The Legend of ZeldaZelda: A Link to the PastThe Legend of Zelda DDZelda: Link's AwakeningZelda: Majora's Mask
Since there's not much news on GameCube Zelda to talk about right now (outside that delicious new scan the Cube guys posted yesterday), it's the perfect time to take a nostalgic trip back to the very beginning of Zeldadom. Every installment of Hyrule Times will take a look at a different Zelda game that made it to market in the US or Japan -- from the NES all the way to the GameCube.
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
It's 1998. After years of waiting and hype, Nintendo finally debuted a new installment in the Legend of Zelda series for a gaming console. Weighing in at 256 megabits (32MB) and packed full with all-new 3D locations and two different Links, the new "Zelda" was supposed to attract a broad audience of gamers from the very young to older players who had grown up on the NES and SNES titles. Although the Nintendo 64 never caught up with Sony's PlayStation, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Zelda no Densetsu: Toki no Okarina) provided the biggest sales spike in the console's much too short lifespan. But more significant than the game's sales was the effect the title had on the industry and the critical acclaim it won even from the most jaded game critics. There isn't much that hasn't been written about Ocarina of Time -- after all, our own IGN64 features more stories about Zelda than any other topic -- but I'll try.
If anybody ever writes a handbook for game designers, then this should be the first sentence: "Play through Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time." I've played a lot of games in my life. I've played Pong. I've played games on the Fairchild Channel F, the Atari consoles, on Apple computers, on the ZX Sinclair, on PCs, on the C64, on the Atari 400 (and later XL and ST machines), the Amiga, the Vectrex, various Game Boys, the NES, Colecovision, Master System, NeoGeo Pocket, the Genesis and all its attachments, Super NES, 3DO, PlayStation, Game.com, Dreamcast, PS2, Xbox, and GameCube. And those are just the ones I can mention off the top of my head. I don't even want to think about how much money I've spent on arcade machines in the last 20 years. As EIC of N64.com/IGN64, I've played every single N64 game that ever hit the market, from the Australia-only HSV Adventure Racing to obscure Japanese games like Getter Love! Heck, I've played countless games that never made it out… But never again has a game instilled me with as much respect for a development team as Ocarina of Time. It's not that the visuals were beyond anything ever done on a console at the time. It's not that other games haven't sounded better or had more compelling characters. It's that no other game has created a gaming experience as complete and organic as this game. Ocarina of Time's developers should be to 3D game designers what Eisenstein is to budding film editors. It's THE 3D adventure game. Nintendo's EAD team didn't just take Zelda and turn it into a 3D game, it designed a whole gaming experience around the 3D perspective.
The story of Ocarina of Time begins with a little bit of Hylian lore. In the game, this back story isn't explained until later in the quest, but the manual lays out the mythology right from the start:
A long time ago… Before life began, before the world had form, three golden goddesses descended upon the chaotic land of Hyrule. They were Din, the Goddess of Power, Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom and Farore, the Goddess of Courage. Din, with her strong flaming arms, cultivated the land to create the earth. Nayru poured her wisdom onto the earth to give the spirit of law to the world. Farore's rich soul created all life forms who would uphold the law. These three great goddesses returned to the heavens, leaving behind the golden sacred Triforce. Since then, the Triforce has become the basis for Hyrule's providence. Where the Triforce stood became sacred land.
The saga of the sacred Triforce echos through most the adventures in the Zelda franchise. Though the actual Triforce is not found in Ocarina of Time (it was originally meant to be obtainable as shown in early alpha footage of the game), it effectively guides our hero's quest in his first N64 adventure. As far as story goes, everything is directly integrated into the quest. As you play through Ocarina of Time, you learn about both Link and Zelda as well as their adversary, the evil Ganondorf. The moment the mysterious thief from the desert is mentioned by name, returning players will have figured out that Ocarina of Time is in fact a prequel. Though Zelda fans have fought Ganon before, the game marks the first time they get to see the vile creature in its pre-pig days. Gamers who have never heard of Ganon or Ganondorf before will of course be in for a nasty surprise at the end of the game...
