i cannot remember a first playthrough of any game iโve ever played that was as enchanting as this. it was the wondrous adventure that the original zelda from 1986 was gesturing at but finally fully realized with the aid of modern technology and design. especially in the era it came out, when open-world games were at the absolute peak of bloodless checklists and cocomelon design, a game that was this single-mindedly committed to atmosphere, exploration, and wonder was such an unbelievable breath of fresh air (pardon the pun).
at the time it came out, i was falling out of love with gaming broadly, and botw is probably singlehandedly responsible for reigniting my love for videogames. it made me feel a kind of wonder that i genuinely did not think i was capable of feeling anymore, and it reminded me of the wholly unique kind of engagement that interactive art can provide that nothing else can. if you somehow havenโt played it yet, i would literally recommend it to everyone. absolute fucking masterpiece.
(honorable mentions: super metroid, undertale, metal gear solid 2)
Oct 14, 2024
Related Recs
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Most ppl I know have played it but every once in a while I find someone who hasn't and am like GO PLAY!!! It's truly a ground breaking game and flawless in just about every way. The way it gently introduces you to the world, but never feels hand-holding, never feels restricting, but never overwhelming either. You learn by doing and you find out what to do by looking around and everything functions the way you expected. I may never play a better game
Feb 9, 2024
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(hi im back hehe)
this game has consumed me and i know im like 8 years late but my god itโs fun. running around in such a huge world and climbing everything and snowball bowling and whatever itโs so fun
Feb 21, 2025
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oh my god why do you do this to me
i guess id say zelda as a franchise because it holds a very special place in my heart all the way since my childhood
a link between worlds holds a special place in my heart as the first zelda game I ever played and what got me hooked on the series
but skyward sword, minish cap, and majora's mask are all top tier as well
I can't say I'm crazy for how the franchise is going now with the open world stuff though ToT zelda is just a really beautiful and magical franchise for me though :)
Feb 15, 2024
Top Recs from @dotmatrices
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spent the last two weeks working on an interactive guide, recommendations database, and digital library (link depot) to help get people off of social media. the first draft is done now, and it's at the link to this post.
it's still very much a work in progress (the library is especially thin atm) - which is why i wanted to share it here before unleashing it upon my IRL friends and the general public. i welcome any and all feedback, bug reports, and suggestions for things to add. i will be pushing updates to it out like a madman in the coming weeks, so be sure to check back every so often to see new additions to the database and library.
additionally, i am still on the hunt for newsletters from local venues / community organizations / magazines / newspapers, etc. the only cities i have remotely covered so far are nyc, orlando, denver, brisbane, and little bits of worcester and chicago. if you know anything in your area that fits the bill, send it my way!
Jan 27, 2025
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it is your civic duty to mercilessly mock generative ai users as much as possible
Jan 18, 2025
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itโs so bad that discourse about it being bad is kind of played out now but it bears repeating how fucking bad it is
Sep 17, 2024