So apparently, this is now officially Zelda week here on "4Player Podcast" so I shall go ahead and add my 2 cents. Let me start by saying that Ocarina of Time remains my number one game of all time for a number of reasons. The games that came after Ocarina were equally as polished and brilliant but Ocarina did something special. It is a game that has taken a great leap from 2D to 3D and benefited from that leap the most. Other games have made big jumps like Metroid and Metal Gear but many of these franchises have not been received nearly as well as Zelda has. Twilight Princess was a system seller for the Wii and was equally as polished and detailed as Ocarina, if not more so. Despite the improvements that were made, people still consider Ocarina the better game, including myself. It is hard to figure out why because Twilight Princess was a longer game with more weapons, epic battles, and better controls but somehow, Ocarina still trumps it. I think it comes down to this: Ocarina of Time was an incredible change for Zelda and we won't see it surpassed until they make another huge change. I think they were going in the right direction with Wind Waker and it's a shame that they almost immediately shied away from innovation with Twilight Princess. So here is the question: Where do we go from here?
In the news this week, Eiji Aonuma, the producer of Ocarina of Time, stated that he would continue to make Zelda games until he surpassed Ocarina of Time. This is great news for the franchise because it means that the next Zelda could really blow my socks off by doing something totally outside of the box. Wind Waker demonstrated that Zelda does not have to be a game that is limited to a strict formula.
Things I learned from Wind Waker:
1.) Hyrule Field is not necessary
2.) Ocarina's are not necessary
3.) Epona is not necessary
4.) Zelda does not have to be limited to a single art style
Things I learned from Majora's Mask:
1.) Zelda is not necessary.
2.) Hyrule field is definitely not necessary... hell... Hyrule isn't necessary
3.) Ganondorf is not necessary
As you can see, a lot of the Zelda staples are simply not necessary. I think that Nintendo is holding the series back by insisting on sticking to a formula that has been proven to work. Take risks Nintendo! I want the next Zelda to think way outside the box (without making it feel like something entirely different of course; like I said, it still needs to feel like Zelda) and add some new elements that could have a chance to become staples of the Zelda series. This is why I feel that voice acting would be a huge step forward for the series if it were done right. What do you think should be changed in the next Zelda?
-Nick
2 comments:
There is this little thing inside my head when I think about the voice acting thing in a Zelda game. It would bring up a problem: is Link suppose to be a character like, say, Marcus Fenix?, a character that has it's own personality, or is Link suppose to be like Gordon Freeman, or Master Cheif? characters with almost no personality so players can put themselvs in them?, so then would Link have hes own voice, or would he remain silent?.
One thing I feel it would be a great change is making the characters a little bit more human. It's obvious that Zelda is all about the epic gener, and there are roles that the characters must fill, but perhaps going deeper into the character would make a change. Take a look at the link from The legend of Zelda, he is a orphan, with only one friend, who's childhood years get passed out of him, and at the end of the game he is all alone... I would be really depressed if I was him, but he just goes on.
However, in the pass of the Zelda games I've seen that such matter has changed, in Twilight princess I think Link even starts to kinda like a girl. But yet again he's never depressed, he's never angry (and if he gets angry, it's because he has to make justice)... I would like to see a little bit more Human link, maybe one that makes mistakes because of hes impulses and starts making questions, so the lines that divide "good" from "evil" could get a little blurry.
Sorry for the lonk comment.
I think we've seen what they can do, so this is a few things I think would be cool:
1) Continents
I really liked the large scale sailing in Wind Waker. I also think that all that space could be filled with something to do. I think it'd be cool if they had larger land areas that you could travel between, maybe have a land body big enough for more than 1 temple and make land traveling methods desirable. Of course include a few smaller islands too.
2) Voice Acting
Gets annoying having to read so much. I find myself quickly clicking over important plot details or objectives because I just want to get back to work. Voice acting would give more interest and hearing the details would help them stick.
Look at MGS4, that had A LOT of talking, but everything they said stuck.
3) More Usable Sword
I'm sure some have seen the MotionPlus, and the Sports Resort they used with the demo at the convention. The swords they had there moved perfectly, with and without M+. I think they could through that into the game. That would be cool. Even without M+ it'd worked fine.
4) New Villain
I like Ganon and all, but he's been killed and locked away too many times. It's like Team Rocket in Pokemon - going to lose, no surprise.
MM had a new final boss and it was awesome. That formula works, I don't recall anyone complaining that Gonon wasn't there, as a matter of fact everyone I talked to like it. Do it up.
5) New Weaponry
If I had to choose something I found most tiring, it'd be the use of the same combat style every game. The Wiimote added something new to it, but in the end it was the same.
I'd like to see some new weapons that could be used. Like dual wielding smaller swords or dagger: faster attacking with parrying instead of blocking, something like that. Just a thought.
6) More Races x2
Zora's and Goron's are cool, but I think more would be too. The Birdmen in WW were a nice addition, and more, but I think adding some more base races would create higher interest.
Second, races like the snowboarding race in TP and the Goron race in MM. Those were fun and held my attention for a long time. They're small too so anyone that doesn't want to deal with them won't have too, just put them in a corner somewhere for us to find.
7) New Clothes
Knight Armour he comes across? Ninja suit? Anything else?
We've seen the tunic for a long time. I think they could imply new clothes that we come across rather than different coloured tunics.
These are just a few things that I can think of off the top of my head.
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