The Legend of Zelda 3DS

[Ronnie]

Well they already had Valoo and Jabun speak in proper Hylian in Wind Waker. It worked really well. The first playthrough it didn't even have English subtitles and so you figured out what they were saying through what the King of the Red Lions said in reply. But once you beat the game and played it again, the subtitles were in English.

 

I'd definitely love to see a return of that, but then maybe it would only work as well with bigger characters like sages/deities/dragons etc

[Jonnas]

How hard do you think it would be for them to develop a Hylian language for voice acting? That way you could get over several issues with voice acting -

• Translating it into other languages.
  Having characters calling you "Link" could just be Hylian for whatever name you've entered, be it Link or Hamish or Ruplistiltskin or whatever.
  Americans complaining the voices are British, British people complaining the voices are American, EVERYONE complaining the Japanese voices are better.
  It'd be the best of both worlds... it'd add drama to the scenes, but also keep your imagination of their voices in tact, as you'd still be reading the subtitles.
  Link's silence might not come across as strange if everyone else is already just speaking jibberish.
  You'd get an even sadder group of Zelda fans, learning the language and- oh ok. Not this part.
  

 

The already kind of do it with Midna, just expanding it, making it consistent.

 

I wouldn't be opposed to have everybody speaking in general gibberish (it's similar to what they do already). I think creating an entire, consistent language is unnecessary, though, especially since "written Hylian" is just a simple cypher for Japanese (I think? I remember it being a cypher)

[Fused King]

How hard do you think it would be for them to develop a Hylian language for voice acting? That way you could get over several issues with voice acting -

• 
  Translating it into other languages.
  Having characters calling you "Link" could just be Hylian for whatever name you've entered, be it Link or Hamish or Ruplistiltskin or whatever.
  Americans complaining the voices are British, British people complaining the voices are American, EVERYONE complaining the Japanese voices are better.
  It'd be the best of both worlds... it'd add drama to the scenes, but also keep your imagination of their voices in tact, as you'd still be reading the subtitles.
  Link's silence might not come across as strange if everyone else is already just speaking jibberish.
  You'd get an even sadder group of Zelda fans, learning the language and- oh ok. Not this part.
  

 

The already kind of do it with Midna, just expanding it, making it consistent. Words already seem to exist, like Stalfos, Lizalfos, Wolfos... "Fos" seems to be Hylian for knight. And Stalfos, Stalkid, Stalmaster... Stal means skeleton? Keese isn't the name of the species, its just the Hylian word for Bat. Cucco just means chicken.

 

Anyone? Anyone? No... fine...

 

Yes, just yes!

 

It worked wonders for Little King's Story, and that was just a minor taste of jibberish for each race.

But inventing a full-fledged language will probably consume a lot of time, perhaps a team was set on developing it during the time of A Link to the Past and they're still going at it!

 

I'm all for Midna style talking, and Link should definitely remain silent in my opinion.

[-Dem0-]

It worked wonders for Little King's Story

 

I havent played LKS, but that's my sister's favourite game on the wii at the moment, I tend to watch her play and whenever she's talking to her servants or civilians etc it just adds to the atmosphere. but I think that it would work nicely in zelda, most of the time different people just make a few sounds that differ from other people, it's not like they're talking gibberish for the entire sentence.

[Cube]

On the 3DS game, gibberish would work. I would expect full voice acting in the Wii U Zelda, though.

[Retro_Link]

Midna is annoying.

[Hero-of-Time]

I havent played LKS, but that's my sister's favourite game on the wii at the moment, I tend to watch her play and whenever she's talking to her servants or civilians etc it just adds to the atmosphere. but I think that it would work nicely in zelda, most of the time different people just make a few sounds that differ from other people, it's not like they're talking gibberish for the entire sentence.

 

Here's me thinking we could be friends.

[-Dem0-]

Here's me thinking we could be friends.

 

"Say It ain't so!"

 

besides, i've got a list of great games, IMO that are better than this and I haven't even started them and some yet to complete.

[Retro_Link]

"Say It ain't so!"

 

besides, i've got a list of great games, IMO that are better than this and I haven't even started them and some yet to complete.

Honestly few games on Wii are better than the experience you get from LKS!

You'll be incredibly surprised at just how great it is and continues to get throughout.

 

You must play it!

[-Dem0-]

You must play it!

 

I'm being double teamed here, ok then

 

it's going to be the 1st game I play after my exams!

[Rummy]

Triple teamed. DO EEET.

 

As far as Zelda goes, and possibly Mario too, I feel the serieses/franchises are possibly coming to the point where they need to be laid to rest. SS is/was pretty good, and I'm still getting through it, but it lives in the shadow of its own name which highly impinges on how people decide to view and recieve it. I have, since its release, been torn inside as to whether or not Xenoblade is superior to it, and I think at the end of the day what keeps saying that it is, is a voice saying 'but...it's zelda!'. How would Xenoblade have fared under an FF guise? Probably not as well. How would it have fared under a much wider and more publicised release? Probably even better! I'm interested to see the reception it gets when it hits the US, and just wish it had done so before SS so they might have been compared a bit better.