Playing Ocarina of Time
Think back to when you first played the game. Do you remember how well constructed the whole adventure was? Nintendo designed Ocarina of Time as a game for both fans of the series and complete newbies. It all starts off in a rather confined area. There are plenty of things to do, but the area is limited so that you don't get carried away or confused. As you explore the Kokiri village, you learn how to use the controls, how to pick up objects, how to fight, and how use the camera system. Returning Zelda players will try to do all the stuff they used to be able to do in the old games, and new players will have a chance to figure out all the things Link can do versus other 3D game heroes. Most players will spend a lot of time in this first area just messing around with their sword, cutting signs, and slashing bushes. The cool thing about this first level is that returning players don't feel like they're starting all over again. You can jump in the water and swim. You can pick up rocks. You can jump (albeit automatically). But one look at your empty inventory screen and you'll start to dream about all the things you will eventually be able to pull off in addition to all of these actions.
Then you enter the first dungeon, the Deku Tree, and you find out how well Zelda works in a 3D environment. A lot of what makes Zelda stand out from the glut of adventure games of the '90s is the tight integration of real-time cutscenes and an intelligent camera and orientation system. Although pretty much every game on the market at the time insisted on pre-rendered clips to tell the story, in Ocarina of Time, there is never a break between "story" and "game." It's all one experience. As you enter the first dungeon, the camera pulls out and shows you the scope of the environment. Whenever you unlock a door or trigger an event, the camera moves behind Link and has him look in the right direction. There are orientation aides in the form of a detailed map system with arrows. Nintendo was very aware of the fact that a roaming 3D environment is far more complicated to navigate than a static 2D map. Despite its brilliance, Super Mario 64 made the pitfalls of platform navigation in a 3D game painfully clear -- with Zelda, NCL used what it learned and adjusted the controls and camera system for adventure gameplay.
One of the coolest things about past Zelda games was the existence of an overworld, which linked all the levels together. Instead of taking the easy way out and giving you a Final Fantasy-style overworld map to navigate, NCL created a huge, realistic hub to link everything together. This was no small feat, considering the N64's lack of polygon muscle. Weren't you amazed the first time you stepped out into Ocarina of Time's overworld and saw the scope of the landscape? There it was, a sprawling landscape -- large enough to create the feel of exploring a realistic world. This isn't like the small garden area around Peach's Castle in Super Mario 64. The dungeons in the old Zelda games were so close together, if you just translated the old overworlds into a 3D environment, the result would have been Disneyland, not a living, breathing world.
Nintendo's solution? A sparse, realistic Hyrule that merely hints at all the adventures to be had. You see a mountain in the distance. You see a fence that's too high to climb. You see a cave entrance underwater. You see the sheer size of the world and think about the things you will be able to do. There are no invisible walls and artificial limiters that force you to turn around. If you see something interesting, chances are that you can get there. And once you're familiar with the overworld and start to worry that it'll take too much time to travel around, the game gives you Epona. The horse is not only a cool gameplay feature; it's a necessity for this kind of game. Using Epona, you can travel around more quickly and enjoy the same environment on a different level. Once you've got the horse, you explore the same landscape again and what once was a huge barren stretch of land linking hot spots suddenly becomes an obstacle course. It's an old Nintendo trick that few developers know how to pull off effectively. Nintendo repeats this technique a few times in Ocarina of Time. When you find the Lens of Truth, you begin to wonder how many invisible doorways there are in Hyrule. When you get the Stone of Agony, you start to wander around just to find more hidden underground secrets. And let's not forget the ultimate change, Link's growing up from inexperienced kid to a more competent warrior. While you'll find similar game design in many modern videogames, the Zelda and Metroid franchises continue to reign supreme as they get it just right.
It's easy to forget all the things you get to do in Ocarina of Time because there is just so much here. Do you remember the Deku Tree? Or how about Zora's Domain, the Lost Woods, Kokiri Forest, the Forest Temple, Lake Hylia, Gerudo Valley, Hyrule Castle, Lon Lon Ranch, Death Mountain, the Goron Village, the Water Temple, the graveyard, Lord Jabu Jabu, the Shadow Temple, or the Desert Colossus? There are so many memorable moments and sights in Ocarina of Time… Remember how cool it was to be able to fish near the lake? Have your already forgotten how you figured out the reflective Mirror Shield? Or how about the windmill in Kakariko, hunting Skulltulas at night in Kakariko Town, stepping into the open field underneath the Water Temple, or the surprise when Evil escapes the well? And let's not forget the bosses, like the oversized Dodongo, the creepy spider Gohma, and finally the hulking Ganon.
