[SPOILERS!!] The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

[Grazza]

I once thought of Zelda as my favourite gaming series but after Zelda TP and both the DS games it has slowly but surely declined in my list.

 

Same for me, I prefer Dragon Quest now.

 

Skyward Sword has a lot to live up to, just as a Wii game. Even forgetting the PS3 and 360 (which I don't have much experience with), I've played games on the PS2 that set a new benchmark that Zelda should match, namely Shadow of the Colossus and Dragon Quest VIII. The former has a seamless overworld with no loading times. You can explore for miles and then suddenly encounter a huge colossus. The latter, although an RPG, blew Twilight Princess away. Its overworld was rich and full of dramatic, hilly terrain. The towns, villages and the castles in them were highly interactive, positively shaming Hyrule Castle Town. Of course, Skyward Sword may match all this... We can only hope.

 

And though I agree with darkjak that Zelda should be the best game around, I don't agree that it needs voice acting. It's an artistic choice, not a matter of technical competence or otherwise. I know a lot of reviewers demand it, but it's a trend, nothing more.

 

Whatever Skyward Sword turns out like, I am not going to throw my toys out of the pram, I'm really not. I hardly even care if it's bad (which I'm sure it won't be), because I have a strong suspicion that in a few years, a Zelda on Project Café will get the series back on track. It's just a shame that this greatest-franchise-of-all seems to have been so off-target for a decade.

[Nolan]

Of minor interest, http://www.destructoid.com/mysterious-nintendo-film-shoot-involves-zelda-williams-202312.phtml.

 

Of more interest is that someone as creepily hairy as Robin Williams can have a daughter that hot. (Destructiod doesn't have the best picture of her, but the neogaf thread has some good ones).

[killer kirby]

The director of the Minish Cap is directing this game, the composer for this game is the epic musician who has made the greatest music in games since ever thanks to Mario Galaxy 1 and 2. and full on 1:1 motion controls which shall bring in new and fresh gameplay+puzzles. Plus visual presentation that is not grey dull and boring like 99% of most modern games.

 

Fuck storylines, look where that has gotten games like Final Fantasy and Grand Theft Auto.

 

I play games because of something called interaction and *Gasp* fun. It seems like Nintendo is like the only company that realises that it's called a game and not B-rated movies.

 

Zelda is still perhaps one of the only series out there that has stayed true to what it is from day 1. Creative. Fun. Adventurous.

 

I keep forgetting why people are not hyped for this game? Is it because it's not super duper HD that contains a billions worth amount of touching dialog? Boooooooring.

 

But eh, what do I know? I guess I am a casual gamer who doesn't really give 2 fucks about graphics, online system, gamerscores etc etc...

[darkjak]

The director of the Minish Cap is directing this game, the composer for this game is the epic musician who has made the greatest music in games since ever thanks to Mario Galaxy 1 and 2. and full on 1:1 motion controls which shall bring in new and fresh gameplay+puzzles. Plus visual presentation that is not grey dull and boring like 99% of most modern games.

Thus far I agree.

Fuck storylines, look where that has gotten games like Final Fantasy and Grand Theft Auto.

What's wrong with GTA's storylines? They're full of with, irony and pays tribute to great movies.

I play games because of something called interaction and *Gasp* fun. It seems like Nintendo is like the only company that realises that it's called a game and not B-rated movies.

If you listen to Shigeru Miyamoto, Zelda to him has allways been about exploring and being part of a magical world. In other words: immersion. Nintendo could acheive so much by just adding voices.

Zelda is still perhaps one of the only series out there that has stayed true to what it is from day 1. Creative. Fun. Adventurous.

You know, those are incredibly hollow words. Anyone who plays a game obviously thinks it's fun. Some people do think that MS Flight Simulator, real time flying over the atlantic with a dull passenger plane is fun. And any game developer working on an idea that isn't working on a game idea he absolutely loathes, will do something creative.

I keep forgetting why people are not hyped for this game? Is it because it's not super duper HD that contains a billions worth amount of touching dialog? Boooooooring.

