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101 Comments
- supakoopa, on 03/25/2009, -9/+62If they ever do voice acting in Zelda, I think I'll drop the series.
- edcrosay, on 03/25/2009, -1/+42There aren’t many games that can hold a candle (Blue OR Red..) to the Legend of Zelda series, and we’ve certainly seen a lot of variety over the years. Whether it was that first golden cartridge for the NES over 20 years ago, that not-so-golden side-scrolling, magic-laden follow up (not ”golden” in most of our minds, anyways..), an epic adventure on the SNES, the N64 era (with possibly the greatest game of all time), the most recent incarnation on the Wii, and several handheld efforts, a young boy in green named Link has certainly done and seen it all. It wasn’t a constant for the Hero of Time, however. There have been changes to the story, changes to the character, changes to the arsenal of weapons, and whole bunch of other things. At the simplest form, we’ve seen heart containers in the form of 1/1, 1/4, and most recently, 1/5. Today we take a look at some changes we would like to see in the new incarnation of Link.
The Legend of Zelda, and the story of a boy named Link…
10 - Motifs
One thing that Twilight Princess was missing was a clear motif in the game. I mean, I understand that animals were a prominent theme, but it wasn’t something that was really capitalized on when compared to other entries in the series. Beyond the wolf transformation, a few instances where you help out animals by talking to them, there was nothing. The dark and light theme, in my opinion, is a bit over used in many games. When I look in past entries like Ocarina of Time, and Majora’s Mask, the two motifs in the game where clearly evident and used throughout the game. In Ocarina, it was the use of song, and music; and in Majora’s Mask, it was the motif of healing. However, I didn’t feel the animal motif in Twilight Princess was explored enough, and I hope that the motif they use in the next game will be used thoroughly.
9 - Not a happy ending
Remember the introduction to Wind Waker? I do, and I loved it. It says that sometimes between Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker, something horrible happened. People waited for the Hero of Time to show up to save the day … but he never came. Then, the Gods flooded Hyrule to settle this problem (pretty radical, I know) and that’s why there’s this huge ocean in Wind Waker. Now that we know a bit of the story, why not play it? The next game could tie Ocarina and Wind Waker together. Games don’t have to always end with a cute and happy ending. Movies end dramatically all the time! Since we know how Hyrule ends up after the events, it wouldn’t be all that sad anyway. Some of you might’ve seen the « Project Deluge » which was a fake interview depicting the next Zelda. That’s pretty much the inspiration for this point right here. Having something more story driven and ending in a big climax where Hyrule is being flooded by the Gods sounds awesome in my book. Ocarina- « New Zelda »-Wind Waker : That’s a nice trilogy right there and you can then add Majora’s Mask as a side story. I want.
8 - Unnecessary Fetch Quests
This is a change that I hope will occur as well. I think we all remember these quests in both Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess. In case you guys forgot, let me remind you; in Wind Waker (towards the end of the game), you had collect 8 pieces of the Triforce of Courage. To do so, you had to collect 8 maps to find the location of the pieces, which took many wind changes to complete the task. In Twilight Princess, you had to collect Sky Characters in order to get to the City in the Sky, and complete the Twilight mirror. These fetch quests (which were mandatory to complete the game) served to extend the game length, and really bogged down the player. These fetch quests slowed the pace of the game, and in my opinion, were completely unnecessary. I personally don’t mid fetch quests as long as they are interesting enough, and are engaging to do. I hope for the next game they either make the fetch quests more integral to the plot, or take them out all together.
7 - Epic boss
We got a glimpse of bigger boss in Twilight Princess and I liked it. Did you play Shadow of the Colossus? This boss battle-centric game had the biggest boss I’ve seen and the way you had to fight them was so enjoyable. After spending an hour inside a dungeon, I like to be overwhelmed by something impressive, massive, and dangerous. I love to think to myself how scared I am to fight this thing that looks so much more powerful than anything I’ve fought in the dungeon. Also, these epic boss battles require some clever way to fight them. I’m sure I am not the only one growing tired of entering a boss room, spending around 2 minutes watching it to find how should I use the weapon I just found to bring him down, hit him a couple times with my sword, rinse and repeat. We could use more weapons, add a bit of magic (that we get back because I said so) and some environment usage too. I just want to work harder to slay these bosses.