Compare this with other adventure games and you'll quickly find that this kind of variety is unique indeed.
Ocarina of Time's influence on the rest of the gaming world is profound. Most 3D adventure games now feature a lock-on and quick-center camera system (which is slowly replacing the left/right panning camera system popularized by Mario 64), more games now use in-game cutscenes to tell the story, and third-person games like MGS2 allow for a manual first-person aiming system when using ranged weapons. But as ground breaking and enjoyable as Ocarina of Time was, there were also some pitfalls. For starters, the game was definitely too ambitious for its own good. Apart from the N64's technical limitations which necessitated a less than smooth (but at least steady) framerate, Nintendo basically had to create the 3D third-person adventure from scratch, so less time was spent on making certain quest elements more intuitive and others less obvious. One example for this could be many gamers' inability to figure out that you'd have to be on horseback to get Ingo to challenge you to a race. Another example would be the constant "hey" reminders from Navi. Designed to help out gamers find their way to the next challenge, Navi actually ended up distracting from the game. Nintendo should have been a bit more confident in the gamer's ability to find things through exploration -- or, in this particular case, should have at least given you the option to turn off the Navi nag hints. Critics also point at the fact that the "dark world" in Ocarina of Time wasn't nearly as cool and distinct as the one in Link to the Past, that the popular Overworld Theme was sorely missing from the soundtrack, or that use of the boomerang was limited to Young Link. But in the end, the game's shortcomings are minor compared to what the game does right. Ocarina of Time is an amazing game. It may look dated visually (especially when played on a large TV set), but the gameplay remains top.
If you haven't read it yet, click on over to Hyrule Times Vol. 3 for more on Ocarina of Time (including movies of the Forest Temple).
Stalfos never looked better... Let's see him on GameCube next! Should you go back and play it?
I hope you already did. There is so much stuff to do in Ocarina of Time, playing through it only once doesn't do the game justice. Yes, the visuals are dated by today's standards, yes the midi music sounds tinny, but what a brilliant game it still is!
We've all heard rumors that Nintendo is planning to rerelease a remake of this game on GameCube -- but sadly, nobody knows whether this is really happening. I'm all for it. If it's not in development yet, it really should be. NCL: Get NST or Capcom to port Ocarina of Time to GameCube with enhanced graphics and full orchestral sound, then have them remix some of the puzzles (a la Resident Evil) and add the ability to fish anywhere in the world. This game is so good, it deserves to be played again and again.
Where can I get it?
Everywhere. The gray version of Ocarina of Time can still be found in most game stores, both used and new. The gold cart is a tad trickier to find if you're looking for a new, mint condition one, but used gold carts are also plentiful. You can of course also check our Nintendo 64 Classifieds forum, or scour Ebay and related auction sites.
Letters
Hello Peer I was reading the letters section in your Zelda Times on 4-1-02
and one guy said that it would of been better if that green stuff in OoT was
red. Well from what I remember beating the game 3 years ago that Gannondorf
did caugh up red blood not green goo. So to see if I remembered right I
popped in my OoT game and turned on my N64. I was already at the end
because i never erased my game. Got to Gannondorf and beat the first time
around. He got weak and i knew the part was comming up. And guess what, he
caughed up RED BLOOD. Didnt surprise me. Ive never seen the game with green
blood. Now i have the orignal first Gold copy since i preordered. I read
about a year ago that 3 versions were made of the game. The fist one was
the original Gold preorder Copy with the red blood. The second was when
nintendo realized that there was red blood in a E rated game that they
quickly made it green. The third was the one with green blood but the
chants in the fire temple music were taken out because it offended some
muslims or some other religious group. I just wanted to point out that A
Zelda did have blood and i think it was kind of cool. Now can anyone confirm
the 3 versions im talking about?
Ryan Eads
Peer responds: We've got both initial versions of the game, so we've got the red blood version here -- but I'm not sure about the third one. In case you didn't know, the Fire Temple music in Ocarina of Time uses a voice sample that's a Muslim chant: "Allah akbar" (Allah is great). Rumor has it that it was taken out of the later versions, but I've never actually had the chance to check one out. If you've got a 1999 version of Ocarina of Time, check the music in the Fire Temple and let us know.
This was my favorite Zelda game until Majora's Mask was released. The
weapons, puzzles, and dungeons were well placed. But two things stood out
that made it head and shoulders above the rest of the pack.