I don't get this. Zelda allready has TONS of story. Why not just add frigging voices? I know it's expensive, but for god's sake, poor little indie studios add voices to their games, why can't Nintendo, whom are rich as trolls do it with their flagship franchise?

 

But eh, what do I know? I guess I am a casual gamer who doesn't really give 2 fucks about graphics, online system, gamerscores etc etc...

You're a casual gamer in the sense that you don't understand what Zelda really is. Zelda is the franchise that's supposed to show everyone what Nintendo and their game machines are capable of. They're supposed to be the best. And judging by what we've seen so far, it seems so OLD. And I'm not even just referring to the graphics.

I have a 360 but I have no clue of what my gamerscore is. But I really do think it would be convenient with a good online system. I mean, just being able to look at what my friends are playing, then join in and play against them. And not having to save down info about my friends every time I get a new game. And a headset so I can chat with them, regardless of what game I'm playing.

[Burny]

You're a casual gamer in the sense that you don't understand what Zelda really is. Zelda is the franchise that's supposed to show everyone what Nintendo and their game machines are capable of. They're supposed to be the best. And judging by what we've seen so far, it seems so OLD. And I'm not even just referring to the graphics.

 

Funny, that I think he, unlike you, actually understands what Zelda is.

[Pit-Jr]

Id love to see ONE entry in the franchise to have fully fleshed out, flawed personalities and voices for Link, Zelda and Ganon, instead of the usual generic hero/king of evil tropes.

 

If it doesnt work , they can always revert back to the old formula. It won't destroy the franchise. I promise!

[Kav]

The problem I have with voices in Zelda games is that because I've grown up with the series, everyone has a particular "sound" in my head, I wouldn't want voicework to spoil that!

 

If they did, I'd like them to handle it like they did with Midna, she had a voice, but because it wasn't in an actual language it worked.

[darkjak]

The problem I have with voices in Zelda games is that because I've grown up with the series, everyone has a particular "sound" in my head, I wouldn't want voicework to spoil that!

 

If they did, I'd like them to handle it like they did with Midna, she had a voice, but because it wasn't in an actual language it worked.

 

I think that as long as Link remains mute, it would work fine. However, I do think that they should speak english. Once they have voices, regardless of them speaking a real or made up language, you know what they sound like.

As long as the voice acting has a high quality, it'll work.

[Hero-of-Time]

Fuck storylines, look where that has gotten games like Final Fantasy and Grand Theft Auto.

 

Massive sales and huge fanbases.

 

I play games because of something called interaction and *Gasp* fun. It seems like Nintendo is like the only company that realises that it's called a game and not B-rated movies.

 

Everyone else plays games for the same reason, the only difference is that everyone's definiton of what fun is is different.

 

But eh, what do I know?

 

Exactly.

[Fierce_LiNk]

I think that as long as Link remains mute, it would work fine. However, I do think that they should speak english. Once they have voices, regardless of them speaking a real or made up language, you know what they sound like.

As long as the voice acting has a high quality, it'll work.

 

Why should they speak English, exactly? If the game takes place in Hyrule, they should speak Hylian.

 

I would probably prefer them to stay silent in all honesty, or speaking a language which isn't English, but with the option to have English text. Hylian would make the game seem fairly authentic, that you're in a land with its own people, its own culture and language.

 

Anyway, not hugely excited because I (like many others) know nothing about the game. I doubt it'll be a colossal disaster, so no doubt I'll end up buying it. I guess that's part of the problem, most of us would buy Zelda regardless, and that includes whether or not there's a big change or not.

[Grazza]

You're a casual gamer in the sense that you don't understand what Zelda really is. Zelda is the franchise that's supposed to show everyone what Nintendo and their game machines are capable of. They're supposed to be the best. And judging by what we've seen so far, it seems so OLD. And I'm not even just referring to the graphics.

 

You're both right, in the sense that Zelda should be about exploration and technical brilliance. The theatrical, presentation side I can take or leave.

[Fierce_LiNk]

You're both right, in the sense that Zelda should be about exploration and technical brilliance. The theatrical, presentation side I can take or leave.

