Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

[Shade88]

There's a trailer on youtube... once you see it, I think some of you will be able to understand my opinion/rant that's about to happen.


OK Rant starts... NOW.
Ok, I am a fan of Zelda, not the biggest or the longes, but I am a fan. It does give me something else to play other then Halo or any other FPS. I have been a fan since around the time of Majora's Mask, then I played Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker, The Game Boy Color games Oracle of Seasons/Ages, and even Link's Awakening. I like them all, they were my favorites before I played Halo, and to this day they still are among my favorites, and are definately my favorite Nintendo games, I even bought Twilight Princess a year ago for the Wii, just so I could see how different it was from the Gamecube version.

Anyway, I started to lose hope after they started to make all of these Wind Waker type games for the DS. (I loved Wind Waker, buut for some reason, I can't stand these DS games.) Then They made Twilight Princess, that was the best Zelda game EVER! (Fastforward to last year.) E3 '09 I saw the stupidest trailer for Zelda ever... The Spirit Tracks. I mean come on, a Train in Zelda??? That was stupid. But I got my hopes up when I saw a concept art for A new Legend of Zelda game, unannounced release time of course, but I looked alot like the Link we barely new in Twilight Princess. (The best one since Ocarina of time/Majora's Mask.) But now Fast foward to today, the first time I saw this trailer for this new Zelda game.

I was stunned, and disgusted, and a little bit emotionally scarred. (Ok last one is not true, lol.) But when I saw this Frankenstein of a Link that looked like the took the TP Link and cartooned him up with the WW Link, and made him look so... odd, all of my hopes for a TP based sequel were obliterated faster then Reach. (lol.)

There might be a few out there who will disagree, but come on! The graphic for Twilight Princess looked 3,00 times better, and its an OLDER game, this new game in my opinion looks barely smoother then Ocarina of time/ Majora's Mask, and even then I still like those graphics alot better. At least the old Link didn't look like someone who had gone to a halloween party with a Legend of Zelda Rubies suit. (If you know of Rubies work, you know what that would possibly look like, can we say vaccuformed Tunic, and cloth sword, lol.)

So I want to know your opinion of this new disaster of a game, who knows, this might have been a completely unfinished version of the game, and the graphics might look 3,000 times better later on, but I have my doubts... Rant Over... Now.

 

[kupokitty]

Actually, I don't mind the cel-shaded look. If done right, it can look pretty awesome. I think the new Zelda game needs more textures and lighting effects, though. Everything's too smooth. I wanna see wrinkles in that tunic. /:

 

[SchizophrenicMC]

Graphics don't always make the game, and I wanna point out Skyward Sword's graphics are superior to Twilight Princess's.

All that's really different is Nintendo's outlook on things. They're geared more toward children and parents, right now, than teenage and young adults. Sony and Microsoft have since capitalized on that niche. But, anyway, cel-shading is more keen to children and adults than realistic lightmapping.

And, all-in-all, this is really more a return to the Zelda of old. Because in those games, as in this one, Link is realistically proportioned and cel-shaded. It's not Windwaker, because Windwaker used cartoon styling (odd proportions, thick outlines, etcetera) and this uses realistic styling. (Normal proportions, semi-realistic shadows) All that it is, really, is the cel-shade.

The game, in itself, looks good. I'm willing to play it for the story and gameplay. Further, Link IS adult Link in this one, not cartoon link, and I always like Adult Link more than Kid Link and Cartoon Link.

Finally, I wanna point out, Nintendo doesn't care about its graphics anymore. If they did, they'd have an HD console, and if they had an HD console, Microsoft and Sony would not be able to sell gaming consoles, anymore. Nintendo would dominate the market. Sadly, Nintendo doesn't care about the games, anymore, but the money, and for Nintendo, since they let their hardcore gamer niche slip, the money is in small children and 30+ parents. (Hence the games who run ENTIRELY on minigame, and not at all on story or graphics)

 

[Leda]

Since the game is still in development I heard the graphics aren't going to be permanently like that but if they are... I'd be kind of disappointed but I am still a huge Zelda fan also and I will definitely buy the game!
The only Zelda game I haven't played was Spirit Tracks, that game was kind of a serious wtf to me... I love Wind Waker but that was it for me and Toon Link and I can't stand playing games that I was so used to playing with a controller and staring at my TV now on an awkward and tiny handheld...

 

[Shade88]

Ok, I do understand all of your points, and I am not going to bash them, but for the moment, I don't think I am going to get the game because I loved the dark storyline/look of Twilight Princess, and this just doesn't live up to my expectations so far. Who knows maybe it will look a lot better when it comes to the final developement, but until then, I don't think I am going to buy this game.

