Zelda. what went wrong?

[Smeghead]

quote, "Maybe you're just lookin for something different in a game these days "

well isn't that what gamings all about? looking forward to playing something different, maybe nintendo has just run out of ideas. its like their taking gaming backwards not forwards.

So you'd buy F1 2002 expecting it to be different to F1 2001?

Zelda is Zelda, so if you want something different don't buy Zelda

I also think the combat system in WW kills OOT ten times over! I think it A Link to the Past in 3D, which is no small feat, nor a bad thing

[Popo]

I'm not sure by what you mean when you say WW is easier - in OoT Navi would pipe in and tell you how to beat every enemy/boss that appeared, but in WW the King of Red Lions only helps out occationally.

I'm really loving it - yea, it would be nicer if they didn't re-use so many of the previous items (it does go some way towards ruining certain puzzles), but at the same time, a great deal of the game is quite simply inspired.

I wish there had been more town islands for you to explore (and I'm a little miffed by the way some reviewers/previewers made the ocean out to be waaaaaaaaaaay bigger than it actually is), but the Zelda magic is still there and it gets my vote for best Gamecube game so far, and possibly even game of the year.

It wont be an Edge 10 though, that much is sure.

[Lorraine Kelly]

this is why the 'Big N' are losing fans!

Don't be silly. Nintendo's losing fans because YOU don't like Wind Waker much? I think you'll find more people love it and many of us big LTTP fans like it more than OOT, a game that feels very dated when you play the bonus disk.

I must admit I was worried about Nintendo after Mario Sunshine, but things like Zelda, Metroid Prime and Made in Wario have bought that Nintendo magic back in spades.

I don't have a problem with how you feel about Wind Waker, although I do have a problem with the above quote as it sounds like you're stating your opinion as a fact, even though you're in the minority rather than the majority.

- Lorraine

[Smeghead]

this is why the 'Big N' are losing fans!

Don't be silly. Nintendo's losing fans because YOU don't like Wind Waker much? I think you'll find more people love it and many of us big LTTP fans like it more than OOT, a game that feels very dated when you play the bonus disk.

I must admit I was worried about Nintendo after Mario Sunshine, but things like Zelda, Metroid Prime and Made in Wario have bought that Nintendo magic back in spades.

I don't have a problem with how you feel about Wind Waker, although I do have a problem with the above quote as it sounds like you're stating your opinion as a fact, even though you're in the minority rather than the majority.

- Lorraine

Cudn't say it better myself

[rjpageuk]

I have found complaints about Wind Waker such as those above just about as hard to take as complaints about Super Mario Sunshine.

IMO both games have been fantastic additions to the series and if you go back and actually play Super Mario 64/Ocarina Of Time then the progression made becomes even more clear.

It is nigh on impossible to replay OOT on the N64 due to the hideous frame rate and any boredom people complain about while sailing pales in comparison to traversing the Hydrule Field. Combat has also made leaps and bounds in WW.

In terms of Mario - going back to Super Mario 64 makes you realise the leaps and bounds which were made with both the controls and camera in SMS despite these being two of the most critised areas of SMS.

Nintendo losing it? Not in my opinion. In fact the only high profile Nintendo game I havent enjoyed much is Metroid Prime, and it is clear that Nintendo were not the ones who developed it.

[Commander Marklar]

Haha, man this thread is so f**ked up. If I came across you on my journey, I'd shoot first ask questions later. Yes, you're worth risking my clean status over...

[Hodge]

I have found wind waker better than OOT in just about every respect. For starters the game is alot more up pace than OOT with more fighting and less puzzle solving (even though there is still quite abit) which i`m finding alot more enjoyable and holds me longer to the game than OOT ever did. Also theres abit of humour to the game which is a nice addition and graphically i think it looks fantastic and replicates the world of Zelda perfectly, along with the best animation seen in a videogame to date. And to top it of the story is very good upto what i`ve played. Definately my favourite Zelda yet and for me this is the game that proves Nintendo have still got what it takes to make a fantastic game.

[yashiro]

Don't be silly. Nintendo's losing fans because YOU don't like Wind Waker much? I think you'll find more people love it and many of us big LTTP fans like it more than OOT, a game that feels very dated when you play the bonus disk.

Spot on LK. Seriously, Wind Waker is so much better than OoT in almost all areas. Gamelife, to say WW leads you by the hand and OoT does not is just not true. Play OoT now and see.

Wind Waker does retain elements of this but also has a sprinkling of LttP and touches of FF style map roaming. It's a brilliant game and your reasons for it being poor are invalid. Did you expect it to NOT be like a Zelda game? Man, that's the reason I bought it. A few million other people did the same.

