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I don't like Gen 8 so far, personally, but BotW was overall a pretty meh experience for me. It's certainly better than Skyward Sword or Twilight Princess, but BotW doesn't even meet the incredibly low standard set by the first Zelda as far as an overall experience goes. Maybe I'm just a moron who thinks Link to the Past ruined the Zelda franchise, but I really like the first Zelda even though I can think of ways it could have easily improved. All BotW has going for it is the mechanics, which are really fucking neat. Unfortunately the overworld has only so much going for it, and that's the only place where you can use the mechanics naturally. The shrines are alright but are way too much like "test chambers" than places to actually solve problems. Similarly the Divine Beasts are practically just one dungeon copy pasted 4 (5 if you got the DLC) times, even if it is one of the better dungeon concepts (that is, changing the layout of the dungeon itself). I do have high hopes for BotW's sequel though, so long as the vague promise of an underworld is fulfilled. Imagine being able to use the mechanics to solve problems in a possibly interconnected dungeon area. On the other hand, I consider Pokemon to have peaked during the period from HGSS to B2W2, each one excelling in different areas. For example, BW has really great optional exploration, probably the best in the series, at least for first versions. On the other hand the Wild Area never appealed to me, to the point that even though I could pirate the games I haven't because the only worthwhile part and what they're basing the DLC around is the only part of the game I conceptually despise.
