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shad0cat · Feb 4, 2017 6:03 PM

Next month the new Zelda game Breath of the Wild will be out and I was looking at the horseback riding footage for the game. The horse and rider animations are amazing. Nintendo had developers that were dedicated to just the horses. The gates and body language are spot on. Here's a video if you're interested.

DragonsWarrior · Feb 11, 2017 5:59 PM

Ooohh I have got to tell my Boys.. they both play Zelda... they will LOVE this new one..

Ammit · Feb 11, 2017 6:06 PM

Nice! We have a Switch and BotW coming. Can't wait to try it out.

ColorGoodStables · Feb 11, 2017 7:25 PM

Wow! That's some great animation. I thought the tail was a little distracting but it's also really realistic

RoseFlute · Feb 11, 2017 7:52 PM

Oooh! I've never played a Zelda game before, but that looks great!

Salvistar · Feb 11, 2017 10:43 PM

I wish the horse themed games could get on board with dedicating as much effort to animating their horses.

RoseFlute · Feb 12, 2017 12:42 AM

I used to play Equestrian 2001, which is an eventing game, and even though the model for the horse isn't great, I thought the animation was pretty good for its time. :)

Timber · Feb 16, 2017 7:01 PM

Heh. So has Epona finally been excluded in favor of having the option of choosing a horse? (This strikes me as funny since I've been trying to breed a horse as close to epona as possible on here.)

Also on the topic of realistic horses in video games, Red Dead Redemption did a fantastic job of that.

jezmynespice1 · Feb 17, 2017 1:02 AM

that looks like so much fun, i loved Zelda when i was a kid, wish i had a gaming system to play this on now :-(

Ammit · Feb 17, 2017 3:58 AM

I wish the horse themed games could get on board with dedicating as much effort to animating their horses.

Those games often make little to no money so they keep them as cheap as possible. Animations are expensive and don't increase sales, so they don't bother.

@Timber Epona is often a silver bay. I believe this is still Epona, just now she is also appy.

Timber · Feb 17, 2017 1:33 PM

Well I suppose just as Link has had several reincarnations, Epona can too.

I wish I could remember the name of it but there was this one horse themed game that I watched the game grumps play that depite the rest of the game being pretty terrible, they did a good job on the horses.

Ammit · Feb 17, 2017 2:23 PM

Secret of the Magic Crystal was played by a lot of LPrs.

Timber · Feb 17, 2017 6:13 PM

Omg... It was Petz Horse Club.

shad0cat · Feb 21, 2017 7:26 AM

Ammit this horse is actually not Epona. The creators have said Epona is in the game but we have not been told where or if we'll even be able to ride her or if she is just in the flashbacks. In this game you are playing a Link that died 100 years prior in the game and has been put in a resurrection chamber. I actually would rather Epona stay in the past this time around because something that they've added to the reality of this game is your horse can die in combat. That's why there's so many different horses in game. So Epona being in game means that we could lose her in combat or she's invincible which kind of cheapens the new mechanic. Of course you could name any horse in game Epona if you wanted to. One other cool thing that I did read more recently is that if you feed and take care of the horse you tame it not only will become more bonded to you but it will get stronger as well so there's an element of training involved.

Timber · Feb 21, 2017 8:01 PM

The more I hear about it, the more I'm intrigued. I need to hurry up and get rich so I can get a Nintendo switch. Pesky adulting things getting in the way and all.

yellowbirdacres · Feb 22, 2017 10:40 AM

I am very torn on this game because while it seems like a reincarnation of Ocarina of Time (which is amazing), Nintendo has been pretty wishy washy on their gaming systems and release a new one every few years it seems. I feel like it is a cash grab by Nintendo and not being true to their customers. Why did they need to come out with the Nintendo switch when WiiU wasn't released very long ago? I don't think they have released many games for WiiU so is this going to be the same with the switch? It makes me wary of buying any further game systems from them.

