Battle of the A+’s—Episode 1: Breath of the Wild vs Mario Odyssey

[Voor]

Nice responses so far. Perhaps Hollow Knight will show up in a future episode……..

[Retro STrife]

As a long time hater on the boards of 3D Zelda and Mario games, I'd like to say that I vote for Breath of the Wild, even though I've never played Mario Odyssey. (Side note: I don't actually hate Zelda/Mario games - I just hate that the gaming media is biased and gives them scores of 9.5 and higher no matter what.) Anyway, the reason for my completely baseless vote for BotW is that I have played 15+ hours of that game on Wii U, and was thoroughly impressed that Nintendo finally updated the worn-out Zelda formula that critics had been excusing for 20+ years, and made an excellent game. In fact, I had a great time with BotW and would have played it to completion if I did not get sidetracked by Horizon Zero Dawn -- which is almost identical in structure, but an even better game overall.

As for Mario Odyssey - I have seen nothing to convince me that it is anything other than more of the same old 3D Mario formula. (Oh wait, you say I can throw a hat?? Yippee..) I know more of the same is great for 3D Mario fans, but I have felt "meh" about every Mario game after Super Mario World, so I anticipate Odyssey is about the same as Mario 64, or Galaxy 1 & 2, or whatever else that I've already played through. BotW was an evolution of the formula and a very addictive game, so I give it the nod with my vote. Also, to conclude, I acknowledge that my vote is unfair and meaningless since I haven't actually played Odyssey

[MSR1701]

As a long time hater on the boards of 3D Zelda and Mario games, I'd like to say that I vote for Breath of the Wild, even though I've never played Mario Odyssey. (Side note: I don't actually hate Zelda/Mario games - I just hate that the gaming media is biased and gives them scores of 9.5 and higher no matter what.) Anyway, the reason for my completely baseless vote for BotW is that I have played 15+ hours of that game on Wii U, and was thoroughly impressed that Nintendo finally updated the worn-out Zelda formula that critics had been excusing for 20+ years, and made an excellent game. In fact, I had a great time with BotW and would have played it to completion if I did not get sidetracked by Horizon Zero Dawn -- which is almost identical in structure, but an even better game overall.

As for Mario Odyssey - I have seen nothing to convince me that it is anything other than more of the same old 3D Mario formula. (Oh wait, you say I can throw a hat?? Yippee..) I know more of the same is great for 3D Mario fans, but I have felt "meh" about every Mario game since Super Mario World, so I anticipate Odyssey is about the same as Mario 64, or Galaxy 1 & 2, or whatever else that I've already played through. BotW was an evolution of the formula and a very addictive game, so I give it the nod with my vote. Also, to conclude, I acknowledge that my vote is unfair and meaningless since I haven't actually played Odyssey

I would say give Odyssey a try. I was of a similar mind that it was not too different from previous 3D Mario games, and was shocked that it took elements from those games and went bigger and better. Aside from sequence breaking, the Hat toss is a huge enhancement on the series, from movement tech to the different forms (the Dino form is not all that useful, but DANG cathartic) that allow you to get the moon pieces in many different ways.
Also the neat mix of retro callbacks to spice things up

[Voor]

Agreed. I didn’t play Odyssey until very recently and only rented it because I didn’t think I would like it enough to buy. After 45 minutes, I immediately put it in my cart. It’s just a joy. The control is so good and the hat thing enhances the game much more than you would think. It really surprised me how much I enjoyed the game. I’m still playing it and may speedrun it just because it’s so much fun.

Some moons are very easy and the game helps you figure out, but each one is a little mini puzzle onto its self. With some being super hard. It’s a good sense of accomplishment.

So, I would hold out on making a judgement until you played it. It sure as heck surprised me.

[JustLikeHeaven]

Mario Odyssey without question. There is so much to see and do. Everything is immediate. The fun starts almost as soon as you start playing. Levels are STUFFED with hidden goodies and clever touches. The whole thing seems like a creative playground. Not a single idea was too wild to include. Odyssey is unpretentious and makes you relish the experience until the end credits roll. Its a video game first and foremost and was a sharp reminder of why I love the the medium. Can’t gush enough about how much I loved it.

BotW is an experience. An open world game filled with exploration and wonder. It was all at once familiar while still remaining mysterious. I played this at the same time as a good friend. When we would meet up we would talk about things we found or moments that had occurred. We had to be vague not to spoil anything for the other person. Giving each other tips or places to explore provided a sensation that you needed to get home to find out what they were talking about! I felt like I was 12 years old, back on the playground talking games with my chums. It’s not perfect though. The experience starts to wear thin after 50-60 hours (which is still crazy good). At that point I had my fill of weapons breaking, cooking recipes, collecting seeds etc. I just wanted it to be over. I’m glad that I played it. I cherished the experience, but I’ve had zero desire to play it again.

That’s what it boils down to. If I HAD to put one of the cartridges into my Switch, it would be Mario. Hands down.

[DrLitch]

The experience starts to wear thin after 50-60 hours (which is still crazy good). At that point I had my fill of weapons breaking, cooking recipes, collecting seeds etc. I just wanted it to be over.

I think this is the fairest criticism of Breath of the Wild. With a solid backing story and side quest filler to compensate the story you would have more to go on that merely treating Hyrule as a no holds barred playground. It's unconstrained freedom ultimately is a time bomb for boredom. I still think Breath of the Wild is an important step in the right direction for Nintendo but next time they would be wise to not abandon a solid story/narrative or dump some of the well worn but well loved gameplay staples the series is known and respected for. However, in saying that, I still think 2D suits Zelda best.