The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

[Silencer226]

I don't mind either art style, though I have to admit Wind Waker's was far more memorable, charming and..eh, cute. Maybe they should just mix both styles? Imagine Toon adult Link! X3

I'm either crap at Zelda games or something, but I still can't get past Snowpeak Ruins' dungeon. =/ And it's NOT easy! Wind Waker's dungeons are far, faaar easier. I can do those off the back of my hand.

Eh, I've seen worse. Check out OoT. Impa and those damn Fairies. URGH.

Impa and the fairies were sexy, the manly features brought out the woman in them... Yeah they were ugly.

[yUnG MuLa]

bet this new zelda game is going to be a TP rehash.

[Dr. Mechano]

bet this new zelda game is going to be a TP rehash.

What's wrong with being similar to TP though?

Majora's Mask used the same engine as Ocarina of Time, and it was- to most Zelda fans- a great game. I actually preferred it over Ocarina of Time.

I don't understand this mentality- Sequels that use similar basic elements, yet still have an entirely different plot, world, etc. are panned for being "rehashes?"

I said this in the Super Mario Galaxy 2 topic, but it warrants repeating- By your logic, wouldn't Sonic 2 be a "rehash" of Sonic 1 for using the same basic elements?

I for one see no problem with keeping the basic engine and elements- It's still an entirely different game, and that's what counts.

[Blacklightning]

What's wrong with being similar to TP though?

I feel the problem is not so much a rehash of a single game so much as it is the fact that Zelda literally makes a living making games off the exact same template, over and over again without end. This wasn't a problem at first, but by the time you can literally predict the entire game in advance with little to no foresight and still expect to get a good 70% or so right, it's just fucking sad. Even Sonic games aren't always that predictable.

I do have to give Ninty credit though, making an exclusively touchscreen-based game turned the formula upside down and brought new approaches even to seeminlg familiar items and puzzles(I mean, fuck, look at the Boomerang alone). So I can't hate the franchise for it as much anymore because there's an alternative. But if for the next game the dungeons follow a grass > fire > water pattern, Ganon turns out to be the final boss and the late pre-endgame consists of backtracking to locations you've already been to in yet another pointless fetch-quest, I probably won't bother picking up another mainstream Zelda until Ninty freshen their game up. I might as well just replay OoT for the Nteenth time.

[SuperLink]

If this has the same structure as TP, a lot of fans will be disappointed.

However if they pull a Majora's Mask with it, something completely unexpected and unique, then we'll be over the moon.

The moon... THE MOOON. D:!!

[Patticus]

Miyamoto stated quite clearly that Twilight Princess would be the last Zelda of its kind and I'm going to keep bringing that up until this game is released and we can see whether or not he was mindful of that statement during the game's development.

The game was great, but as has been said the Zelda formula has got to a stage where you know exactly where it's going, and even if you can't quite tell what the exact twist in the tale you can know that there will be one roughly halfway through and that afterwards the plot takes a new direction, and so on and so forth. That formula is stale, tired and needs putting away for good, and I think that if the Zelda Wii team can give us Wiimote and MotionPlus usage as innovative as the Touch Screen (and Mic?) uses in Phantom Hourglass/Spirit Tracks, they'll already be on their way to a great new Zelda formula.

One can only hope that the changes don't stop there though, the dungeons in these games need revitalising, the boss concept needs looking at and reconfiguring, items you collect need to be used far better and in not such a cliche "use the item you just collected to beat this boss, how handy!" way, the towns need more personality like in TWW, and the main villain need not always be Ganondorf.

[SuperLink]

I'd like to see Vaati as the main villain... even though his trilogy is over. Either that or a villain that doesn't suck (PH's villain sucked, Zant sucked). I'd also like to see the Oracles in 3D someday. Onox and Veran weren't great villains but the Oracle games were connected, and they had their own "maidens" to kidnap.

If this is set before OoT (origin of Master Sword?) then there's absolutely no way Ganondorf can be used anyway.

Perhaps it'll play a part in Zelda II's backstory? Recently I've been playing Star Ocean 4, and being set before SO1 there's quite a bit of background information, as well as the protagonists having a large part of the events before SO1. Could a similar thing be done with Zelda II's backstory? The original Princess Zelda? etc. Could be interesting...

