Zelda Topic

[Soniman]

Just give the Master Sword to both.

Worked for 4Sword it could work here.

Or maybe it doesn't really have to be the Master Sword.

[Diogenes]

Just give the Master Sword to both.

Yeah but that's the boring option.

[Speederino]

So anyone who's played it, how was Zelda in Spirit Tracks? One of the big gimmicks is that she was actually along with Link for the adventure, right? Did that do any good?

I remember liking her at the time, but now I don't really remember. Either way, it was nice to see her get a larger role.

[Wraith]

How about ditch the master sword bullshit altogether and have them do something different.

[Kuzu]

How about they have two halves of the Master Sword, and it only becomes one when they learn to work together?

[Diogenes]

How about ditch the master sword bullshit altogether and have them do something different.

A valid option, but it is kind of a major thing in the series.

How about they have two halves of the Master Sword, and it only becomes one when they learn to work together?

But what happens once they've done that, though? Unless that's literally the last thing in the game...

[JezMM]

Could be a side story like Majora's Mask, then the Master Sword isn't even needed.

Though I must say, the idea of a Zelda with a physical partner akin to say, Alyx in Half-Life 2's episodes sounds utterly delectable.

Oh, and since we were all sharing, my original OoT copy had the reworked music and green blood, but still had the crescent moon motif on objects.

Oh, and just to make this post even more unfocused, random thought, I really hope if Majora's Mask does get remade, they either redesign the mirror shield or allow us to switch it like in OoT. I know the Hylian Shield servers no purpose once you have the Mirror Shield, and I know the disturbing Mirror Shield design was completely appropriate for Majora's Mask's tone, but... damn it's creepy and I hate that you're stuck with it for the rest of the game after Ikana Canyon.

Edited September 2, 2012 by JezMM

[Speederino]

WARNING: RUMOR ALERT!!! As in, this is a rumor, so do not take it as fact.

Original Character Blonic bears no liability for you believing something that ends up being completely 100% false. In which case, you're just a gullible idiot. Neener neener poo poo.

Supposedly, a Wii U Zelda game is in development and slated to be released in 2014. (Though knowing Nintendo, it will probably get pushed back two or three times)

WiiU Daily:

According to our source in Japan, Nintendo is betting big on the next Zelda game, set for release in 2014 on the Wii U. This comes from the same source that accurately predicted Wii U achievements in the past, and broke the news Nintendo was working on a Wii U social network, which turned out to be Miiverse. So we're quite confident in this information. The source is from within Nintendo and has seen the new Zelda game in action. He's impressed, to say the least.

The first bit of information concerns the visual style of the game. Many Zelda fans are hoping for a darker, Twilight Princes-like Zelda on the Wii U, but it looks like Nintendo is sticking to most recent Zelda art style, found in Skyward Sword. "Nintendo is sticking to the core values of Zelda, while trying to appeal to a wide range of gamers, casual and hardcore", our source told us, adding, "They feel they've found the sweet spot with Skyward Sword, and they're continuing this approach with the Wii U Zelda game".

Wii U Zelda has the biggest development team ever

Nintendo has assembled the biggest team ever to work on a game at Nintendo EAD 3 in Japan. "They got hundreds of people working on the new Wii U Zelda game", which still hasn't got an official subtitle. The development is once again led by Eiji Aonuma, who has been working on the game with his team since late 2010.

"It's a 4-year development cycle with a new console, new technology, new engine etc. It'll end up being the most expensive game they've made to date. It's a huge investment for them [Nintendo] in money and manpower, this is Rockstar/GTA territory". Nintendo originally planned to release the game in Fall 2013 to strengthen the Wii U against the new consoles from Microsoft and Sony, but apparently that didn't turn out to be realistic. "They targeted a 2013 release, but quickly abandoned that goal. This is the biggest project they've [Nintendo] ever done, no way is it gonna be ready for Q3 2013. At least from where I see it".

Biggest, most ambitious Zelda game to date.

The new Wii U Zelda will feature "about the same amount of dungeons as previous Zelda games, but these will be vastly bigger in scope and will be totally different from each other. Some dungeons are so big they're broken up in 3 parts and will literally take hours to complete". The Wii U Zelda game will also "have mini-games and side quests, but these are still on the drawing board". Finally, the game's composers are creating a brand new orchestral soundtrack with "hours of music". No word on whether any characters will speak in the game. Regarding the story, he said "I really can't comment on that [the story] because I have no idea what it is. I dunno where it's set in the Zelda timeline. I've seen a grown up Link who looks like a much higher detailed Link from Skyward Sword. I haven't see any cut scenes or boss fights either at this point. I'm not sure they've made any of that yet".

"Some dungeons are so big they're broken up in 3 parts and will literally take hours to complete"One of the dungeons is said to be an entire forest. "The first test dungeon they made was a giant forest running on early and buggy Wii U hardware - the dungeon was bigger than the Hyrule field in Ocarina, and the whole thing is one dungeon. You use the gamepad to navigate, avoid traps, follow clues etc. It's dark, lush, with a ton of trees, foliage, some which you have to cut your way through. Its scope and details are unlike anything you've seen in a Zelda game". He added that the Wii U Zelda game is so big, it wouldn't be possible without the 25 GB Blu-ray based storage that the console uses.

