Topic: If I Were in Charge of Zelda

[King Bowser Koopa]

Eugh, scripted moves are horrible. The whole "press button to not die" thing was fun in its RE4 debut, simply from the fact that even cutscenes were no longer safe. Then it just got silly. What I imagined with the extra moves was simply being able to do stuff like the backflip/sideflip/walljump type thing in Mario 64, just adding a few more nimble battle-evasion controls other than Link's current 4-jump list. I kind of agree that the character could be both male or female without changing the fundamentals at all - it still fits into the world, and I even contemplated the choice of player gender at the start like in Pokémon. For the purpose of the article, though, I had to think of ways it could change and/or improve the formula. Eye candy is not a valid reasoning

[Ceric]

Eugh, scripted moves are horrible. The whole "press button to not die" thing was fun in its RE4 debut, simply from the fact that even cutscenes were no longer safe. Then it just got silly. What I imagined with the extra moves was simply being able to do stuff like the backflip/sideflip/walljump type thing in Mario 64, just adding a few more nimble battle-evasion controls other than Link's current 4-jump list. I kind of agree that the character could be both male or female without changing the fundamentals at all - it still fits into the world, and I even contemplated the choice of player gender at the start like in Pokémon. For the purpose of the article, though, I had to think of ways it could change and/or improve the formula. Eye candy is not a valid reasoning

If this was the fun house and I was one of our other members their be a picture to accompany this.  What do you mean Eye Candy isn't a valid Reason?

Would you play Ugly Link to save Hideous Zelda?

[King Bowser Koopa]

If it added to the gameplay somehow, sure! Technically I already played as "Ugly Link" in Freshly-picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland, that game was so messed up, yet such fun.

[Ceric]

I should play that game someday.

I like the mini-game break up of GoW, not so much the cutscenes ones.  I like it when you can get the job done without them but its cooler and faster to do it with them.  Also like the mini-game in Turn based RPG like the Mario RPG ones.

[Turbo857]

No, no, no.  Your other ideas are good but Link should never be a female in any capacity!  You want a playable female lead in Zelda make it Princess Zelda and give her her own game!

Nobody wants to see Link a female, or Mario or Megaman or Donkey Kong or Fox, etc.  I love Zelda games but I would never play one with Link being female.  A female main character in Zelda maybe but not Link!

[Nemo]

Maybe a better scenario could be something like this: Link has a sister. At the start of the game you choose one. And whoever you don't choose gets captured (or something).

Still, I'd like it better with no female Link at all.

[Ceric]

Ok I'm going to rally here but I think it be good for the Mytho if Link was a girl in one.

Also Zelda was a lead of a game before... *looks around* ... Why are there people coming after me...

[Mop it up]

And now we're back to "make Zelda more like Metroid".

Isn't that what Zelda II is?

[ShyGuy]

Zelda is about Discovery
Mario is about Jumping
Sonic is about Gravity

Real Talk.

[Ceric]

I was listing to RFN 148 and from my own experience with Zelda 2 and from hearing others.  Honestly think that Zelda 2 is the model all the 3D games are based on.  Think they have more in common with that then the first but, I also think after the Zelda 2 experiment Nintendo realized that:

1.  People love their items.
2.  The tech. really wasn't there yet to do what they really wanted to.
 
It is also the first time where Link really starts taking on some of his more female qualities, that is until Elvis Link (WW).  Jumping is introduced, more elaborate sword play, and non-item magic for non-villians.


I also say that Metroid is about Discovery and Zelda is about being a reluctant Predestined Hero.

[Stogi]

That's not what Zelda is about at all. I can't find the quote at this time, but Miyamoto himself said Zelda was about adventure. I really wish I could find that quote because it was awesome.

Can anyone help me? It was about how he came up with the idea in the first place.

[ShyGuy]

I thought about it, and I used to think Zelda was about adventure, but I think Discovery fits better. Metroid is about isolation, but I may revise that.

[Ceric]

I thought about it, and I used to think Zelda was about adventure, but I think Discovery fits better. Metroid is about isolation, but I may revise that.

Metroid is True Isolation but Zelda is a lot of Isolation in a Crowd.  Link is never really ... close with anyone.  In TP it always felt as if he was duty bound more then anything and parting ways was unavoidable.

[ShyGuy]

Alone in a group? Look at Olimar from Pikmin. Strange planet, nothing but enemies and dumb plant people he can't talk to.

[Ceric]

Alone in a group? Look at Olimar from Pikmin. Strange planet, nothing but enemies and dumb plant people he can't talk to.

I still put that in a different category because "...dumb plant people he can't talk to."  More akin to isolation by no choice.  Though I need to play through that game more to get a true feel.

[King Bowser Koopa]

Nobody wants to see Link a female, or Mario or Megaman or Donkey Kong or Fox, etc.  I love Zelda games but I would never play one with Link being female.  A female main character in Zelda maybe but not Link!

