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

General and high profile video game topics.
Voor
Posts: 1555
Joined: April 14th, 2015, 8:08 pm

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

Postby Voor » October 17th, 2021, 5:59 pm

Yes, apples and oranges in many ways, but both are excellent and well done, and have enough in common where I think they can be compared.

For me, it’s Mario Odyssey easily. I know it’s not as deep as BOTW, but to me, everything you do is just a joy. Complaints are the number of moons and difficult are fair, but I think it does a fantastic job of being both accessible and very challenging to different players skill levels.

BOTW is a exceptional game and super impressive (and necessary for the zelda 3D franchise), but it felt like more “work” than fun to me, though it’s a game that keeps calling you back, just to keep exploring to see what else the game has to offer.

What do you think?

User avatar
DrLitch
Posts: 938
Joined: July 19th, 2017, 12:57 pm

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

Postby DrLitch » October 17th, 2021, 8:45 pm

Odyssey:

Oozes Nintendo charm, great level design, smooth framerate, good graphics and soundtrack. Caveat = a little too easy, not innovative like Mario Galaxy and is more a reimagining of Mario 64, bigger, fancier, but not necessarily better.

Breath of Wild:

Unlike any Zelda game I have ever played, large but sparse open world, limited narrative, storyline near non existent, Link is Bear Grylls with pointy ears, graphics are average and blurry, framerate sucks, soundtrack mostly dulcet tones while shrine levels grate the eardrums. Conversely an excellent Hyrule Castle track. Paradoxically, this Zelda game, despite being the most flawed of open worlds, despite being hopelessly weak compared to it's brethren like Witcher 3 or Skyrim in certain metrics, is also a highly addicting game to play and is probably the real Hyrule playground incarnated from Shigeru Myamoto's inner sanctum. Doing the simple things in this game is so much fun, from harvesting parts for suit upgrades, to mundane things like picking a direction to run in and upsetting a local camp of bad guys. It is simple fun with no consequences and the game does not take itself seriously.

The winner is:

Breath of the Wild. Pick up and play for 10 minutes or 4 hours your choice. Mario Odyssey on paper is far superior but it still feels like a classic videogame. Breath of the Wild is whatever you want it to be for the period you play it. Ask this 10 years from now and I am sure Odyssey would win in a landslide. Fads are fleeting after all.

Neither game is worth A+ though :o

User avatar
Matchstick
Posts: 977
Joined: October 26th, 2017, 6:45 am

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

Postby Matchstick » October 18th, 2021, 12:19 am

DrLitch wrote:Neither game is worth A+ though :o

Oh, don't be shy, now - there's plenty of us out there who feel the same way, Litch!

I haven't played Odyssey, but I watched the wife play Zelda for 200+ hours. She loved it! I loved watching it!

...I'd give it a B.

I'm racking my brain and trying to think if I have any "A+" games from the PS4 / Switch / X1 generation. So far, I'm drawing a blank. Let me sleep on it, and hopefully I'll have a better answer tomorrow.

Voor
Posts: 1555
Joined: April 14th, 2015, 8:08 pm

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

Postby Voor » October 18th, 2021, 7:13 am

I was going from the VGC’s rating.

JohanOberg
Posts: 176
Joined: September 21st, 2021, 8:22 am

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

Postby JohanOberg » October 18th, 2021, 10:33 am

Even though I like Odyssey a bit more personally I think I'd still give it to BotW because of how it's a new direction for Zelda, it's the braver game so to speak.

User avatar
MSR1701
Posts: 1509
Joined: April 29th, 2019, 7:53 am

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

Postby MSR1701 » October 18th, 2021, 11:43 am

Gee, thanks... I was trying to talk myself into actually going in and spending time in Breath of the Wild (I got as far as Kakariko village before I got the DLC, and it's been long enough I may as well start over to reaquaint myself with the game), but I was also thinking on Odyssey and its addicting game design. I LOVE the freedom that both games give to go about your tasks as you want (one particular New Donk City mission had several ways that you could get to the required location, and I LOVE it when they give you that kind of freedom; BotW has a similar feel from what I recall).

Not an easy choice...

User avatar
DrLitch
Posts: 938
Joined: July 19th, 2017, 12:57 pm

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

Postby DrLitch » October 18th, 2021, 12:00 pm

Voor wrote:I was going from the VGC’s rating.


Definitely, I would have been surprised if you thought BOW was A+ since games with that grade level will never be a chore to play ;)

Matchstick wrote:
DrLitch wrote:Neither game is worth A+ though :o

Oh, don't be shy, now - there's plenty of us out there who feel the same way, Litch!


:D

Matchstick wrote:I haven't played Odyssey, but I watched the wife play Zelda for 200+ hours. She loved it! I loved watching it!
...I'd give it a B.


Yeah the game is addicting. I would say an A- for both Mario Odyssey and Breath of the Wild would be fair although Breath of the Wild could easily, in five years, drop into B region as it matures like a Corsican cheese. Mario Odyssey will stand strong for years, the sort of game that never really ages.

Matchstick wrote:I'm racking my brain and trying to think if I have any "A+" games from the PS4 / Switch / X1 generation. So far, I'm drawing a blank. Let me sleep on it, and hopefully I'll have a better answer tomorrow.


