August 2009:  Ocarina of Time, Still on Top?  by Webmaster Bob
September 2009: Living in the Shadow of Ocarina of Time by Windmage
October 2009: How the Wii and DS Revolutionized Zelda by i am a teddy
November 2009: Wind Waker, A Hatred Undeserved by UltimaLink007
April 2010: Zelda Wii What we Want to See by Stealthylight
May 2010: The Perfect Boss Battle by Webmasterbob

As gamers, and (equally as important to Nintendo) consumers, one would think that we are entitled to have some sort of say into how we want the finished products of our games to look like. Yet, come launch, there are always those who scuff in discontent at what they deem to be short comings, “left outs”, time crunches, the list goes on, and in being a completely honest and loving fan, I cannot exclude myself from the group. Twilight Princess was perhaps the first Zelda game to truly establish the grounds for argument over all its aspects. It was an example of a game that ended compromising quality for a special, quicker release ( even after several delays). Of course, one could equally say that the game was in a unique position that brought out both the best and the worst. An example of this being its crossover to the Wii: we realized how well the new controls worked, but the Gamecube graphics were not what anyone would consider next-gen, and thus, the game received criticism.

So what was the meaning of telling you that? Well the fact is that Nintendo has seemed to be disappointing quite a few of its die-hards lately. And the biggest complaint streams from those who accuse Nintendo of catering towards the younger, casual audience, and quite frankly, they are doing just that. The problem seems to be that in doing this, we, the hard-core/old school gamers, are slowly be forgotten, with only memories of days gone by to comfort us. Zelda, as immaculate among the game world as it is, has been accused of following the down-flow of it mother company by seeming to have become easier, less intricate, and overall underproduced. Hopefully, if Spirit Tracks can serve to be any indication, we are beginning to see a turn-around of this system, and the birth of games that once again, reach out to all levels of gaming experience. In this editorial, I will be discussing specific aspects we would all like to see present in Zelda Wii. I will pull ideas and examples from other games (not just from the Zelda franchise) to call upon the points I will be trying to make. The Idea is to unify our minds as fans and throw out our own opinions and wishes for what could possibly be the greatest Zelda ever created.

* It will seem throughout the editorial that I am being rather hard on Twilight Princess, while my only intention is to learn and grow from where it left off. Twilight Princes remains in the roster of my top three Zelda games, as I don’t know how to describe in words my love for the Installment. Aonuma has clearly stated that Twilight Princess will be the starting point from which the new Zelda title will be erected, and as such, is my main area of focus. My purpose in this bantering is to recognize the game’s shortcomings, and to see how they could be built upon to make a game no Zelda fan could complain about. *

An Expanded, Diverse Universe

Recall for a moment the first trailer for Twilight Princess which debuted at E3 2004. What stood out to me most, as I’m sure you as well, was the immense, realistic portrayal of Hyrule. Endless fields, deep woods, tall castle, dark, dank dungeons, many of the physical elements we have come to know and love from the Zelda Universe were all there. These physical attributes were all present in Twilight Princess, but not to the greatest extent. For instance, Hyrule Field is a pivotal, standalone component to the Zelda Universe because it not only extends the scope and spread of Hyrule, but it also connect its many regions together. It is quite evident that Twilight princess began to take this route, however, most likely due to the Gamecube’s technical limits, the further reaches of this notion were not able to be explored ( particularly mentionable was the fact that The entire field was divided into four separate areas, connected by small, narrow passageways, which creates a claustrophobic, detached feel to the game’s free roam aspect (a VERY important aspect at that). We just weren't able to get the wide open fields that we had seen in the trailers. As I also previously mentioned, the diverse, varying terrain is also a staple feature of Hyrule. It gives the Zelda Universe that distinct flavor that simply isn’t present in other games. No installment of the Zelda series has embodied this essence of diversity more than Majora’s Mask. Despite the fact that the size of Termina was smaller in comparison to Hyrule from the previous game, Ocarina of Time, a simple lap around the outskirts of Clocktown would reveal towering landmarks of each of the four regions. Weather the player is cognizant of it or not, this features of Majora’s Mask that gives the game the unique feel no other installment in the series posses.

My suggestion for Zelda Wii as far as the lay of the land goes is to create a large, spread out, yet identifiable world. We want to explore the hills, forests, caves mountains, lakes, deserts (you get the idea), but want to take a longer, more engaging time to do it. We want to see towering landmarks in the distance that beckon us to say, “someday, I’ll explore you”. We want to see many different towns and cities scattered across the land, featuring the many different races we have come to love, as well as perhaps some new ones. The start to revitalizing Zelda on the console is to enhance the familiar atmosphere with more of what we already have.

A Living, Breathing Hyrule

We have already discussed how we want Hyrule to change physically, however, I want to expand on that notion a bit more. I call to the spotlight again Majora’s Mask, which is most commonly associated with time. As a side effect of this major game mechanic, the game puts many of its events on a schedule, many individuals were actually doing something, or had agendas. If you didn’t get to your destination on time, or took to long to do something, you would have to wait until the next day, or worse, return to day one.

What we are asking for in Zelda Wii is not as restricting, but holds the same idea. Why not put Hyrule on a clock. Why not have the citizens of each town be doing their own things, running their own errands, even if they would be irrelevant to your quest. And in fact, such a mechanic could make your quest much more engaging, opening the path to more side-quest, which equals more content. Again, Twilight Princess lightly touched on this, as can be seen in Castle Town. Its residents scurry about frantically during the day, but as night falls, the buzz from the crowded square becomes less thick, eventually boiling down to a few guards. This was a very appreciated inclusion in Twilight Princess; the only problem, however, was that it wasn’t taken far enough. Very few of the residence could be talked to, and after following a particular individual, you would eventually realize you would be running in circles or the person you were following would eventually disappear into another segment of the town. Obviously, this isn’t really important to our quest, but it does show the game designer’s diligence in creating a realistic environment (and of course, having time pass no matter where you are would be a nice inclusion as well) .

Beyond this, wouldn’t it be nice to then to see intermingling amongst other towns? For instance, there could be a side quest in which you helped escort a trader leaving castle town all the way to Death Mountain, very similar in part to escorting Cremia side quest in Majora’s Mask. There are not too many other things that could be done to make it seem that Hyrule has an actual functioning society than this. I think I speak for all of us when I say how incredible such an inclusion this would be.

The Birth of a Hero

One of the most emotional aspects in any epic is the metaphorical transition from a child to an adult. An individual starts out as perhaps a seemingly normal (or perhaps not normal), under-appreciated, or forgotten member of society, somehow awakened; called upon by fate to embark on a long, treacherous, and enduring adventure. This “individual” is forced to leave, the warm familiar faces and scenery he knows so well to explore a vast, diverse new world pledged by a slow-impending evil. During his quest, the “individual” begins to mature, hardened by the harsh conditions of his new lifestyle, as well as the ever-changing atmosphere and the lives of others around him. Eventually, he comes face-to-face with the immense, omnipotent, evil that he has sought to destroy from the very beginning of his quest. By the end, the contrast between the person he was when he started his quest, to the person he has become at its conclusion is nothing less than remarkable. This description sounds very familiar to a certain video game we know, doesn’t it?

The tale of the “boy in green garbs” is more or less the same in every Zelda game, but in no other title does this flame burn more bright than in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Besides the impact of its ground-braking 3D portrayal, the contrast mentioned above is aided by the physical change in age Link undergoes.

We are not asking for another Ocarina of Time (at least not yet ), but we we would like to see is the revival of this theme.