the-top or special, just good old multiplayer auditory goodness.
How it Plays:
Fortnite's most important aspect is it's gameplay and it's where it shines and fails, at the same time. First off, there's only one game mode disguised as different ones. There's Solo, where you jump into a cage match against ninety-nine other individuals. There's Duos, where you and a buddy jump into a cage match against forty nine other Duos. And then there's Squads, where you and three other buddies can jump into a cage match against twenty four other Squads. The same thing, different name. Once in the game, the way that the system works is fairly simple: You jump down into the arena (The same one map) and end up shooting it out with others. Or, if you're smart, you wait until the other side of the map and jump into a next-to-empty area full of loot. Like all other MMOs, this one has a system, and once you figure it out, you will get bored very fast. Example: I joined Fortnite a few days after it came out on the Switch. Before my first week was done, I already had several solo wins and every Challenge done. Unfortunately, the map becoming smaller due to the storm doesn't do anything to punish you for sneaking around and letting others kill each other, then swooping in to take the win, a strategy that works far too well. Not only that, the equipment feels scarce and repetitive. You'll come across the same exact weapon almost ten times in a match, if you search around long enough, and most of the time, you won't even care. And then there's the in-game purchases. Now, I must say, I've become a victim of this. I actually bought a few things, the Battle Pass included. But, for a game that has so little actual game, this game has an overabundance of purchasable items. Worse off, none of it actually changes the gameplay, just how it looks. A single snap of the fingers can cost 200 V-Bucks, which is about two bucks. But an Outfit can cost as little as 1,200 V-Bucks, or twelve bucks. Not only that, but the Battle Pass itself costs 950 V-Bucks, which is a grand nine bucks and a half. If you're not careful, your entire wallet will go on what amounts to filters. Don't get me wrong, some of these look great, but considering how little the game actually has, it feels more like a cash-grab than an integral part of the game's system. Since there's no trading of these items, no selling them forward, it makes the game look bad. Worse off, you only have three refunds. Three. If your child or friend bought the wrong thing, or something, and you don't want it, you're only able to refund it three times. It feels kinda shady, specially since these items are purely cosmetic in nature, and don't actually provide any benefits to the player.
How it Stories:
It has no story, as far as everyone knows. I've searched around to see if there's a story I've missed, but all I really got that was in some way resembling a story was a group of loading screen images that have a very little line of dialogue or something next to it. So, no story. No real lore. Just combat.
Verdict and Conclusion:
Unfortunately, although I love playing the game (Mostly because of the people I've met on there), I can't give this game high praise with a straight face. As it is right now, Fortnite is a laughable excuse for a game, with four of it's five menu tabs dedicated to cosmetic things that, unless you shed some real cash, will remain empty for a long time. It is sad, but I give Fortnite a strong 1 out of 5 stars, because of it's many unfortunate downfalls. If this game is incomplete is irrelevant, as it is already released and earning money. Nor does it have anything that informs the player that it is incomplete, therefore, what I've played has earned itself that 1 star.
Fortnite is a game I've been hearing a lot about in the last year, but I knew very little about it. It showed up on the Nintendo Switch's eShop, so I checked it out, and after some research, found out that what was on the Switch wasn't the actual Fortnite, but Fortnite Battle Royale. Now, this review is about Fortnite Battle Royale as it's own entity. It isn't about the PvE elements of the actual Fortnite, nor is there going to be some comparison with a certain other game I won't mention. I will be judging what exists on Fortnite Battle Royale as of this writing, so here we go.
How it Looks:
Okay, let's get this out of the way: Fortnite's art style is gorgeous. It looks really good, but that's a bit of a downfall. It's a very beautiful game that you see again and again and again and again. At no point does the game shows anything that stands out as unique, as far as I've been aware in the time that I've played it. The characters in the game, or outfits as the game itself calls them, are pretty awesome, with both genders being represented well. However, there's far too many similar characters, to the point that I can't tell some of them apart. Maybe that's just the fact that I'm not used to the characters, but regardless. The game relies on aesthetic items for it's variety, providing a large amount of them, either by achieving Tiers or by buying them from the store. Now, just as you expect from these items, they do absolutely nothing, and are just there to look pretty, or as a sort of trophy: 'Look, I have Omega, which means I'm so cool'. Unfortunately, unlike repetitive games like Minecraft, Fortnite has no aesthetic changes to the environment, which ends up becoming boring really, REALLY fast. Sure, it looks pretty, but who loses their breath when they see the Mona Lisa anymore?
