The Legend of Zelda General Discussion (Spoilers may apply)

I don't think I have ever finished a Legend of Zelda game even though I have played almost all of them.

I have played all of them except the cdi ones, but I haven't completed several. Links Awakening is the only one that I haven't finished that I really feel the need to someday.
 
I have played all of them except the cdi ones, but I haven't completed several. Links Awakening is the only one that I haven't finished that I really feel the need to someday.

Cdi?

I've played Ocarina of time (twice), Twilight Princess, the original Legend of Zelda, Skyward Sword, and now I've started Wind Waker. (I also started Link's Adventure, but quickly got frustrated). I also have A Link to the Past and Majora's Mask downloaded on my Wii, waiting to be played.
 
Zelda has been my absolute favorite game series for years. Recently though, the games are becoming my only reason to buy Nintendo consoles. I don't have a 3ds, but when A Link Between Worlds comes out you can bet I will be getting one. Same goes for WiiU when it gets a real Zelda title (Wind Waker Hd will be great, but it isn't enough to justify the purchase for me.) I was hoping to get a ZeldaU trailer at E3, but we got nothing.

This is Nintendo's biggest problem in terms of selling large numbers of consoles and competing with Sony and Microsoft. While they do well in terms of handhelds (3DS), the just cant sell enough consoles for most developers to bother porting or developing exclusive, blockbuster games for the Wii U. This was also a problem for the Wii and the GameCube before it, and one that's only steadily progressed.

Personally, while Nintendo can rely on their big classic franchises to some degree, the seriously need to look at developing an in house game which attracts more adult & teen players, ie, the core gaming market. While the Wii U appeals to some of that market, it's unfortunately a small niche in regards to the Microsoft and Sony consoles. Nintendo needs to start coming up with exclusive console games like those popular on the MS/Sony systems, backed up by their classic franchises.

That isn't to say Nintendo should ape exactly what the other companies are doing. Their uniqueness and originality has gone a long way for them, and that should be continued. I just think they can benefit from looking into releasing a much more powerful console next time around. Lets be honest, the better graphics and hardware end up drawing in more gamers than just revolutionary gameplay, as is evidenced by the lower sales of the Wii U versus the 360/PS3 and even the pre-order sales of the One/PS4. By combining the ability for cutting edge graphics combined with the revolutionary gameplay Nintendo is known for, on top of their large library of classic and beloved franchises...how could it NOT work? It'd appeal to every type of gamer, from kids to teens to 30 somethings. Of course it'd be a pricier system, equivalent to the PS4 and One systems, but by increasing their console AND game sales by attracting a larger slice of the gaming consumer base, as well as increasing developer interest for making exclusives for this theoretical Nintendo system, it's a win/win and I doubt it'd price itself out of being competitive by opening up these possibilities. Just the opposite, really. Nintendo desperately needs to grab back more of the teen and twenty something gamers, and I think that'd be a pretty simple approach, in addition to other new and interesting approaches to gaming like the 3DS and Wii and Wii U controllers offer.

That said, just like Lithium does with Zelda games, anytime a new Metroid releases I buy the console/portable that its available for. So in some respects, that benefits Nintendo, but not enough to make them a true contender in the video game market. And I don't say this as a detractor, as I love Nintendo. Just want to see them overtake MS and Sony in the gaming market.
 
I wish I could get an emulator to play the old handheld games on my Mac, the when I try it never works.


Better yet, Nintendo should just release apps on the iTunes Store! I would totally buy those.
 
I wish I could get an emulator to play the old handheld games on my Mac

Nestopia works great for NES games.

Better yet, Nintendo should just release apps on the iTunes Store! I would totally buy those.

There was some speculation a while back that stockholders were pressuring them to do just that and it was being considered internally.
 
Captain Canuck, I do believe a large number of old Gameboy/GB Color and Gameboy Advance games are available on Wii U's download service. It'd be cool if they even worked on some emulator software for the Wii U to start releasing Nintendo DS (and even 3DS) games on Wii U. It wouldn't be that difficult considering the two screens of the DS could essentially be adapted to have the top/main gameplay screen as on the main television screen, and the bottom on the Wii U controller screen with the DS's pen use adapted to the touch screen feature.

