That's not a concept that hadn't been approached before, though. SM64 wasn't just a new gameplay concept, it set the standard for how 3D third person games should work. As far as just being a better game is concerned BotW has SM64 beat, but SM64 was revolutionary to the entire industry.

Never played Morrowind or Daggerfall I reckon? Different type of freedoms (before some of zealous BotW fans jump in, especially those that never touched Morrowind), but so much choice in how you play and what you do in that world (which is magnitude more fleshed out than BotW, to begin with - and this is coming from someone who's not that big of TES to begin with)

Has to be Breath of the Wild for me. Still my 2nd favorite game of all time. I think in terms of innovation, Mario 64 is the easy choice but in terms of overall presentation, playability, etc. Breath of the Wild beats it out.

It's never really been achieved though you can have a concept floating around for ages but if it's not been executed right it's not really been done an example is motion control it was around in the 80s but took the Wii's execution to became a factor in gaming, SM64 was revolutionary yes but BOTW is evolutionary as it changes how people approach their gaming worlds and applications this is why it stands out even though the are numerous great open world games out as it did something they couldn't replicate in the execution of absolute freedom.

An example of what I mean in every other open world game you can only deal with enemies with your standard means of combat while in botw you can approach the same enemy in so many different ways from burning the ground to cause an updraft so you can fly up and slam down on them to freezing a boulder with stasis and launching it at them to launching them in the air and pelting them with arrows. This level of freedom is so much higher than the other games that tried to tackle the concept that it's no longer in the same ball park as no other game has an answer for it.

I've played Morrowind it's freedom is nowhere close to BOTW, the freedom you talk of in those games consists of picking a class and skills in other you're locked in where as BOTW you play around freely with all mechanics at all. I recall I even brought up many examples of freedom in BOTW in comparision to the said games and they didn't have an answer your only response to them was to brush it off as messing about in the game when in actuality it's full on freedom of mechanics and the situation.

As I said, different types of freedoms, not just in class and skills.

I'd say you don't know your Morrowind anywhere near as much as your BotW if you think that BotW has more freedom - which is fair I guess, Morrowind is game you can play in so many different ways.

I know Morrowind just fine I touched upon earlier in players having locked in approaches to their choices of freedom in other games this is what BOTW does away with, Morrowind is a step above the likes of Mass Effect and such in this regard but still takes the same sort of route.

Well, different strokes I guess - for me BotW, apart from certain aspects (that are still very case by case) is actually very limiting and constrictive game.

BOTW is the very opposite of constrictive it's the game that allows the most amount of options to any random situation that arises this is why the are players still finding new tricks and ways to approach the game even today.

Morrowwind's acrobatics skill was almost like a precursor to BotW's gliding. Not having to navigate around mountains, and other obstacles was gamechanging. What I really loved about Morrowwind, was that every dungeon was handcrafted. Everything had a story to tell in that game, even the books. You could just wander into a Daedric ruin, or a Vampire lair without knowing it. Looting the Vault of Vivec city was a freeform quest and one of the most enjoyable in the game. Having guards that weren't pushovers was great. Morrowwind was bursting with factions and quests. You had three Great Houses, Imperial Temple, Tribunal Temple, Legionaries, Fighter's Guild, Mages Guild, Thieves Guild, and Morag Tong.

Too bad Morrowwind has aged terribly. I'd kill for a remake of that game. But Bethesda's entire game design these days is flawed. Even Skyrim feels simple and stale compared to BotW.