How it Sounds:
Fortnite sounds good. There's really not much else to say about it. The sounds are good. Nothing too fancy or over-the-top or special, just good old multiplayer auditory goodness.
How it Plays:
Fortnite's most important aspect is it's gameplay and it's where it shines and fails, at the same time. First off, there's only one game mode disguised as different ones. There's Solo, where you jump into a cage match against ninety-nine other individuals. There's Duos, where you and a buddy jump into a cage match against forty nine other Duos. And then there's Squads, where you and three other buddies can jump into a cage match against twenty four other Squads. The same thing, different name. Once in the game, the way that the system works is fairly simple: You jump down into the arena (The same one map) and end up shooting it out with others. Or, if you're smart, you wait until the other side of the map and jump into a next-to-empty area full of loot. Like all other MMOs, this one has a system, and once you figure it out, you will get bored very fast. Example: I joined Fortnite a few days after it came out on the Switch. Before my first week was done, I already had several solo wins and every Challenge done. Unfortunately, the map becoming smaller due to the storm doesn't do anything to punish you for sneaking around and letting others kill each other, then swooping in to take the win, a strategy that works far too well. Not only that, the equipment feels scarce and repetitive. You'll come across the same exact weapon almost ten times in a match, if you search around long enough, and most of the time, you won't even care. And then there's the in-game purchases. Now, I must say, I've become a victim of this. I actually bought a few things, the Battle Pass included. But, for a game that has so little actual game, this game has an overabundance of purchasable items. Worse off, none of it actually changes the gameplay, just how it looks. A single snap of the fingers can cost 200 V-Bucks, which is about two bucks. But an Outfit can cost as little as 1,200 V-Bucks, or twelve bucks. Not only that, but the Battle Pass itself costs 950 V-Bucks, which is a grand nine bucks and a half. If you're not careful, your entire wallet will go on what amounts to filters. Don't get me wrong, some of these look great, but considering how little the game actually has, it feels more like a cash-grab than an integral part of the game's system. Since there's no trading of these items, no selling them forward, it makes the game look bad. Worse off, you only have three refunds. Three. If your child or friend bought the wrong thing, or something, and you don't want it, you're only able to refund it three times. It feels kinda shady, specially since these items are purely cosmetic in nature, and don't actually provide any benefits to the player.
How it Stories:
It has no story, as far as everyone knows. I've searched around to see if there's a story I've missed, but all I really got that was in some way resembling a story was a group of loading screen images that have a very little line of dialogue or something next to it. So, no story. No real lore. Just combat.
Verdict and Conclusion:
Unfortunately, although I love playing the game (Mostly because of the people I've met on there), I can't give this game high praise with a straight face. As it is right now, Fortnite is a laughable excuse for a game, with four of it's five menu tabs dedicated to cosmetic things that, unless you shed some real cash, will remain empty for a long time. It is sad, but I give Fortnite a strong 1 out of 5 stars, because of it's many unfortunate downfalls. If this game is incomplete is irrelevant, as it is already released and earning money. Nor does it have anything that informs the player that it is incomplete, therefore, what I've played has earned itself that 1 star.
Pokemon Quest (Video Game, 2018)
Introduction:
Pokemon is one of my favorite game franchises of all time. It has had a lot of successful spin-offs, from the social commentary of Pokemon Ranger to the heart-string pulling of the Mystery Dungeon series, Pokemon knows where it's at when it comes to creating new game. Enter Pokemon Quest, a Free-to-Start game that dropped for the Nintendo Switch out of nowhere. Literally. There was no build up for it. Anyway, how does this free addition to the Franchise measure up against my judgement? Let's find out, shall we?