[Patticus]

Possible uses for the Remote and MotionPlus in Zelda Wii can be found throughout Wii Sports Resort, apparently, and it could go well beyond what we know from Miyamoto's E3 Roundtable. Sword Fighting and Archery you already know, if you've seen the trailers you'll know how they work, and the Hookshot is painfully obvious if you give it a moment's thought, but what about the series staple Boomerang? Look at WSRs Frisbee game. Canoeing? Twilight Princess had a canoe (which was awesome), and so does WSR. What about when you're riding Epona around? It's possible that a look at the Power Cruising (Jet Ski) game might offer a clue, though it's most likely not as direct an analogue as other games. What if the game features Bombchus? Maybe, just maybe we should look at WSR's Bowling game for a hint, or if not that then they may take a route similar to Phantom Hourglass' Bombchu, wherein we drew the paths they were to take.

[ChaoticBlue]

Going back to the actual artwork, I'm just curious what any of you think of the rocky face in the artwork, as in, does anybody think it's not Ganondorf? (or whatever the big bad of this title might be)

Edited June 13, 2009 by ChaoticBlue

[EuroMIX]

The girl is the Master Sword. That means Link has to choke her every time he uses the sword, poor Master Sword Girl...

I found this comment on a site as a response to the revealed artwork and I couldn't help but giggle a little.

Edited June 13, 2009 by Xavious

[speedfreak]

With the way her stocking pattern matches the pattern on the Master swords handle exactly I'd say he would be grabbing her by the legs.

[EuroMIX]

With the way her stocking pattern matches the pattern on the Master swords handle exactly I'd say he would be grabbing her by the legs.

Then I guess that means that Link is only a gay videogame icon in name and not in nature!

[speedfreak]

Well I got the newest issue Nintendo Power and Miyamoto all but confirmed that the girl is the sword.

NP:

And, of course, everyone wants to know exactly who that female character is in the illustration.

Miyamoto:

Yeah, that's probably the most important part of that artwork. I really can't talk too much about it. One thing that's important to note in that artwork, though, is that Link is carrying a shield, but that's all he's carrying.

NP:

I was going to ask, actually! I don't suppose you can go on record with an official explanation?

Miyamoto:

That's correct. I can't. That's why we only showed you one drawing. Zelda series director Mr. Eiji Aonuma would be very angry with me.

So nothing earth shattering but it's nice to "basically" know our assumptions were correct.

[Solly]

=I don't understand this mentality- Sequels that use similar basic elements, yet still have an entirely different plot, world, etc. are panned for being "rehashes?"

That's the thing: it re-used more than just basic elements from existing games; it did no innovating of its own. Miyamoto said that's something he really didn't like about Twilight Princess, so even he sees that the formula risks getting stale(if it hasn't already) so the idea of the next Zelda being a "rehash" would really suck.

Most of the new items in Twilight Princess weren't really fully utilized, and the ones you were using most often were repeated from previous games. That, as well as the basic "settings"(i.e a forest temple, a fire temple, a water temple) were used as well.

I think the game itself is great, but it simply didn't do enough new. You raise the point about Majora's Mask using Ocarina of Time's engine and whatnot, which is true, but I feel even then its mask and time flow systems brought more new things to the table than Twilight Princess. And let us not forget the fact that Majora's Mask was second 3D Zelda game, whereas Twilight Princess is the fourth, and this next one will be the fifth.

[SuperLink]

Besides I wouldn't say most Zeldas have entirely different plot. For the most part they're pretty cookie cut and predictable with few exceptions in a series that gives off a generally "epic" feel to it.

And, Miyamoto said "TP would be the last Zelda of its kind". Why keep promises he doesn't intend to keep?

Seriously, did anyone get any kind of plot thrill from TP or PH? They were great, but they need to realise that Zelda hasn't been the "king of epic stories" for quite some time now, and it's been completely overshadowed by games like Okami, Bioshock and Persona 4.

[speedfreak]

And, Miyamoto said "TP would be the last Zelda of its kind". Why keep promises he doesn't intend to keep?

.

I'm pretty sure that quote is from a fake interview. I don't think he ever said anything of the sort.

[SuperLink]

I'm pretty sure that quote is from a fake interview. I don't think he ever said anything of the sort.

It's so widely quoted and known that I find that very hard to believe, I'll try to look for the interview a little later.