6 - Greater evil
I know that Ganondorf is among the best villains in gaming, but don’t you think it’s time for a change? I don’t want Nintendo to get ride of him but change the usual story a bit. He’s always the guy pulling the string; remember Agahnim or Zant? Yep, he’s always there and it’s getting repetitive. This time he could be the one being controlled, or someone might want to destroy Hyrule and the Triforce, killing everything, along with Ganondorf’s chances of controlling the world. It could change the pace of the game about mid-way through, and Ganon might even have to help the Hyrule army his own way to stop this new threat. Having a new enemy is pretty much another way to surprise us gamers who want something fresher than “rescue the princess and save Hyrule,” because Ganondorf is still trying to get his hands on the Triforce, etc., etc…
5 - Expanded towns
I know this may seem a bit generic, but it is something that I hope will be included in the next installment. The thing about Twilight Princess is that beyond a few towns like Kakariko and [Ordon Village] (your hometown), there wasn’t really town that felt alive. If you look at a title like Majora’s Mask, you had Clock Town, which in my opinion felt much more lifelike then any of the towns in Twilight Princess. It would be nice if places like the Zora’s Domain and the place where Gorons lived were a bit expanded. I mean, in Zora’s Domain, where the F*** do they sleep? I mean, they don’t all lie by the King do they? It would be nice if they added the details to those places like they did in Kakariko Village, and Link’s hometown. Moreover, I hope that the town’s people in the game serve more of a purpose then just standing around and walking. It would be nice if they had a bit more of a plan or schedule, and are more integral in your quest, sort of like what they did in Oblivion where townspeople directed you towards quests that gained you new amour and weapons.
4 - I want magic and more magic!
I don’t think that anybody disliked the magic in any of the previous Zelda games. There is the classical sword spin that could be powered by the green magic meter, or the ability to shoot a laser beam with your sword. In « A Link to the Past » and « Ocarina of Time », there were also magics in the purest of form, like Din’s Fire and the medallions. They were mostly there for bonuses, and for most of them, you could play the game without using them. The first time I played « Ocarina of Time », I didn’t even get the Ice Arrows! Even if some magics weren’t necessary, they still kicked ass! How dissapointed do you think I was when there wasn’t any green meter to be found in « Twilight Princess »? The only place you get a hint of magic is on the cover since there’s a magic meter on the back of the game but not in it!.. So I want my magic back! It brought a good dose of fantasy in the Zelda universe, and gave us other ways to dispatch enemies and play the overall game. More magic could mean more ways to solve puzzles and battle bosses. I don’t know why you’d dissagree, but if you do, please tell me.
3 - Get rid of MIDI
Another one of Nintendo’s archaic practices is the use of MIDI. When games seem to move forward and use orchestrated music, leave it to Nintendo to be behind. It’s a bit confounding because Nintendo is usually ahead of the curb when it comes to gameplay, and what makes it worse is that it isn’t because Nintendo can’t use orchestrated music, it’s because they choose not to. Anyway, I think that the use of orchestrated music will add a great deal to the music in Zelda. I mean ,I know this will sound like déjà vu, but the Zelda series has some of the best compositions ever in videogames, and it deserves the use of orchestrated music. I really do think that in the next game Nintendo will use orchestrated music; they have dabbled with it in Twilight Princess, and have used it in Mario Galaxy. I hope that they will follow suit with the next Zelda game.
2 - Items, useful ones
Having lots of items is great but only when you have more than one use for them!.. I’m looking at you Spinner! This item could have been more useful if we were able to ride it for fun and attack enemies. There was some fun stuff with it, but they missed an opportunity, too. If you make some cool items, give us more chances to use it. And don’t limit it’s usage, except if it’s an almighty force like the Fierce Deity Mask. I also loved the Cape and Cane in A Link to the Past. Some were not necessary to win, but they added to your possibilities. Why not have the ability to buy some items just for the heck of it? A new Bow because you kept enough money in your bank account, and now you have tons of Rupees to spend. There’s a kid selling a Slingshot, it won’t help you in your quest, in fact it’s weaker than your Bow, but you want to feel like Young Link again so you buy it!
1 - Voice acting
I still don’t understand why people are so adamant against voice acting in Zelda, when so many other games have made the jump. I could understand people not wanting Link to speak, because it would be difficult to satisfy everyone with whomever they chose. Also, I think Link not speaking is a trait of the character itself, making him the silent hero who always saves the day. Back in the old days characters didn’t speak because of limitations of technology, but now those limitations are gone, and yet Nintendo is content with no voice acting. With the exception of Link, I think every character should have a voice; it would just make the world of Hyrule feel much more alive and organic. Furthermore, it would give the characters much more personality than a line of text will ever do. Not only that, but I believe that voice acting would help the story, and give impact to really epic moments. I recall in one scene in Twilight Princess, Zelda recanting the doom of Hyrule, with some epic music playing in the background, and it all was sort of ruined by the constant sound that the text makes when you read through it. To me, it undermines the music and the impact that cut scenes should have. Many series have made the jump to include voice acting, it is only fair that Zelda follow suit. On a final note, many fans of the series complain about wanting Zelda to evolve, and move into a new direction but are afraid that making a change would ruin the game. You only have to look at Wind Waker to see that some changes can make for a great experience.