I could be wrong as I don't own a Wii U and haven't checked out my buddy's in a few months.
 
Captain Canuck, I do believe a large number of old Gameboy/GB Color and Gameboy Advance games are available on Wii U's download service. It'd be cool if they even worked on some emulator software for the Wii U to start releasing Nintendo DS (and even 3DS) games on Wii U. It wouldn't be that difficult considering the two screens of the DS could essentially be adapted to have the top/main gameplay screen as on the main television screen, and the bottom on the Wii U controller screen with the DS's pen use adapted to the touch screen feature.

I could be wrong as I don't own a Wii U and haven't checked out my buddy's in a few months.

That would probably convince me to buy a Wii U...
 
I just found out that all the old handheld games are downloadable for the 3DS. Problem solved. Maybe I'll pick one of those up eventually...
 
Here's Part 1 of an awesome documentary done by GameTrailers on the Legend of Zelda timeline.

[video=youtube;fgzPeVe5P0Q]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgzPeVe5P0Q[/video]
 
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I believe I read A Link to the Past was the "worst game" Miyamoto said he made. Not sure...

Either way, I'd say Wind Waker. I love that game so much. Replayed it so many times and can't wait to get a WiiU and replay the HD version.
Nope.

You MUST be thinking of Link's Adventure.

Also nope.
Yep, he did. But I think his issues with it were related to the shortcomings of the hardware, so he wasn't able to do some of the stuff he wanted. And even then, the examples he gave were basically performance-based, like he didn't like how long it took for scenes to switch. I don't think he said anything bad about the story or anything like that.

Still nope.

It was Zelda II: Link's Adventure. It was my first Zelda game and I've got an unhealthy love for it.

Source
Yeah that's the explanation given by Zelda "historians", but it's a cop out either way. Still great games overall, however.

Captain Canuck, I do believe a large number of old Gameboy/GB Color and Gameboy Advance games are available on Wii U's download service. It'd be cool if they even worked on some emulator software for the Wii U to start releasing Nintendo DS (and even 3DS) games on Wii U. It wouldn't be that difficult considering the two screens of the DS could essentially be adapted to have the top/main gameplay screen as on the main television screen, and the bottom on the Wii U controller screen with the DS's pen use adapted to the touch screen feature.

I could be wrong as I don't own a Wii U and haven't checked out my buddy's in a few months.

No handhelds games are on the Wii U but they're ALL on the 3DS. The Wii U is a little light on the virtual console service right now but it only launched a few months ago for it. Before that all you could do is transfer your Wii Purchased games over onto your Wii U. I never had a Wii so I'm just waiting on a lot of games to become available. Secret of Mana I'm looking at you.

I just found out that all the old handheld games are downloadable for the 3DS. Problem solved. Maybe I'll pick one of those up eventually...

Yeah, my 3DS is a Zelda Machine. Its got The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II: The Adventures of Link, Link's Adventure, The Minish Cap, Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons. I'm playing through Seasons right now and I'll be doing Ages after. I never had the former and never beat the latter.

So since we've got a Zelda thread I've got to know. And I alone on disliking Majora's Mask? I don't think its a bad game, I just think its a bad Zelda game. And it game us Tingle... If it had just been Majora's Mask and used the Ocarina of Time Engine without being a "Zelda" game I think I'd be a lot warmer to it.
 
Nope.

So since we've got a Zelda thread I've got to know. And I alone on disliking Majora's Mask? I don't think its a bad game, I just think its a bad Zelda game. And it game us Tingle... If it had just been Majora's Mask and used the Ocarina of Time Engine without being a "Zelda" game I think I'd be a lot warmer to it.

Majora's Mask is my favorite Zelda Game, and one of my favorite games ever. I love that they took a chance, brought the console franchise away from Hyrule (the mobile games are almost never in hyrule of course) and stayed away from the standard Zelda formula (beginning dungeons, distinct "halfway" point, another set of dungeons, final boss). I also believe it to be the strongest Zelda from a storytelling and thematic perspective. The sad story of Termina was markedly different in tone from any of the other games in the franchise, and I believe that was to its' advantage.

Then again, Ocarina of Time isn't even in my top 5 Zelda games so maybe I'm just crazy.
 