 

Coming back to the point of Zelda, I just think it's all already been done before. What can Zelda do that Zelda hasn't done? Well, probably lots. What can Zelda do that Zelda hasn't done whilst remaining very Zelda? Probably not very much. Any new game that comes from the series will be compared too all of the old, and because of this I think its games will always get a harsher response that they would standing alone, possibly even worse each time a new one comes under the Zelda name.

[Jonnas]

"Say It ain't so!"

 

besides, i've got a list of great games, IMO that are better than this and I haven't even started them and some yet to complete.

 

Methinks you haven't even seen King Shishkebaboo yet. Only someone like that could hold such a view!

 

You're surrounded on all sides! Play it!

(Which reminds me I should go bug Darksnowman to do the same)

[Hero-of-Time]

(Which reminds me I should go bug Darksnowman to do the same)

 

Lets all spam his PM box with messages.

[Grazza]

@\-Dem0\- - As much as I like and respect all the people who love Little King's Story, it's not for everyone. I didn't like it much.

 

@Rummy - You make some great points about Zelda, but I disagree. For me, there is no reason to give Zelda a free pass. For me, Skyward Sword is a 7/10 game, certainly inferior to other non-Zelda games I've played.

 

But, that doesn't mean Zelda is spent! It's been a long, long generation if you count the GameCube and Wii as the same gen (which I do). Wait 'til we see Zelda in HD, with a generational leap in graphics, hopefully with a large dash of imagination and atmosphere too. Plus, I truly believe the 3DS and Wii U fix all the worst aspects of the DS and Wii.

 

There's no reason to give up on Zelda - it can reach new heights again.

[Hamishmash]

Triple teamed. DO EEET.

 

As far as Zelda goes, and possibly Mario too, I feel the serieses/franchises are possibly coming to the point where they need to be laid to rest. SS is/was pretty good, and I'm still getting through it, but it lives in the shadow of its own name which highly impinges on how people decide to view and recieve it. I have, since its release, been torn inside as to whether or not Xenoblade is superior to it, and I think at the end of the day what keeps saying that it is, is a voice saying 'but...it's zelda!'. How would Xenoblade have fared under an FF guise? Probably not as well. How would it have fared under a much wider and more publicised release? Probably even better! I'm interested to see the reception it gets when it hits the US, and just wish it had done so before SS so they might have been compared a bit better.

 

Coming back to the point of Zelda, I just think it's all already been done before. What can Zelda do that Zelda hasn't done? Well, probably lots. What can Zelda do that Zelda hasn't done whilst remaining very Zelda? Probably not very much. Any new game that comes from the series will be compared too all of the old, and because of this I think its games will always get a harsher response that they would standing alone, possibly even worse each time a new one comes under the Zelda name.

 

All of this. I've always said Okami is a much better game than most Zelda games (and it's a very similar type of game).

 

With the next Zelda game, they need to be less concerned about the games before. Everyone was saying Skyward Sword changes so much, but it's hardly like the change going between say... Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time? I'd like there to be a massive new world which is terrifyingly unfamiliar... like the difference between Metroid Fusion and Metroid Prime.

[Fused King]

FI, FY, FO, FUM!

 

I smell someone who hasn't experienced Little King's Story fun!

[Ronnie]

I still don't see how HD graphics = better Zelda game. It's not about the graphics, it's about the art style, and even that isn't in the top criteria of what makes a great Zelda game.

 

Wait 'til we see Zelda in HD, with a generational leap in graphics, hopefully with a large dash of imagination and atmosphere too.

 

F*ck the former, give me the latter two every time, not as a 'hopefully'. Skyward Sword had them, with SD graphics and a gorgeous art style and it's had pretty much universal acclaim.

[Cube]

I still don't see how HD graphics = better Zelda game. It's not about the graphics, it's about the art style, and even that isn't in the top criteria of what makes a great Zelda game.

 

When people say "HD graphics", the HD is far from the important part - it's the extra processing power, which allows for grander, more detailed landscapes and can help with gameplay.

[Grazza]

HD is important though, for things like seeing into the distance and the sheer pleasure of seeing the extra detail.

[Retro_Link]

Yeah for me Zelda HD means all the extra power and capabilities the console provides for a larger more dynamic adventure, with vast lands, huge draw distances, the ability to have changing weather and seasons, seemless transitions, downloadable extra's etc... etc... Improved visuals are one of the least important factors for me.

[Deku-Nutz]

Hmm... the thing is Skyward Sword proved what could be done with smaller locations... and fewer! I know people complain about retreading footsteps in that game but you rarely (if ever) returned to one of the three area's and did the same thing in the same place... in fact it was mostly a wildly different experience! Anyway... my point is that even though I look forward to HD Zelda... well, HD everything from Nintendo... I don't think VAST OPEN SPACES serve Zelda very well at all... If TP was in HD would people have complained less about it's lifeless chunks of land? Well yes... because the same issues exist.

