Flying Fisch: Top Zelda Expectations for Zelda Wii
Posted on January 11 2010 by Nathanial Rumphol-Janc
Sure, it’s nothing more then a giant wish list, but really there are some good thoughts in it. Last year, our own Phil Stetson talked about the top 10 things he wants in Zelda Wii, so it’s nice to see other people’s thoughts about it. So, lets just get right into the list:
1.) Motion-Controls:
That one is basically confirmed for Zelda Wii. Shigeru Miyamoto himself said to think of Wii Sports Resort when trying to imagine what Zelda Wii would control like. Eiji Aonuma, too, talked about MotionPlus playing a huge role for the upcoming game. While that sounds all fine, it´s not that easy if you think about it: The bow and arrow-shooting in WSR is near perfection. Shooting arrows in a videogame won´t be getting any better in the near future. It feels great. But with realism in how you control an action comes realism in how it pans out. Or in short: Bow and arrow-shooting a la WSR takes a lot of time. Should Zelda Wii make use of the exact same controls, the whole game has to be structured differently. You cannot quickly shoot something, because you need to grab an arrow, pull back, take aim and hope that you aim was correct. That means two things: a) It´s still okay for most puzzles, but b) it´s completely useless against many or quick enemies. Now while you can say that against quick enemies you simply have to choose another weapon, the means that there cannot be fast enemies that will be fought with bow and arrow, and that there either won´t be larger groups of enemies or that the controls will be gimped down in some respect. Personally, and that´s going to be mentioned later on, I hope for the former. There´s also some possible issues with the sword-fighting, but except for controls themselves, nothing regarding the sword-fighting would affect the rest of the game. 1:1 sword-controls are what are expected and what everyone hoped for when Twilight Princess was announced for the Wii. They will be there.
2.) Link, Zelda and Ganon
3.) Different camera-view
4.) Less focus on story
5.) A friendly, welcoming world, set within a fairy tale
6.) Rich characters that make you feel for them
7.) No special moves
8.) Free, open world
9.) The world is your playing ground
10.) Animal Wildlife
11.) A world that feels alive
12.) Adventurer´s diary
13.) Non-linear progression
14.) Less mandatory items – More optionality
15.) Optional Items
16.) Sidequests – Lots of them
17.) Mission-based sidequests
18.) Flying
19.) Gorgeous visuals
20.) Return of Magic
21.) Less dungeons
22.) Boss-battles under the sky
23.) Windfall Island x10
24.) Less but stronger enemies
25.) Emphasis on man vs man-battles
26.) More realism in enemy behavior
27.) Voice Acting
28.) Multiplayer
29.) Customization
30.) Different gameplay-styles
There you have it. Be sure to check out what he had to say about each point here. While I don’t agree with all the ideas, I do feel there is a lot of good stuff there. If we can even see half this list happening in the next Zelda title, then I think we are really in for a treat.