On the topic of horses in games, this horse seems reminiscent of Argo in Shadow of Colossus, very much a clumsy draft type of horse which isn't necessarily the best riding horse in my opinion. Roach in The Witcher 3 is also similar but perhaps less heavy, though he does spook and isn't necessarily a good combat horse. My favorite in game horses are the horses in Red Dead Redemption and I am interested to see how they turn out in the new game. Things I would like to see for the new Red Dead horses are: tack changing and removal, the ability to lead your horse on the ground, the ability to bring abandoned horses to town to sell them or remove their tack to set them free, different variations of colors in specific breeds, and perhaps different body types for different breeds.

If there is a horse in a game, I will buy it to try it out so it is a pretty important consideration for me, haha. I could probably go on and on about it!

Ammit · Feb 22, 2017 1:12 PM

The WiiU launched five years ago. The Wii was 10 years ago. 5 years is pretty standard and both Microsoft and Sony follow the same 5 yearish cycle.

WiiU sold poorly because it was advertised poorly. The name was too confusing. That is a big reason why studios did not push games for it. The market wasn't there. There already is a sizable launch line up for the Switch. Over 35 games already announced including some huge titles. A big issue for the WiiU is it was hard to port too and code for. Devs are coming out of the wood work saying the Switch is the easiest console they have ever worked with. I really think Switch is going to do gangbusters for them.

ObsidianKitsune · Feb 22, 2017 4:34 PM

@Yellowbirdacres What do you mean by "clumsy heavy draft type?" I've honestly never thought of the big horses as that! Plodding, maybe....

These horses remind me a bit of my most recent ride, on an old (approaching 30 I believe) Clydesdale called Tom. It was at my boyfriends grandparents christmas lunch and a few people, including me, were given to opportunity to stand on the back of two clydesdales. Afterwards, we had a small ride on Tom, bareback of course. It was one of the most comfortable rides in my life! Made me kinds want to have one as my own lol.

shad0cat · Feb 24, 2017 6:05 AM

@yellowbirdacres- They have said that this game is a sequal to Ocarina of Time but I don't see it as a reincarnation of it. If anything I see it as a reincarnation of the original 1986 Legend of Zelda from the NES. They've said that it is absolutely non linear. They've said it's possible to grab a stick and head into Gannon's lair right away although I doubt you'd be able to beat the monsters that will surely be waiting for you and if you did actually get to him you probably wouldn't win. The point is however that like the first one there are no hard locks. The map is wide open and you can tackle the 120 shrines and 4 dungeons in any order just like in the first game.

Wii U sold very poorly. They pretty much had to move on. 5 years is a long life for technology. Tech is developed so quickly that most new tech is obscellete in the space of 3 years. I am super excited for the hybrid functionality of the Switch. I haven't bought a home console from Nintendo since the N64. I usually only buy the handhelds because most of my extra time for gaming is on the go. The Switch is the perfect console for me. I hear it's going to have Gamecube games in the Eshop. If that's true then that is a chance for me to go back and pick up a few games I missed from that Gen.

I actually like the draft style horses. In reality they probably aren't the best on the battlefield but there is something majestic about a big muscled out horse. They don't seem clumsy in game. Also when I run over those bokablins with one they're gonna know about it ;).

I've heard many good things about the horses in Red Dead Redemption but I've never had a chance to play it. Maybe someday.

Timber · Feb 24, 2017 7:46 AM

Nintendo has been trying to recreate the success they had with the Wii. The WiiU was a new concept but Nintendo has a habit of taking old successful names and IPs and slapping them on new concepts, effectively damaging its chance for success before it comes out the gate.

For example, newer Mario games have been criticized heavily for not being faithful to the Mario franchise. This is because slapping Mario's face on a game gives old Mario fans preconceived notions of what to expect and when the game does not live up to that expectation they tend to just say it was a bad game.

When pikmin arrived on the scene, it to was a new concept but was given its own room to grow instead of being shackled to a preexisting concept. It was a very popular series.

From what I've seen, the Switch is a vastly improved version of what the WiiU was supposed to be. I can see the difficulty to port and develop for the WiiU being an issue since it was new but the chief complaint I saw from consumers is that they didn't like the controller screen and such. Now how it the switch going to be any different from that? You can go from TV to portable just like the WiiU could. But unless you can go outside and travel length distances (if I understand correctly is a plausible feature) I really don't see how its gonna be any different.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still totally nerding out over it and desire one badly. Just voicing some observations.

