I had a look on a Mario forum the other day. I just wanted to see what kind of things were discussed on games that have hardly any stories. I cant say discussions were looking good and healthy over there.
I'm just thinking that these forums aren't really a hive of activity right now. Especially compared to after SS's release where discussions seemed to be going on for ages. The culprit behind activity decline is of course BoTW. It's a game that brings little to the table in terms of discussion. It has a limited story, no indication of placement in the timeline and seems to disregard established canon. It is also set so far in the future its effect on other games and theirs on it is almost irrelevant.
Unlike most Zeldas where story is at the forefront. BoTW is very much a gameplay game with story being such a minor thing in comparison to the other activities offered that have nothing to do with it. This means the usual fan activities such as theorising are not really going on very much. There seems to be fatigue when it comes to theorising because Nintendo seems to give less and less regard for lore as they put out more games. Fans who in the past have put much effort into theorising (only to have Nintendo give the real explanation usually an underwhelming one) have become tired of coming up with better ideas than the big N. There is little to discuss and little up for debate apart from whether you like certain gameplay mechanics or not and that's just boring after a while.
It's gonna be another 5 years before we get more Zelda. Some of us might not even make it, like dear Axle who never got to see BoTW. You think Breath will still create interesting discussion nearer to that time?
I'm just thinking that these forums aren't really a hive of activity right now. Especially compared to after SS's release where discussions seemed to be going on for ages. The culprit behind activity decline is of course BoTW. It's a game that brings little to the table in terms of discussion. It has a limited story, no indication of placement in the timeline and seems to disregard established canon. It is also set so far in the future its effect on other games and theirs on it is almost irrelevant.
Unlike most Zeldas where story is at the forefront. BoTW is very much a gameplay game with story being such a minor thing in comparison to the other activities offered that have nothing to do with it. This means the usual fan activities such as theorising are not really going on very much. There seems to be fatigue when it comes to theorising because Nintendo seems to give less and less regard for lore as they put out more games. Fans who in the past have put much effort into theorising (only to have Nintendo give the real explanation usually an underwhelming one) have become tired of coming up with better ideas than the big N. There is little to discuss and little up for debate apart from whether you like certain gameplay mechanics or not and that's just boring after a while.
It's gonna be another 5 years before we get more Zelda. Some of us might not even make it, like dear Axle who never got to see BoTW. You think Breath will still create interesting discussion nearer to that time?