::proceeds to do a happy dance that could be mistaken for the act of a rabid cat fighting over the last bag of catnip::
PRAISE NINTENDO FOR ZELDA. GAHHHH!
Due to a family getaway I missed most of the weekend news that stemmed from The Game Awards and the PlayStation Experience event. I’m still getting caught up (you should see the amount of tabs I have open) but um I had to take a moment to stop everything I was doing so that I can talk about the-oh-so-tantalizing Legend of Zelda footage that was shown off on Friday. UMFFFF.
I’m likely going to ramble, so I apologize in advice for my ramblings. It’s just what I do when it comes to Zelda.
Call me what you will, but I’m judgmental when it comes to the art style in Zelda titles. Admittedly, however, my judgment proved me wrong when I assumed Wind Waker wasn’t going to provide an engaging and exciting experience *just* because the graphics were cel-shaded and cartoonish. (Cut me some slack — I was 15 and silly.) But I’ve always wanted a Zelda title with dark and depressing tones (akin to Twilight Princess) and hey, cel-shaded cartoon-y art coming out of Nintendo generally means lighter, more casual feels. When new Zelda footage starts to emerge I’m always hoping to see something a bit darker and a bit more…twisted.
Based off of this footage I think it could go either way. Sure, the colors are bright and the sky is fuckin’ blue as blue can get, but the art style seems to lean more on the mature side. Fingers crossed!
I have a hunch this world is going to be pretty large, at least compared to what we’ve seen in other Zelda titles. According to Aonuma it would take about 5 minutes to close the gap between the green arrow (Link) and the red X (destination). I mean, that’s a pretty freakin’ short distance, and for that to take five minutes? IT COULD BE A BIG ONE JIMBOB. If that turns out to be the case, I’ll be thrilled — I just hope it’s filled with an ample amount of stuff to find and explore. Y’know, secret caves, puzzles, items, heart pieces, etc. ::holds up a sign that says “SAY NO TO EMPTY FILLER SPACE”::
Since this Zelda title won’t be linear and story-driven like we’ve become accustomed to over the years I don’t think we’ll have anything to worry about. When you create a non-linear title I think it’s, erm, common sense to ensure players aren’t roaming aimlessly for hours on end whilst trying to figure out what to do next. I BELIEVE IN YOU, NINTENDO.
Eh-Pone-ah? Man, have I been butchering her poor name since 1998? I’ve been pronouncing “Epona” like Eee-Pone-Ah. In any case, I’m glad to see the ol’ girl is back. I missed her in Skyward Sword. </3 It’s good to know she’ll have some intelligence of her own and won’t run into trees. After all, “real horses don’t run into trees very often.” HAHA <333 (How long until that’s on a shirt?)
ALSOOOO I’m stoked for the slow-mo jumping off awesomeness.I may be wrong, but during the vault it looked like Aonuma was tilting the Gamepad in order to get a better camera angle. I’d rather do away with motion controls entirely, but I can definitely overlook the little things like that. It’s freakin’ Zelda, after all.
SO. Yeah. SO SO SO YEAH. Ahhh. I’m stoked. I can’t wait to see more at E3, which is, what, six months away? Holy. SHIT. These moments leading up to Zelda shenanigans are always so exciting for me. It’s fun to take what (little) information that’s available and speculate the shit out of it. Nothing quite gets me going like Zelda hype. HYPEHYPEHYPEEEEE
LET’S DISCUSS, FRIENDS.
Great article! I’m right there with you!
WEWT! ::high five::
I’m pretty excited about this game. I’m a big Zelda fan but most of my playing has been the N64 and older titles and the handheld titles. I’m slowly catching up on the disc based Zelda games (stupid adult responsibilities). I’m not well versed in non linear games with massive maps, but I’m hoping my love for Zelda helps me to bridge the gap. I hope Nintendo does this right, so far it looks like a hot pile of awesome sauce.
You did forget that one little nugget…… Star Fox will be released before Zelda. I should just direct deposit my checks to Nintendo.
Stupid adult responsibilities indeed! WTF, right? Sigh. But yeah, I think Zelda can make us gamer folk do things we’re not accustomed to. It’s just the power it has.
OH YA. Star Fox. Forgot about that little nugget, I did. ;)
Zelda games work in mysterious ways, that’s for sure. Well, winter in New England + I don’t ski/snowboard = plenty of time to catch up on Zelda. No excuses, game like a champion.
So I have a few things I’d like to say:
1) The rendering style and shaders remind me of what was used in Skyward Sword, which gets a big YES from me.
2) Did you notice that Link was wearing a hood during the horse ride? That’s so freaking cool!
I feel like Link’s potential for exploration needs to exceed what you’d find in Skyrim. So I’d like to see things like rock climbing, or tree climbing. Can you see yourself traversing forests by branches, and seeing blades of light cut through the dense canopy? I’d like that!
I think I’ve mentioned this before in a previous blog entry you’ve made. Perhaps it was for the previous promotional material this game had during E3?
So yes, so excited! YEAHAHAHAH!
…also, will we have a quest log and lots of sidequests? A big place like this is begging for lots of cool little things to find and seek out! And upgradeable weapons, tools, and armor!
1) Word to that. That game was gorgeous, especially for being non HD. Umfff.
2) YES! I wonder why. WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE I MUST KNOW. Is he keeping his identity secret?!
You nailed it. Totally agree with what you brought up.
Maybe they’ll use some of the gameplay mechs from Hyrule Warriors?
I have not gotten into Hyrule Warriors. We have it at our lab, and I’ve played around with it, but I never truly examined it like I should. From what I’ve seen, though, I don’t want any mechanics from Hyrule Warriors. They’d distract from the expected Zelda experience.
What did you think would be brought in from Hyrule Warriors?
On the subject of item number 2, maybe he’s in hiding… or maybe Link is a girl now… Try taking a closer look at Link in the game. He’s got… pigtails?
Personally I don’t know how I feel entirely about the whole “massive open world non-linear” style of this game. Other then the fact that the trailer looks gorgeous, and everything I’ve seen so far is impressive and has me excited, I don’t want it to be like Skyrim. I can’t get into games like Skyrim. I like my linearity. I like my story-driven games. They don’t need to fix something that’s not broken :) But, I’m still super excited for this. I love Zelda…I still need to play Skyward Sword though.
Did you play A Link to the Past and the original Legend of Zelda? I think that’s where they’re going with this. :)
A Link to the Past and Zelda for the NES had a lot of “knowing how to get from point A to point B.” There’s a lot of that (and tons of exploration) in Skyrim. I want this game to be like Skyrim in almost every way (NO LONG LOADING SCREENS)
Actually, I hope they don’t make that reference because it’s cynical and reflects a working knowledge of 5 years worth of video game history (i.e. forgetting everything pre-2010).
Yes, I’ve played A Link to the Past and the original Zelda games :) I don’t know, I just can’t get into games like Skyrim…this is Zelda…I love the massive open world, and exploring, and stuff…I’m down with that aspect of it…I just…I mean, I’d rather have some semblance of a story-driven quest you know? I’m down with side missions and all, but if it’s so non-linear that you can’t tell what to do next to some degree or another then I just get frustrated lol :) but that’s just me!
OMG I love it. CRAZYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY I think I just exploded.