First the music. I Loved using the ocarina. This is Koji Kondo's best work on
a Zelda game. I have a save just before the wind fish opens just so I can
listen to the full version of the Ballad of the Windfish on the GB. Yeah I
have an MP3, but with Link there, it just adds so much more.
Second was the ending. I guess you would want to spoilerize this section in
case it is printed. The ending was so sad. Yes, you won the game but it sure
felt like an empty victory. For you to escape, you had to destroy the entire
island and all its inhabitants. I almost cried the first time I saw Marin and
Tarin disappear at the end. Then the music and seagulls, just placed this
great bittersweet ending to it all. Then in the new color version, they added
Marin's face to overlay the seagulls. It was a very great ending. Perhaps the
best of any Zelda.
Anthony
Hi Peer,
This is basically in answer to mikeyboy's letter. Though I agree with him that trying to figure out a timeline for games such as Zelda might be a bit of a waste of time, it seems that Nintendo has done that job for us. If you go to the official zelda site (www.zelda.com , I think), you'll find that Nintendo, or at least NOA, has finally put its foot down in relation to the storyline. It's overall a nice site too, with plenty of interesting info. Too bad it hasn't been updated for months.
On the subject of 'cel-da', i am not happy with it. One of the great things of the Zelda games, especially OoT, was the way you were completely immersed in the gaming world. Maybe it's just me, but when I start playing Oot I feel as if I have truly entered hyrule, as if Hyrule is a real living world, where you can live all sorts of magical adventures. To me, cel-shading, and this new Link specifically, kind of defeats this immersion sensation. Maybe it will be replaced with an even better sensation? We have got to trust Miyamoto on this one.
Thanks for your time Peer.
V¿on
Just thought you all should know... If you look at the Nintendo Power guide for Legend of Zelda, A Link to the Past, you will see in the introductory story that the first three Zelda games, (TLZ, TAL and LTTP) are indeed linked in time and character. The people are the same, and the games happen in close succession. I don't know about the rest, but those three are "linked". So says Nintendo...
-Lopoetve
I don't know what my opinion's worth, but everyone else seems to write in with theirs. Here's my take on the whole Zelda storyline debate. I prefer to think of it as completely unrelated storylines, or universes unless something is explicitly stated that it is a sequel. For instance, we know that Majora's Mask is a direct sequel to The Ocarina of Time. Beyond that, I just don't try to explain it. Some people want to make a continuous story line, so they fabricate their own ideas of what they think. Some say that the different Links and Zeldas in the games are all descendants of previous Links and Zeldas. However, they are just making this up. Miyamoto himself has said that the story is one of the last things that they think of when making a game, even a Zelda game. The development teams don't necessarily think about the storyline and how it relates, so neither should we. There is no correct way to explain the storylines' relations to one another because the creators of the game never even set a relation in the first place. So, for instance, we know that Zelda II is a direct sequel to the first Zelda, but I think it is completely unrelated to TOoT. It's more like when they started making TOoT, the scrapped the old Zelda storyline and just started a completely new one. They didn't think about how it relates to the previous games because it doesn't. To say that Link from TOoT is a centuries-later descendant of the very first Link is just making up an explanation to satisfy yourself. So, like in the universe of TOoT, the stuff in the NES games never happened and it never will. The TOoT team just took the same characters and the same basic things (like the idea of the Triforce and the goddesses and stuff) and then made their own story. Do I make sense?
Keep it guys,
Olanmills
Peer responds: Well, that probably describes exactly what happened. Unfortunately, one can't help but try and want to make sense of it all. Is it a parallel universe? Did someone go back in time and caused several storylines to happen? Is Zelda on medication that she keeps on forgetting who Link is? Are there different Links? The truth is that storyline is secondary to the adventure in the Zelda games. There are tons of loopholes -- and Nintendo has made the conscious decision not to worry about that. Like different movie versions of the same lore, the Zelda games are all the same, but different.
With the debate raging on over Zelda GCN, people continue to redefine terms like "maturity," "childish," and "cool." So I might as well present mine, huh? "Kiddie graphics" tend to be colorful, lighthearted environments coupled with Disney (blech!) characters and altogether too much "happy." The reason we fear games with "kiddie graphics" is that this style is used to keep the ADD-ridden rugrats from straying from their TV sets at the absence of something shiny.