No online multiplayer, but will have online features

Zelda fans looking for online multiplayer will be somewhat disappointed, according to our source. "Online multiplayer was never on the drawing board, they're sticking with the tried and tested Zelda formula. It'll have some online features like Miiverse and some sort of system where players can leave hints and help each other in the dungeons. That's about it".

The online component is still very much on the drawing board, according to our insider. "As far as I know, none of this [online] stuff has begun development as of Summer 2012. It's still on paper only and will probably be one of the last things they'll add. It's not a big priority for them. Unless they got some separate team elsewhere working on it".

HD graphics, same visual style as Skyward Sword

Nintendo are said to be very pleased with the art direction and visual style of Skyward Sword, and are continuing this look. Of course, it'll be in full HD with much improved quality compared to what we saw on the Wii. "They're using a new, state of the art engine that's being built from ground up in parallel with the game. It's got the most advanced visual features Nintendo has ever made, and includes a lot of third party tech like Havok for physics and rendering middleware from Umbra (which was recently confirmed for the Wii U)".

He added, "The Wii U Zelda stuff you saw at E3 2011 was just a tech demo, nothing else. I've seen none of that in the real game. The tech demo was even made by an entirely different team with an older engine".

"Most innovative game ever"

The next Zelda won't just use the GamePad, it'll take it to a new level with never before seen features, showing just what's possible. In fact, the game is said to have been influential to the design of the controller to begin with. "At least one of the hardware features added to the GamePad were solely implemented because the Zelda team figured out they could do something cool with it". "Each dungeon will offer a different gameplay experience with the tablet controller" The Zelda game was designed from ground up with the tablet controller in mind, "Zelda designers started sketching out concepts as soon as Nintendo decided to include a screen with the new console", he said, adding, "everything in the game is built around the controller and its unique abilities. Every single feature in the controller is used to its full potential. Some of this stuff is still in early stages of development, but they've already implemented enough to show just what's possible with the new controller. They showed some of this stuff to key third party devs behind closed doors last year to get them to realize the possibilities of the new tech."

The Wii U Zelda game will redefine gaming with its features and innovation, and will offer things that only the Wii U can do. "It'll have some revolutionizing gameplay. It has stuff that would never be possible on any other console, and it's not just one cool feature, it's one cool feature after another. Each dungeon will offer a different gameplay experience with the tablet controller. It'll be the most innovative game ever, they got stuff that will be copied by others for years."

So far, it looks like an epic Zelda game. Future Wii U owners definitely have something very special to look forward to. Even if we have to wait another two years for a chance to play it.

If this is true, I finally have a reason to pay attention to the Wii U.

[VO.SUPER]

Oh dear, this hype train sounds like it's going to ride too high. I'm going to do my best to avoid this hype after that Twilight Princess fiasco.

Hopefully, Nintendo ops for going with the more balanced approach to this new Zelda, versus the heavily Japanese based approach they've been working with recently.

Also, I don't know if I fancy the idea of the budget being that high. If this game proves enough of a success to pay that off, I'd hate to see Nintendo get their heads swelled up like so many other stupid AAA companies.

[Diogenes]

HD graphics, same visual style as Skyward Sword

Boo!

I mean SS wasn't ugly but it wasn't so overwhelmingly good that I'd want them to keep that style.

(bring back Wind Waker graphics)

[Old dead account]

>Rockstar scale game

>2014 release

Only 3 years development. I want to believe it but my head keeps telling that I know better ><

Edited September 6, 2012 by Prince Solaris

[Soniman]

Open world Zelda?

I am uneasy......

Boo!

I mean SS wasn't ugly but it wasn't so overwhelmingly good that I'd want them to keep that style.

(bring back Wind Waker graphics)

Ive less of a problem with SS graphics and more of a problem of them using that style twice in a row (and I'm tired of WW styled games, we have like 4 of them).

Edited September 6, 2012 by Soniman

[Speederino]

>Rockstar scale game

>2014 release

Only 3 years development. I want to believe it but my head keeps telling that I know better ><

I don't think that's such a stretch. Using Rockstar as an example, GTA IV came out mid-2008 and San Andreas before it came out in October or November of 2004. In that case it's unlikely that GTA IV development began anytime before mid-2005 or so, so that too would have been about three years.

As for the graphics style, I don't care that much so long as the game looks fine. After SS, I'm more worried about the potential linearity of the overworld again. Hopefully it won't be, if this game is as grand and huge as they're making it out to be.

