The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild vs. Horizon: Zero Dawn

The fan-fave Nintendo gem can't outperform or outsell Sony's new hotness.

[Erik7357]

Not from majority of game critics its not. Go on this site from the average gamer who just has a ps4 and you'll hear differently though.

Maybe the sequel for Horizon zero dawn will learn a thing or two from Zelda and make it to the 90's next time.

I doubt anything will come near Zelda anytime soon, pretty hard to take the throne of highest rated game of all time.

Mario Odyssey maybe?

[Outside_ofthe_Box]

RDR2 has a shot

[GtR35olution]

Horizon zero dawn is a way better game than zelda botw. Zelda botw seems so bland with a lot of pop ins and frame rate issues. Zelda botw is just an open world zelda game that isnt doing anything new while having bad graphics. Can you imagine if horizon zero dawn looked and played exactly like zelda botw with its pop ins, bland world, samey enemy types, and low quality graphics because it would have very low scores. Zelda botw i know is a fun game but most people who arent fanatics knows Nintendo games are rated on a different scale.

[Aeery]

In the end, yes, Horizon is a better game.
This is my opinion of course.

Btw Zelda got a free pass in the scores.

[vuduvigeha]

my roomate's step-mother makes $72 every hour on the computer . She has been out of a job for six months but last month her check was $13623 just working on the computer for a few hours. blog here +_+_+_+_+_+_++_+_++_ ＷＷＷ.jobocean3.ＣＯＭ

[naruga]

@Erik while i consider Zelda a more appealing game for my tastes ... the idiotic statement like "the highest rated game of all time , the king and other such BS are ridiculous as Fk ...the game is an 8 also HZdawn is an 8-8.5 ...though as i just said is just personal preferences when the games are both equal in quality....and while the console of my preference is PS4 ..i like Zelda more

[Gazondaily]

Lol if anyone had any doubts that the Zelda hate is based on Horizon fanboyism here is proof.

The excuses:

Zelda got a free pass

The technical problems- the game looks great and fame rate problems are no where near as bad as some other exclusives people are crying about

Mass reviewer conspiracy - lol what a load of complete utter bullshit.

Now we know where those low scoring metacritic reviews came from 😅

[blitz0623]

Just appreciate both games. Haven't played BotW yet, but it'd have to be really good for me to say it's better than Horizon. What GG accomplished with Horizon is unmatched IMO - open world 4k checkerboard with HDR, no performance issues (at least on my playthrough), a fresh take on post apocalyptic setting, engaging combat and no repetitive quests - all this on a brand new IP. Still looking forward to playing Zelda however

[Vhampir]

BotW I couldn't put down until I beat it. HZD, at times, I'm still forcing myself to play. BotW doesn't need a free pass, it's just fun to play.

[Defiantmac]

"Horizon zero dawn is a way better game than zelda botw. Zelda botw seems so bland with a lot of pop ins and frame rate issues. Zelda botw is just an open world zelda game that isnt doing anything new while having bad graphics. Can you imagine if horizon zero dawn looked and played exactly like zelda botw with its pop ins, bland world, samey enemy types, and low quality graphics because it would have very low scores. Zelda botw i know is a fun game but most people who arent fanatics knows Nintendo games are rated on a different scale."

Have you played Zelda? Your in depth review of "bad graphics" and "bland world" and "samey enemy types" seems like a real in depth thoughtful review on something you've gotten your hands on.

Every single person who has gotten their hands on Zelda or seen me play it have said it's incredible. My best friend has poured 60+ hours into it already and thinks it's the best game he's played. We both own every console and I am primarily a PC/PS4 guy. Breath of the Wild is very good.

Here is an incredible thought for you. Breath of the Wild AND Horizon Zero Dawn can both be great games. You don't have to crap on one because it doesn't fit your agenda.

[Defiantmac]

"In the end, yes, Horizon is a better game.
This is my opinion of course.

Btw Zelda got a free pass in the scores."

I am sure you have had enough time to play through both Horizon and Zelda and formulate a very informed opinion on the matter.

[MaximusTKG]

I feel as though none of you have played both titles. I have played both and I do agree in most aspects that Horizon is better. But heres the deal, I couldn't put Horizon down. However, I had a moment with Zelda about ten hours in.

I had just finished up a few shrines, didnt really have a direction to go, no real main quest yet to guide me, and I felt just lost. I almost gave up from the lack of direction, I was just wandering, which normally bores me. Then I found one little secret, then another, etc.. They werent huge secrets, one didnt even have any loot. And then I couldnt stop thinking about this game. Im 25+ hours in now, and haven't even fully completed my first dungeon.

One thing Zelda has over Horizon, is that I promise you have not played a game that makes you feel as free from the sandbox action RPG grind we have been on the last 7-10 years. That feeling simply wont be topped by anyone for a long time.

[uth11]

@septic - that's only because of countless articles like this pitting the two games against each other.

Before that happened Sony fans didn't care about Zelda and Zelda fans didn't care about Horizon

[morganfell]

One word...Thunderjaw.

[AuditorGamer]

People still care about what a game's score is? What ever happened to just playing both games and making a decision based on your own personal experience and not what some clown reviewer says? Buy both systems and enjoy both games. Make your own assessment of the games instead of listening to reviewers you sheep! I'd like to know how many people who are bashing Zelda have actually played it. If you havent, your negative opinion is nothing more than fanboyism. It's quite pathetic. Zelda is a great game and so is Horizon. End of story.

[MRMagoo123]

The highest rated game of all time 😂

[lutfarssmc]

The highest rated switch game. Not highest rated next gen game.

[Bahamut]

@Lutfarssmc

You're wrong. It's the highest rated game of all time. Like it or not.

This includes ALL generations of consoles.

[DragonDDark]

It's not. It's 97 on metacritic

[bluefox755]

No...it isn't.

[Notellin]

It's not the highest rated of all time. Go troll elsewhere.

[subtenko]

No, and you know whats funny (just something I'd like to bring up) No Mans Sky got talked about more than this new Zelda.....I just think its interesting. The gaming industry sure is peculiar at times!

[EddieNX]

I've never enjoyed a game so much. Ive had an amazing experience with it. The sense of freedom and exploration is unparalleled. There's so much diversity in gameplay that it never gets boring. Searching for shrines is so much fun and there's always something else to find along the way. Done 70 shrines so far and I've played it about 75 hours., 50 to go...

It looks gorgeous at 900p on my 4K TV upscaled to 4K as well, the art style is beautiful and memorable unlike much of the dreary, realistic games of today. On Switch its a handheld game as well so it scores an easy 10 in handheld graphics. Maybe it feels a bit dated on wiiu, but not on Switch...

I think with there's been a massive case of denial here when comparing these games, one is a true work of art that will go down in history, and the other, isn't...

97 is definitely higher than 89, much higher. And at the end of the day, the critics decide, not us, sometimes over biassed gamers...

[MRMagoo123]

@Eddie

how is .1 under 9 out of ten ,much less than .7 over 9 out of 10 ? that's not even 1 full point 😂.

[Dragonscale]

More like the most overrated game of all time.

[jaredite83]

the game with most perfect scores through all time. Just check metacritic.

[-Foxtrot]

Yes because critics are so trustworthy

Skyward Sword was not good and yet it was praised. Problems like this game were ignored

Final Fantasy 13 was dull and awful

dmc was inferior to past games

GTA 4 was boring

RE5 was even ratted higher as it just came off RE4

I could go on...

[ForeverTheGoat]

That just comes down to opinions which a review is. Nothing to do with not being trustworthy. If you don't agree oh well. Can't do nothing about it.

[ChickeyCantor]

> Skyward Sword was not good

But it was good, having flaws doesn't make it bad.

>. Problems like this game were ignored

They hardly were. If you instead look at the arguments made in a review rather than looking at the score then perhaps you'd appreciate the reviews more.

[_-EDMIX-_]

PREACH!!!!!!

History has not looked favorably upon some of those games.

[acekaze]

I agree with you that critics are really untrusworthy, but you know whats the worst place we can get our own feedback? N4G comment section, I sware in all the places i frequent about games, this site has to be the most filled fan boy place I have ever seen.

[Sirk7x]

Skyward Sword was an amazing game though...
I thought the way the motion controls were implemented in that game were a revolution in game design. I can understand how some people couldn't get past it though.