In conclusion, its easy to see that Zelda fans aren’t asking for much. Just give us all of these things and we’ll stop complaining! No really, some improvements in upcoming games would be welcome to the series, and variety never really hurts. Whether it be livelier towns, bigger bosses, more versatile weapons, or quests with a purpose, future Zelda games have the potential to be some of the greatest games of all time. That being said, past Zelda games ARE some of the greatest of all time. We’re not saying that Zelda needs to be “overhauled” overnight, especially since the current recipe has done so well in the past.
If you have any other ideas for the New Zelda make sure you comment on it! And if you disagree too. - Christ0s, on 03/25/2009, -0/+28Hey, Listen.
- Ommatidia, on 03/25/2009, -1/+17I disagree with you.
Voice acting sort of ruins the story for me; like when you've read a great book and then they turn it into a movie. The acting, voices, and visuals are never as good as the ones a reader can create in their own head. In part, I think, because it allows them to make it what they want. - JDanner3, on 03/25/2009, -5/+17I agree, I love the sound the text makes as it is being read. It feels magical. I never listened in school, why would I listen in a video game?
- 5wallace, on 03/25/2009, -0/+11My # 1 gripe with the Zelda franchise, which became more apparent in the latest installment, is that there is not enough cool loot to be found. We have this gigantic world to explore and when you finally come upon a hidden chest it either contains (1) ruppees (which I usually put back because they don't fit in my puny wallet, (2) or *yawn* another heart piece. I can't remember how many secret dungeons I went through to be rewarded with only one of the two above treasures. This really made me shy away from exploring outside of the main quest.
Don't get me wrong, I still love Zelda and always will, but this is a bit frustrating. - wisedude, on 03/25/2009, -7/+17Seriously? Any 1 of these being implemented would cause me to quit zelda. Sorry, but all these suggestions would take a highly original and amazing series and turn it into the average generic piece of ***** we see every day
- thealliedhacker, on 03/25/2009, -2/+10http://rorr.im
- rebelscribe, on 03/25/2009, -0/+7This is a list of your top 10 suggestions for changing the Zelda series. The title led me to believe you meant change that happen in the game and you liked them
- Falkon, on 03/25/2009, -5/+12Wow, dead at 86 diggs. An internet speed record!
- Ruch182, on 03/25/2009, -6/+13I disagree. Obviously keep link as the strong silent hero but well implemented voice acting would allow you to be even more immersed in the world.
- SaladCactusKing, on 03/25/2009, -4/+11Spirit Tracks for the DSi has just been announced.
Sheik's on a Train! - Chebsi, on 03/25/2009, -1/+8I disagree. Let us forget.
- mizatt, on 03/25/2009, -0/+7Any one of those? Exaggerate much? I don't agree with a lot of the article but I'd love it if they cut down on the fetch quests.
- beautifulbeast, on 03/25/2009, -1/+8I was just following the keynote on Kotaku and they said it was for the DS, not DSi. I certainly hope so, as I'm not buying a new DSi just for this game.
- melonhedd, on 03/25/2009, -1/+8LISTEN
- Shirt, on 03/25/2009, -0/+6I like the town idea, because what he was really referring to are places like Zora's domain where it was like "Really, an entire race of people lives in this tiny area? Do they not multiply at all?"
I think Kakariko should always be sort of a small place, but they need to add more towns or something. The map you have in Zelda is a continent: Hyrule. And I think it should seem more like a continent than some tiny area that you can walk across in 5 minutes. I'm not saying it has to be like Oblivion or Final Fantasy. Ocarina was on more of a right track that Twilight. The Goron and Zora areas were both way better, as well as the Gerudo Desert.
Really, I think the sense of scale needs to be improved, not specifically the size. It needs to feel less enclosed and more epic.
