The Legend of Zelda 3DS

[Dog-amoto]

Looks like no Majora's Mask remake for a while then. But looks like it won't be another PH/ST top down game, but a 3D adventure

 

http://uk.ds.ign.com/articles/121/1211631p1.html

 

Series producer Eiji Aonuma has confirmed that an all-new Zelda is in development for the Nintendo 3DS. Aonuma says the game will be closer to console games than to previous DS Zelda titles.

 

"We are already preparing a new game, a game in the series for the Nintendo 3DS, but don't think that it is a direct sequel to the Zelda titles released on DS," he told Portugese site MyGames. "We are talking about a new game, but it takes much of what has been done on previous consoles."

 

According to Aonuma, Nintendo is also still considering a new version of Majora's Mask for 3DS, but would rather release an all-new Zelda before another remake.

 

"It's something I'm asked about often and I assure you that it is something I've spoken to Miyamoto about. But recently we released The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D as a remake. We are considering the idea, but it didn't seem right to launch a remake one after another, so the next Zelda game on 3DS will be original."

[D_prOdigy]

Wind Waker engine and I'll cream.

[Retro_Link]

Well I should hope it would be a 3D adventure! There would have been no need for it continue on the style of Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, given what they did with OOT3D... and this game should be a greater improvement on that seeing as it will be built for the console, in terms of graphics we should be looking at something like Kid Icarus 3DS or better.

 

Wonder what style of graphics they'll go for?

 

Will they stick with carrying on the Wind Waker visuals on the handhelds? We've had OOT3D, so it would be something different before going back to those visuals in MM3D. And hopefully we'd get something far closer to Wind Waker itself.

 

Reveal at E3 2012 then?

[The Peeps]

I don't care what graphics they go for, I just want to see a damn good game.

 

I love the cel-shaded and 'realistic' styles about equally really. Whichever direction Nintendo take with the graphics, they always suit the actual gameplay perfectly.

[-Dem0-]

a new zelda for 3DS = awesomeness!

originally i did want a 3D remake of WW, i thought that would really suit a portable, especially the 3DS thanks to the 3D.

i think a WW sequel would be superb or at least have the new game in WW style as prodidgy mentioned.

 

if they're considering a MM remake that would be nice but personally WW on 3DS will be the best of remakes! sailing on the king of red lions on the huge open sea in 3D...

[Ronnie]

I'm just hoping they ditch the dumbed down Zelda-Lite route they've been on in the last two games.

[Retro_Link]

a new zelda for 3DS = awesomeness!

originally i did want a 3D remake of WW, i thought that would really suit a portable, especially the 3DS thanks to the 3D.

 

but personally WW on 3DS will be the best of remakes! sailing on the king of red lions on the huge open sea in 3D...

I doubt WW on 3DS is possible... it's got a huge environment, the best cel-shaded/animated engine out there, plus the 3DS is no gamecube!

 

Best we could hope for is a new game running on a scaled back WW engine, but with the screen being so small you couldn't tell and hopefully of a decent length.

[-Dem0-]

I guess so, a WW styled game would still be great in 3D. im aware that its not capable of producing the GC experience completely but they could manage. bringing it down a notch or two, increasing the size of cartridge like RE: R.

 

also aonuma said that they dont think that it will be a direct sequel to the DS outings, this could be a sequel to a home console zelda?

Edited November 4, 2011 by -Dem0-

[D_prOdigy]

I'm not an expert, so could someone explain to me why 3DS couldn't produce a 'Gamecube-like' experience despite all its hardware specifications being many times more powerful?

[Goron_3]

I'm not an expert, so could someone explain to me why 3DS couldn't produce a 'Gamecube-like' experience despite all its hardware specifications being many times more powerful?

 

Well isn't it supposed to be around a GC in terms of power but capable of certain effects only seen in 360 titles? I mean the best looking game I've seen running on it is Resident Evil but even that uses small environments and quite bland ones too. I'm guessing the real problem the 3DS has in terms of putting something out there that is basically a GC game is the fact that 3D requires so much power. They probably could get some gamecube stuff on there but you'd get a LOT of slowdown.

[Serebii]

The 3DS is more powerful than the Wii. It can do GameCube stuff, especially now it can have an optional second stick

[D_prOdigy]

Well isn't it supposed to be around a GC in terms of power but capable of certain effects only seen in 360 titles? I mean the best looking game I've seen running on it is Resident Evil but even that uses small environments and quite bland ones too. I'm guessing the real problem the 3DS has in terms of putting something out there that is basically a GC game is the fact that 3D requires so much power. They probably could get some gamecube stuff on there but you'd get a LOT of slowdown.