[Bahamut]

Skyward Sword was awesome. Your opinion became VOID within your second sentence. Damn shame.

[-Foxtrot]

You know what's so god damn hilarious, none of you and I mean NONE who defend Skyward Sword can say straight away without being asked to actually say why it's apparently so good.

Surely if it was that amazing you'd have a bunch to fire back with but you guys never do. That game like BotW wouldn't be as big if they weren't Zelda

[Erik7357]

More trustworthy than fanboys on n4g

[RGB]

Agreed, Zelda is held to a different standard, a trash Zelda can still hit 90+ even when it is rubbish. How Skyward Sword got insane reviews is beyond me, the worse 3D Zelda ever yet 90+ reviews across the board.

GTAIV is trash, a massive bore fest with samey missions throughout and all the gameplay and guts from that San Andreas had been removed yet scored higher than San Andreas and even V, insanity.

If Ubisoft, EA, Activision, MS or even Sony put out Zelda BotW as it looks on PS4, Xbox or PC, it would be getting 7s across the board, not 10s, Nintendo is held to a different standard, which is a shame.

[Dizzy11523]

Go on.

[Kribwalker]

I know right, like how uncharted 4 and the last of us both got free passes since they were made by naughty dog, and Nioh is just another souls game but gets rated high

[Imalwaysright]

And you are trustworthy? You that were downplaying Zelda when the 1st reviews started to appear and had not PLAYED the game yet? Please look yourself in the mirror before questioning other people integrity.

[WhoCaresWhatMyNameIs]

@Foxtrot

Opinion are just a perspective. They don't speak for everyone. Obviously you have a different opinion...good for you. If your point is to say they're wrong, how is your opinion even better?

[yeahokwhatever]

GTA4 was NOT boring.

[starchild]

I am really enjoying Horizon, but I think it's funny how a lot of the hardcore fanboys on this site apply different standards to suit their agenda. If a Sony exclusive gets a high score it's treated as "the truth" and it's rubbed in the faces of gamers on other platforms. But multiplatform games or exclusives on other platforms that receive high scores are always painted as "overrated" by these people.

[zaherdab]

You could go on about your opinions as facts ?
yes you may disagree with critics but doesn't make the games you dislike automatically bad ...
I enjoyed FF13 and i loved GTA 4 and RE 5 was fun for waht it was... it might've been a different type of game than the rest of the franchise but at it was still a good game. ( And yes it's my opinion doesn't make it superior to your or invalidates it)

As for the above comparison yes horizon did draw me more than zelda did but that's coz 720p looks like ass on a 4K TV and i think it's more of a statement about the hardware limitation that Nintendo imposes than the software and games that they make.

[DJustinUNCHAIND]

Metacritic scores are so quickly thrown around here as ammo.

Now they aren't trustworthy.

Which is it, people?

[jaymacx]

-Fox Are forever gonna mention where critics got it wrong? What about when they got it right? That is one criticism of your comments. You can't ever be balanced. It is always a complaint or some slant. Everything has its pros and cons. such is life

[DashArrivals]

Lets be honest here. If it wasn't about Lnik and Zelda, and it had some new random hero. Just a new IP come out and it was the exact same game and mechanics.... it would NOT have had the same critical praise. It just wouldn't have.
Horizon Zero Dawn is better.

[MRMagoo123]

Horizon is easily better, the game play is light years ahead

[dohji]

It's sad that most Nintendo fans won't admit that.

[DJustinUNCHAIND]

Uncharted 4 got the same treatment.

That game brought exactly 0 new things to the table, and it got over 200 GOTY awards?

Give me a break.

Don't even bring up the rope mechanic.

[thehitman1398]

You're kidding right???

Like I honestly think you are just joking and stealth trolling here. Like you cannot be that stupid, lol even for a Nintendo fanboy

[bouzebbal]

keep quiet.
you go after the numbers and you open it big when you haven't played any of them.
i have both, zelda on wiiu and horizon in 4k hdr.
i didn't advance far in HZD but i can tell out of my experience with zelda (almost finished it) that zelda is way inferior to its predecessors in terms of fun factor.
HZD has much more interesting NPCs and much deeper and engaging fighting mechanics.
BOTW is a massive world but has so many shortcomings. you meet same type of enemies no matter where you are located in the IMMENSE world, the animals have no life in them, they are just there like statues until they detect you and they start running stupidly and they disappear (?).
BOTW IS a GOOD game, looks so promising on paper but fails to deliver and reveals a very lazy and clumsy design and adventure progression.. 7/10 at best.

Everytime i finish a castle (or what it is), i have to go back to IMPA every single time so she marks the next missing locations on my map. LOL

[madmonkey01]

if zelda was a ps4 game it would be slammed for poor performance and graphics. ninetendo games are held to a lower standard

[bouzebbal]

it is actually not true because nintendo software are always perfectly optimised, but not this one.
wind waker hd looks so much better.
https://images.duckduckgo.c...

i also miss this sound:
https://images.duckduckgo.c...

[gangsta_red]

"...if zelda was a ps4 game it would be slammed for poor performance and graphics."

And I'm sure we would read comments right here on N4G saying how the review is clickbait, how the reviewer doesn't get it, how the game was never meant to be something else or any other excuse that comes along with a negative Sony game review.

[Wallstreet37]

I have both (feel free to pm me and I'll add you on switch if you even have one which you might not) and IMO Horizon is better than it in spades... From story, to combat, to denser, livelier world, to the music Zelda isn't touching it.

[princejb134]

is not about rating is about taste
i like zelda but that animation of link putting a bomb over his head to throw it gets pretty old
horizon aint perfect but i still love it
zelda botw aint perfect but I'm sure its a great game (haven't played it). Zelda has never wowed me but their definitely fun

[InsaneChronos]

What's the point of high rating if the game is BS?

[Sparta07]

Horizon definitely better game for me.
Can't believe it's 2017 and Zelda still looks like a 1980's cartoon.

Erik, "Maybe the sequel for Horizon zero dawn will learn a thing or two from Zelda and make it to the 90's next time. "

Learn!? Like what? Bad graphics? Frame rates drops? 😂

@@saltic, WTF are you on about?
What a surprise your trying to bring down something Sony.
Right!!! Cause Horizon doesn't get any hate at alll!! 😏

[Sparta07]

Sales for the U.K.
1, ghost recon
2, Horizon
Zelda went from number 2 to number 4.
Guess all those perfect scores didn't boost sales.
Looks like the fans prefer Horizon. Guess it is the better game🤗
Before you guys start crying
Zelda is out on wiiu too.

[bluefox755]

Not critics, but the majority of users agree that it is. You have to understand that critics hold Zelda to a different standard.

[joab777]

It's not a PS4 Nintendo thing. Though I am sure I am bias in some manner as we all are. But I have loved Nintendo since I first played the original Zelda. I also bought the WiiU lol!

For me, at first I was more taken by Zelda. It's a phenomenal game! And Horizon just didn't grab me at first. Then, hopping back and forth, I just found the beauty of Horizon to be captivating. Then, the frame rate starts to become a thing. Despite Horizons insane visuals in 4k, it is smooth as butter, which brings me to the reason I have been playing Horizon non-stop. The combat is superb.

I play DS out of lock-on much of the time so I love Horizon. It's fast paced action that never skips a beat. I am playing in hardest difficulty, but I love knowing that when I come upon something that I can gauge the fight. In Zelda, it's like you whoop a boss and then get killed by a roaming enemy cuz you walked over the wrong hill. Crazy difficulty spikes. Love difficulty but it robs you of the moments that are meant to be epic.

I'll go back to Zelda, and actually I will probably finish it on mobile, because that's where it shines for me. It is to mobile what Horizon is to consoles.

Both superb games, and Zelda has nostalgia in droves, but I am actually surprised by how deep the world building for Horizon is!

[patchzon]

What have you been smoking before you wrote that comment?!
Its obvious these two games have not been rated on the same criterias.
Game critics nowadays base their review scores on personal feelings more than anything else.A lot of underated games are actually little gems when you get to play them by yourself.I think horizon zero is far more better than zelda on a lot of aspects.

[S2Killinit]

Whats with comparing these two? They are both great games. Cant we just enjoy both?