Jumping in late, but who says Mario or Mega Man or Donkey Kong or Fox should be female? We all know they're male and there's no denying it. My prime reasoning behind the theory is that every game besides Majora's Mask, Phantom hourglass and Spirit Tracks has featured an entirely different person performing the role of "Link". If one is to believe that there is a timeline between games, that means there has to have been girls and babies and some kind of lineage passed down. Were the girls all just useless NPCs who never amounted to anything and thus weren't worth making a game about? That's kind of biased..

[ShyGuy]

Malon's Quest: Rancher's Revenge!

[NWR_insanolord]

Nobody wants to see Link a female, or Mario or Megaman or Donkey Kong or Fox, etc.  I love Zelda games but I would never play one with Link being female.  A female main character in Zelda maybe but not Link!

Jumping in late, but who says Mario or Mega Man or Donkey Kong or Fox should be female? We all know they're male and there's no denying it. My prime reasoning behind the theory is that every game besides Majora's Mask, Phantom hourglass and Spirit Tracks has featured an entirely different person performing the role of "Link". If one is to believe that there is a timeline between games, that means there has to have been girls and babies and some kind of lineage passed down. Were the girls all just useless NPCs who never amounted to anything and thus weren't worth making a game about? That's kind of biased..

Yeah, but unless the game were different in some way because Link were female, what purpose would it serve beyond merely shock value? While that's pretty much the whole reasoning behind Samus being female, it at least had an effect on the development of the Metroid franchise, whereas by your own logic this female Link would exist independently of all the other Links, and thus would have no significant effect on the series as a whole.

[ShyGuy]

I googled female Link and got a bunch of dirty cartoons. I think there is a perv market for it.

[Shaymin]

Rule 34 and Rule 63 is a dangerous combination.

[Ceric]

I think a female Link would finally put the nail in the coffin to anyone who thinks that between any of the games that aren't direct Sequels that they are the same Link.  Back to Link is a hero and being a hero is not bias.

[Turbo857]

Jumping in late, but who says Mario or Mega Man or Donkey Kong or Fox should be female? We all know they're male and there's no denying it. My prime reasoning behind the theory is that every game besides Majora's Mask, Phantom hourglass and Spirit Tracks has featured an entirely different person performing the role of "Link". If one is to believe that there is a timeline between games, that means there has to have been girls and babies and some kind of lineage passed down. Were the girls all just useless NPCs who never amounted to anything and thus weren't worth making a game about? That's kind of biased..

As biased as it may sound, I'm not doubting the existence of some Link mothers out there.  I'm just saying, "Who really cares about them?".  I seriously doubt that whatever adventure they had to deal with before they gave birth to a Link is really that significant.

Also, eventhough there are many different Links, they all have the same defining characteristics (green tunic, long ears, swordsman, and male) and that's how most fans want him to remain and be depicted.  I've beaten every Zelda under the sun (made by Nintendo and Capcom), and I don't think I'm in the minority when I say, I'm not interested in playing as a female Link.

There have been different leading playable Snakes in the Metal Gear Solid series.  But if I had to star as a female Snake, I'd have to pass.  It was tough playing as Old Snake in MGS4.  Regardless of how the role of Link is defined gamers expect him to be male and would be resistant to a gender change.  You saw the controversy regarding Wink Waker's graphics when that trailer was first published, right?  I think a female Link would spark a similar response.  Bottom line and call it sexist if you want but a female Link will sell less...

[Adrock]

If i was in charge of Zelda, I'd...... reboot the franchise. I won't get into gameplay and the whole "what makes Zelda" debate. In terms of storytelling, Nintendo has written themselves into several corners and they're just tossing darts at a plot-points taped to a wall at this point. We have 2 timelines and if that wasn't ridiculous enough, we now have 2 fucking Hyrules. Nintendo was so confused over where to take the series plot-wise that they actually flooded the original Hyrule and made a new one and this new one has magic train tracks. Bitch please!

I'm not saying Nintendo should have 10 minute CG cutscenes (no individual cutscene in any game should exceed 2 minutes besides maybe the ending), but if Nintendo is going to have a storyline, they need to hire some writers plan how the story (and canon) progresses because the plot does affect the game. Additionally, aking prequels and interquels really messes with a series's canon. Take Star Wars, for example. With Zelda, Nintendo has abused the timeline so many times that the plots of the games are more distractions than anything. As a player and longtime Zelda fan, I'm taken out of the game when something silly happens. I remember when Ganondorf shows up in Twilight Princess. Total facepalm moment. It wasn't even cool, more like, "Ganondorf again? Cheesus...."

[Nemo]

Why not make Link female and black?

[Stogi]

I would welcome a small, concise story line like MM. Anything bigger would probably get Nintendo in trouble like TP or WW.

In terms of story line though, the most important element to me is how the story effects the world. It seems like you are always doing something in secret that no civilian knows about. You defeat Ganon before anyone knows they were in danger.

I would like to see an almost vampire like situation, where people are so scared at night, they are hostile. Or as the game develops they become noticeably more afraid, weary, or frightened.