You certainly are not the only one to feel this way. After all, the 6th and 7th generation laid the foundations and scaffolding for the titles we play today. Add in gaming companies taking fewer and fewer risks you have a generation of AAA titles that are safe rather than spectacular. The Indie scene on the has definitely been carrying this generation.

As a lover of all things RPG, be it tactical or action based, this generation has proved particularly strong and robust. Another classic has been released, Tales of Arise is f****ng splendid if you pardon my French. Fire Emblem on Switch, Persona 5, Divinity Original Sin 2, Pillars of Eternity, Grim Dawn, yeah this has been a good gen for all that and these are a mere small sample of a lot of very decent games.

As for A+ games, I would say Nier Automata and Witcher 3 would be my picks to make that grade. Horizon Zero Dawn maybe. Then there are the Indies. I have been playing Hades on and off for the last month and if that is not a contender for game of the decade I do not know what is. Dead Cells, Axiom Verge, Outer Wilds also get close to the promised land.

User avatar
Matchstick
Posts: 977
Joined: October 26th, 2017, 6:45 am

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

Postby Matchstick » October 18th, 2021, 9:50 pm

Voor wrote:I was going from the VGC’s rating.

I read ya, Voor. Sorry if I took things a little off the rails, there.

JohanOberg wrote:Even though I like Odyssey a bit more personally I think I'd still give it to BotW because of how it's a new direction for Zelda, it's the braver game so to speak.

This was my big takeaway, too. I always like to see when franchises with umpteen-amount of sequels finally start to take big risks. BOTW was an enormous gamble on the established Zelda formula, but it went over so well, and won over all but the most jaded members of the fanbase.

I feel that risks are important for any sort of franchise to evolve. BOTW gets my vote here, as it's the only game of the pair in question that I've actually played, but I do wonder how many risks Odyssey takes with the established Mario formula. I'm sure I'll find out, someday.

DrLitch wrote:You certainly are not the only one to feel this way....The Indie scene has definitely been carrying this generation.

This is kind of my vibe, as well. That's not to say that I haven't enjoyed some big-budget games, but I find that the ones I've liked the most have either been Kickstarter projects (Mutant Football League) small-budget / low-risk titles (Trials of Mana) or sequels to older games that I never thought would get a follow-up (Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3).

I wouldn't call any of those three games an "A+" in the review department, but I have certainly gotten an "A+" worth of enjoyment out of them. They would be my personal favorite three games of the last generation - with Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night and Untitled Goose Game not far behind :D

I notice that Hollow Knight has the A+ grade here on the site. Man, so many people loooooove that game. I bought it for my Nephew for his 12th birthday last year, on a whim. He liked it so much, he bought some official merch (plushies of some of the characters) and even wanted a Hollow Knight themed party this year. For this year's birthday, I bought him Bloodstained. We'll see if he has the same reaction...

User avatar
DrLitch
Posts: 938
Joined: July 19th, 2017, 12:57 pm

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

Postby DrLitch » October 19th, 2021, 10:35 am

Matchstick wrote:I notice that Hollow Knight has the A+ grade here on the site. Man, so many people loooooove that game.


This title, through a mix of good old fashioned video game propaganda and Internet word of mouth, has found itself shoved up the pecking order of Metroidvanias. It is not lacking in substance thus it's position at first glance appears justified. I have read many posts considering this one the finest Metroidvania ever released, better than old classics like Symphony of the Night or Super Metroid. High praise indeed. It does not require one to delve too deeply into research to realize that the novelty of form and style of it's artistry, one of it's main praises, is overstated given games like Knytt Underground predate it several years. Add in elements of Super Meat Boy and Dust, sprinkled with Souls-like sensibilities, with it's own unique lore, and you have Hollow Knight pretty much. It doubles up as both a souls-like and a Metroidvania, thus if you are after a stress free casual Metroidvania this is not the title for you. I personally believe the game to be slightly overrated but I will give it due respect as an iconic title in it's subgenre. Not flawless by any means but if you give it a fair attempt most of it's flaws can be overlooked. Best Metroidvania? Nope. Top 10? Maybe.

Alucard1191
Posts: 476
Joined: November 16th, 2016, 12:55 pm

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

Postby Alucard1191 » October 19th, 2021, 12:05 pm

Alright, my quick contribution:

I give this firmly to BOTW. I actually don't think Odyssey is an A+ game. Good? Absolutely. But I don't feel like it does much that's new. The costumes are fun and the hat gimmick is alright, but it isn't groundbreaking that I feel BOTW was.

I've played all the way through BOTW twice now and I'm already looking forward to doing it again in a year or so. (Maybe I'll actually do the DLC.)


That's another 'point' to BOTW over Odyssey. I actually want to replay it and pay for the DLC to give it more life. I've beaten Odyssey, (Obviously not all the way since the game an absurd amount of stars.) But I've unlocked everything, I've seen the quite humorous wedding bit, and messed around on the moon. The game feels more or less done, and I'm not inclined to keep looking for stuff. Whereas with BOTW I spend time cooking and trying to upgrade gear and find more and more shrines, even after I am strong enough to go smash Ganon.

This is honestly a change from what I'd normally say, as with all the previous Nintendo systems I prefer Mario. (Rather play Mario 64 than Ocarina of Time, Mario 3 than NES Zelda, etc.) But the switch entries I have to give it to Zelda. The game is seriously, seriously good. A+ material all the way.


Return to “Video Games General”