I didn't like Odyssey or BotW as much as I wanted to, and it's super depressing.

[Deleted member 17643]

Throughout my time playing both I felt as though I had to force myself to play. Playing both of them felt like a chore, and I find this disheartening.

Here's my "qualifications" (open spoilers):

BotW - I played 100 hours, did something like 90 shrines, and all the beasts. At one point I was exploring the north western snowy part of the map and this wave of panic washed over me. I suddenly felt this powerful feeling of monotony, and all I could think was, "Man I sure am sick of this." It's funny, but all I could think about was standing over the cooking pot for minutes just combining ingredients and how much I never wanted to do that again. After that I ran to Ganon's castle, Revali's Gale'd my way up to him, and finished it within 10 minutes. I took the game out, uninstalled it, deleted my save data, and sold it the next day.

Mario - I played 11 hours or so, saw the credits, and that same feeling started creeping in. It hit its full stride when I was turning in "achievements" to Toadette. It was so boring standing there turning in achievement after achievement and I felt my brain snap. I literally could not do it anymore.

I so want to adore these games the way everyone else seemingly does. I think it's possible this "nostalgic strain" is a large reason as to why they were so fatiguing to me. Every second I was anticipating that feeling of "I'm 10 again playing Mario 64/Ocarina of Time" and it never came, and beyond that I just found them slow to the point of tedium.

There was another moment with Mario; I would switch between it and Picross every few nights, and at one point I nearly had a panic attack when I launched Odyssey and that "USE THE MOTION CONTROLS" screen appeared for what seemed like 10 minutes. I was internally screaming... Why does Nintendo insist on forcing this screen on me? Sure it's not a huge deal, but it was needlessly grating. Just thinking about it now is putting me on edge.

Did anyone else go through something similar with these games? I had this powerful need to love these games, and I'm starting to think that was self-destructive in many ways.

 

[RockyMin]

Feel the same about BOTW. I did all the shrines, beasts and got 400 Koroks. I finished it and never want to play it again. I even preordered the DLC but haven't touched any of it yet nor do I think I ever will. I'm starting to really get into Odyssey now though.

 

[Dr. Zoidberg]

Sounds like you are powering through these games at once, instead of balancing them out with other titles. I played BOTW interspersed with other games because I didn't want to get tired of it and I never did. As for the cooking, it is absolutely not a requirement so I didn't do it much.

EDIT - Just to clarify, I would take long breaks, sometimes days or a whole week playing other games and not touching BOTW, but when I came back to it I had a blast. I still haven't finished the DLC, and I'm only about halfway through Mario, but I will def come back to them. Neither of these games are the type where you are "lost" if you don't play them for a few days like some games.

 

[Deleted member 3017]

I launched Odyssey and that "USE THE MOTION CONTROLS" screen appeared for what seemed like 10 minutes. I was internally screaming... Why does Nintendo insist on forcing this screen on me? Sure it's not a huge deal, but it was needlessly grating. Just thinking about it now is putting me on edge.

Click to shrink...

yeah, that screen was annoying lol, it feels like an eternity before it finally moves to the game's title screen.

As for your larger point, I can't relate, as I adored both games. But there have been plenty of critically acclaimed games over the years that failed to resonate with me, so I can relate in that sense.

 

[HommePomme]

I feel like if it took you 100 hours to get sick of it, it must be doing something right

 

[Beer Monkey]

Went back and played Galaxy 1 and 2 after Odyssey. Wow, those games are fantastic.

 

[Vibed]

You sound like you're forcing yourself to the point of insanity. Its okay to not like the games.

 

[Prine]

Yep, same for me.

BoTW combat really soured me to the point im trying to avoid any combat, and Odyssey, well I need to go back , it was fun, but I don't feel compelled to play it, I think I stopped playing after the city world.

 

[Kolx]

I wish I could get the same feeling I had playing games when I was younger, but I'm not sure if it'll ever happen.

 

[Trey]

When you go into consuming entertainment with the "need" to enjoy it, you are putting undue pressure on yourself and overanalyzing the product. If you love it, like it, dislike it, or think it's just okay, that's fine. Being disappointed is fine. Because it informs your taste and allows room for something else to wow you.

Relax, you'll be okay even if you didn't love a critical darling.

 

[harz-marz]

I quit BOTW after 2 beasts and then after finishing Odyssey I didn't have that urge to get more moons.

Agree with Op

 

[Gustaf]

I took the game out, uninstalled it, deleted my save data, and sold it the next day..

Click to shrink...

i am genuinely gut wrenched reading this :s

sucks for you op

 

[Khezu]

Mario was cool.

BoTW though just felt like Ubisoft to me.
I mean high quality Ubisoft, but still not really what I wanted out of Zelda.
I'll come back to it eventually though.