Edited September 6, 2012 by Original Character Blonic

[Nepenthe]

Considering DragonCon was in town not too long ago, I felt compelled to spend money on nerdy shit, so I picked up Twilight Princess for about twenty bucks. Honestly, it's not grabbing me like Skyward Sword did. In fact, it feels pretty much like a poor man's Skyward Sword; unpolished and clunkier in regards to movement and combat. I actually appreciate the Wii MotionPlus in hindsight now: it kept me on my toes during combat and added in some element of strategy and accuracy that I'm sorely missing in Twilight Princess where I'm just slashing around with any real sensible feedback and mowing through enemies without challenge.

There's not been a lot of development at this point either; I don't really feel any kind of way about Link, probably due in part to his more reserved demeanor and lacking animations, Zelda's not been around much, and I feel there's no sense of wonder to the world, as if I were expected to know Hyrule coming in and it's just business as usual, which in turn is worsened by the lack of an orchestrated soundtrack. Midna's kind of a lovable bitch, although she leans more towards the latter at this point in the game with her consistent complaining about my actions. Wolf Link on the other hand is really fun. He's more agile and faster for one thing, and it's always a considerable novelty to play as a true quadruped creature without the quirks and conveniences of being human. You can never just open a door, for example; you have to find another way in. Frankly, I wouldn't mind if the whole game was composed of these sections. I find them more compelling by default.

All in all, I feel like it's falling short. Not a bad game by any means, but I probably started with the wrong title and had my expectations a bit too high, even with being told that the game was complete balls and adjusting them accordingly. And good on Nintendo for keeping SS's style for the next installment; I hope that extends to the characterization and atmosphere too.

[VO.SUPER]

You know Nepenthe, I think you would have enjoyed the gamecube version of Twilight Princess better. It was, after all, tailored for that platform.

[Nepenthe]

I remembered that detail and was considering buying that version in the store, then I remembered what console generation I'm in. 8(

Kind of upset there's no GC controller support for the Wii version, though. xP

[VO.SUPER]

I remembered that detail and was considering buying that version in the store, then I remembered what console generation I'm in. 8(

Kind of upset there's no GC controller support for the Wii version, though. xP

You know Nepenthe, I'm not really sure how to read that.

Doesn't the Wii have backwards comparability? There's your gamecube controller support there.

[Solly]

I'd kinda want to see a new art style tried out, but whatever they pick has to make thematic sense.

It has to fit the overall tone and theme of game nicely. I don't think Majora's Mask woud've had the same impact if it looked like Wind Waker, and I don't think Wind Waker would've had the same impact if it looked like Twilight Princess.

[Nepenthe]

You know Nepenthe, I'm not really sure how to read that.

Doesn't the Wii have backwards comparability? There's your gamecube controller support there.

I mean, the likelihood of me having even found the Gamecube version in a brick-and-mortar store was infinitesimal. And I didn't really feel like going online for a copy that was marked up beyond belief (my first search result on Amazon is ridiculously overpriced) when I could get the Nintendo Selects version right then and there for about $20. So yeah, no GC controller support for me. xP

Edited September 6, 2012 by Nepenthe

[VO.SUPER]

I mean, the likelihood of me having even found the Gamecube version in a brick-and-mortar store was infinitesimal. And I didn't really feel like going online for a copy that was marked up beyond belief (my first search result on Amazon is ridiculously overpriced) when I could get the Nintendo Selects version right then and there for about $20. So yeah, no GC controller support for me. xP

Wow, thankfully that's nothing close to Wind Waker's Price http://www.amazon.com/Legend-Zelda-Wind-Waker-GameCube/dp/B000084318/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1346907924&sr=1-1&keywords=Wind+Waker

But if a gamecube game from 2006 costs so much then, my bob, have things changed so quickly. I'm glad I still own a working copy of Wind Waker when it was cheap.

[Sean]

Old Zelda games are typically expensive compared to say, Mario ones for some reason.

So after returning that defective copy of Wind Waker, I actually found another complete copy that was being sold for just 30 bucks, which is kind of a steal considering how much it goes for normally. It should be arriving this week so I'm seriously crossing my fingers that I run into no problems with this one. If I do, I will flip.

[Solkia]

The estimated normal lifespan of dvds is supposedly 8-10 years.

Though that was estimated in about 2002 or so, don't know if it's relevant now.

[Sean]

Well it arrived today, and unlike the last copy I got which had several scratches, everything about this one looks totally brand new. It doesn't freeze at the part it did before either, and I tested it multiple times just to make sure. Time will tell if it happens at any other point, but I doubt it.

So I just spent only $30 on a perfect condition copy of Wind Waker and I am absolutely happy now.

[G-Force]

When it comes to art style, I have to say that I thought Skyward Sword was on the right track, not with the impressionist qualities but with the general idea of realistic characters with more simplistic, stylized features. I mean, it seems like a lot of people just can't take the Wind Waker style seriously, and it just seemed like Twilight Princess's style was so far up its own ass with trying to have so much detail that it ended up becoming the only Zelda game I can think of that has genuinely ugly characters.

Finding a happy medium between generic realism and full blown toon style seems like the ideal to me.

[Diogenes]

I mean, it seems like a lot of people just can't take the Wind Waker style seriously

That is because they are dumb.