I have enjoyed pretty much every Zelda game I have played (all of them except the CDi stuff), but I think they accomplished this rare brilliance with Ocarina that they haven't matched since. The story fits together so well, and everything you do seems much more significant than things you do in other Zelda games. Ocarina made me really feel that there was something at stake in that world more than any other Zelda game before or after it to this point. Wind Waker is the only one that rivals it in story for me.
The only other thing on this list I like is the thing about magic. I loved the magic abilities in Zeldas of old. What happened to them anyway? - FaithclubDotNet, on 03/25/2009, -0/+6Zelda 1 is still one of the best games of all time. Those Nintendo 8 bit games were special. Not only did the system specs of the Nintendo blow away Atari, but there were totally original games for the NES.
- ShainRules, on 03/25/2009, -2/+8I guess working smarter means using the item you just found without fail?
Seriously, has there really been any challenge in figuring out how to beat any boss in Zelda ever? - Lionhart, on 03/25/2009, -2/+7I'm curious as to why you think something that has stayed relatively the same for decades is highly original. It's the same story every time with slight variations.
- donkevin, on 03/25/2009, -0/+4(S)HE'S ON A BOAT!
- Terasiel, on 03/26/2009, -0/+4Nitpicking: All the characters have voices. They just don't say many words.
- LostinJersey, on 03/25/2009, -0/+4http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_Zelda_( ...
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is a prequel to The Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, the first two games released in the series. The back of its packaging states it takes place before The Legend of Zelda. Ocarina of Time is also a prequel, going even further back and implicitly retelling the backstory of A Link to the Past.[citation needed] The Wind Waker takes place hundreds of years after the events of Ocarina of Time.[2] The game explicitly references the "Hero of Time" from that game, and states that, due to the hero's absence, it was necessary to flood Hyrule to stop Ganon. The Minish Cap, Four Swords and Four Swords Adventures include references to other titles and are known to be a part of the timeline, but their exact relationships with other games have not officially been made clear.[3]
In an interview conducted by Nintendo Dream with Eiji Aonuma in December 2006, it was revealed that there are two parallel universes in the Zelda chronology. The timeline is split at the end of Ocarina of Time, when Link is sent back in time by Princess Zelda to live through his childhood, while the original events of Ocarina of Time continue on a different path. Once returned to his original time, Link leaves the Master Sword in its place, preventing Ganondorf's plan from coming to fruition, and goes to see Zelda again, resulting in the "Child Timeline" in which the villain Ganondorf is arrested and tried by the ancient sages. They attempt to execute him, but he overpowers them, and the sages are instead forced to banish him to the Twilight Realm. Twilight Princess then occurs over one hundred years later, after Link's role as a child in the events of Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. Meanwhile, The Wind Waker occurs in the "Adult Timeline", one hundred years after the Hero of Time saved Hyrule in Ocarina of Time, and it is directly followed by Phantom Hourglass.[4][5]
the reference comes from this article: http://www.thehylia.com/index.php?subaction=showfu ...
the timeline is discussed about a third of the way down - Nidy1, on 03/25/2009, -1/+5No it didn't work for Oblivion and that's one of the main reasons I don't want it in Zelda. Too many times I've been walking around in Oblivion and hear the same voice I just heard in another town on the other side of the world. That does not help immersion. It just annoys you. Keeping everyone silent allows you to add character to anyone and everyone and that's one of the things I liked most about the game.
Think about Zelda. She's supposed to be this beautiful princess and they usually do a good job of making her that way, because beauty is pretty universal. But what if you don't like her voice? All of a sudden her magic is gone, she the perfect. Without it, you attach your own voice to her that matches the same level of beauty. The same could be said for a lot of the characters in the game for different reasons. - Shirt, on 03/25/2009, -0/+4In some of the older Zeldas I think there were quite a few challenging battles, but not necessarily as in you didn't know what to do, more like you knew exactly what task was required, and that task was hard as ***** to pull off. Twilight was a great game to me, but the boss's, while still as awesome looking as ever, were very disappointingly easy.
- andrewsavage, on 03/25/2009, -0/+4I don't think many got it.
- pryoee4, on 03/25/2009, -0/+3If I remember correctly, in the first Zelda you had to put some meat down for Gannon to appear. As a 7 year old, I distinctly remember not being able to figure that out until I read my friends Nintendo power that had some hints in it.
- therusher, on 03/26/2009, -0/+3Link talking is like Gordon Freeman talking. It breaks immersion.