 

[Deleted member 4037]

Odyssey was okay for the most part, there were a lot of issues, but its a solid game for what it is. BotW on the other hand, complete disappointment for me, not a lot of salvageable good there. Both of them were under my expectations for them too

 

[Djawed]

That's fine bro. Shouldnt be depressing. People got what they want. You'll get what u want.

 

[Pancracio17]

While I fucking love those games, its fine to not like them.
Get something more up to your speed OP, im sure there are still games you like out there.

 

[Cess007]

Had the same feeling with Zelda, OP. It just took me way less time. Add it that I was less than enamored with the combat; so, as soon as I completed the divine beast and got bored with the world, and I went and finished the game and never come back. It's still a pretty good game tho.

I really want to play Mario Odyssey :(

 

[Cybersai]

For Mario you don't have to get all 999 moons obviously. As long as you get at least 500 of them you've pretty much finished the game.

 

[Get_crazy]

I had a similar feeling with Mario Odyssey, it was good but I feel like, as I grow up, I'm losing this sense of wonder and enjoyment I had with Mario 64. I could play Mario 64 over and over again but when I finished Odyssey, I didn't want to go back to it.

I think I'm getting too old to enjoy Nintendo games and it's kinda sad.

 

[THE GUY]

I ain't played Mario, but BOTW is incredibly boring.

 

[Einbroch]

They're similar kinds of games, in a way. Open worlds that sprinkle lots of little rewards with little actual story. Some rewards are cool and unique, some aren't.

I felt the same way OP. They just weren't rewarding.

 

[Derrick01]

Yeah both were chores to various degrees, Mario more so because it was so brain dead easy and offered nothing else. Zelda was just a lot of empty space with horrible side quests and disappointing dungeons.

It can be somewhat depressing sometimes to not "get" the types of games that receive this kind of widespread praise but there's not a lot to be done about it. You just move on and play better things.

 

[Vampirolol]

It happens, especially if you over-hype things. I had the same feeling about the first Galaxy game. People were having the time of their lives yet I was disappointed... eventually the game clicked (had to finish it like two times) and now I'm still in love.

 

[bangai-o]

I so want to adore these games the way everyone else seemingly does.

Click to shrink...

But, you dont have to though.

 

[Jessie]

Getting 100 hours out of a game is good enough.

 

[DecoReturns]

Not every game is gonna click. Shouldn't feel bad at all.

People here love Last of Us, thought it was decent at best. Are they wrong? Hell no, just got different taste and this didn't click for me as much as it click for them. I didn't love Odyessy either, thought it was enjoyable and after finish the story, never bother to do the post stuff. Might have been good but I didn't care for it anymore.

Don't feel bad OP.

 

[Asbsand]

Same and I didn't even give BotW much of a chance. The appeal is all there in the E3 demos, the Great Plateau, but that form of gameplay didn't extend well across more than 20 hours for me as I started exploring the rest of the game. The geomitry of the overworld is super good but it DESPERATELY needed something intriguing underneath the surface for me. The Shrines felt like meandering both in the "lore" that pops up at the start of them all and the gameplay is too repetitive. I'm probably not the only one who prefers Zelda to have a sense of mystery and wonder to it and while I get BotW had this for some, it just wasn't in the right tone that I was looking for. It still has a lot of Skyward Sword over it, probably because Fujibayashi is still directing. I want something more dark fantasy out of Zelda and I want a story that has balls to compliment whatever game-design they aim for. BotW might be the start of something great but it needs more Majora's Mask in NPCs and side-quests just in how thematic the content of that game was, and it needs some more memorable main dungeons.

Odyssey was weird. I loved every second of it but it felt like a "short Mario game" to me. It almost felt like it had the scope of a spinoff or something. I enjoyed it but in hindsight it was lacking some classic things like a haunted house level and the dispersion of Power Moons was not good IMO as it was too frequent and therefore not rewarding, often rewarding me for literally just exploring the level a bit beyond the obvious path ahead and it does this too often so there's a lack of genuine accomplishment.

 

[Zojirushi]

Jesus Christ what are you guys even doing for hundreds of hours in front of a TV feeling kinda meh about a game??? 100h for me is like I did everything all sidequests platinum trophy 1000/1000 achievements GOAT game type of shit.

 

[franklyshankly]

I agree personally. Neither BotW nor Odyssey were really the games I wanted. I fell in love with the Zelda and Mario series for a reason all those years ago, and these games just don't feel the same. I know many like the departures they chose to make, but I guess I would have been fine with more of the same.

Anyway, forcing yourself to love a game because you read that people online loved that game is a horrible idea. Play games that you enjoy.

Click to shrink...

For me, it's not that I want to love them because others do. I wanted to love them because I loved both franchises so much in the past (especially Zelda); and it bums me out to have brand new releases in both series that just don't really do it for me.

 

[Snake Eater]

Literally everything I've read and seen about BOTW (besides the fantastic art direction) has made me to lose interest in the game, OP you it's ok not to like critically acclaimed games

 

[Deleted member 8196]

I was highly disappointed by BOTW and i REALLY loved Super Mario Odyssey.