[XStation4pio_Pro]

it beat HZD by 7 points on metacritic - which means in actuality they're both pretty good. probably the best for their respective systems. i have HZD and its the best ps4 game i have played. I'm sure zelda is cool but i prefer the more serious, adult themed games these days so to me the question itself is completely invalid.

whats better is subjective to the user, their tastes and what they own. a nintendo user will never say HZD is better because why would they? how would they? they can't even play it and vice versa. i've never played BOTW because i don't own any nintendo systems now. I'm sure its great, but every single one of us has disagreed with points of reviews and thats my bigger issue with this article.

[subtenko]

It may SEEM that way but thats because Nintendo has been lacking in the games category (compared to Sony) and since the switch has a dusty launch lineup, its the best thing since bluray to Nintendo fans.....yes I know, let it sink in.......

[kenwonobi]

Not really no. Zelda suffers from high review of a classic series syndrome. Where the actual play doesn't match the review. Horizon Zero Dawn is getting a new IP treatment where it's scored a little closer to its first try in the series. There are no nostalgia overscoring scores in Horizon Zero Dawns score. Zelda is definitely suffering from nostalgia scores. The two are nearly equal in gameplay and story. I give Horizon Zero Dawn the edge for being new and graphical detail.

[Ben Dover]

@Erik

If anything Nintendo could learn a thing or two from Sony. Don't fool yourself..

[zaherdab]

I take it you have played both or you just like comparing metacritic scores?

[yoshatabi]

@Defiantmac I played both and I agree with everything that @GtR35olution said. To me the pop ins and frame rate issues was enough for it to bother me. Also the enemies are boring and too predictable. It's a great game but I prefer Horizon.

[FanMan]

How is 97 the highest rated game of all time?

[Dark_Knightmare2]

It's not the highest rated game of all time it's one of sitting at 97 on metacritic and 96 on opencritic. The fact is horizon which is a new ip from a dev who only ever made linear fps knocked it out of the park with their first open world game where it's being mentioned alongside greats like the witcher 3,bioware and Bethesda etc and is sitting pretty at an 89 metascore which would have been 90 if not for the click bait 5. Yes horizon could learn a thing or two from Zelda just like Zelda could learn a thing or two from horizon just like other games have done. I have no doubt that when not if gg releases their sequel it will score in the mid 90s considering their first attempt hit 89 and sequels are always better I can't wait

[ShadowWolf712]

Like weapons so fragile they become a meme? A ridiculously short stamina bar that would get you killed in 10 seconds in a game like Horizon? A story so broken up that you can skip 90% of it and just railroad to the final boss?

lol sure

[GNCFLYER]

Ocarina of time is rated higher. Then there are several 98s then Zelda botw at 97

[MagicBeanz]

Maybe Nintendo will learn a thing or two from Sony and actually put out some new IP. If that sounds suspiciously like trolling its only because your comment was as well.

[Ceaser9857361]

I find it funny how people like you held ZELDA as god... stop it... its NOT

[mad-dog]

Can't wait to play Zelda, but Horizon Zero Dawn makes me want to play the game as soon as i wake up.
Unfortunately i have too little time. I can't compare the two yet but Horizon Zero Dawn is one of the best games i've played. No doubt.

[BlakHavoc]

I agree. Playing both and I give a slight edge to Horizon.

[PhoenixUp]

Well of course LoZ: BotW isn't going to outsell Horizon: ZD when the install bases are so mismatched

[_-EDMIX-_]

Wii had 100 million and Skyward Sword still sold 3 million units

People still buy games because they're good, not simply based on default of nothing else

Horizon zero Dawn is not breaking records for Sony simply because Sony has the install base, it's breaking records because it legitimately is a good game

[Sirk7x]

By the time Skyward Sword released, about 97 million of those Wiis were collecting dust in an attic somewhere. Others pirated it, due to easy modding of the Wii. A very high percentage of Wii owners bought it as a family party toy, and not a game console, which is a bit of a shame, because there were some absolute gems hidden within all the shovelware.

[_-EDMIX-_]

@sirk- be that as it may it actually only goes further to prove my point that the installed base did not exist to buy games and clearly did not like Zelda enough to purchase it in the first place

the PlayStation 4 install base, the PlayStation install base in general actually purchases games.

The ones that are successful clearly do huge numbers accordingly.

PlayStations are not being purchased as simply as family-friendly party novelties.

So all this actually proves is that the installed base of a Nintendo fans on the Wii was absolutely inflated by non-gamers

In the sales that you saw Skyward Sword prove that that is the installed base of the hardcore fans that enjoy that game Series.

That actually means having more Systems sell for Nintendo doesn't automatically mean a 100 percent that Zelda would perform better x 10 or anything like that.

It may not be the case

ie Skyward Sword

So trust me I don't disregard that was likely the situation with the Wii. Simply that it confirms that the hardcore Zelda fans are not in the huge Millions like people might think.

Horizon zero Dawn is selling the way it is more so based on actually being a quality title as opposed to being in a large install base.

The Order 1886 didn't just automatically sell 10 million units easily....

Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U sold over eight million units.

This is simply showing that regardless of install base the game actually has to be good and actually has to have a base of consumers that actually legitimately want it.

[Kratos0Ace]

Totally agree with EDMIX,

I've always thought the same. Install base has little to do with the sales of games made for hardcore gamers. It's the number of actual hardcore gamer install base that is much more significant and Playstation has the largest hardcore gamer install base of the 3.

[--Onilink--]

true, you still need to actually have enough consoles to get the software sales though.

Zelda on Swith cant possibly sell anywhere close to what Horizon does if it barely has a 2 million install base.

Just because Skyward Sword had a very low attach rate (for whatever reasons), doesnt change the fact that BotW sales, being a launch title, are definitely tied to its install base.

The WiiU can give it a slight boost yes, though as with SS, that console is dead in the water by now.

Even then, Zelda has never been the biggest seller for Nintendo

[kevnb]

It might actually, people are going by first week sales of horizon in uk vs breath of the wild first weekend of sales in uk (it came out Friday). Its not really a meaningful comparison at all. I mean I can just look at amazon.com top sellers and come up with a completely different conclusion (still probably isnt enough information to make a real conclusion).
https://www.amazon.com/gp/b...

[MRMagoo123]

The newest sales says Zelda dropped by a huge margin so I doubt it

[davand114]

They're also ignoring the Japanese sales numbers where Zelda outsold Horizon. Apparently the UK numbers are the world wide numbers on this sit now.

[OtakuDJK1NG-Rory]

well I wouldn't say that. Look how Splatoon and Mario Kart 8 performed on Wii U. over 4m and 8m for those two.
Zelda: Breath of the Wild combined sales for Switch and Wii U could be around 4m-7m by the end of the year.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Yea no.

The biggest problem with this theory is that if you apply the same thing to Mario Kart on the Wii it's suggesting that the Wii U Mario Kart should be around 30 million units not 8 million.

So how could Zelda equal the sales of Mario Kart when Zelda historically has actually not been a more successful series?

Twilight Princess move around seven to eight million units but that was also in the infancy of the wildly successful wii, Skyward Sword shows that install base moved on rather quickly which actually shows that such a number is actually unrealistic.

Historically Mario Kart has sold more units then Zelda.

So I believe it's going to sell better than Skyward Sword but I'm extremely doubtful that it's going to meet Twilight Princess Wii numbers only because that would actually be suggesting that Mario Kart technically should have on Wii U

You're basically saying 100% of the people that purchase Twilight Princess will purchase breath of the wild despite a larger install base not purchasing Skyward Sword......

it mathematically doesn't make sense.

If a hundred million people that owned Wiis did not purchase Skyward Sword in regards to surpassing Twilight Princess or Ocarina of Time numbers ,how are you now suggesting that a fraction of that install base is going to surpass those numbers by well over times two in LESS then one year?

100 million vs less then 15 millon

🤔

Did those same consumers return to purchase Mario Kart 8 for the Wii U? Many people regard Mario Kart 8 for the Wii U as being far superior than the Mario Kart that released for the Wii

Didn't bring back. 20 + million user base.

[OtakuDJK1NG-Rory]

@_-EDMIX-_
You know you need to stop acting like you know everything and never wrong because you don't and it's getting annoying.

[Erik7357]

Well support for wiiu has died off and the user base is less active than ever for that console.