What does that mean? That there is little content beyond shiny objects and happy polygons. As evidenced by Kingdom Hearts, and perhaps better by Yoshi's Story, a game can have that graphic style and still be fun and innovative. This is why time and again Rare/Nintendo adventure games sell through loads, people! What a "mature" gamer hates is having their intelligence insulted. We don't want easy games! No easy hints! Keep Navi in your tightly zipped pocket! Anyway, since graphics are all we have to go on at this point, the fear of a too-easy game surfaces quickly when faced with cel-shading (which can be cool too, see Auto ModelistA, ROBOTECH, etc.). We could care less about experiencing the lighthearted prancy-dancing of our childhood, la-la-la-la-la, as long as that's not all there is too it. So what DO we wanna see? Lists are fun to make too, so here's mine. :)
10. Extra playable characters (pleasepleaseplease!)
9. New weapons (MORE MAGIC SPELLS NOW!!!)
8. Stronger enemy AI
7. Involving/evolving storyline
6. Prog scan, DPL II
5. Big environments
4. Speedy transportation
3. Huge glowing fiery sword power-up (I can dream)
2. Numerous allusions, inside jokes, easter eggs
1. Epic score (go Kondo!), real-time cutscenes, and 100+ hrs playtime!
Ah, in an ideal world . . . . . Lastly, I know that Miyamoto-san was disappointed with the foreign press' reaction at the unveiling, but how have things been going with the Japanese? I mean, Americans tend to be pushy, demanding and stifling of creativity to avoid leaving their comfort zones. But certainly a respectable German such as yourself or my home-fed brethren in Japan can appreciate his innovation .....
YoshoMasaki
Peer responds: Unfortunately, it's impossible the gauge the Japanese public's reaction to the new Zelda look. All the articles we've seen on the game have been very basic, there was no opinion content, and Nintendo hasn't released any official shots in the Japanese mags so far. I'd imagine that most Japanese gamers won't have any problems adapting to and liking the look. Anime is as much a part of Japanese pop culture as cutesy stuff. While many male American gamers are vocal about wanting their games to be "manly" and gritty, Japanese gamers have no problems playing PuyoPuyo on giant-screen game units while crying little girl characters fight it out on the displays in front of them, or making jackasses out of themselves trying to keep up with Dance Dance Revolution's beats. I do think that there are plenty of gamers in the west who have no problem admitting that they love Yoshi or Kirby, but it looks like they're either very old (like me), have an affinity to Japanese culture (ie: they've got a Kogepan or Batsu Maru doll in their car), or very young. Perhaps it's part of what it's like to grow up over here, I don't know… But let me reaffirm what I think about the cel-shaded Zelda. Although I was shocked at the change (I loved the prospects of the dark, moody game with the more realistic settings), I have no problem with a cel-shaded Zelda game per se -- I think the idea of an interactive cartoon adventure is very exciting -- but the Rankin Bass Link still rubs me the wrong way. I'm getting used to his face, but the point is that you shouldn't HAVE to get used to a character. You should love a character and want to play as that character. I have no doubt that the cel-shaded look will be absolutely spectacular. But I'm still hoping Link doesn't come across as a total wuss in the finished game.
Hi Peer,
What do you think of this Link pic? - lol!
-srekcus
Peer responds: Now that's frightening! See, his face design could have been worse!
Well first of all sorry about my english.
I'm going to explain my opinion of the neww Zelda look.
The video i witnessed lasta summer is one of the things that impress my most in my life of videogamer, my dream of see a autentic cartoon videogame has been reached.
Ok I'm a frantic lover of animation films, specially Disney efforts and of course a consumate nintendo fan. One of the aspects that make me love the nintendo games is the genuinity and uniqueness has ever have in their games, since the days of the big pixels and the awful bips nintendo always has take the tecnology with his limits and make games with personality exploiting this tecnology and skipping the faults of the medium.
Now take one game that have a real believable facial animation, sincerely any game shows chracters with the capability of pump up our emotions or merely make a decent interpretation.
The Zelda of the spaceworld 2000 demo was patetic, her body has bizarrely proportions and movements, not exagerated but not with the accurate realism, the perfection is miles away but for my and i supose for the nintendo artist do¿snt works convincingly. This is an action game and needs an amount of flexibility in the combats, and as an adventure game needs also of some drama.