 

I forgot about the 3D requiring to render stuff twice, but even then, when comparing hardware specifications between the two, you get the sense the 3DS is, on paper, at least about three times more capable than the Gamecube.

 

Perhaps there are subtler factors that I'm overlooking though - I confess I'm not at all familiar with breaking down hardware talk. I don't think we've seen 3DS hit its ceiling yet - it might be fair to wait until this Zelda game before we say what its limits are.

[-Dem0-]

graphically the 3DS can do it justice, but im guessing that the game itself is very large in its scope, i thought that ninty could make a new WW styled game or sequel in a way thats similar to how capcom made revelations. in terms of how its practically a console resident evil through its graphics, gameplay, sound and even online connectivity. i think that they could make it but it will be difficult (not impossible) fitting all of those elements into a portable.

 

SSF4 3D IMO is a solid port, so GC to 3DS should be easier, but it depends on the type of game it is. WW on 3DS would be harder to implement than SSF4 as its an overall much more vast game.

[Burny]

I don't see any reason why the 3DS shouldn't be able to reproduce games with the scale of Gamecube titles. It has more RAM than the Wii, with the "Circle Pad Pro" and the touchscreen it has a user interface that may even be superior and it offers more storage on its cards than the Gamecube's "mini"-DVDs did. Monster Hunter 3G seems visually on par with the Wii iteration for all intends and purposes, so a "Wii experience" is factually possible (apparently, even in 3D). Or are we arguing that a "Wii experience" is technically not up to par with a "Gamecube experience"?

 

The one thing that probably would have to be reduced in comparison to stuff like Resident Evil is the model geometry.

[-Dem0-]

Or are we arguing that a "Wii experience" is technically not up to par with a "Gamecube experience"?

 

hahaha good point, we should wait and see. in the mean time a new zelda WW stlye in 3D or a sequel would be beyond epic! and a WW D-make would be the pinnacle of remakes!

[Retro_Link]

The 3DS is more powerful than the Wii. It can do GameCube stuff,

There is no way that's true in real terms though.

 

You only need to look at the way the games are structured to see how they're cleverly hiding its shortcomings. Resident Evil Revelations uses confined guided environments and low res textures, Super Mario 3D Land has very linear levels, the same with Kid Icarus and throw in plenty of on-rails etc...

 

These games look great on the system, but in reality don't come anywhere close to Resident Evil 4/5 or Super Mario Sunshine/Galaxy.

Edited November 4, 2011 by Retro_Link

[Serebii]

There is no way that's true in real terms though.

 

You only need to look at the way the games are structured to see how they're cleverly hiding its shortcomings. Resident Evil Revelations uses confined guided environments and low res textures, Super Mario 3D Land has very linear levels, the same with Kid Icarus and throw in plenty of on-rails etc...

 

These games look great on the system, but in reality don't come anywhere close to Resident Evil 4/5 or Super Mario Sunshine/Galaxy.

Early days, my friend. Early days.

[Retro_Link]

Early days, my friend. Early days.

Well yes and no.

 

Yes the console will continue to get better, but Sunshine came out 9 months after launch and featured large levels and that water... and 3D Land is coming out 6 months after launch (comparable) and features a number of short, linear levels. Plus they've had 10 years to build off of what they achieved in Sunshine.

Edited November 4, 2011 by Retro_Link

[Sheikah]

Very glad with the proper 3D title direction. Is it just me, or does anyone else find the current DS Zelda iterations a bit watered down and crap?

 

I loved the old style of gameboy Zelda games, and I love the 3D Zelda style too. But the one's they've been making for handhelds recently are stuck somewhere between, feeling a bit like lite versions of each type and nothing really spectacular.

[Burny]

You only need to look at the way the games are structured to see how they're cleverly hiding its shortcomings. Resident Evil Revelations uses confined guided environments and low res textures, Super Mario 3D Land has very linear levels, the same with Kid Icarus and throw in plenty of on-rails etc...

 

I mentioned it above, but would you tell me how MH3G is cleverly hiding its shortcomings? Well, other than the 3DS rendering at a lower resolution than the Wii and probably being incapable of showing the same level of geometry - which is hardly noticeable due to the low resolution.