[vertigo]

In terms of Mario - going back to Super Mario 64 makes you realise the leaps and bounds which were made with both the controls and camera in SMS despite these being two of the most critised areas of SMS.

Note: An opinion follows, there is no right or wrong with opinions, only agreement and disagreement. Now you may continue reading.

I'll have to disagree with you on that one, SMS is arse compared to SM64. The camera is inferior, disappearing behind or sticking to as many walls as it likes, showing shadows of characters behind walls but not edges of platforms, the inconsistency of the Fludd device (why can you only hover once with it at a time when you should be able to hover as many times as you have water for), whereas after playing SMS I went back to SM64 to see if it really had improved on it, and it hadn't. Running through the worlds of SM64 again, hop-skip-and-jumping around with the perfect control setup, able to do whatever you fancied, the feeling of innocence and joy that radiates from every polygon in the SM64 world compared to the comparatively sterile feel of SMS, SM64 was just fun in so many ways that SMS wasn't. SMS wasn't a hard game, but it was challenging for all the wrong reasons, namely technical aspects that were wrong with it that affected the control and gameplay. As for falling through the floors in some areas and the unforgivably high amount of invisible walls, enough said.
Nintendo certainly aren't losing it though, SMS is still a high-quality piece of software compared to 90% of the other stuff that people put out, it's just inferior in every way, except graphically, to SM64.
NST do need a damn hard kick up the arse though, to stop them making technically proficient but otherwise stale, personality-less experiences (Wave Race BS, Ridge Racer 64) because I really don't want them to bodge 1080 GC.
Anyway, to get back on topic, I've not played an English version of Wind Waker, but I have played the Japanese one for an hour or two, and it's technically lovely and controls beautifully. I can't read Japanese to the degree that Zelda warrants so I'll be getting the US version as soon as I can afford it, but I get that feeling that this will be a game that I'll fall in love with. The original poster is probably going through one of those gaming phases, either one where you can't be bothered to play something that needs a long amount of time and you just need quick arcadey experiences to make you happy until you're ready for something big, or one where you just can't be bothered to play games for a while full stop. This happens. You'll get over it. Maybe this version of Zelda just met you at the wrong time, just as SMS probably did for me.

[Adam]

I love Wind Waker to bits, I have just got off a 2 hour session on it without barely progressing the story. You know just sailing around exploring, doing sidequests etc it's well fun.

Only thing that gets me is I have near enough every item in the game (2 spaces left) but I still have loads to do I reckon, which leads me to think that the next lot of dungeons will be just a mix of the other ones, with no new item specific puzzle solving. Meh!

And I did enjoy roaming Hyrule field in OoT much more than sailing the seas in WW, but that's not to say I don't like WW. It's a better game overall I reckon

[quirky]

WW is the better game without a doubt. There is so much to do! Now I've lost most of the sailing bit, I'm enjoying it a lot more.

I was thinking last night about the sheer variety in the game, from the almost beat 'em up style fights with its counter attacks, blocks, etc, to the ace puzzles and dungeons, the lack of leading by the hand - I miss Navi, now you do have to figure out a lot more by yourself - to the variety of silly things to do on Windfall Island. It is a classic and probably the perfect sequel to OOT.

(The ocarina was better than the "wind stick" though...)

[Trok REAPER]

I cant get enough of it!

I love finding all the little leaf people - he should be able to smoke em after he helps them tho, see the thanks he gets?

Damn Saur, that cracked me up, I won't be able to look at them leaf people the same now.

As for the game, I think it beats OoT in nearly all aspects. There really is little to fault with this title that I can see. If it does lead you by the hand a bit, I ain't got a problem with this. I have not got the time in my life to wander about for 5 hours because there is no clue what to do next. If you are the type that wants to wander off the beaten track then you can, there are plenty of islands to explore and sub quests to chase up.

Just enjoy it

TR

[Ady]

Topping OOT was always going to be impossible though.

Not at all. Majora's Mask did it quite easily....

[JRMacumber]

some people are never happy.

Innovation for innovations sake does not equal a good game. Who cares if its similar to Zelda. Halo is similar to previous fps games, but it doesnt stop it being damn good.

Absolutely. Its why some are looking forward to Brute Force. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it doesn't have to. And, I must say, as a resent fan of the Zelda series, I am so in love with it. Magical in just about every wy.

[SharkAttack]

some people are never happy.

Innovation for innovations sake does not equal a good game. Who cares if its similar to Zelda. Halo is similar to previous fps games, but it doesnt stop it being damn good.

Absolutely. Its why some are looking forward to Brute Force. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it doesn't have to. And, I must say, as a resent fan of the Zelda series, I am so in love with it. Magical in just about every wy.

I was gonna ask you actually JR, are you still as into it as your initial impressions? Completed it or still having fun?