Legend of Zelda Zelda: Old vs. New

[kyaputenfarukon07]

Hulk Hogan's post is the best post in this thread period.

 

[-LzR-]

I agree. Majoras Mask had a totally different feel than any other Zelda. The fact that the world is living, stuff happens and people live their lives, learn that they are going to die and then freak out. All over again and again and again. Until you finally beat it. For me it's tied for the best Zelda with TP. It was an amazing game in everything.

 

[Teran]

In quoting you, Teran, I'll be decoloring you to make it easier on the eyes.


^This is how every single video game and movie operate. Even on advertisements. There are always new locations to place advertisements.

No, it's just how a lot of media operates because it is lazy and a cheap cop out.

Well, your article here Teran has helped me see that I never really looked at each Zelda game as a whole all that often. I always lived in the moment. I suppose tradition works for me since I'm more of an impulsive person.

Anyway, the older games certainly have more variety (and innovation as you put it), than the newer games. I can still see Skyward Sword sticking out as being a bit innovative. Although, I guess the 9 directions for sword attacks is a slightly more complicated rehash of the sword angle in 2D zelda. I can cover 270 counterclockwise, but not that last 90 degrees.

Honestly I do actually take every Zelda as a self contained experience, which is why I'm not a big fan pf detailed timeline theorising, but like I said I just notice patterns, especially if they involve numbers. Sadly I played ALttP as a young boy, with that experience being burned into my psyche forever, so I will notice all the similarities.. I have to admit, there is a certain sweet comfort in familiarity, and I do love it, but I don't like the feeling of a new paintjob on the same thing.

For example Twilight Princess' formulaic nature bothered me, but there were throwbacks to past Zelda games that really made me smile and I thoroughly enjoyed. One example is the howling statues, the fact that they chose really distinctive songs from past Zeldas was fantastic. It rewarded experienced players with the warmth of nostalgia without being a 15 year old repeated mechanic. Again, small things like walking into the Temple of Time and the music from OoT hitting, then putting the Master Sword in the pedestal, that was cool. Things like that are good, but playing it safe and rehashing one winning formula is why Final Fantasy is now a total joke. Thankfully Zelda always has more variety in its art styles and moods, but if they don't make more of an effort to really sort of push it to a new height (which I think they're on their way to doing with SS in all fairness), I don't see the series being a phenomenon forever.

But yeah SS did some great things, and since Nintendo have now got this new control scheme mastered, I think it's time to focus on creating a world we can connect to again like in MM. Man I don't even care if they bring back the typical ensemble cast of Ganon, Impa, Zelda etc. but I want a different world and a different experience.

Wind Waker was amazing in that it jumped away from the "you were destined to be the hero!" and replace it with the theme of making yourself the hero through your own merits, determination, and desire to save your sister/people you care about. The land of Hyrule was gone. In a way, Wind Waker had an underlying message at the end when the King of Hyrule stayed behind to die with his kingdom, not wanting the shadow of the past to interfere with the future. In a way it mirrored what I think Miyamoto wanted from the fans, not wanting the sadow of the past to hijack the future and drive the series to its doom, just like Hyrule was.

The fact of the matter was though....

THE FANS JUST WEREN'T READY BROTHER

and they will never be ready

Zelda fans lap the pander fests up, then after they're finished they go "man just not OoT", "man Zelda just isn't the same!". Whatcha gonna do man, when you look at how MM and WW were originally received and their early sales (the most important things), you see that fans just don't want anything new, but they do want something new, but it has to have Adult Link, it has to have Ganon, it has to have the Master Sword, it has to have Epona, it has to have Light Arrows, it has to have 8 dungeons, and seriously Adult ****in Link.

:/

 

[etecoon]

MM did have some detractors but I still feel like it's lack of success early was more circumstantial/bad business than anything, it was released at a bad time on a dying system sent to battle the PS2 launch. I think a lot of people just never played it until the GC or VC re-releases, I know people in my circle played it when it came out and we loved it, and it seemed more ignored than hated to me. Really too bad, still my favorite game in the series and maybe my favorite game ever, I think there was a lot there that Nintendo should look back on for inspiration more but until SS at least they were just intent on rehashing OoT as much as possible

 

[Teran]

That is somewhat true, but imo I'd have assumed that near the tail end of the console's life would be when the install base was the largest. I mean PS2 costs a LOT when it first came out.

From what I remember in my school and circle of friends (trust me every elementary playground is a good representation of what's popular), Majora's Mask had a lot of hype.

I dunno, maybe us kids were less biased than the teenage ***holes who cried about stuff like the fact it was a direct sequel.

Edit: Sometimes I feel Majora's Mask and OoT should be tied into one epic game, because they actually tie together very very well, not just because of the whole direct sequel thing. As a single experience OoT + MM would actually be godlike.

 

[etecoon]

I dunno, maybe us kids were less biased than the teenage ***holes who cried about stuff like the fact it was a direct sequel.

Edit: Sometimes I feel Majora's Mask and OoT should be tied into one epic game, because they actually tie together very very well, not just because of the whole direct sequel thing. As a single experience OoT + MM would actually be godlike.

I was 13 or 14 when I played it D:

Not sure if I agree but I usually do make it a point to play OoT and MM in sequence, I don't really do that with the other Zelda games...MM definitely plays off of OoT a lot beyond just being a direct sequel, it really wouldn't be the same experience I think if one hadn't played OoT

 

[-LzR-]

I'm a new Zelda player, started with Twilight Princess so obviously I compare all the games to it and Twilight Princess is the same thing for me than OoC is to many of you. Damn those rose tinted lens or whatever they were called. So I prefer newer Zeldas, though SS was only that good imo.