How it Looks:
The game opens up to a new art-style for the game, in the same vein as to how every sub-franchise tries to have it's unique look. Pokemon Quest's style is box-like, almost like a smoother Minecraft look to it. This is by no means a bad thing, but there's little to look at in the game, except Pokemon and repeated or nearly identical locations that change in coloring and little more. This makes Pokemon Quest one of the least interesting games to look at, as the aesthetic grows old pretty fast. Not only that, because the game only has the first 150 Pokemon, it tends to feel very repetitive, as you'll start fighting your way through the same Pokemon over-and-over again. Something that's good to point out is that Shiny Pokemon, alternate-colored versions of existing Pokemon, actually apear in this game. How much this really matters is up to everyone who plays it, but to me, it's something worth mentioning, though it doesn't really do much to break the monotony of the game play.
How it Sounds:
To be perfectly honest, I play this game on mute. Not because I don't like the sounds, but because I usually leave it running and only use it to get the next expedition running (More on this later). However, the sounds are all there, all Pokemon like, though it doesn't really do much. The attacks' generic sounds get boring fast, and the sounds of the Pokemon, though following through with the original sound design of the games (Not like the anime), it doesn't provide much in the way of breaking the monotony.
How it Plays:
Here's Pokemon Quest's biggest flaw. There is no 'Game-Play'. You don't do anything, per se, and that's a problem. The way the game works, you pick three Pokemon to be your party, then you send them on expeditions, which just means you're watching three Pokemon fight groups of other Pokemon and all you can do is press the buttons at the bottom, two actual Attacks per Pokemon, up to six Attacks. Most of the time, you'll just watch the Pokemon fight on their own, which is counter-intuitive. No one played Pokemon for the cooking, after all. And, speaking of Cooking, it seems Nintendo saw that people loved Breath of the Wild and said 'lets add cooking to Pokemon', then removed everything that made Pokemon enjoyable. Cooking isn't intuitive, the recipes don't actually help, and the game uses a color system that doesn't correlate to the Pokemon in any shape or form, as I got a Digglet to appear from a soup specifically oriented at 'Red' Pokemon. And that's one of my biggest grievances with the game: It doesn't tell you what anything means! Your recipes are shown but only the results and a hint, so you don't know exactly how to replicate it, unless you specifically took the time to learn it. Pokemon have 'colors' but there is no actual description of which Pokemon are 'Red' or 'Blue', as other Pokemon that don't have those colors still appear around the place. Even though certain Areas have a specific type that increases the Power of specific Pokemon Types, there are Pokemon that might appear in these areas with Types strong against the Pokemon getting the Boost. When the list of Pokemon grow, so does the tediousness of finding Pokemon, and you'll either have to make a list of your own, or try and guess whether you already have that particular Pokemon more than once or twice (Since you'll probably want to evolve specific Pokemon). Not only that, but Evolution doesn't work the same anymore, either, so Pokemon like Eevee that have special rules have different rules, while Pokemon that evolved from trades only evolve at impossibly high levels.
How it Stories:
There's very little story to the game. It starts you off with a story of some sort, but you spend so much time without hearing about it that you forget, but it's something about you going to a new island and trying to find a series of Statues that open the Chamber of Legends. I think. It's the same generic story of Pokemon, just bypassing the GYMs and replacing the Badges with Statues. Nothing really interesting here, people.
Verdict and Conclusion:
As much as I'm genuinely enjoying leaving it running in the background while I do other productive things (Like writing this Review), Pokemon Quest falls far too short of the standards played by the Pokemon Franchise. I give it a very small, very dignified 2 stars out of 5, it keeps the two stars because it's free, and you can enjoy it without spending any real money. And, because Kabuto is the most adorable little thing in that game. Like, seriously. Just, so cute.