 

Thing of all the awesomeness that we would have missed out on if the theatrical side of things was left out. We wouldn't have the four giants stopping the moon from crashing down. We wouldn't have Link escaping a crumbling castle. Or we also wouldn't have any duels taking place on a burning bridge in Hyrule.

 

Set pieces are very important in Zelda games.

[Grazza]

Hmm, you're right, Fierce Link. I was more thinking of voice acting and an excessive amount of cutscenes. But no, you're right. It's just that I'm happy with a few well-acted grunts and some real-time cutscenes.

[darkjak]

Why should they speak English, exactly?

 

To eliminate the need for subtitles. That helps immersion.

Just ask yourself: why didn't they all speak elvish or something like that in the Lord of the Rings movies?

[Fierce_LiNk]

Hmm, you're right, Fierce Link. I was more thinking of voice acting and an excessive amount of cutscenes. But no, you're right. It's just that I'm happy with a few well-acted grunts and some real-time cutscenes.

 

Ah, I agree with you about voice acting, but I think cut-scenes are important. At least in this day and age. Not excessive amounts, like you say.

 

To eliminate the need for subtitles. That helps immersion.

Just ask yourself: why didn't they all speak elvish or something like that in the Lord of the Rings movies?

 

But, to counter your point, what about the language of Aramaic being used in The Passion of the Christ? It added authenticity and gave the film part of its identity.

 

Also, what if English isn't your first language, like it isn't for the majority of Europe, let alone the world. It would need to be subtitled anyway, in that case.

[darkjak]

But, to counter your point, what about the language of Aramaic being used in The Passion of the Christ? It added authenticity and gave the film part of its identity.

I must say, that I do like it when germans speak german, rather than english with an accent in WWII-movies. However, videogames are a different medium and different rules apply. The point of adding a story in to a game is immersion. And having to read subtitles to understand what they're saying kind of works against that.

 

Also, what if English isn't your first language, like it isn't for the majority of Europe, let alone the world. It would need to be subtitled anyway, in that case.

English isn't my first language either (it's swedish, my second is polish and english comes first at third place), but if you don't know english in this day and age, you're an uneducated t**t (or an ego centered frenchie) who should stop playing videogames and get his lazy ass to school. Of course, in japan the characters can speak japanese and in China they can speak chinese. But I don't think Nintendo should waste their resources translating their games in any shape or form in to the likes of italian, french or german. And most certainly not into any of the PIIGS languages! Perhaps russian and arabic. But if you live in europe in 2011 and are young enough to appreciate video games, you should know english!

[Fierce_LiNk]

I must say, that I do like it when germans speak german, rather than english with an accent in WWII-movies. However, videogames are a different medium and different rules apply. The point of adding a story in to a game is immersion. And having to read subtitles to understand what they're saying kind of works against that.

 

It just seems nicer to have the film or game in its intended language. I do like watching foreign films and hearing the language of the country in question. It just seems to make it more authentic and less "fake." Like "this film is set in 1940's Russia but everybody speaks English", it just directly pulls you out of that location. The illusion is then gone and you're aware that you're watching a film. But then again, subtitles doesn't bother me. I know it bothers some, so maybe for them that destroys the illusion.

 

 

English isn't my first language either (it's swedish, my second is polish and english comes first at third place), but if you don't know english in this day and age, you're an uneducated t**t (or an ego centered frenchie) who should stop playing videogames and get his lazy ass to school. Of course, in japan the characters can speak japanese and in China they can speak chinese. But I don't think Nintendo should waste their resources translating their games in any shape or form in to the likes of italian, french or german. And most certainly not into any of the PIIGS languages! Perhaps russian and arabic. But if you live in europe in 2011 and are young enough to appreciate video games, you should know english!

 

Haha, wow. Thats...incredibly harsh. I don't think anybody should be forced to speak English. Why? Granted, a lot of Europeans know/speak English or are bilingual/trilingual/multilingual. But, they shouldn't be forced to speak the language.

