Pokemon Pokopia!

Think Ill pass on this one. Not all Pokémon games are worth getting in the end unless you happen to be a huge Pokémon fan or are a collector. Would rather burn my cash on Gen 10 when it comes out or other games. I just got a Switch 2 though so eh maybe ill change my mind but I doubt it.

Also here's how I view the main Zelda games. BotW was a real risk/experiment with the open world. The Shrines were somewhat challenging but the Beasts were virtually all the same because you could do them in any order. I did get emotional when watching a playthrough though because you come to care for the Champions that perished, notably Mipha given she was in love with Link. You don't get any of that with TotK outside of the fact they introduced more Time Paradox crap because now there's 2 Zelda's, 2 Ganons and other issues with BotW's timeline. The Shrines were replaced with the Blessings of Light, some of which were copy and pastes since their locations are exactly the same as before(be it on the surface or in the sky). As for the underground, they could have done more with it but didn't and the location of the Light Roots are with surface Shrines so if you have them all, then finding Light Roots isnt so hard. Not to mention why would I want to face Bosses over again in the depths… ugh. Oh and if you 100% either game, I wish you luck because the rewards are mostly cosmetic or worthless besides doing the Shrines for Blessings of Light for Heart Containers + Stamina. The only Temple that felt like a real dungeon was the Fire Temple though, at least to me.

Its why I got Echoes of Wisdom because even though its the Chibi artstyle of Link's Awakening, it has real Dungeons and old school boss fights. Zelda may utilize Echoes or Spells to fight instead of items but its better than having weapons break and praying you have something in your inventory. Plus… you play as Zelda for a change. Outside of the Hyrule Warriors series, what Zelda games permit such an opportunity?

TP isn't bad, ditto Skyward Sword(only other game where Zelink actually has some relevance compared to BotW/TotK) but I'm partial to Phantom Hourglass/Spirit Tracks. Underrated titles, notably the latter. Yeah the latter is corny but the incarnation of Zelda on Spirit Tracks is actually useful for a change(since she accompanies you. Her reaction "episode" in the beginning is also priceless). Also giving honorable mention to Link Between Worlds(nice nod to A Link to the Past) due to Princess Hilda.

Skyward Sword is worth it imo. Similar Combat mechanics and decent dungeons to go with it. My only gripe with SS is the Dungeon Bosses. If you have any skill with Sword combat, defeating them is a cakewalk. ZorZelda's 100% playthrough is a solid example of what I mean by demolishing the game in no time flat.

Have to agree that Bomb Arrows are a popular fighting tactic along with 2-H Weapons(which Link is surprisingly strong with). Then again you can go wild on Bomb Arrows on TP too, although they won't do much, if anything compared to BotW/TP since Bosses have particular weakpoints. Best TP boss is probably Sky City given you have to use the Longshots to remove its Armor.

That said… I cannot condone the Spinner… that's a crime against gaming having an item like that… even if it leads to wild runs through its respective Dungeon and reaching one particular Heart Piece.

On an unrelated note, I somewhat broke down and unboxed my Switch 2 today to take advantage of a Black Friday/Cyber Monday deal on E-Shop. Got Skywalker Saga with lots of DLC for $20. Hard to beat that. Also got both Scarlett DLC for $35(not much, if any, savings but at least I have it now). Debating whether to get Z-A's DLC but I'll hold off until I get around to it. Having to decide what game to play first and I'm leaning towards Skywalker Saga. Been wanting to play that since it came out… All this downloading though has drained the battery so I got it charging right now.