Bring up the attach rate of Zelda and Switch though please because its huge. I could only imagine how much it would of sold with Switch being years into its life cycle

[lutfarssmc]

Well of course those Two should not be compared with each other. One is in Next Gen Home console, other is in Next Gen Handheld console. I guess u all know the difference?

[Sparta07]

@phoenix, stop the BS.. Botw is out on wiiu also. So stop the crying

[fenome]

@Stillmatic0121

I'd rather get a Wii U than a Switch, but I'm still on the fence whether I even wanna bother getting that one either.

[TheGamez100]

Oh boy clickbait, here come the triggers. I have both and play zelda more (being a huge zelda fan so of course), all down to personal preference. Both are great games and are different.

[Nu]

Zelda is a masterpiece but let's not compare the it's unfair

[Kaneki-Ken]

It's no master piece, this Zelda have it down. Boss battle are boring compare to previous game that there was variety of bosses but now all the bosses just look the same and doesn't require work to defeat them. Also in this Zelda, you must figure everything yourself which in the beginning it was annoying since you didn't know how to enter a cold or hot area without dying while in previous game they at least tell you where to obtain weapons or where to go.

[badz149]

@Tiqila

"The lack of tutorial screens in BotW was something I really appreciated. Just playing it and figuring out myself was/is so much fun."

yeah...if only there doesn't exist this thing called the internet! this is not the 90's dude where tutorials and walkthroughs are hard to find. putting basic tutorials in games are not gonna ruin it in any way. but anything Nintendo does is innovative, right? suck that Nintendo's dong some more and maybe they will give you a proper, better and well-built console next time around!

[Vegamyster]

badz149

The game does explain things but just in subtle ways, he said nothing about it being innovative but it was something he enjoyed and me as well, i have no interest in playing Skyward Sword for the simple reason i hear it holds your hands too much.

[davand114]

@kaneki-ken
What's wrong with having to figure out how to play a game on your own? Most gamers that have been gaming since the early gens are good enough to learn a game on their own instead of having the game hold their hand. This is a open world game and IMO open world games should not be telling what to do or where to go. If they do, then it's just a linear game set in a open world and not truly open. The point of a open world game is to have a adventure in a vast world that you can interact with and explore. If you don't like those type of games then you should just stick to linear non-open world games. The bosses in this game are challenging and unique. This game isn't like the other Zelda games where you hit them a few times and they die. The bosses in this game require strategy and will one hit kill you if you are not ready for them.

[JEECE]

Lol this is getting out of hand. Just because someone has a different opinion than you does not mean they are "triggered." People had been disagreeing for thousands of years, but that concept was just invented.

[WhoCaresWhatMyNameIs]

That was jmguy's point...dumbass

[UCForce]

Well, it's very difficult for me to decide, but for me, HZD is more polished than Zelda Breath of the Wild.

[DragonDDark]

Because it is. It doesn't drop frames a ton in intense scenes. I played the Wii U version anyway. Dunno about the switch

[davand114]

Horizon has more realistic graphics, Zelda has a more detailed realistic world and is more realistic in the way you interact with it.

[mad-dog]

True. Zelda's world is more physics based. It's hilarious how some would disagree. But that's because people here are probably 12 years old.

[ShadowKnight]

Love them both!

[Why o why]

Win Win

[Thunder_G0d_Bane]

Link > Aloy

[MyDietEqualsGames]

I haven't played the game. But, how is character development in BOTW? The characters in Horizon were really well done and came off as individuals, rather than mere NPC's that are robotic in nature.

[_-EDMIX-_]

The character development in breath of the wild is literally non-existent

[davand114]

The character development in Botw is actually pretty good. The story of Botw is told sort of like the movie memento. You have to explore and find memories throughout the game to figure out who link is and what happened 100 years ago.

[GTgamer]

Link barely speaks gtfo

[OtakuDJK1NG-Rory]

now ain't that funny.
Chrono Trigger
Persona games
and every other amazing games with silent protagonist.

[DragonDDark]

MC in persona 4 & 3 speaks a lot. You are the one who chooses to speak though.

[GTgamer]

@Otakudjk1ng amazing? you can't even see emotions on their faces you think Joel and ellie would be great if they were silent all the damn time -_- I swear you guys kill me.

[Nu]

Crono would be the love child if they pwned each other.

[ninsigma]

Link says nothing. He just runs around doing what everyone says. He has no character development. So it's impossible for him to be better than any character.

[Stapleface]

Yeah for sure. Link still can't talk it seems so he is just a figure. A popular one, but not much character to the guy.

[OtakuDJK1NG-Rory]

Can Aloy defeat a Dragons, Demons, Monsters and Use Magic?

Link has no character development...........you never played Skyward Sword, Twilight Princess, WInd Waker or any Zelda games have you. Nor Majora's Mask.

[ninsigma]

So you're going to use the games situational abilities as an argument for why a character is better?? Considering Aloy COULD use magic and fight demons if she were in a game that was based on such a world rather than being based on a future real world. Besides, that doesn't have anything to do with their character. It's their personalities, decisions and reactions that make up a character and Link is silent while Aloy actually feels alive.

And yes I have played wind Waker. Great game. He's still silent with no character evolution.

[Darkfist_Flames]

@OtakuDJK1NG-Rory
"Can Aloy defeat a Dragons, Demons, Monsters and Use Magic? " except magic, she fight machines that can destroy cities, she can.

All those games never shows any development at all, "just a hero who fight evil", even in
Twilight Princess the only one who had character development is Midna.

[Liqu1d]

@Otaku What a ridiculous argument. None of those things even exist in Aloy's world.

But Kratos can do all of the things you mentioned and more so I guess he's a better character than Link using your logic, right?

[wampdog29]

Plenty of character development for Link if you take the time to complete side quests, especially the Zelda memories. Really gives some meat to him.

[badz149]

seriously guys, just ignore Otaku. for him, Link and Mario has better character development than anything available on the market. rinse and repeat stories of the hero saving the princess game after game is masterpiece in story telling too - nothing else comes close! he's just that shallow of a fanboy!

[ShadowKnight]

He's been like that since the first game. His only mission is to stay focus and to save Hyrule and Zelda.

[-Foxtrot]

Basically Zeldas bitch

May as well have a ball gag in his mouth

[ShadowKnight]

@Fox
Zelda is the Princess so yeah. Just like what any guy would do for his Queen probably except for you lmao

[UCForce]

Oh really ? Even I respect Link, but I really like Aloy.

[chris235]

comparing zelda and horizon is like comparing a volkswagen with a lamborghini. what's the point? yes, both are able to drive a road. but that's about it.

[higgins78]

A perfect analogy. Zelda being the Lamborghini that is. Both perform the same basic functions, yet the Lamborghini adds sensation in spades. The VW is a simple A to B affair.

[GTgamer]

Yeah OK buddy horizon looks beautiful like a lambo and plays as smooth as a lamborgini drives justsaying.

[Knushwood Butt]

Yeah, a Lamborghini tractor.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Why would Zelda be the Lamborghini in that analogy? You're talking about a game so dated people are praising it simply for having features that RPGs I've had for over 10 years

are we talking about the same game that lacks voice acting?

The same game which the main character doesn't even speak?

The same game that's having framerate issues from a port from a system that's released five years ago? .

🤔

[Bahamut]

@GTgamer

And yet Zelda is STILL a better game. Says a lot.

[higgins78]

@_-EDMIX-_ if you like. Besides, let's for argument's sake say you are right. It's not what a game has put how it's fuses said elements whilst offering something which feels fresh and innovative. Hot enough for you?

[davand114]

@edmix
Zelda has voice acting. Zelda has better physics, a better designed world, has a more open world, and is more detailed than Horizon. Both games are great and it seems that most of the people on this site have never even played Zelda.

[GTgamer]

@bahamut to who :/

[MyDietEqualsGames]

@davand114

More detailed than Horizon? Now you made me waste my water.

[lazyboyblue]

Playing both. I prefer Zelda. Horizon is good but still feels a little too ubisoft for me.

[Kaneki-Ken]

Zelda feels to empty and boring.

[Sirk7x]

I enjoy the spaces between. Most of the time, I get sidetracked from the main objectives from simply exploring. I think as far as BoTW is concerned, you are either blown away by the art direction, or don't care much for the anime style that's used. If someone isn't a fan of the art style, or the Japanese influence, or the series in general, then of course it's not going to be a game for them. For me, it's a beautiful piece of art. I also am covered in Zelda tattoos, so hey. To each their own.

