She was a cocker spaniel. And I didn't steal her. I called animal rescue.
Dude, not cool. She was an Armenian midget with a bit of a facial hair problem, though admittedly even the Animal Control people couldn't tell since she started speaking the few English words she knew: "Woof" (how she says WiFi, she loves her iPad), "bark" (she's a tree lover), and "growl" (she likes porridge). Of course once she started doing advanced physics calculations with her hairy little fingers, they released her to me.
Yeah, mail order Armenian brides are a nightmare. But she's my little Ewok.
I find Zelda refreshing for the same reason Mario is (or, uh, was) and honestly, Metroid was. They create a world that's vivid and interesting but it's just there to supplement the game.Too often games these days are so obsessed with storytelling, or worse, so obsessed with mimicking movies, that it's nice to see a game where the story (what there is of it) is minimalist and designed solely to complement the gameplay. It's the same reason I like Team Ico games, where there's almost nothing in the way or narrative but the ambience just so perfectly matches the game.
I'm not against storytelling in games. Some games do it well, though I have yet to see a game with a narrative as compelling as the best novels or films, and the majority of games that put a focus on story tend to poorly integrate the story and gameplay. The lurchy pace of gameplay->cutscene->gameplay->cutscene seems awkward to me. That's not to say I don't enjoy those games, but I'm always delighted by games that are pure game.
I actually agree in a sense. It's that minimalist approach to story (combined with awesome gameplay...usually) from the Zelda, Mario, and Metroid franchises that keep drawing me back and buying the new Nintendo console every 5 years (between NES and current day I've only NOT bought an N64 and a 3DS, every other damn handheld or console Nintendo has put out I've owned for those 3 franchises respective games...still planning on buying a Wii U once a new Metroid is announced...and guess why I didn't bother buying an N64).
But that said, personally I don't find more immersive (in a storytelling sense) games jarring. I love game series like Assassin's Creed, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Batman - Arkham, etc. For me, I love the more cinematic approach some games use. And the ones which don't sacrifice gameplay depth and replay-ability in favor of cutscenes produce some truly phenomenal games in the current gen. Granted, unfortunately too many studios release games with shallow and uninspired or unoriginal gameplay and try to cover that shortcoming up with pretty graphics and lots of cut scenes. Those are jarring. But the fluid and well done games make both the gameplay and watching of occasional cut scenes one nice experience. Especially as a way of taking a few minutes break from play to delve more into the world through those scenes as opposed to just a pause screen.
There's a perfect balance, and the best games find it (for the most part).
But there is certainly an attraction for me to the more old school, minimalist approach Nintendo uses with their classic franchises, and I love those as well. I guess it's all just a spectrum of which I enjoy both ends.