In the past Zelda episodies the little group of pixel have the ability to transmit some drama and fits perfectly in the action, but times change and the tecnology available today requires 3D and a environment whre you can move in all directions.
far to release an apatic maniqui with a green hat, nintendo fits a little kid plenty of personality and uniqueness one more time, escaping to the faults that populate the realistic look games that populate every console. Firts making and effort to innovate and second making a more perfectionism effort to no damage the experience of fight with a vibrant little hero with lot of fun. This dinamic premise a think taht only is posible if Link was made of a cartoon appearence. Yes i know that more fighting tittles moves well but see the Bouncer for example and imagine a platform adventure game with this move sistem OUCH! it hurts. Its only and example but try to imagine waht i should say.
Well apart from this solution, the Cell shaded tecnique and animation is of a quality that i never see before, the models are well rounded making the aparience of cartoons more palpable than a poligonal one. The color palette, the ambient one more time nintendo quality.
And having played all the Zelda games 3DO sacrileges included this looks suits perfectly with the essence of the series.
Well the second time i¿m most impresed with videogames was the firts time i see Dragon¿s Lair XD but sincerely after the firts apttemp my impressions fall on the floor :(
Saludos.
First off, good job covering my favorite game in the series, Link's Awakening (and the DX flavor) is an awesome game that is sadly overlooked by many new-age Zelda fans...
I know I'm supposed to respect other people's opinions, but when someone says they won't buy the next Zelda game because "Link lookz liek a gurl!!111!1" it makes me mad. Most people who say that just started playing the Zelda series with Ocarina of Time, and never thought to play the older games in the series, which look a hell of a lot like "cel-da" (and for all those people out there that are wondering, that is a good thing, because Link's Awakening is awesome, especially those big freaky bunnies that talk to you in animal village)...another thing that ticks me off is how people think that Link is some badass or something. Hell he's only been an adult once, and he looked like some N'Snync dropout when he was (now Fierce Deity Link, now that was awesome, but not as awesome as the freaky bunnies in animal village), so I can't see why people ever think Link was some big warrior/badass/whatever, when he was a kid for every game except for two of them (Adventure of Link...which was...not as good as the others, and Ocarina of Time, which, in my opinion, wasn't as good as LttP, LA/DX, or Majora's Mask). I guess I'll come up with the conclusion that I'll never understand the mind of an idiot (which is not unlike the fact I'll never understand the mind of a woman...), but they still piss me off anyway. So I guess it all comes down to a simple equation: Zelda GC haters = Retards with no wang.
Anyway sorry to trouble you with that little rant of mine (what can I say-I'm bored out of my skull), and good job with the Hyrule Times-it has been great reading thus far, but I hope you are able to get the next edition out fairly soon...
- James, master of all.
Waitress? Humble pie please. On second thought, no.
I'd like to thank Jeremy Prine for calling me on the fact that I am not in
the video game design industry. I'd also like to thank him for challenging
fellow readers to vigorously defend their opinions and qualifications to
make them.
It is still my contention that a video game is not art but design. Art is
not something that begins after executives, marketing strategists, and the
like have given the green light.
Shigeru Miyamoto and OOT won an award in I.D. Magazine's (The International
Design Magazine) Interactive Annual in 1999. The only reason I know is
because I was also in the magazine -- winning the same award. I hope now Mr.
Prine thinks that I may be qualified to voice an opinion about what it means
to craft an interactive experience.
Bringing all of this back to HT v16, as the rest of this is more suited for
the Community section, seeing the first GameBoy Zelda sparked a question
that I had not read before. Has there been any talk of a GCN Zelda title
interacting with a potential GBA title?
thanks / elit1st
Peer responds: Alas, no word on any link-up Zelda title yet. But one can't help but wonder what titles will truly push the link cable outside of Pokemon…
In a past Hyrule Times newsletter, someone made a list of the worst case
scenario for the new Zelda, and called it The Legend of Celda: Adventures in
Kindergarten. I thought the ideas were humorous, and so I made a fake
trailer for it, with sound and everything! Hope you enjoy it, and maybe I'll
make another one later!
