I'll go Keyser Soze for BotW, no hesitation :)

Lack of story and boss fights/enemy variety ,and borrowed elements already in other games, stop it from reaching top 5 of all time Wish there was more than jsut 4 main boss encounters. And the castle at the end was a huge letdown. I was expecting something huge and grand , but it felt lifeless. Maybe in top 20, but still was a great game to play, one of the best in a loooong time. 

Yes, but it should be said that I had my expectations in check. I didnt expect it to be the best Zelda and it isnt, and I didnt expect it to be my favorite game of all time - or even the gen - and it isnt.

It has certain issues/details I didnt enjoy at all and no amount of people telling me "its meant to be like that" its gonna make me change my mind on mechanics I do not enjoy, most notably the weapon durability/storage. Another thing I didnt particularly dislike - But I preffer it a different way its the structure of the game itself - I still MUCH rather play the traditional dungeon-style adventure Zelda games - than this mini shrine/dungeon style. The actual dungeons of the game (Divine beasts) had such a horrible design for me that they were the least enjoyable aspect of it.

However, despite what I just said I absolutely enjoy the simplicity of the gameplay, the atmosphere, the music, the freedom, perhaps more than I thought initially. I didnt get tired of the art direction (which was something I was actually concerned with, since its not a style Im particularly fond of) and all in all it it was a very good experience. So yeah, I'd say it lived up to my expectations.

I made a companion thread, about what you want to see in Breath of the Wild 2: http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/thread.php?id=241647

Kind of. Overall it was a fantastic game, and one my my favourite open world games. They did it well, aside from a few nitpicky things (weapon durability, I'm looking at you, or rain starting while I'm half way up a mountain). My issue is that it felt more like an open world game than a Zelda game. They moved a little too far away from certain aspects. It tossed away many of the things I come to associate with the series that have been in place since Link to the Past. Like slowly opening up map progression with items/skills. Or having 6-10 big dungeons that utilize your skills and items and have a healthy combo of puzzle challenges and combat challenges.

If they incorporated some of these things back in, while keeping with the open world design, it would be pretty much perfect.

Yes. But maybe not in the sense you think. It may have it's downside as a Zelda-game (a little light on story for instance), but the part that makes it unforgettable is the consequent rethinking of the formula.

One very important part is that every system applies for everything. No restriction. For instance there are only a few physics implemented, but they affect everything. Wind for instance affects every object in the game, not only objects that are programmed to like sails or windmills. So item drops from monsters are blown away by the wind. Similarly climbing is not only implemented for a few areas the developer has marked as climbable, but everything that is more going up than forward will be climbed. You cannot only ride horses, but every animal big enough. And so on. And all these systems are combinable.

And the devs used this to a big extent. I think everyone has for the lulz given an enemy a metal weapon in a thunderstorm to electrocute them. But there are other things too. I was so surprised in a combat as a Moblin grabbed a Bokoblin in his reach and threw it at me. Throwing is a global system, so everything can be thrown, even a Bokoblin.

The second area which makes the game so great is the real openness. The only things you HAVE to do to beat the game are the four shrines at the starting Plateau, talking to the old man and killing Ganon. Everything else is optional. This in result makes the story so light, as the devs knew you could skip everything. On the other hand it allows you to forge your very own adventure.

The third is exploration. You will find something everywhere and will be rewarded if you just look what is over that hill. I think this might be the best game I ever played in regards to exploration. This also has to do with the fact, that barely anytime a marker is set automatically on the map. A few quests do that. But many quests task you to find the stuff yourself, following the hints. And so nearly every marker on the map is set by you manually, and for that reason you know exactly why this marker is there and what it represents. You also can remove the HUD from your view. It is seldomly needed, you look at the world, not your values. Which in turn helps to identify stuff and follow the hints of a questgiver.

In my opinion these three things make BOTW outstanding. Maybe these things will be copied in later games and built on top of this some other things might be better.

I expected it to be a great Zelda game, but it became my favorite game of all time.

I think it's a great game but some things could be improved.

The dungeons could be better. I personally found the shrines to be boring as they all have the same aesthetic look.

the way weapon durability works could be changed. maybe have them break less often and make them repairable. This system made finding rare cool weapons trivial. (I wish the game would just automatically switch to the next available weapon when one weapon breaks instead of having to open a menu) .

I would also like a more engaging story. I just didn't care about any of the characters or about any events that happened. maybe because eveything pretty much happens in the past instead of the present and you're just experiencing everything from "memories". I just wasn't a fan of this kind of storytelling personally.

The game is fun for the most part and is a favorite of mine but the sequel can improve a lot.

Yes, even surpassed my own expectations and became my favorite game ever.
Have already finished 6 times (only one with the 100%) and ready to start for the 7th time. A classic to me.

It greatly exceeded my expectations but then again I think I had my hype level in check, mainly because of concerns regarding the open-world route and the durability system. But I ended up actually enjoying the weapon system and the world was so much better than I ever could've imagined. I loved the game from start to finish and despite doing a 100% run I just wanted to jump right back into it and experience it again.