Griffith
With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Agreed, re-reading my post, I didn't mean to direct @IncantatioN straight to Hyrule Castle. I only meant that there's nothing really holding you back at that point, if you want to finish it. The most fun to be had in this game is from exploring a new environment. So if you skip out on big chunks of the map, that's ultimately your loss. Some of my favorite moments in BotW were chance encounters, or stumbling accidentally into some huge environmental detail or location I wouldn't normally have seen.
I was actually more concerned about him getting caught up on finding everything, like a checklist. That's when it becomes more like a gamey chore than that spirit of wonder and exploration it can achieve for the player at its best. I think missing a couple things is actually fine... that idea the world's a big place, there's always more out there. I like that.
Three times through the game so far, once with just me, two with him. And this most recent time, we unofficially 100%'d it, doing all the shrines, including all the DLC. As you probably know about me by now, I don't do that very often. I'll more often drop a game right before the endgame if I feel like it's going downhill, or has simply failed to retain my interest. A game really has to put a ring on my finger for me to commit to it like this.
Yeah, in my mind you dump every game at the alter!
If I like it at all I'll usually feel obligated to play through the main game to completion, but it has to really grab me for me to do any extra shit, and if I finish it first it's usually too late and my interest craters (I played BotW for like 120+ hours the first month it was out, and then nothing since). Very linearly goal-oriented. Recent exceptions are the Souls series, Bloodborne, and FF7, the latter two being the only games I've ever platinum'd or even bothered pursuing achievements for, and quite naturally in the case of the former (FF7 was a bit of a chore in the end, but Aaz and I committed =).
The downside of that level of focus is that I'm afraid I've played it so much that I can't recapture that same "fresh" feeling when I start a new game with it. So I'm relying on the sequel to re-inspire that feeling in me.
It's a problem that kind of addresses itself; you'll either be up for it or you won't (though it's not only your choice anymore, is it? =). I'd be more worried that it'll actually burn you out for BotW2 as well. Isn't that sort of what happened to you with Dark Souls versus the rest of the series? Unlike Zodd, you kind of had your fill the first time. I'm not worried about that because I've stayed away and as long as they put some dumbass arbitrary goal out there I'll slavishly follow the carrot (instead of DLC sidequests just add NG+ with a new boss to BotW and I'm back =). What I am worried about is being able to afford the game since last I checked the Switch is still worth more than its weight in gold! I sure wish I'd at least picked up a Lite for $200 when I had the chance. What the fuck.
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