Cheers,
The Lost Gamer
Download the trailer (pps format) here
After reading the letters in Hyrule Times 16 I had a strange thought come over me. What will this changed look of Link be? It seems more and more apparent that it is actually going to be a cell shaded version of adult Link, but I might just be dreaming, well anyway what are your thoughts on this. A poll on this subject would be good to see if other readers think this might be what is happening since there is no real evidence just seems that most complaints would disappear, most people who hate the look only hate Link's model and WB rip offs so this would make them think, whoa adult Link looks like something out of anime, I have to get this!
Is this what the change made to Link be?
Yes, you read my mind!
Well I would like that to happen but...
No, it has been said his eyes were changing only.
I don't care I am not there.
I don't see why people don't like collecting the rings from the Oracle games, they are not necessary, they are only as annoying as the seashells from LA, skulltula tokens and masks from the N64 Zeldas. I think the Capcom games are some of the best Zelda games, especially when linked together in the hero mode, also some of the rings are well worth getting, such as the Level 2 Heart ring, something all Zeldas should have but should be as difficult to get as the Level 2 sword in LA.
Well to all who are wishing for a Zelda with the replay value that seems to be lacking in all but Capcom's Zeldas.
Owen Sayers (user: armageddon12)
Peer responds: We still don't know exactly if Link's being redesigned or what's going on with the Zelda series. Matt and Fran seem to believe that the eyes have changed (as evident in the latest pictures), but I think he looks pretty much the same, just with better shadowing and lighting. What does everyone else think?
Hey Peer,
Just when it's starting to quiet down about Zelda for GameCube, here I come and voice my opinion a month late.
If my memory serves me correct, a couple Hyrule Times ago, there was a letter section about Young Link vs. Adult Link.
I think Link should be an adult in future games. And nevermind that timeline crap. It just makes more sense. Think about it. A powerful evil is trying to destroy the land of Hyrule. No one is able to stop it, except a TEN YEAR OLD?!? Would you let the fate of the world rest in a 10 year old? I don't think so.
Plus, In the manual for Zelda 2 for NES, it reads 'One day, a strange mark, exactly like the crest of the kingdom, appeared on the back of Link's hand as he approached his 16th birthday.' And I'm pretty sure he was about that age in the first game.
Some people then might retaliate with 'How will there be time travel if Link is already grown up? Won't he be old?' My answer: Who says he has to age when he travels through time. Look at Oracle of Ages for GBC. He goes through 4 generations and isn't dead.
Link started the series as an adult then became a child and people think he should stay that way. I say he should be an adult. Don't get me wrong, I love the Zelda series and am planning on buying Zelda for GameCube, I just think he should be adult.
Thanks
-Phenix
How should Link be depicted? | ||
Zelda fans feel Link should always be depicted?
Adult
Child
Peer responds: No problem. Just vote in the poll to the right.
Since a Zelda compilation title is rumored (or possibly confirmed by the time this is printed), I thought you might like to hear some thoughts on what some of your readers would like to see in a Zelda compilation title for the GameCube.
To start with, I'd like to see all the currently available Zelda titles included. (Except for the CD-i games, of course!) However, I doubt that the Oracle games would be included. And the N64 versions also seem iffy.
My dream concept of a Zelda compilation would include three versions of each game. Original, Re-Mastered, and 3-D. The original versions would look, feel, play, and sound exactly as the originals. The Re-Mastered versions would be like the Super Mario All-Stars game, with the same gameplay, but enhanced graphics and sound. The 3-D version would take the same maps and layouts from the originals, and re-create them in a 3-D environment. Same story, same weapons, same secrets, same enemies, just in a 3-D world.
Unfortunately, it would probably be too costly for Nintendo to do such a comprehensive compilation. Don't get me wrong, I'd be perfectly happy with a version which was simply re-mastered. But a compilation which included the three described versions would be sure to appeal to the widest possible audience, and would have an incredibly high replay value. And it would definitely sell Cubes! After all, even Hilary Goldstein of IGN X-Box proclaimed Zelda as the best game series ever!
And with the space left over on the disk, perhaps Nintendo could have some "making of" footage detailing Zelda from it's first conception to today.
I guess we shall wait for E3.
Dan/Edgar
Peer responds: It's not Hyrule Times without you, Edgar. I totally agree, a Zelda collection would rock. Recreating the games in 3D would mean a huge development effort -- so it wouldn't be feasible to do a game like that as part of a collection. But a standalone 3D remake title would be sweet and sell just as well...
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