 

As long as they can make large, yet dense areas with plenty of LIFE in them then great... but a huge overworld does not a great Zelda make.. especially if it isn't filled with anything!!!

 

Wind Waker had a map that was too large but got away with it because the feeling of sailing the sea was incredible! If it had that sized map, with just grassland or something and you had to ride Epona across it, rarely finding anything of note it would be such a different story...

 

Urghh, but anyway... as inperfect as the DS Zelda's were, they warmed my heart for being sequels to one of my favourite Zeldas so a 3D addition or a topdown edition on 3DS that follows that timeline? graphical style?? yes please!

[Retro_Link]

I don't think VAST OPEN SPACES serve Zelda very well at all... If TP was in HD would people have complained less about it's lifeless chunks of land? Well yes... because the same issues exist.

 

As long as they can make large, yet dense areas with plenty of LIFE in them then great... but a huge overworld does not a great Zelda make.. especially if it isn't filled with anything!!!

Yeah but it's the limitations of the hardware that's the reason for a landscape being vast but lifeless. Developers have to result to trying to trick you into thinking there's a vast world out there for you to explore... when in reality once you start looking... there isn't!

 

More processing power should equate to a living breathing world... bugs a side just look at what Skyrim was able to achieve (I'm not saying Zelda should be like Skyrim)... but it's packed to the brim with sidequests, a vast expansive living world, random events, weather, people, wildlife, towns, villages... everything that you might want from a Zelda game!

Reduce the size of the overworld if you should so wish, and you're left with even more power to utilise in all manner of ways.

[Captain Falcon]

With the next Zelda game, they need to be less concerned about the games before. Everyone was saying Skyward Sword changes so much, but it's hardly like the change going between say... Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time? I'd like there to be a massive new world which is terrifyingly unfamiliar... like the difference between Metroid Fusion and Metroid Prime.

 

3D aside, the change between A Link to the Past and OoT was pretty minimal if you ask me. Yes, we had some lovely vistas to explore and the world wasn't as square, but gameplay wise, not much had changed. You had the same 3 dungeons, mastersword, swap world, new dungeons, final boss flow to the game. The items were mostly the same and you were still firing arrows at obvious targets, blowing up cracked walls with bombs etc.

 

The dungeons in ALTTP also had two layer to each floor meaning you still had to consider whether you need to be on the upper or lower area for certain parts. Plus you would often be required to drop from one floor to another. Look at the Eagles Tower in Link's Awakening to see just how much use was made of multi-tiered dungeons without the aid of 3D graphics even way back then.

 

OoT to MM was a much bigger shift in terms of over arching game flow. WW and TP were then much more reserved. So by those standards, I feel SS represents the biggest change to a triforce story game since Adventure of Link.

 

 

In terms of 3DS Zelda, well, lets not even think to concern ourselves with the possibilities of how HD could change the game. We need to be more concerned with changes to the gameplay formula - we are still working with something approaching a GC in terms of sheer grunt of the hardware. Will it go for a SS style shift in overall design or will it look to something more akin to WW with a central theme running throughout it all (think about - swap the sea for a piece of land and then how similar does it become?).

 

I feel the uniqueness of the 3DS should lend itself to a really unique game - something as seamingly off the wall as Majora's Mask was. The 2D portable entries tend to be shorted and tighter designed than the 3D home efforts. I don't need a 40+ hour portable Zelda thank you very much - 15 brilliant hours is more than enough for a first run. Leave me wanting more instead of giving me exactly what I want.

 

My only stipulation is that it is on the slide pad/buttons - the only time I want to get my stylus out is in case I want to make notes.

[-Dem0-]

tell me about it, I hate having to bring out a stylus only to put it back in after 3 seconds! (repetitively)

[Fused King]

I'd say that especially Majora's Mask, the two Oracle games, and perhaps Link's Awakening are definitely examples of the next Zelda game I'd like to see.

 

Above all, I want NINTENDO to bring back that sense of mysticism and overall weirdness to a Zelda game, I love it when they throw in things one wouldn't 'expect' to see in a Zelda game like Batreaux.

 

But even ABOVE all of that, I'd like NINTENDO (or preferably another developer) to reinvent the series.

 

I know Rummy pointed out that it's hard to do that without losing the 'Zelda-ness' of the franchise, but I don't think that would be necessarily the case. There's bound to still be some elements in it which define the main title of the game.

 

When you look at the formula, there are 3 main things that always return: Dungeons, items and boss battles.

A different take on dungeons is really needed if I do say so myself, and the overall pace of a Zelda game could also be changed.

Majora's Mask did this brilliantly by introducing the end of the world, which had you focusing on different things every three days (dungeon, side quest, looking for secrets)

 

If there is one thing that I am absolutely longing for in a new Zelda, and might be above all the others:laughing:, it would be the vagueness of the original The Legend of Zelda.

You just begin, no hand-holding, and at the mercy of vague hints.

 

And perhaps, just perhaps, the triforce could be put on ice for a few years or so...