- powerphail, on 03/26/2009, -0/+3Piss poor article. Terribly written and most of these suggestions are not what fans want at all. I would drop the series immediately if they started using voice actors; it would sound awful and would totally ruin the illusion of Hyrule being a whole other world with its own language (see http://www.omniglot.com/writing/hylian2.htm and http://www.omniglot.com/writing/hylian.htm ) -- if all the signs etc. are written in Hylian, then why the ***** would its inhabitants be speaking English? The sound bytes are perfect, they get across just enough information for the player to imagine what a character's voice is like and what kind of person they are -- if all dialogue was done by voice actors, it would completely shatter the immersion that Zelda games have been championed for. Hopefully Shigeru Miyamoto will stay in control in regards to artistic direction for a good few more years -- I trust he'll keep the series fresh whilst not ruining it with stupid ideas like voice acting; just because it's technologically viable, it doesn't mean it's a good idea.
- revglenn, on 03/26/2009, -1/+4ok, first off. this guy should be fired or shot for suggesting voice acting. the last thing zelda needs is terrible acting to ruin it's mood.
second. you CAN'T MAKE A GAME ABOUT THE TIME THE HERO DIDN'T SHOW UP!
he wants a game about hyrule getting covered in water. but he says RIGHT THERE that it happens because there was no hero. so no link. so who the hell would you play?
third, if i wanted to play shadow of the colossus, i'd play it. i bought all the zelda games so i could play zelda.
forth, magic is cool and all, but this isn't final fantasy. again, let's keep the zelda games zelda.
and finally, a bigger boss than Gannon? STFU AND GTFO. - fadetoone, on 03/25/2009, -0/+3Hardly.
- Sererena, on 03/26/2009, -1/+4Well, excuuuuuse me, Princess!
- Halsfield, on 03/26/2009, -0/+2I thought the same thing actually. I was expecting of list of things that he liked in previous games and wanted to see again.
- Daemastrius, on 03/25/2009, -8/+10Chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga Choooo Chooooo!!!!!!
- WocCixelsyd, on 03/26/2009, -0/+2And nothing of value would be lost. People like you are the reason that nintendo listened to fanboy outcry against entries such as Majora's Mask and Wind Waker for being too "different". By that I mean, "not like Ocarina of Time in every single way". That's how we ended up with Twilight Princess. It was pretty fun, but even for a series that's mostly rehashes, it was the most rehashed one to date.
- zip000, on 03/25/2009, -0/+2I think larger towns would be great.
I agree though on the no new end guy...or if there is, definitely not have gannon joining forces. That's just pretty lame. - Rain12913, on 03/25/2009, -2/+4Mirror?
- magus824, on 03/25/2009, -4/+6Man, cry me a river. These games are timeless and incredible and they are aimed for younger audiences, hence the easier boss battles, fetch quests etc. I will continue to play, and enjoy them, and take them for what they are.
- inactive, on 03/25/2009, -1/+3Get rid of the midi music is a good step in the right direction. Full orchestrations for the next console Zelda please. Only use midi if you want to for retro music.
- TheKitchenSinkX, on 03/26/2009, -1/+3It bothers me that you used quotation marks inside of quotation marks. Minor, I know, but it bothers me.
- nerdherder, on 03/25/2009, -1/+3Who said it was too hard? It just sucked.
- Daemastrius, on 03/25/2009, -1/+3PSA: this is relevant
- ShadySpace, on 03/25/2009, -0/+2I really, really doubt it'll be exclusive to the DSi. Maybe some extra content like camera minigames for it.
- danwallace, on 03/25/2009, -1/+3I remember being extremely disappointed when that game came out. I loved the very first legend of zelda and the second one seemed weak by comparison.
- xbxoxy1, on 03/25/2009, -0/+2pass the mirror, please
- mizatt, on 03/25/2009, -0/+2Like Shain said, Zelda bosses aren't a "puzzle." You just whip out whatever item you got in that dungeon and figure out how you use it to beat the boss. Having larger, more intimidating bosses doesn't mean that there will be no thinking involved.
- Snoogs, on 03/25/2009, -0/+2FFX wasn't a game as much as it was a movie that you had to push 'play' every five minutes.... I know most ppl love that one, but I thought there was way too many cut scenes, and lack of character control. Very linear, as well... There's no getting lost or learning your way around like you do in a Zelda or Metroid series.
- shoover, on 03/25/2009, -0/+2Stinking gnomes and their train sets - get off my digg!
- Scott2, on 03/27/2009, -0/+1I could live without the repetitive fetch quests - Wind Waker was WAAAAAAAAAAAY over the edge.
- dhjackburton, on 03/26/2009, -0/+1or is (s)he fresh off one?
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