[Imalwaysright]

@ Bahamut

Agreed. The sheer attention to detail in Zelda puts every open world game I played to shame.

[Kaneki-Ken]

@Bahamut is not non sense since that my opinion. I do have a Switch because launch date was the exact same date that it was my birthday and I only buy Nintendo Console for Zelda. I prefer Twilight Princess better since it was more linear and it actually have more variety of enemy especially bosses since Wild Breath all the enemy look the same and very easy to defeat. (Nintendo ID name: CrowGuts)

[davand114]

You haven't played Zelda that much have you? Once you begin to explore the open world and find more enemies, the game becomes way more difficult and fun. You might like more of a linear approach to games. If you don't like games that you have to explore and figure out how you want to play them then this game is not for you.

[Darkfist_Flames]

horizon is more like witcher3 ,zelda the one which feels like ubisoft game both have empty fields that they only put alot of same collectibles, i alrady hear people saying the shrines are all the same(too ubisoft)

[ninsigma]

Whoa there. Not hating on the fact you like zelda more, that's cool but Horizon is everything ubisoft open world's aren't....fun!

[davand114]

Horizon does feel like a ubisoft game but doesn't have that boring ass ubisoft formula that almost every ubisoft game has, even their racing games.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Don't you go to Towers in Zelda to open up the map like Assassin's Creed?

🤔

[_-EDMIX-_]

@thund- agreed but doesn't that technically mean the comparison belongs to both?

Also to my understanding climbing the longnecks in Horizon zero Dawn to open up the map is actually simply an option you could actually open up the map by traveling to areas

I'm not sure if there's another way to open up the map in Zelda breath of the wild because I was watching my friend completing it there's areas in which he couldn't see anything on the map before you got to the tower so I'm not sure if there's an alternate way.

[lazyboyblue]

Fair point. Im further in to the game now, and Zelda too does indeed ape the usual ubisoft map tower thing a bit too much. In fact I find myself actually missing all the collectibles found in a ubi game.
Having said that Im still really enjoying the game. Its stuffed with nintendos charm and great ideas. Horizon just hasnt really grabbed me yet.

[davand114]

Horizon has a far cry primal feel to me, but Horizon is better than fcp, imo

[Perjoss]

edit: the article itself is ok it seems, but this N4G headline is just bad taste imo.

These articles are cancer and you all fall for them every time. Play what you love and enjoy positive conversations about the things you like most in the games you play. These 'articles' just instigate negativity and are designed to start arguments and generate attention and clicks. Don't feed them.

[MyDietEqualsGames]

I thought the same when I saw the title. ^1

[Perjoss]

Can't edit my comment anymore, but it seems like the title has been changed to something less controversial.

[gamer7804]

this just in also, apples are better than oranges!

[G20WLY]

Lol don't be ridiculous! That's like comparing Horizon to Zelda! ;^P

[Bahamut]

@G20WLY

That went right over your head, huh?

[G20WLY]

Lol we're both being sarcastic...right?? :^)

[uth11]

Can you make orange juice out of an apple? No! Can you make an orange creamcicle out of an apple? No!

Apples. What are they good for? /S

[laoboy_Smoke]

This is why the fanboy war won't end anytime soon.. The media is the main source of fuel smh.
They'll both receive many goty awards by years end. Also the year is still early, who's to say more heavy hitters aren't going to release this year...

[Trez1234]

I have both too and I think both games took something from Ubisoft open world book and added their own identity. Personally though, nier automata beats both but that's my personal opinion.

But this zelda took the zelda franchise to another level and I'm glad is getting all the praise. Also it's a fantastic example of how to keep old franchises fresh. Great time to be a gamer at the minute.

[higgins78]

I do agree while Zero Dawn will be enjoyed by many currently, it won't be dug up or remembered too fondly further down the line. My money is on ABOTW being a game for the ages.

[_-EDMIX-_]

I actually disagree with that

it is very difficult for breath of the wild to carry that same type of vigor when a lot of the features inside of that game are just ripped from other games anyway there actually isn't a lot of things unique to this game that can't be found in other titles

Because of that I think it's very difficult for five or ten years to go by in which people or remembering fondly the time they could craft in this game when they could technically have crafted 10 years prior in other games

This is not the same series that was revolutionising gaming bud.

Those Originals could stand the test of time where this game I believe my cat lost in it simply because a lot of this title is way too much of other games

Horizon zero Dawn has the advantage of being a brand new concept in regards the fighting robot dinosaurs lol , trust me it's going to carve its own staple into the landscape.

So we could all remember the time in which is Zelda game released that had all the same features as other RPGs from 10 years ago...,.... or we could all remember that time we are fighting robot dinosaurs for the first time in a huge open world RPG.

Horizon zero Dawn is already very well on its way to becoming a staple series

[DashArrivals]

Are you kidding me? How dare you speak about a game you know F-All about. Horizon will be remembered for a long time. A developer that only did shooters blew everyone's mind with a NEW IP and make it open world. Post apocalyptic robot dinos and shit. F U man.

[captainexplosion]

I'm no fan of open world RPGs but I have really enjoyed Horizon. Easy 9 imo. Very addictive. It has some problems, but overall its really good. I just started Zelda on Wii U a couple hours ago and I don't like it. It is HIDEOUS and I don't know what to do.

[ninsigma]

Easy 9 from me as well. It's problems are very small so to me only deserves a single point loss. One of the best games this gen.

[xenz]

For me its an absolute 9.8. A few minor quirks here and there But the story, gameplay, graphics, world building and the deep deep lore is just so good. Best game I've played this gen.

[Mykky]

Two amazing games. Horizon established itself as a fantastic new IP with sequels to come which is great! Zelda finally broke its pattern and did something different and succeeded.
If you like one better than the other it is your opinion and perfectly fine as we have different preferences. Saying one is better than the other though is only true for the one claiming it.

[TheOptimist]

Gosh the bs comparisons. Fed your agenda yet? Really, people need to start appreciating games for what they are individually. Both games have their own charm.

[ILostMyMind]

Keep fighting. I'm having a lot of fun with HZD to worry about a console game I do not have and I will not have..

[Fishy Fingers]

People really need their own tastes/opinions vindicated by a stranger on a website?

The collective opinions of the industry 'professionals' and critics rate Zelda higher/better. Still, I'd rather play HZD. Life goes on. No tears, no toys thrown, no need to downplay the other.

[ChickeyCantor]

If I have to believe my friend who loves sandbox games, who is by no means a nintendo fan, he thinks Horizon feels more "gamey" in contrast because of how the player is limited to exploring the environment and how things interact with each other.

So it's all subjective.

[WickedLester]

Oh brother!

[Relientk77]

Horizon is a masterpiece. I have yet to play Breath of the Wild, I like Zelda though

[WickedLester]

The Witcher 3 is better than both of them in every way other than combat mechanics.

[Liqu1d]

Still my game of the generation.

[Sircolby45]

Every way? In comparison to Horizon? Graphics? Nope. I personally prefer the story on Horizon, but I realize this is very subjective. The combat mechanics in Witcher 3 are what brings the game down for me. It just feels clunky in comparison and that is a very important part of the game. You are basically saying the game is awesome except for the way it plays...ummm.....

[WickedLester]

OK maybe "in every way" was a bit too much hyperbole. However in comparison to Horizon...

Side quests in The Witcher 3 are deeper/better/more interesting.

The Witcher 3's universe (and Zelda's for that matter) is way more interactive than Horizon's. You can go into every house. You can swim and explore underneath the water. There are tons of caves to explore. Plus there are more items to interact with. Horizon's universe is more restrictive in this regard.

I think the dialogue/voice acting in The Witcher 3 is better.

I like Aloy as a character better than I do Geralt. However I think The Witcher 3 has better/more interesting supporting characters.

Graphics wise, I honestly think both games are beautiful. Anyone who says Horizon is just resoundingly better looking is being a tad biased honestly. The Witcher 3 still is one amazing looking game. I consider this a tie.

As far as main quests go, I give the edge to Horizon on this. I do like the main quest better than the one in The Witcher 3, though I still think The Witcher 3 has better side quests.

