tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3967694277763110629.post2117262493086276562..comments2024-03-28T07:16:05.720-07:00Comments on Experience Points: Zelda and the Road More TraveledJorge Alborhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04857765716032886965noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3967694277763110629.post-55363878110423695712010-07-19T21:14:15.373-07:002010-07-19T21:14:15.373-07:00Hey Julian,
I am always astounded by how differen...Hey Julian,<br /><br />I am always astounded by how different the two flagship Nintendo franchises are. As you point out, Mario games constantly push the platform genre forward. Zelda, on the other hand, seems to be stuck in a holding pattern: it basically invented a genre and then its evolution slowed to a crawl.<br /><br />I think the problem is threefold:<br /><br />1. There is so much historical baggage and rabid fan-love that any deviation from the Zelda formula risks commercial failure (or at least under-performance).<br /><br />2. As far as console action/adventure games go, Zelda remains one of the outstanding franchises. Save for rare exceptions like Okami and Fable, Zelda doesn't have much competition and thus might have less impetus to experiment.<br /><br />3. I haven't done any real research on this, but I get the sense that Nintendo doesn't really know how to change Zelda. It's been the same for so long that maybe they don't know what to do. Maybe no one wants to mess with the perceived sanctity of Miyamoto's original design? Maybe it's just a manifestation of the conservative Japanese design philosophy we see in other franchises like Resident Evil and Final Fantasy? Whatever the case may be, it seems like no one wants to take the risk to do something radical.<br /><br />I could talk about Zelda all day, so I better wrap this up. Suffice to say that I will be interested to hear more details of the new game.<br /><br />Thanks for stopping by, as always!Scott Justerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11775296635863850847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3967694277763110629.post-33525418802426677282010-07-06T10:07:45.588-07:002010-07-06T10:07:45.588-07:00The reason that I'm jaded about the Zelda seri...The reason that I'm jaded about the Zelda series is not that they're not experimenting with different narrative structures or adding dialogue. In fact, the dialogue that they HAVE added is to the game's detriment almost universally. Link should remain silent, but at the same time he shouldn't try to silently hold a conversation with townsfolk. I finished Twilight Princes but I didn't care about it. On the other hand I adored 3D Dot Game Heroes, which is equal parts parody, homage, and ripoff of Zelda.<br /><br />What Zelda is poor at, in general, and specifically Twilight Princess failed to do, is evolving the actual mechanics and dynamics. Mario has brought something new and interesting to to table in terms of level design and Mario's abilities in every iteration. They played with gravity and the shape of a level in Galaxy, they added multiplayer in NSMBW. Link always gets a bow, bombs, boomerang, hookshot, etc. Frequently he'll have to travel to an alternate version of the world. It's starting to feel played-out.<br /><br />The simplistic mythological nature of the Zelda story can be a strength because it frees you from trying to make the story matter, and it lets you change things up without destroying the game's essence. I essentially agree that I don't want more talky-talky in Zelda. It's at it's best when it tries to be Metroid rather than Baldur's Gate. But I have one more condition: spend that time that would have been squandered on annoying talky bits on thinking up a different palette of abilities for Link. The next time a Zelda game starts me in the forest alone, scrounging for a sword and discovering new abilities with a big open-ended map to get lost and puzzle-solve and explore and die in is the next time I will give a damn about a Zelda game.Julianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05684168826773165763noreply@blogger.com