Ammit · Feb 24, 2017 9:51 AM

The switch is not a controller like the WiiU it IS the console. Yes it 100% can be taken with you like a game boy. That is the whole point of it. The exact same game you can play on the subway is what you play on the big screen. It instantly switches between modes. Hence the name. I am so excited to get mine. One more week!

New video. The horses look fantastic! Dat side pass!

shad0cat · Feb 25, 2017 5:00 AM

Great Video. I've never seen the sidepass in any of the others That guy's poor horse....but at least I know now they have a fair level of durability. I had been worndering about that since they don't appear to have a lifebar.

yellowbirdacres · Feb 26, 2017 9:52 AM

@Ammit- Wow 5 years already for the WiiU! Apparently time flies haha, I thought it had only been about 2.

@ObsidianKitsune- what I mean by clumsy draft type is that in Shadow of Colossus the horse (Argo) does seem very clumsy, not that all draft type horses are clumsy. I particularly like a heavier horse myself!

ObsidianKitsune · Feb 26, 2017 3:57 PM

@yellowbirdacres ah, ok. I KNOW that I have seen someone play it, but I don't even remember what the horse was like so it must have been bad lol.

The horses in here are amazing! I can't wait until I can get it! Which would probably be a few years after it's release when it is cheaper lol. Still haven't got an XBox One....

Mystwood · Feb 26, 2017 4:08 PM

Sim3 with the Pets add-on pac has some fairly realistic horse riding & jumping.

ObsidianKitsune · Feb 26, 2017 4:36 PM

Yeah, I loved the sims 3 pets! Always had a horse on my property. Still waiting for sims 4 pets.....

Timber · Feb 27, 2017 9:57 AM

Shadow of the Colossus was one of those games that had a very striking split on popularity. Gamers either hated it or loved it. I personally loved that game and was actually heartbroken about Argo. (Not saying anything further to avoid spoilers)

Sims 4 pets is very much less of a possibility than before. The studio that was working on Sims 4 was shut down and EA moved the project to anther group within the company. That was a while back and I haven't heard a peep about it since. I have noticed based on new content releases for Sims 4 that this other group does not seem to be making the sims project a big priority.

shad0cat · Mar 2, 2017 6:02 AM

Well someone found out one way to get Epona. There may be another time will tell. Here she is.

jezmynespice1 · Mar 10, 2017 3:55 PM

ive been watching livestreams and videos of this game on YouTube for days now and omg this game is amazing! there's so much to do and the graphics and gameplay is just amazeballs, also from what ive been seeing you can either get epona from an amiibo or find her in the wild, she's not the same color she was in previous games though, i think she's a Grullo in this game

Ammit · Mar 11, 2017 4:19 AM

No you can only get her via an Amiibo. There are tons of random Grullos, someone probably just named one Epona.

And ya the game is just fantastic in scope. All the perfect critic scores and not just hype. I love fishing. The best part is the lack of fishing rods. You have to get creative. :D Also climbing is ALWAYS an option.

shad0cat · Mar 14, 2017 5:30 AM

I finally got my copy. OMG I love it!!. Not only do you get to catch your own horses but you have to train them too to get their controls to be repsonsive. I love taking wild horses and turning them into fine tuned warhorses. As for Epona, so far nobody has found a side quest to get her in game. I have her because I was lucky enough that a friend of mine gifted me the Smash Brothers Link amiibo two Christmases ago. I'm afraid to take her out of the stable though. I'd hate to see her die :(. I know I could get her back but still.....

Ammit · Mar 14, 2017 6:14 AM

Oh you can do more than just train them. Talk to the horse care givers at the stables. *hint hint*

There is also a few special horses to catch in the game. :D

shad0cat · Mar 15, 2017 4:34 AM

Oh yeah I heard about the horse salon and the special horses, but I kinna like mine the colors they are. I have a quest for the royal horse but I'm not yet sure where that area is yet but I'll find it.

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