Mechanics, no question Horizon is better. The combat is so smooth, fluid, and fun. It really is the "star" of the game where in The Witcher it feels sort of secondary, like it's just something to keep the story moving along. To be fair I kind of felt the same way about Uncharted 4's combat mechanics. I think Rise of the Tomb Raider has way better fighting mechanics but overall I think UC4 is a better game because there are other things to consider besides just that. That's why I don't think the combat mechanics alone are enough to consider one game better than another.

[starchild]

The Witcher 3 has good combat mechanics relative to most RPGs, although I do agree Horizon's are generally better. Except for the melee combat with humans. I prefer The Witcher 3's melee combat with humans over Horizon's. The combat with the machines though is awesome. Guerrilla really nailed that aspect.

Graphically they trade punches. The Witcher 3 is better in some regards and Horizon is better in others. They're both pure eye candy.

[psplova]

I loved the Witcher 3 but to say it's better than HZD in EVERY way is just plain wrong imo.. Graphics and story are much better in HZD to me..

[guyman]

Gotta get the clicky-clicks! SMFH, this is gaming journalism at its lowest

[JustInTlME]

I started Horizon on launch day, and I really really like it. Then I got Zelda forms switch, and I haven't played anything else in 10 days. Personally that means Zelda is better in my book.

[gtxgamer2]

Their both great games.

[kevnb]

only on n4g does an article like this become must read.

[DashArrivals]

I honestly believe Horizon is a lot better. But that's just my opinion and I'm sure a lot of people agree, and a lot don't agree. It's personal preference.

[Zikax]

haha good joke

[jorellpogi]

We have to accept the fact not all gamers are familiar with Zelda. It is an outdated franchise, it might be a sterling game during it's time but the sheer graphic fidelity of modern games really makes the Nintendo games childish and outdated.

A definite buy for Nintendo console owners tho.

[RedPill86]

HZD is the gaming equivalent of Oscar bait. The set pieces are just mind numingly uninspired. It's modern gaming tropes the game. Zelda on the other hand? Not my favorite one, but it was fun.

Big difference.

[Allsystemgamer]

uh.....

[quent]

On a technical level yes, on a mechanical level not so much, what new does it have to offer instead of just looking better, what new forms of emergent gameplay does it have to offer that we haven't felt or seen in the last 10-12 years

Imo both games or overhyped or are overlooked in different aspects, so enjoy what you want and stop bashing on the effort put in by both sides

[Mykky]

I just saw a video comparing the details and mechanics of Horizon and Zelda and it was pretty interesting. While Horizon looks waaay better, Zelda still has the upper hand with physics and how the world reacts to what you are doing. I have not played any of them but BoTW's world looks more alive then any other open world game I have played. (In the sense that you can interact with almost anything in the world.)

Detail comparison video of Zelda and Horizon:
part 1: https://www.youtube.com/wat...
part 2: https://www.youtube.com/wat...

[DashArrivals]

Shut your face. That is deceptively edited. I could make another video that would show gameplay mechanics that would embarrass Zelda. Absolutely demolish it in every sense of the word. That is a bullcrap video that Nintendo fanboys will cling to and be deluded over. What a joke. I can have any encounter with any enemy in Horizon, and that blows the best boss battles in Zelda away.

That is a bullcrap video dude. Make one the other way around and you will laugh at how terrible the mechanics in Zelda really are.

[Mykky]

@DashArrivals Wow, that escalated quickly. They probably are biased as they don't show what Horizon does and Zelda don't. But I still think the level of detail in BoTW is impressive either way.

Why do you mean the mechanics in Zelda are terrible, and how would Horizon's gameplay mechanics embarrass Zelda? I don't know, so please explain it to me. I'm all ears to good arguments.

[Bernie305]

Lol I'm a ps4 gamer but i am still on the fence about getting HZD, gameplay seems fun but there seems to be too many fetch quests. I'm saving up to get a switch soon, cant wait to play to goodness that is zelda, I might be biased and just doing it for nostalgia but that won't make it less fun 😆

[Darkfist_Flames]

Theres hardly any fetch quests in HZD.

[Mykky]

I'm pretty sure you won't regret getting Horizon. It definitely looks like a solid GOTY contender. Can't wait to get my hands on Zelda myself though. I grew up with the games as a child and have loved the series since.

[Christopher]

The only fetch quests in the game are collectibles and are entirely optional.

[DillyDilly]

This is an opinion & it is not fact

[Aenea]

Uh oh!

*grabs popcorn*

[roarmonster]

Nope.

[ClayRules2012]

I personally didn't really enjoy the 4 hours I spent with Zelda: Botw, with a friend who has it.

Horizon: Zero Dawn is a fantastic game "in my opinion" I'm not even done with it, and I'm having so much fun just exploring the world, finding new things to discover, trying to save random people who've yelled for my help ( I fail ) because I have a hard time telling where there at sometimes, lol. It's got a few things I'm not fond of, but nothing that really ruins the experience for me.

Overall, while I personally believe HZD is a better game, I respect those who have a different opinion than me, and feel Botw is better. Agree to disagree with respect & kindness. I hope all who bought either game or both are really enjoying them!

Much love to all =)

[BrandanT]

THIS IS FLAME BAIT!

[FunkyGoron]

Loving BotW, waiting for Horizon to drop in price. I actually played Rise of the Tomb Raider on PS4 before BotW so I felt like it was a good time to wait for Horizon. I find it funny the people who like Horizon who care that BotW was a success. BotW is perfect though.

[Condemnedman]

opinion from a Sony fanboy yep I trust that. does it make any difference any way? can't you just enjoy the game without resorting to mines better than yours childish Outlook.

[Kokyu]

Click bait

[Speak_da_Truth]

All I know is Horizon is Guerilla's first attempt at an open world rpg yet the game is getting compared to the likes of Witcher 3 and Zelda. Now imagine what Guerilla will do with Horizon 2.

[BIGBOSS08]

Looks like Nintendo fans have stopped their zelda orgasm to come here and comment. Get back to wanking over Nintendo and the 1 game you got to play for the next year. If your lucky you might get a few more 5 year old ports of ps3/360 games. Maybe a port of red dead redemption while everyone plays red dead redemption 2. Or fifa 12? Haha. There's your 3rd party support. Nintendo are a big joke to 3rd party developers.

[eagle21]

Horizon playing was over the day Zelda scored higher on metacritic with all the non owning comments from fanboys on n4g and zero's added to metacritic user scores by idiots who obviously stopped playing Horizon to pay attention to BOTW.

[BIGBOSS08]

I honestly have no idea what you're trying to say.

[Allsystemgamer]

If that was true BOTW wouldn't be selling so bad....

[ABizzel1]

Sales don't mean better, which game is better comes down to the user experience and will always be personal preference.

[BIGBOSS08]

True but Nintendo fanboys can't accept that. No game can possibly be better than zelda: botw. If anyone likes horizon or any other game more, than they either haven't played zelda or are sony fanboys or nintendo haters according to them. Instead of giving actual reasons, they just use metacritic for their argument.

[ABizzel1]

Well that's fanboys in general.

Nintendo fanboys are up in arms because they feel the Switch is under attack. The problem with fanboys is that they can't take criticism of any kind even if it's completely just or backed by facts.

[ps5fanboy]

New protagonist?? Ohhhhhh very dangerous to give 10s! Let's give it 9.99 , golden ratio score , what's that Zelda? Looks like a shit cartoon with very childish graphics and gameplay ??? 10!!!!!

[Jayszen]

I have played both and I prefer Horizon. The gameplay has more depth and it just looks stunning. Sony and GG have hit this out of the park again.

[wheresmymonkey]

I haven't played Horizon yet, but i'm loving Zelda. Anyone who said it got a free pass obviously hasn't played it.

[Allsystemgamer]

They're talking about the performance issues and several other gameplay mechanics that got a pass. It has legitimate issues that none of the reviewers actually talked about. That's why it's getting flak.

I'm sure the game is fantastic and I'm waiting for it to come back in stock but again, the "pass" was reviewers completely ignoring actual issues.

[JEECE]

I really like both, but I have fewer than 15 hours in each so I don't feel like I can make a conclusory comparison right now. I really did appreciate that BOTW let me start playing about 5 minutes in, whereas HZD had the hour-long tutorial section. I do wish BOTW would have adjusted it's control scheme a bit more to match most modern games-I'm not a fan of sprint being a face button.