 

[RadioactiveMicrobe]

Borderlands was cell-shaded. I think that added a lot to the game.

NOt a big zelda fan mind you. I played ALTTP, which I liked, and I played Majora's Mask, which now when I hear something is in 3 days, I cringe.

But I don't really want all the cartoony ones on the DS.

 

[corby]

I'm a big fan of Zelda and I really loved Twilight Princess. I'm not really a fan of Windwaker or its character design but what I did like about it was its use of bright colors. So to me: character design of TP + color design of WW = something good. But also, I like to wait till a game comes out before I pass any judgment on it. The advertising for Guitar Hero didn't interest me at all and I thought it was an idiotic concept until I actually got my hands on the game.

 

[Leda]

and I played Majora's Mask, which now when I hear something is in 3 days, I cringe.

I feel you there, dude.

 

[Dancin Fool]

Man...
[Begin Rant]
Drives me absolutely nuts when people say something with a NPR style has "crappier graphics" not every game makes sense with a photo real lighting scheme. Just because something is rendered to look non photo real(NPR) doesn't mean that it's simpler rendering. It takes a lot of work to make 3D look 2D and I'm not talking a cheap cell shade with clamped lighting values. Things like edge rendering, cross hatched shadows, getting the contours looking just right, etc. Sorry just drives me nuts when people are like ZOMG IT DOESN"T LOOK LIKE HALOS. Just coming from a graphics programmer who really digs NPR, photo real is easy, making things look a drawing, that's the hard part.
[End Rant]

I'm digging the new look for the game though, the colors remind me of a cross between the NES link and twilight princess. What I really want to know though is will his sword be able to shoot, it's been a feature of zelda that's been left out for way too long.

 

[Leda]

Man...
[Begin Rant]
Drives me absolutely nuts when people say something with a NPR style has "crappier graphics" not every game makes sense with a photo real lighting scheme. Just because something is rendered to look non photo real(NPR) doesn't mean that it's simpler rendering. It takes a lot of work to make 3D look 2D and I'm not talking a cheap cell shade with clamped lighting values. Things like edge rendering, cross hatched shadows, getting the contours looking just right, etc. Sorry just drives me nuts when people are like ZOMG IT DOESN"T LOOK LIKE HALOS. Just coming from a graphics programmer who really digs NPR, photo real is easy, making things look a drawing, that's the hard part.
[End Rant]

I'm digging the new look for the game though, the colors remind me of a cross between the NES link and twilight princess. What I really want to know though is will his sword be able to shoot, it's been a feature of zelda that's been left out for way too long.

Yeah I get where you're going. I guess most of us are just too used to insane realistic looking graphics and were surprised by the graphics that Skyward Sword shown.

 

[Cadet]

I agree with Schizophrenic, couldn't have said it better myself. It's a realistically proportioned Link, and, might I add, he's finally wearing actual, proper pants, which, as a Link costumer, is nice for me. His "pants" in TP where more like leggings, if you look at them, they are still very tight fitting. And as for the graphics not being better than Ocarina of Time....just....I mean...seriously, that was a hyperbole on your part, right? Have you gone back and played OoT or MM recently? They are jagged and stiff, where as this game appears to pull off a very organic, flowing feel.

I loved Twilight Princess, the entire time I've played Zelda games I've thought it would be cool to see a Lord of the Rings look meet up with Zelda, and TP came pretty close. But I'm also not going to fault Nintendo for playing around with the formula. trying to see what works best, and what most closely matches Miyamoto's vision of the Zelda world.http://www.405th.com/member.php/12023-SchizophrenicMC

 

[Aaron]

I actually really like it. And I'm one of the most hardcore Zelda fans ever. I've been playing it since I was what, 3? Yeah, around that age. I really really like it. I love love loved wind waker, I'm actually playing through it now. It was my favorite Zelda game. all the so called zelda fans didnt like it because of how "cartoony" it was. It was always happy and funny though. I also loved TP, and if this is for the DS, I'll love it. If it's not oh well. Anyhow, just because this is coming out, doesnt mean a TP sequel is coming out. And what's all this about a sequel? He killed ganon and returned midna to her home, what's left for a sequel? Believe me, you'd be more disapointed than you were about the DS games because it wont be the classic zelda game that you love. If you think TP should have a sequel, tell me what it should be about.

 

[Enrisan]

I got to play the new Zelda at E3 this year...I did NOT enjoy it. First, they had everyone playing using the motion controls, which I hope aren't the only way to play the game because it's extremely annoying. Second, graphics are terrible..they had the game running on some nice large screens and it looked a super compressed video to me. Third, I've never really been a big Zelda fan, but the game looks and plays like every other Zelda game since the N64.... boring.