I see. So perhaps you gentlemen will be so kind and tell me where you then think Nintendo will get their player feedback from? What mistake is it that you are implying they made by looking at fan-based feedback from internet forums?
They would surely understand to just get some ideas from viewing various opinions of games rather than winding up being confused, wouldn´t they? As I recall it, they were intently looking at fanwebsites forums after the 2004 unveiling of the WindWaker cell shaded style Zelda game to understand gamers reactions, and they saw what were the reactions then! Not too happy reactions, I remember. So they later agreed among themselves, that it would be better to go back to making a realistic style Zelda. Which in fact they did, and now they see the result of making a realistic game such as what THEY liked it to be, and not what gamers expected. I will tell you straight off the bat, that Nintendo will always be running behind with regard to meeting gamers expectation if they fail to properly understand what the majority expects from a Zelda game.
The majority are those who hated the WW style Zelda, and whom Nintendo themselves referred to as "many, many people" wanting "a realistic Zelda". I am perhaps expecting too much, if I ask for them to put Miyamoto back into the Directors-chair in order to make a new Zelda game. It may never happen, because he is too busy with too many other projects. He is needed in many places, and has the right to involve himself in what he likes. But one of my biggest wishes as pertaining to the Zelda series, is that he will do like he is now doing with Mario: getting a lot more involved. He is the creator of these game series, and only he knows how they should look and play. And above all, he is the only Nintendo game developer who has ever stated that the expectations of the customers comes first! That is included in interviews linked to in this thread.
Say, a game is made very difficult to play. Tough to get through. Well, if so it had better be one heck of an intriguing, inviting world they make to be in. With lot´s of things to unlock, sights to expect. Otherwise it wouldn´t be worth it to have to go through all of those efforts in order to progress. I, for one, wouldn´t care. I didn´t with Mario Sunshine. Sure it was better in certain ways in the way it played. But that world... It was ugly in many places. Ugly textures, strange beings, stupid water-cannon. All the results of trying to re-innovate the series, so it became fresher, newer. It didn´t. Many reviews reflected how dissapointed people were with it. How tenaciously difficult it was. Mario 64 had a difficulty-variation which was perfectly balanced out for all to try and go through with. You didn´t need all of the stars to complete it. The worlds were fun, and inviting. Awesome accomplishment. Huge applause worldwide. That game was a huge success. What´s wrong with making a sequel? Why stray so far off the proven formula? Because he wants to be innovative? Is it him, or the gamers who will buy the game?
I believe that there is still a majority who prefers the realistic style Zelda, and I have in my posts pointed out what I believe is at fault with the current realistic style Zelda game. The over-reliance on certain game elements alone, and not all of them (GGSM). I have already pointed out above, that the 3D modelling team got over-ambitious with creating the new Hyrule. And that the rest of the developer teams couldn´t catch up. Miyomoto admitted it. So I am right. I merely analyze the feed back coming from Nintendo itself about their games. In this case Zelda TP. But now they are talking about possibly putting Link, in a WW2 setting? Give me a break!!!!!
I can´t demand that an OoT-like game is made again, but I can expect that they don´t take the series too far out, and risk alienating too many gamers from the franchise for lack of meeting expectations. I.e. I mentioned in one of my posts above that Link is an elf, so he belongs in a forest-world, with green beautifull surroundings. Not on an open ocean, in a game where there is so few forests that it was a joke. I read in many places how disspointed people were because of the world they had created for Link to be in then. Everyone at E3 was shocked at it´s unveiling, and Nintendo was just arrogantly scoffing at them. THAT you cannot do as a games company.
And therefore I will include that I will forewarn of consequences for the Zelda series, if Miyamoto does not keep his army of developers in a short leash, and keep the series of track. After the return to a true successor for the Mario series, with Super Mario Galaxy, it is only so clear how much it is precisely that which a majority wants from a Mario game. Huge anticipation isalready building, AND they have themselves said that this is a true sequel to Mario 64. Even Bowser´s in it! No trips to ugly, strange worlds clearly lacking in content and motivation to get through. Only the SAME type of awesome gameplay that only Miyamoto can create. Customers come first. That is why it can NEVER be unimportant to look at gamers opinions, gentlemen! If a game creator starts to think that his opinion comes first, and gamers second, he´s starting to seal his own doom. What, did you just think Nintendo was going to get NO feed back from gamers, and maintain their stance that alone they know what´s best to give us to play?
That is the way it is not wise to make it. Customers have always come first, always will. And since more and more companies wants a piece of the ever growing videogame market, there is increased competition all of the time, and this means that any game maker had better follow intensely what is the precise reaction to games shipped to market. Or they might risk building up irritation in enough gamers to create negative hype, and enough of it, to make them wander off to another console maker - and stay there. They did with SEGA, after SEGA had dragged people around for too long with expensive, under-supported consoles, and too many costly add-on´s. Bad solutions, bad timing. They simply got out of touch with what the gamers wanted, and seeing THAT gamers jumped ship real quick. Sony could just waltz into the market with a perfect and abundantly supported gameconsole which had all of the games, and all of the fun. They have been at the top for two console generations now, maybe they will for a third allthough it doesn´t seem like it. Videogame history that speaks for itself. Take it or leave it. I know what happened.
Right now, the Wii is abundantly supported. That is right now. But this is first, and foremost a Nintendo platform. All else that comes out on it is second- or third party games. The brandname recognition lies in Nintendo games. Otherwise people can go to Microsoft, Sony, and play many off the same games there albeit without the same controls. Those types of controls will be sought copied soon anyway. Nintendo should never forget that in order to stay on top of the world of gaming, they have to do a little of the same that a boxer must: stay in shape all of the time. Now, you can´t say they aren´t doing anything right now for people. They work really hard. But they must be able to properly READ I F people are satisfied with what they get - or not! That goes for every game they make. So I hope for Nintendo that they will set up a system to monitor the reactions of gamers ALL over the world, through interviews over a wide demographic, not just a selected number of fanboys who will say anything good about the games for lack of true qualifications as game-reviewers. A system to measure opinions of games, not sales. And gather all of these informations like they do with sales curves currently at every E3 show. Then we shall surely see the true opinions of the games they make. And for the record: that idea is worth a lot if taken into use! But I gladly give it free to Nintendo if they ever happen to read this post.
Topic: LOZ: 2005 (Read 566789 times)