[BLKxSEPTEMBER]

I don't think so. BOTW is a better game imo. HZD is a good game to but I just don't find it as interesting as Zelda. I've stopped playing Horizon to play Zelda. I find the world in Zelda more interesting to explore. This is all my opinion and I'm sure lots of people feel differently.

[svoulis]

After putting 73 hours into BOTW, and about 40 into Horizon, I have to tip in favor of Horizon, AND I am a 30 year old long time Zelda fan. The reason I give the edge to Horizon is simple. The side quest had far more meaning to them. I felt a sense of urgency to do them. In Zelda, its like "oh here is the bow you wanted to look at. Oh now you wanna see a duplex bow, welp i'll go find one come back and show it to you" type of deal. Zeldas gameplay formula is not meant for ARPG in the same way Horizon is, You don't level up in Zelda, doing the sidequest give you items, you don't have to do them. The best way to get more heart containers and stamina is shrines and there are a bunch of them, and while fun, I stopped at 73 just because it was more than enough to beat the game.

All in all both are great games, I just think that a lot of reviewers are happy to finally see a Zelda game on console (hyrule warriors and Twilight Princess Remaster don't count) after 6 years. Honestly that is a lot of hype, and if you read the reviews the people reviewing it are huge Zelda fans.

If I were to rate the games off the top of my head it would be horizon 9/10 and Zelda 8.5/10.

[Einhander1971]

Not this shit again both amazing games, I own both so not biased. Zelda does have the edge though. But all this silly article does is bring out the fanboys. For me personally Sony and Nintendo are both great, best games period.

[StormLegend]

Big Zelda fan here and IMO HZD is the better game. What you do in Zelda is nothing compared to the action that's in Horizon. Fighting small fodder monsters doesn't come close to the machines in Horizon. The gameplay in HZD is so smooth and traveling is fun and easy because you can always find an animal to ride or just instant travel. Great music with some amazing cutscenes! I'm sorry but BOTW isn't that good.

[CP_Company]

that is a pity.for you at least.

[Moonman]

NO. Insecurity and personal opinions won't change Horizons metacritic score. Horizon 2, if it's ever made, might have a chance but this game is no masterpiece while BOTW is closer to one. If you enjoy it great. But it's bland/ boring to me with a very uninteresting story. Style/graphics over interesting substance/gameplay. Some gamers just fall for it everytime. Zelda will be around long after Sony puts Aloy to rest.

[led1090]

And in between all these flame wars, Nier Automata has racked up a user score of almost 9 on metacritic. Nioh is 9.1. Zelda is 7.6 and Horizon is 8.3. What a pointless argument when they might not even be the best games of the year

[eagle21]

Zelda's metacritic user score would be in the 9's if it wasn't for insecure Horizon players scoring it zero the day it was released. But look at the over 7000 votes with only 240 of them being zero. I hate fanboys in 2017. LOSERS!

[CP_Company]

Horizon players insecure? for what? playing better game? delusional.
zelda losers started first go to horizon page and give it 0 because zelda got a lot of 0 and those 0 came with reviews which explained why it is 0.in horizon page,there is plenty of 0 with no review,o reviews were like this: i am coming from zelda and give 0 because horizon is just better game.
so you can suck nintendo ball,just don't write this nonsense out in the open :)

[starchild]

User scores? They should be called fanboy scores because that's mostly all they are. Who can rally more fanboys to give absurdly low or absurdly high scores, that's all it amounts to.

[PistolsAtDawn]

Nope. It's a great game but Zelda is better

[bacrec1]

The salt...

[Realms]

Opinions opinions all I know is that people are compering a game that has had 30 years of history and time to perfect it's lore and gameplay to a new Ip let that sink in. If you don't think that's impressive then hey what can I tell you, some people even had doubts about GG being able to make an open world RPG. I can understand why some gamers think BoTW is the best game ever created IMO it's not far from it. BoTW is a good game it's just NOT the greatest game ever created that some people say it is.

[RGB]

Haven't played Zelda as of yet but I'm sure it's a really great game. However, watching people play it, I get a sense of emptiness, and not a lot of detail (due to limitations of WiiU & Switch obviously). Also see a lot of dated stuff technically, other than the games physics, it seems that is the only stand out up-to-date top of class component of the overall technical side of the Zelda.

Horizon is far better technically (graphics, detail, world, AI, etc), that goes without saying (or should). Every time I discovered a new settlement, I was like, "this is cool". Seeing the different tribes and how they rebuild their land on Earth. I was left with wanting more, wanting to see more tribes, more settlement to get more wonder and awe from the world design.

Gameplay is subject but the weaponry in Horizon is great and the dinosaur/monster robot hunting is so thrilling, I've beat the game, I've got the platinum and clocked over 70 hours in the game yet hunting the bots is still fun. Every corner you turn in Horizon is a new fight and it doesn't get old.

Finally, story (no spoilers here). Horizon is phenomenal, it starts strong, and ends even better, by far GG's best work to date. From Maker's End to the end (main quest line) it just is fascinating to see, hear and read how the "old ones" lost Earth. The story is without doubt one of the best parts of this game.

Early GoTY contender for me, GG have found their calling, it's with the RPG genre not shooters.

[Dizzy11523]

Currently playing both. It's not better. In fact, the awful acting and premise of Horizon is cringe worthy compared to Zelda.
The gameplay is great though. Game just isn't better than BoTW.

[EmperorDalek]

A lot of N4G users obviously approve of this article... Probably the same people who have Naughty Dog shrines in their living rooms.

[AmUnRa]

Just like you Nintendofanboys have Zelda and Mario shrines in your bedrooms😜

[XStation4pio_Pro]

both games seem to have reviewed very well and both games seem to be must haves for their respective critics. it ultimately just comes down to your tastes. HZD is probably more adult oriented and features mind blowing tech, while zelda is more oriented to a younger audience but has that wonderful zelda lineage. personally i think I'm getting a little too old for nintendo and feel like playstation has been killing it lately so i made my decision, but more importantly articles like this are dumb because what is better is completely subjective and not based in any quantitative data.

[UncertainCategory]

I got both and am enjoying them immensely.

We had two fantastic games come out in the same week, and many good games come out in 2017 so far. It's a great time to play games. Why is it so important to some of you that one be 'better' than the other? They are fairly different experiences honestly.

[MilkMan]

They are a different kind of games. A big part of Zelda has always been exploration and this new one is no exception. It's actually front and center. The best way to describe Breath of the Wild is Nintendo's answer to the Witcher 3 and Skyrim. However, its all done with Nintendos family friendly seal of approval and quality.
Zelda is also a game where the more you play and learn about the world the more things are revealed to you. Things like walking around with metal weapons during an electrical storm will cause you much grief. Or how to capture and train horses and THEN register them at your local stable so that you may always have them.
Little things like that, you can group all of this in exploration. Horizon, Witcher, Skyrim have exploration but it's not as pivotal as accomplishing your goals.
In Zelda your goals are vague. Therefore the game is more leisurely.
Find this, go there, talk to so and so.
All in all, great games for all.

[BlackTar187]

Who Cares?

[psplova]

I can't say for now, but I just finished HZD last night after spending a good 80 hours in that fantastical world, I can safely say that, Zelda BOTW has a LOT to live up to if it wants to overthrow this gem of a game. What an experience.. I gotta say. One of the best in my 32 years of gaming, no doubt about it.. I can't wait for my son to finish BOTW on his WiiU so I can get started on it to see for myself what all the fuss is about! For now, back to Nioh for me...

[WhoCaresWhatMyNameIs]

How am I not surprised a stupid opinion article like this gets approved? Seriously thinking the mod are a bunch of kids pushing a agenda. Both games are great. No reason to top one game over the other for sake of bragging rights. Don't be insecure about this silly topic. Enjoy the games you play.

[truechainz]

I loved Horizon and I'm really excited for what this can mean for Guerrilla Games moving forward. I have to say I enjoy Zelda a bit more. It took me a little bit to really understand why I am gripped by Zelda more, but I figured out it really came down to the physics and interactions of the game. I've literally laughed out loud that the interactions from the world. Like when I come up on a moblin camp and throw a bomb that misses them and hits a tree that falls on a bomb and kills half the moblins. There are a million other examples of the world being an even better weapon than my actual weapon. I've experienced this level of interaction in bits in other games, but never as solid in one cohesive package. Honestly if Horizon can borrow a bit of that interaction with the environment and the openness for a sequel, that would be one hell of a game.