I found the time limit in MM to be extremely frustrating. I always had to go HERE and do THIS and I had at most forty three minutes to do it in. I never got to spend time exploring. Hell, I can think of areas in Windwaker or OoT that I spent over an hour exploring and I don't mean the dungeons.

Like I said, I don't think it was a bad game, I just don't think that it fit the franchise and would have been better served as a stand alone game in its own right.
 
Then again, Ocarina of Time isn't even in my top 5 Zelda games so maybe I'm just crazy.

Me either. I never had a Nintendo 64 so I didn't even play it until the Zelda Collector's Edition disc that came out for Gamecube, and once I did I was underwhelmed based on what I'd heard of it. Not that it's bad or boring or anything like that...it just didn't really do anything for me.

Wind Waker is probably my favorite. I loved Zelda 2 for NES but it was so hard I never got very far with it.
 
Me either. I never had a Nintendo 64 so I didn't even play it until the Zelda Collector's Edition disc that came out for Gamecube, and once I did I was underwhelmed based on what I'd heard of it. Not that it's bad or boring or anything like that...it just didn't really do anything for me.

I adore Ocarina of Time, but I dislike that it became the standard 'framework' that the rest of the series had to follow. This is a problem for the Zelda franchise in general, and to some extent Nintendo as a whole. A lack of innovation I suppose. While Wind Waker, Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword (to a lesser extent) each had their own added mechanics, it is clear that they borrowed heavily from OoT. In my opinion all three do what Ocarina did, but better. I mean, going purely off of nostalgia sure OoT is the best, and from an innovation standpoint as well, but the refinement found in the later console releases trumps OoT, and gameplay is one of (if not) the most important aspects of a game.

I like it when franchises are willing to experiment and change the formula both in story and in gameplay. That's why Majora's Mask is my favorite, and that is why I love almost all of the handheld titles and hold Links Awakening, Oracle of Ages, and Spirit Tracks in very high regard.

As a sidenote, I love Skyward Sword and everything new that it brought, but I hate motion controls because they are often too hard for me (being physically disabled). This is why I don't hold it in such high regard specifically.
 
I adore Ocarina of Time, but I dislike that it became the standard 'framework' that the rest of the series had to follow. This is a problem for the Zelda franchise in general, and to some extent Nintendo as a whole. A lack of innovation I suppose.

That's a very interesting and valid point. While Nintendo has been successfully innovative as heck in terms of their approach to console and handheld controls (Wii/Wii U and 3DS, all the way back to the original Gameboy...we'll overlook the Virtual Boy and Power Glove), they do seem to lack that innovation in terms of game design in their major franchise releases.

Perhaps they're taking a "if it ain't broke don't fix it" view, but I doubt that's really it. The Mario, Zelda, Metroid and other major Nintendo franchises certainly have a formulaic appeal, which is what fans like (to a degree), but it's also a given fans would enjoy new and successfully implemented approaches to certain aspects of those series. It's a tough balance, for sure.

While Wind Waker, Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword (to a lesser extent) each had their own added mechanics, it is clear that they borrowed heavily from OoT. In my opinion all three do what Ocarina did, but better. I mean, going purely off of nostalgia sure OoT is the best, and from an innovation standpoint as well, but the refinement found in the later console releases trumps OoT, and gameplay is one of (if not) the most important aspects of a game.

I like it when franchises are willing to experiment and change the formula both in story and in gameplay. That's why Majora's Mask is my favorite, and that is why I love almost all of the handheld titles and hold Links Awakening, Oracle of Ages, and Spirit Tracks in very high regard.

As a sidenote, I love Skyward Sword and everything new that it brought, but I hate motion controls because they are often too hard for me (being physically disabled). This is why I don't hold it in such high regard specifically.

Also very good points. I agree with the motion controls, specifically the Wii-mote. Metroid Other M had some of the worst executed game controls, requiring constantly shifting the Wii remote from aiming at the TV to playing on it sideways (like the older Nintendo remotes). It was a chore, and drew away from my (and others based on reviews) enjoyment of the game...besides the weak story/characterization that turned Samus from a badass Ellen Ripley like character to a stereotypical anime female.
 

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