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General Zelda Which Titles, if Any, Do You Think Would've Been Better Off As New IPs?

Ventus

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To correlate to this thread, mesa was wondering what installments in the Zelda franchise in your minds would have been better games overall if they were new Intellectual Properties rather than continuations of the Zelda brand. Of course, if you don't think any title should've been new games altogether, you can explain why!
 
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Hmm... I personally think that every main Zelda game to date fits very well inside the Zelda series. There really aren't any that I think would've functioned better as an entirely new IP. Zelda II and the Four Swords games could theoretically lift out of the Zelda series with some ease, however I really do think that they are both great examples of how doing things differently with the same IP can really pay off. Now, I would really like it if the CD-i Zelda games HAD been made into their own IP's, because then they wouldn't be associated with Zelda anymore.
 

Kirino

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None of them. All are way to similar to Zelda to be their own IP, except for maybe FS and FSA, but I don't see them being good enough for a whole new IP.
 
Going off the OP i'd pretty much have to think which games in the current 16 game canon didnt feel like Zelda games and would have been better off as something else.

I cant think of any really, they all seem to have the Zelda-ness about them far too much for me to want them to be completely different games outside of Zelda.
One thing that does spring to mind though is how on the ball nintendo were with MM in its surrealness, its so surreal that its kind of difficult to permeate what makes it surreal, was it the fact that you'd killed a lot of the characters before that were randomly alive again or was it that familiar characters looked exactly the same but were someone else and you thought you knew different and that they didnt know who they were for some reason?

It probably is based on the characters where MM gets its surrealism from more so than anyhting else, but if nintendo can make a game feel that surreal then i'd like them to make a series witht hat genre in mind, but thats as far as thinking a Zelda game should be something else goes for me.
 

ihateghirahim

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I can't imagine any canonical game as anything other than Zelda. They all combine to form one epic legend of fun and adventure. The only game that could have been removed was the CDi games, but Nintendo has sort of already done that by destroying their canon status and making every effort to avoid mentioning them. I guess they're IP's of Youtube now.
 

Castle

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I consider Spirit Tracks to be a prime example of a Zelda game that resembles Zelda in appearance only and hardly plays like it. Everything about the way ST plays is completely contrary to the nature of a Zelda game (Dungeon aspects notwithstanding). Seems to me like it should have been its own IP, either standalone or a new series if there's any reason for it, but instead they decided to tack the Zelda characters onto a title that has little or nothing to do with the way a Zelda game plays.
 
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I consider Spirit Tracks to be a prime example of a Zelda game that resembles Zelda in appearance only and hardly plays like it. Everything about the way ST plays is completely contrary to the nature of a Zelda game (Dungeon aspects notwithstanding). Seems to me like it should have been its own IP, either standalone or a new series if there's any reason for it, but instead they decided to tack the Zelda characters onto a title that has little or nothing to do with the way a Zelda game plays.

As much as I dislike the ds games and they are also what I thought about I feel thats too harsh. They really only differ in controls and even though they are my greatest complaint of any game I don't think they separate them from Zelda.
If anything, anything to do with the four sword could go into a new game with complete new story.
 

Castle

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As much as I dislike the ds games and they are also what I thought about I feel thats too harsh. They really only differ in controls and even though they are my greatest complaint of any game I don't think they separate them from Zelda.

Okay, here we go again. You cannot have an on-rails Zelda overworld. It is completely contrary to the nature of a Zelda game. In fact, you know what ST was? It's StarFox 64. It's an on rails shooter. ST would have been better off as a Starfox game, honestly. nuff said.
 

JuicieJ

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Okay, here we go again. You cannot have an on-rails Zelda overworld. It is completely contrary to the nature of a Zelda game. In fact, you know what ST was? It's StarFox 64. It's an on rails shooter. ST would have been better off as a Starfox game, honestly. nuff said.