Pokemon is one of my favorite game franchises of all time. It has had a lot of successful spin-offs, from the social commentary of Pokemon Ranger to the heart-string pulling of the Mystery Dungeon series, Pokemon knows where it's at when it comes to creating new game. Enter Pokemon Quest, a Free-to-Start game that dropped for the Nintendo Switch out of nowhere. Literally. There was no build up for it. Anyway, how does this free addition to the Franchise measure up against my judgement? Let's find out, shall we?
How it Looks:
The game opens up to a new art-style for the game, in the same vein as to how every sub-franchise tries to have it's unique look. Pokemon Quest's style is box-like, almost like a smoother Minecraft look to it. This is by no means a bad thing, but there's little to look at in the game, except Pokemon and repeated or nearly identical locations that change in coloring and little more. This makes Pokemon Quest one of the least interesting games to look at, as the aesthetic grows old pretty fast. Not only that, because the game only has the first 150 Pokemon, it tends to feel very repetitive, as you'll start fighting your way through the same Pokemon over-and-over again. Something that's good to point out is that Shiny Pokemon, alternate-colored versions of existing Pokemon, actually apear in this game. How much this really matters is up to everyone who plays it, but to me, it's something worth mentioning, though it doesn't really do much to break the monotony of the game play.
How it Sounds:
To be perfectly honest, I play this game on mute. Not because I don't like the sounds, but because I usually leave it running and only use it to get the next expedition running (More on this later). However, the sounds are all there, all Pokemon like, though it doesn't really do much. The attacks' generic sounds get boring fast, and the sounds of the Pokemon, though following through with the original sound design of the games (Not like the anime), it doesn't provide much in the way of breaking the monotony.
How it Plays:
Here's Pokemon Quest's biggest flaw. There is no 'Game-Play'. You don't do anything, per se, and that's a problem. The way the game works, you pick three Pokemon to be your party, then you send them on expeditions, which just means you're watching three Pokemon fight groups of other Pokemon and all you can do is press the buttons at the bottom, two actual Attacks per Pokemon, up to six Attacks. Most of the time, you'll just watch the Pokemon fight on their own, which is counter-intuitive. No one played Pokemon for the cooking, after all. And, speaking of Cooking, it seems Nintendo saw that people loved Breath of the Wild and said 'lets add cooking to Pokemon', then removed everything that made Pokemon enjoyable. Cooking isn't intuitive, the recipes don't actually help, and the game uses a color system that doesn't correlate to the Pokemon in any shape or form, as I got a Digglet to appear from a soup specifically oriented at 'Red' Pokemon. And that's one of my biggest grievances with the game: It doesn't tell you what anything means! Your recipes are shown but only the results and a hint, so you don't know exactly how to replicate it, unless you specifically took the time to learn it. Pokemon have 'colors' but there is no actual description of which Pokemon are 'Red' or 'Blue', as other Pokemon that don't have those colors still appear around the place. Even though certain Areas have a specific type that increases the Power of specific Pokemon Types, there are Pokemon that might appear in these areas with Types strong against the Pokemon getting the Boost. When the list of Pokemon grow, so does the tediousness of finding Pokemon, and you'll either have to make a list of your own, or try and guess whether you already have that particular Pokemon more than once or twice (Since you'll probably want to evolve specific Pokemon). Not only that, but Evolution doesn't work the same anymore, either, so Pokemon like Eevee that have special rules have different rules, while Pokemon that evolved from trades only evolve at impossibly high levels.
How it Stories:
There's very little story to the game. It starts you off with a story of some sort, but you spend so much time without hearing about it that you forget, but it's something about you going to a new island and trying to find a series of Statues that open the Chamber of Legends. I think. It's the same generic story of Pokemon, just bypassing the GYMs and replacing the Badges with Statues. Nothing really interesting here, people.
Verdict and Conclusion:
As much as I'm genuinely enjoying leaving it running in the background while I do other productive things (Like writing this Review), Pokemon Quest falls far too short of the standards played by the Pokemon Franchise. I give it a very small, very dignified 2 stars out of 5, it keeps the two stars because it's free, and you can enjoy it without spending any real money. And, because Kabuto is the most adorable little thing in that game. Like, seriously. Just, so cute.
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