 

[Jessie]

Anyway, forcing yourself to love a game because you read that people online loved that game is a horrible idea. Play games that you enjoy.

 

[RationalGinger]

Don't be sad OP. BOTW is a good sandbox...but it is not a good game unless you like exploring.

 

[VanWinkle]

Seems like your problem was partially feeling so much desire to love the games instead of just enjoying them for what they are. You can't go into games with preconceived notions about what they are or how they'll recapture your childhood or something. That's just a recipe for disappointment.

 

[Deleted member 4359]

Feels like you were playing too quick - I beat Zelda over the span of two weeks, put it down for months with only occasionally plays and then came back and played the DLC again last month to completion with under 100 hours total. Haven't played Mario yet though.

 

[ResetGreyWolf]

I feel like if it took you 100 hours to get sick of it, it must be doing something right

Click to shrink...

My first thought too, lol.

Why would anyone play a game for 100 hours if they find it to be a chore? BOTW is pretty consistent throughout the whole experience; if you didn't like the first five hours, you obviously won't like the next ninety-five either. Either OP is exaggerating or OP has way too much time on his/her hands to spend on stuff he/she doesn't even like, lol.

 

[Vadara]

What is with modern gamers

I don't play games I like for 100 hours even, much less games I don't like

 

[Phendrift]

This thread is depressing. You shouldn't be forcing yourself through a game for 100 hours

Both masterpieces to me, BotW being the best in the series. The future has never looked so bright.

 

[Unknownlight]

That sucks, OP. I thoroughly enjoyed both BotW and Odyssey, but I can definitely relate to being disappointed with a game you were looking forward to. Just recently I got L.A. Noire for Switch under the mistaken impression "I love the Ace Attorney games. This looks like similar gameplay with a more grounded, gritty, realistic plot. I'm sure I'll love this too."

 

[Vampirolol]

Seems like your problem was partially feeling so much desire to love the games instead of just enjoying them for what they are. You can't go into games with preconceived notions about what they are or how they'll recapture your childhood or something. That's just a recipe for disappointment.

Click to shrink...

This is actually what happened to me in the past with so many games.
When I finally let go mine and other people's expectations, I started judging games for what they were.

 

[NattyBo]

I feel like I've aged out of liking Nintendo games. I can't remember the last time I truly enjoyed playing one and didn't do it as part of some nostalgic obligation. Probably Mario 64/Ocarina of time for me. I've moved on and Nintendo hasn't...guess that's okay.

 

[Sub Boss]

Go play another series/genre maybe you are burned

 

[impiri]

TIL that a significant amount of people on the Internet really loathe the "use the Joy-Cons" loading screen

 

[Deleted member 33533]

Seems like your problem was partially feeling so much desire to love the games instead of just enjoying them for what they are. You can't go into games with preconceived notions about what they are or how they'll recapture your childhood or something. That's just a recipe for disappointment.

Click to shrink...

This. Just enjoy the game. And pace yourself. Games should be fun.

 

[Burrman]

I still loved them both but I think botw should of had more memorable story moments to keep progression more interesting

 

[low-G]

I got 50 hours in Zelda and 20 hours in Mario and felt bored. And that's fine. I don't think either game has the mechanics to last too much longer than that. Why does the game have to be >100 hours. It's amazing they stay good as long as they do.

I do think there are better games out there, but they're still both very good.

 

[Deleted member 17643]

In response to the "100 hours" comments:

There's plenty to like about Breath of the Wild, and for 100 hours (maybe not the whole 100 hours) I found enough there to keep me going. With that said, there was never a time I gladly started the game up. It was more like, "Guess I should keep playing Zelda."

 

[Undeniablybiased]

Well you're not 10 anymore so you might have trouble recapturing that feeling again regardless of what game it is.

If the only reason you were interested in the games in the first place is to recapture some mystical feeling, rather than to enjoy the game's themselves, then that's gonna be difficult.

And if you found Odyssey to be slow or tedious, I don't know how you tolerate 90% of the games that come out these days. Nothing in that game is mandatory, the moon count to progress is small, you don't get kicked out of the level like previous mario games, tutorials are over very quickly, etc. The game is as fast or as slow as you make it to be.

 

[Niceguydan8]

I went through the "well this is boring" part when I first talked to Toadette but it was such a minimal amount of time that I didn't stress to much over it. I had so much fun with actually playing the game that something like that seemed totally inconsequential to me.

I didn't want BotW to end, so I can't relate there.

Both games were rewarding for me to play. The moons as rewards were largely inconsequential to me but the reward of fun I had from playing with both games is something that I don't get very often.

 

[Sabercrusader]

I mean, not every game is going to be liked by everyone. I get it's depressing but don't force yourself to play a game you don't enjoy. That's just not good.