[Diageo]

Maybe darkjak should be forced to speak Chinese since it's the most spoken language in the world.

[Fused King]

Same here.

 

However, the reason why is was left a tad unimpressed by all that we've seen, is the fact that prior to any footage/art of the game, interviews hinted at a new direction for the Zelda series.

So I was hoping we'd at least get some shock element like with Windwaker, which was the visual style.

Instead, what I saw was a beautiful use of visuals, and the wii motion plus, but no shock element (which I think is yet to be revealed though)

 

Just wanted to add something to this.

 

I'd like it if one of the shock elements has something to do with the sky, but I'll be damned if it's almost the same as the sky dive game from Wii Sports Resorts.

Given that Resorts was somewhat of a testing ground for Skyward Sword, I truly hope they don't take the easy route on this one.

 

I do think that it is very possible that Link will be sky diving.....he practically did it in that trailer.

[Burny]

Maybe darkjak should be forced to speak Chinese since it's the most spoken language in the world.

 

No, he should be forced to listen to the chicken lady begging Link to retrieve her lost chickens all day long, while promising him an empty bottle as reward. That really makes for quality dialogue. :p

[Fused King]

English isn't my first language either (it's swedish, my second is polish and english comes first at third place), but if you don't know english in this day and age, you're an uneducated t**t (or an ego centered frenchie) who should stop playing videogames and get his lazy ass to school. Of course, in japan the characters can speak japanese and in China they can speak chinese. But I don't think Nintendo should waste their resources translating their games in any shape or form in to the likes of italian, french or german. And most certainly not into any of the PIIGS languages! Perhaps russian and arabic. But if you live in europe in 2011 and are young enough to appreciate video games, you should know english!

 

I get your point, but in this day and age it's all about teh monies.

And not much is to be earned by alienating thousands of people who don't know English that well.

Though I can agree that for most triple A titles, or non-casual ones, translation needn't necessarily be used, for these games are for an audience which most likely know English.

 

But there might just be that one mother who gets put off buying Zelda for her son because she feels that her offspring should come into contact with the language of her nation.....

 

It's an interesting point, really. A point that saddens me, because I do think everyone on the planet should at least know basic English, which is far from the case. And with translations, one only strengthens the differences between languages.

[Grazza]

Haha, darkjak's point about English certainly was harsh, but to be fair, European languages are derived from Latin (so have many similarities) and English is the most successful one. It's not that I expect people to speak English personally, it's just that I think darkjak's point was that an English voice-acted Zelda should be understandable to most, in the same way they could understand western programmes and films. Personally, I prefer the original language with subtitles (which I think are essential). Text should always be readable to the country it's sold in.

 

Just wanted to add something to this.

 

I'd like it if one of the shock elements has something to do with the sky, but I'll be damned if it's almost the same as the sky dive game from Wii Sports Resorts.

Given that Resorts was somewhat of a testing ground for Skyward Sword, I truly hope they don't take the easy route on this one.

 

I do think that it is very possible that Link will be sky diving.....he practically did it in that trailer.

 

We'll see. I think you might be right. Add in most of the other mechanics too...

[Retro_Link]

Just wanted to add something to this.

 

I'd like it if one of the shock elements has something to do with the sky, but I'll be damned if it's almost the same as the sky dive game from Wii Sports Resorts.

Given that Resorts was somewhat of a testing ground for Skyward Sword, I truly hope they don't take the easy route on this one.

 

I do think that it is very possible that Link will be sky diving.....he practically did it in that trailer.

Urh yeah, as a lame 'minigame' as a transitional coverup... a bit like flying up the river etc... in Twilight Princess.

[Grazza]

Not bashing your ideas, Fused King, but I agree with Retro Link there. : peace:

[darkjak]

But there might just be that one mother who gets put off buying Zelda for her son because she feels that her offspring should come into contact with the language of her nation.....

And how exactly will the mother find out that there isn't a translation into her language? It's not exactly like she'll go out on a gaming forum and go like: "Hi, I wonder if this or that game is dubbed in to my language".