There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, but Zelda has always been a wonderfully diverse series. Not to the extent of Mario which has crossed all manner of genres in its years, but it is diverse all the same. It has shaped the RPG genre numerous times since the ‘80s, inspiring the likes of Dark Souls, Secret of Mana, Shadow of the Colossus, and now, the aforementioned Genshin Impact. You can see how much the RPG genre varies with Zelda’s inspirations alone and that’s telling. After Breath of the Wild 2, it needs to do something different again. Going back to the classics might not scream new. In fact, it sounds like a step back, aye? Well, that’s the thing. The triple-A space seems to be scared of its own history, desperate to move past it and become more cinematic, more graphically domineering. It’s all about tech and visual prowess. But art style is just as import
Is there anything that can save VR? Before I played Resident Evil 4 VR, I probably would have said this is as good as it gets for the Quest 2. Now that I’ve got my hands on it, however, I firmly believe that remakes are the future of
_ Resident Evil 4 _ is so narratively inconsequential that Capcom remaking the game before _ Code Veronica _ might be the studio’s way of fixing the franchise’s overall plot. Who’s to say _ Resident Evil 4 _ won’t make its own narrative changes? It’s possible the game won’t flash forward, won’t dissolve Umbrella, and might actually serve as set up for _ Code Veronica
I’ve played close to 100 VR games, and I’ve never had an experience like Resident Evil 4. There are better-looking, more immersive, and higher quality games out there, but none have ever given me as much joy and nostalgia as playing Resident Evil in VR has. As soon as the opening cutscene ended and I took control of Leon, I was instantly transported. I know every inch of RE4’s village, castle, and underground mines, but I never felt like I’d been to these places until now. RE4VR feels like the difference between looking at a picture of the Parthenon versus traveling to Greece and standing in the center of it. Seeing RE4 on a screen is incomparable to seeing it in person, and experiences like this have the potential to sell VR to even the most reluctant play
Breath of the Wild followed the evolution of RPGs across the industry – open-world, 3D, and filled with side objectives and little tidbits to do besides the main story. The difference was that it revolutionized open-world games, as evidenced by the titles it has since inspired like Genshin Impact, Immortals Fenyx Rising, and Horizon Forbidden West, but Nintendo’s been there and done that… twice now. Whatever comes after Breath of the Wild 2 will determine Zelda’s future trajectory in a rather significant way. For current generations, BOTW is what put the series on the map. I had friends that played the DS and Game Boy ones at school but it was never a part of my childhood. What really drew my eye to the series was BOTW. Granted, I’m 21 so in my age group, I’m no doubt an anomaly. I imagine that for those much younger, however, Zelda is known as that open-world jaunt on the Swi
Hyrule is no longer a land of the unknown. We’ve explored it for literal days as we talked to citizens, tackled shrines, and eventually saved the world. People know who we are and what we’ve accomplished, so take advantage of that reputation and use it to shape the land in our image. Link shouldn’t be given a voice, but for a narrative set in the here and now to work his identity will need to be cemented in the surrounding landscape. I want to step back into reimagined versions of Zora’s Domain and Kakariko Village and be greeted with open arms by a populace who are happy to see me and perhaps want help with a few local issues as a larger conflict rages on in the background.
RE4VR doesn’t function like a remake or Respawn Entertainment remaster at all. When I play it, it’s a way of experiencing something I’m intimately familiar with. It’s somewhere between nostalgia and deja vu – like going somewhere you’ve only been in your dreams. When I’m fully immersed in a VR game, it’s the closest I ever get to that childhood feeling of getting totally lost in a game, and the familiarity of RE4 makes that even more profound. I know every inch of this game, yet somehow I’m also seeing it all for the first t
I couldn’t get into Breath of the Wild and I couldn’t get into Ocarina of Time. I’ve had zero luck with 3D Zeldas, but I get why they’re popular and beloved. I used to boot up Breath of the Wild simply to throw things into the cooking pot for that sweet jingle. It’s teeming with satisfying little quirks, but it just didn’t click for me. 2D Zelda, on the other hand, is my jam. I love A Link to the Past, Link’s Awakening, and even the original ‘80s release. Given that we’ve been on a 3D high for so long, maybe it’s time to return to that classic appro
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