[Patticus]

Miyamoto's essentially had a gag order slapped on him, so he can't say it's radical even if it is. He's probably just trying to throw people off.

[speedfreak]

Exactly, you can't take every little thing Miyamoto says in pre-release interviews as a complete fact. He leaves stuff out and even lies sometimes so he doesn't ruin any surprise. The addition of M+ and the fact the Master sword is some chick now are two pretty big differences. I'm sure there will be more. Some people act as if it should change so much to not even feel like Zelda any more though.

[Phos]

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/02/miyamoto...ally-different/

[Gabz Girl]

In before everyone starts moaning about how boring and predictable the game will be now. =]

Anyways, this does make me a little sad. I was hoping for something like Majora's Mask too. .-. I don't really mind though, 'cos I mostly play LoZ games for the gameplay, dungeons and the characters. I don't care THAT much about the storyline. ^ ^;

[Patticus]

Gabz, that statement by Miyamoto is the exact opposite of everything he's been saying up to now. He could very well be simply trying to throw us all off the scent so that when the game does get unveiled, it actually gets reactions akin to those at E3 2004. Right now everybody's expecting to see the game in some form at E3 '10, so they need to do something to creater that sense of shocked elation that made 2004's event among the best moments in E3's history.

But I think, either way, MotionPlus will ensure it feels very different, even if the structure remains much the same ().

At the moment, Nintendo is stuck between a rock and a hard place - last year it was criticised for not announcing any Mario or Zelda games, and when it does this year, everyone goes 'meh' and shrugs their shoulders. It's torn between wanting to keep the fans happy and doing things a little differently, and I think it's more cautious about the latter because it fears negative fan feedback. Perhaps Reggie really is 'reading the blogs' but he's not necessarily listening to the right people.

[speedfreak]

In before everyone starts moaning about how boring and predictable the game will be now. =]

Anyways, this does make me a little sad. I was hoping for something like Majora's Mask too. .-. I don't really mind though, 'cos I mostly play LoZ games for the gameplay, dungeons and the characters. I don't care THAT much about the storyline. ^ ^;

But Majora's Mask wasn't radically different either. It was very much classic Zelda except it had the time limit and masks. Different sure, a huge departure from what the series is normally like, nope.

With the addition of Motion+ alone, this Zelda will be a much bigger departure then any thing else we've ever seen in the series.

[SuperLink]

But Majora's Mask wasn't radically different either. It was very much classic Zelda except it had the time limit and masks. Different sure, a huge departure from what the series is normally like, nope.

Except for, y'know, the story actually being fantastic and almost every single character feeling alive and important?

With the addition of Motion+ alone, this Zelda will be a much bigger departure then any thing else we've ever seen in the series.

Maybe in gameplay, but if this ends up like Phantom Hourglass (fun controls, nice graphics and shit everything else) then said departure doesn't mean anything at all.

if they're trying to get the reaction they got at E3 '04, it's impossible, they've already shown the artstyle to be exactly the same as TP's (how boring for something supposed to be "new" huh?), and we pretty much know the sword is a girl. That's all the game's surpises gone already.

Edited July 5, 2009 by SuperLink

[Patticus]

If anybody is capable of surprising us just when we thought we'd seen it all, it's Shigeru Miyamoto and Eiji Aonuma. All we know is that the art style will be reminiscent of Twilight Princess (a continuation of that Link's life journey, ala Majora's Mask?), that a key character will probably become your blade (as Midna became your weapon in the Twilight zones) with potential uses beyond that also, and that MotionPlus will be used heavily - with examples of its future uses already present in certain Wii Sports Resort games.

Beyond that we don't know jack shit. Have they decided to ditch the tired old dungeon formula (Start>Map>Item>Compass>Puzzle>Boss key>Boss>Heart>Key Item)? Will they be implementing lessons learned from or ideas touched upon/regrettably cut from the two Toon Link handheld Zeldas? Will the visuals really be like Twilight Princess (ageing noticeably before it even released), will they be more akin to the timelessly beautiful Wind Waker, or will they be similar to TP's but with a stylistic twist? How well will the new game's items be used? Will the puzzles be fiendish and make use of M+ in ways we've scarcely considered possible? Will there be several difficulties to choose from? We have no idea.

They can still unleash a whopper of a surprise on us and you know it.