Right, because the overworld makes the entirety of a Zelda game. :dry:

In addition to that, there ARE on-foot, true-to-Zelda overworld sections.
 

Castle

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Right, because the overworld makes the entirety of a Zelda game. :dry:

In addition to that, there ARE on-foot, true-to-Zelda overworld sections.

No, it makes up one half of an entire Zelda game. Spirit Tracks is half a Zelda game. It's got dungeons. Watered down dungeons with nothing particularly new or interesting (other than having occasional control over Zelda). Moreover, so do a bajillion other games with dungeons more interesting than ST.
 

JuicieJ

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No, it makes up one half of an entire Zelda game. Spirit Tracks is half a Zelda game. It's got dungeons. Watered down dungeons with nothing particularly new or interesting (other than having occasional control over Zelda). Moreover, so do a bajillion other games with dungeons more interesting than ST.

Again, it has on-foot sections. And... how are the dungeons watered down? They were without a doubt leagues better than any other modern Zelda title's until Skyward Sword came along (right after it).
 

Castle

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Again, it has on-foot sections. And... how are the dungeons watered down? They were without a doubt leagues better than any other modern Zelda title's until Skyward Sword came along (right after it).

The occasional on foot section just isn't enough for me. Also, ST dungeons better than any other modern Zelda perhaps (although the notion is highly subjective), but excuse me if I will not accept anything less than the best, which in the case of the Zelda series would be A Link to the Past by closest comparison (and my best reckoning).

On a side note: It was my understanding that this thread was meant for people to contribute their thoughts on the matter and move on, not get involved in lengthy defense of their statement. I figured I'd just post my contribution and move on to let others have theirs. Which is by now what I intend to do.
 

JuicieJ

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The occasional on foot section just isn't enough for me. Also, ST dungeons better than any other modern Zelda perhaps (although the notion is highly subjective), but excuse me if I will not accept anything less than the best, which in the case of the Zelda series would be A Link to the Past by closest comparison (and my best reckoning).

A Link to the Past has great dungeons, but only from an action standard. Zelda didn't start focusing more on the puzzles until Link's Awakening and didn't enter the realm of puzzle-solving legend (no pun intended) until Ocarina of Time. In all reality, ALttP has some of the weaker dungeons in the series. Spirit Tracks has both great action and puzzles in its dungeons.

On a side note: It was my understanding that this thread was meant for people to contribute their thoughts on the matter and move on, not get involved in lengthy defense of their statement. I figured I'd just post my contribution and move on to let others have theirs. Which is by now what I intend to do.

If you don't want to get involved in a lengthy conversation, you don't have to, but we're allowed to respond to others' posts and state our thoughts on them. I was merely expressing that I didn't think you had given fair judgement to Spirit Tracks. Whether or not you respond is up to you, which it seems you're choosing not to after this. Which is fine.
 
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Going off the OP i'd pretty much have to think which games in the current 16 game canon didnt feel like Zelda games and would have been better off as something else.

I cant think of any really, they all seem to have the Zelda-ness about them far too much for me to want them to be completely different games outside of Zelda.
One thing that does spring to mind though is how on the ball nintendo were with MM in its surrealness, its so surreal that its kind of difficult to permeate what makes it surreal, was it the fact that you'd killed a lot of the characters before that were randomly alive again or was it that familiar characters looked exactly the same but were someone else and you thought you knew different and that they didnt know who they were for some reason?

It probably is based on the characters where MM gets its surrealism from more so than anyhting else, but if nintendo can make a game feel that surreal then i'd like them to make a series witht hat genre in mind, but thats as far as thinking a Zelda game should be something else goes for me.

At first I didn't think much of your comment but I suppose the small ties to the series' story wouldn't be hard to break. But still, if they kept the gameplay mostly the same there would be thread after thread saying Kyle's Story: Majora's Mask is a Zelda game.
Makes me wonder what it would be like if Skyward sword's had a sequel with the same engine.
 

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