 

 

Edit: About Super Mario Land: Those levels there seem to be a completely conscious design decision, so I consider it premature to hold it against the 3DS. Aside from that, the game has had a shorter dev-cycle than the Galaxy games, which might also have something to do with the more linear levels.

Edited November 4, 2011 by Burny

[Ronnie]

Very glad with the proper 3D title direction. Is it just me, or does anyone else find the current DS Zelda iterations a bit watered down and crap?

 

I loved the old style of gameboy Zelda games, and I love the 3D Zelda style too. But the one's they've been making for handhelds recently are stuck somewhere between, feeling a bit like lite versions of each type and nothing really spectacular.

 

I'm just hoping they ditch the dumbed down Zelda-Lite route they've been on in the last two games.

 

Ahem ;-) .

[or else you will DIE]

"We are talking about a new game, but it takes much of what has been done on previous consoles."

 

"We are talking about a new game, but it takes much of what has been done on previous handhelds.”

 

uh

 

anyway, i'd put my money on a new 3D 2D/topdown game. it seems to be the kinda thing Nintendo would do right now. old skool bb

[Retro_Link]

I mentioned it above, but would you tell me how MH3G is cleverly hiding its shortcomings? Well, other than the 3DS rendering at a lower resolution than the Wii and probably being incapable of showing the same level of geometry - which is hardly noticeable due to the low resolution.

 

Edit: About Super Mario Land: Those levels there seem to be a completely conscious design decision, so I consider it premature to hold it against the 3DS. Aside from that, the game has had a shorter dev-cycle than the Galaxy games, which might also have something to do with the more linear levels.

I don't know about the Monster Hunter games but I thought the 3G version of MH3 was purely mission based (as opposed to having any sort of overworld), in order to make the game more suitable for portable play?

 

Regarding Super Mario 3D Land... 'a completely concious design decision'... surely based on knowing what the best type of Mario game for the hardware was?

[Burny]

I thought the 3G version of MH3 was purely mission based

Neither do I, but it makes no technical difference whatsoever. It's a full 3D game, the individual areas are on par with the Wii's MH3 and "overworld" in the sense of MH3 (and Zelda, mind) doesn't mean anything other than having areas with exits that lead you to the next area. MH3 was said to be a showpiece for the Wii and the 3DS replicates it.

 

Only difference between Wind Waker and other Zeldas is how WW's overworld "seamlessly" connects levels (= fairly small islands), which happens in the "background" as you approach them. It's just a fancy way to hide when levels are loaded. The sea is also hardly more than a couple of waves in the immediate area of the boat, which get repeated as you go through them. Everything on the horizon doesn't get loaded until you approach it and is sometimes no more than a "placeholder" texture. Nothing a system with several times as much RAM as the Gamecube would be incapable of.

 

Regarding Super Mario 3D Land... 'a completely concious design decision'... surely based on knowing what the best type of Mario game for the hardware was?

If you mean Nintendo wasn't able to do a Galaxy-style game on the system, so they did SM3DL instead, then no. SM3DL looks visually on par with the Galaxy games, save the resolution and maybe slightly less geometry for the models and levels. And there is some footage where you get an overview of a level, which shows that the levels aren't necessarily much smaller than the Galaxy ones. The difference is in the way you move through them and how they are laid out.

 

 

Hardware isn't the limit here, it's what Nintendo choses to do. Something on par with Wind Waker should be entirely possible.

Edited November 4, 2011 by Burny

[Retro_Link]

Think we'll have to agree to disagree.

 

In terms of Monster Hunter, it makes a big difference, because if that's how the 3G version works, then you are effectively just loading up an individual set piece battle each time, meaning the 3DS power can be utilised elsewhere, in this case with the visuals. Which tbf do look great, but they are definately a step down from the Wii version.

 

SM3DL looks great, but I don't agree it looks as good as Galaxy. It's just not there in terms of textures, effects and the constant size of levels... but we'll have to wait and see the final game.

 

With Wind Waker I agree with you on the ocean, but the dungeons and boss fights are of such a great scale and there are so many other effects going on with lighting/lava etc... personally I just don't see the 3DS being able to carry it off.

Kid Icarus for example looks very impressive and has all the scale you'd expect from a Zelda game in terms of boss fights, but the rest of the game has been structured in a linear/on rails way to allow for this.

 

*Think I'd better clean this thread up in a bit!* :p

Edited November 4, 2011 by Retro_Link