[DrumBeat]

Agreed. Fresh, new, and with great lore/story. The game play is excellent. The premise is excellent. The visuals are excellent. Fantastic job, Guerilla. Zelda's just another Zelda, and while it may be a good Zelda, that simply isn't enough.

[sampson3121]

If zelda was called belda and was on another platform it would receive 7's and 8's at best.
the more people play it the more the truth comes out about this overrated game.

[JayPi3]

They're both very good, why the hell do we keep falling for these bait articles on this site? I want legitimately gaming discussions but half the time it's always just comparing two games that aren't all that similar and waiting for arguments to start all for the sake of click bait.

[rulparra]

no way better than zelda

[rulparra]

all sony's fanboy will always say hzd is better than zelda of course they even paly the game.

[corroios]

The reality is that HZD its a new Ip and will be the target to beat from other RPG.

Other studios will try to beat the world, graphics, animation, , voice acting, AI, Fx and so on. Even little stuff like the photo mode.

This was the first open game world made by GG and already is the biggest new IP of this gen.

Of course some cant accept this and try use metacritic to say that Zelda is better. Of course that for Nintendo gamers it will always be the best game ever made.

[kenwonobi]

Horizon Zero Dawn is the better game. Zelda has a long history​ and is getting a few nostalgia scores. I'm sure if Horizon was not a new franchise or first of its kind the score would be higher. Zelda is a great game but it's the same ole Zelda really. Horizon and Zelda are equals with Horizon getting the edge for being new and graphical difference. Knock a few nostalgia scores off from Zelda and the reviews start to look equal.

[Erik7357]

The new zelda is nothing like the old zelda. It also just has many more details that Horizon does not have.

Like fire, fire spreads in Zelda. It does not in Horizon.

[azizlksa]

Both great games.
I personally slightly prefer zelda, because of the story, characters, music, and world.
Its my first zelda game, which zelda should i play next ?

[Hardiman]

I grew up on Zelda so it has the nostalgia going for it but if I'm honest Horizon just blew me away as I wasn't expecting it to be so fleshed out. The world, characters, lore, weapons and crafting all come together to create this majestic perfect storm. With it being a brand new IP and to do the business it's done is nothing short of amazing!

[81BX]

BOTW

[Segata]

These stupid articles will keep getting approved because only on N4G people are so insecure about either. Literally the only site where Sony fans/HZD fans are so insecure about it. Get over it.

[VersusDMC]

Critics now say that skyward sword and twilight princess weren't as good as the 90's on metacritic seem to indicate. Nintendo nostalgia seems to wear off after awhile. Haven't played the new Zelda but horizon is awesome. Just platinumed it. So I am biased. But remember if you didn't like skyward or twilight they also got 90's on Metacritic. So keep that in mind if you're thinking about buying a switch for Zelda.

[shoestring]

You know Horizon Zero Dawn is one of the best games to come out this entire gen so far, when people start losing sleeping and turning into hardcore Nintendo fans over night when they start going out of their way to compare it to EVERY game out. Even going as far as comparing it to Legendary titles such as Zelda, that would normally be in a class of its own.

[MagicBeanz]

We still doing this?

[StrawberryDiesel420]

Zelda Breath of the Wild is an amazing game. I'm about ten hours in on Switch roughly and it's pretty easy to tell it's an instant classic...possibly the best Zelda game ever made. However, PlayStation 4 only owners need not worry as Nioh, Horizon Zero Dawn and Nier Automata are more than enough to compensate. Those are three very high quality games, specifically Nioh and Horizon....I can't say enough good things about those two games. And I win because I get to play them all as I have no allegiance to one company, I just want to play the best games I can afford to.

[Psytrix]

Nintendo will never have the numbers, so regardless of Zelda's reviews - it will lose. They need to market the Switch for what it really is; a handheld. Once that is out of the way, they need to release a proper home console. (Never going to happen.)

[ZainreFang]

This is N4G, therefore the correct answer is Horizon: Zero Dawn. The vast majority on this site will prefer the Sony exclusive over the Nintendo exclusive. I never played Horizon, so I can't formulate an informed opinion on the matter.

[jaredite83]

Those retards here who have issues with zelda, see the comparison here that shows why horizon's graphics start to lose their meaning after a moment. https://www.youtube.com/wat...
and https://www.youtube.com/wat...
Horizon looks goo0d but all ends there, the game engine is very unimpressive in comparison to zelda and game play mechanics also are clearly not in the same league. it is another thing to have static and lifeles world that looks polished than more anime style world that livesw and breaths and immerses you in. Any one who claims that horizon is better, is only a graphics whore and does not care about gameplay. In fact these comments about zelda having same enemies everywhere have not played the game. It has unbelievable variety of enemies and even the same enemies have loads oif variety how they fight you depending on the circumstances and environment.
Comparing from these two videos you can see how dull the gameplay is in comparison, how incapavle the character is in abliity to climb and to traverse the cliffs and how little to non interactive the environment is. Grass can look nice but if it doesn't react to your walk, it becomes lifeles, if snow doesn't have your footprints imprinted on it, it doesn't look good in modern times. If your character has no water dripping from you after taking a swim, or doesn't leave waves in the water as you swim, it breaks the illusion, especially if a fox or squirrel can run through the rapids as if there was no water at all. Horizon seems like a good game overall but it is only a good looing game that is not revolutionary in any way when it comes to gameplay mechanics and open world experience. In Zelda a simple attempt to climb donw an unknown cliff becomes an adnventure that is exiting because you might die and can't know idf there is a way for you to rest during the climb.

[CP_Company]

Try harder next time,not even close.ubisoft best title is zelda-confirmed :)

[jaredite83]

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

This video shows why no game can ever again reach 98 in metacritic. User reviews where thousands of haters can down vote games are allowed to influence the overall score a little bit. that wasn't the case a decade or so ago. Now things have changed sadly. Breath of the wild is so far the most enjoyable game I have played in my memory, even better than RE4, or Arkham city which I remember as two of the other games that I played most intensively before this one, or mario galaxy and metroid prime series.

[Nintentional]

Haven't played Horizon yet, so can't compare. Dat Breath of the Wild doe 👌🏼

[kenwonobi]

Zelda has large parts of it that are boring. Large parts of it that are magical. As a whole is not as technically a beautiful game as Horizon Zero Dawn. Not even close. The artstyle is certainly gorgeous though. The two games are as different a open world as can be. You can enjoy one then the other.

[Nintentional]

N4G.com needs to be renamed to sonyfanboyzunite.com

[XStation4pio_Pro]

Funny that someone with the tag "Nintentional" is calling out others for being fanboys. The irony.

[Nintentional]

Just because my favorite games company is Nintendo doesn't mean I'm a Nintendo fanboy. There's being a fan, and then there's being a fanboy, dummy.

I own every Sony console from PS1-4, original Xbox, 360,and One, Sega Genesis, and Dreamcast. I play everything. You can't sit here and tell me N4G isn't overflowing with moronic Sony fanboys.

[philm87]

Both brilliant games. HZD obviously wins on the graphics by a lightyears, and the combat is awesome. love using the tearblast to knock components off enemies, and the variety in the enemies is great, was blown away by how awesome the Thunderhawk looked when I came face to face with it. Looking forward to trying Zelda if I get a Switch somewhen, but almost feels like it would be a downgrade.

[cheetah]

I am a massive PS fan and always have been, they are the best company at gaming, hands down. Saying that, Zelda BOTW is on a whole other level, it transcends gaming and it is amazing. People always talk about "caring for the characters" and Zelda does that better than any game I have played since OOT, it really tugs at your emotions. Its art.

[Bruh]

Gotta love N4G, since its not Sony its over-rated and the reviews were fluffed, but had Horizon gotten anywhere close to the same Meta, you would never hear the end of it on this site. HZD is a fantastic game, but it does not come within spitting distance of how good BOTW is.

[mad-dog]

Can't wait to play Zelda, but Horizon Zero Dawn makes me want to play the game as soon as i wake up.
Unfortunately i have too little time. I can't compare the two yet but Horizon Zero Dawn is one of the best games i've played. No doubt.

[mad-dog]

Reading the replies it's kinda sad how few people here seem rational. Wow.. Pure fanboyism galore here.