Left-Handed Option? Should There Be One...

[CUCCOMASTER]

yes!!! im not a lefty but i hate seeing people left out. its unfair that so many games dont have lefty options. its segregation

 

[NorthApple]

They don't have to make two diffrent games just make two diffrent sprites. They didn't have to remake Wii Sports Resort for theleft handies!

Yeah, but WSR was different... it was dual handed swordplay anyway, and the characters models were not clearly either right/left handed....

Anyway, though it would be relatively easy to make a left-handed Link model, I think what Aonuma meant was it's more difficult this time around... because the whole game has been designed, all the puzzles and monsters and such, presuming the player is right-handed. Like, they said they're using the graphical style to help exaggerate enemy weak points, well those weak points may be placed in such a way it's clear what direction the sword slash needs to be and it's easy to achieve for a righthanded person, but not so obvious/easy to hit for lefthanded person. At least, that's kind of how I interpret it.

Also, I guess they were also thinking along the lines of which hand you hold the nunchuk in too. Every gamer alive is used to controlling movement with their left thumb, no matter what their dominant hand, because it's a standard on regular controllers. In that way, I guess they thought that everyone would prefer still being able to use their left thumb, as they've always done and are used to doing, despite what their dominant hand is. (Also, I know from experience that most lefthanders often have some degree of ambidexterity, from having to put up with various things in our decidedly righthanded world, like the way a door opens and such, so I guessed Nintendo figured it wouldn't be much of an issue for the players, though the YOU WILL PLAY WITH YOUR RIGHT HAND AND YOU WILL LIKE IT attitude is rather mean :c)

Anyway, I don't know why I've waffled so much about this, considering the fact it doesn't even affect me because I'm righthanded anyway (for the most part, LOL for cross-dominance). Anyway, long story short, I can see why they did this, and I guess if it's what they think is best, then it's good. I mean, they have much more idea than we do XD I can see why some people would say it's unfair, and I'm not denying that, but it's only an issue if we make it an issue, y'know. I'm sure Nintendo haven't missed it out on purpose because they're prejudiced against lefties or anything, I guess they just decided it was the best way of doing things. XDD

 

[TreeHuggerPanda]

I'm mainly a righty, but I play basketball with my left hand, so I go either way. (But I prefer right handed, heck if you don't mind a little sloppiness, I could write with my left hand!)

But I think lefties should not be excluded and Nintendo should make a lefty version, I mean, we righties don't mind waiting... right?

 

[tommytiger]

Aonuma: It's interesting because people say "all you have to do is switch it." But in reality, it's really hard. You have to change all the models -- you have to make two of everything. So really you're making two complete games, one left-handed version and one right-handed version. We just can't do that. For Twilight Princess, what we did was just create a mirror -- we flipped everything. And if that worked I guess we could do it that way, but again having to create two games is not something we want to do. We just hope that people will play it right-handed. QUOTE]

...We just hope that people will play it right-handed...Isn't that basically the puritanic view of getting all the schoolchildren to write with thier right hands because being a lefty was evil...?

I really don't think that changing the character after 20 years is worth it. I have one wii game that uses the wiimote/nunchuk control scheme, and the controls are just so hard to use since the joystick is on the other side now. I'm basically back to playing SSBB and GCN games so I can use the GC controller.

But yeah, I'd love a game where I could use the wiimote as a sword.

I understand that there's more to inverting Link (to the CORRECT handedness, might I add) than just flicking a switch, but I don't see what requires an extra game for it. After all, it would just need a second mirrored model of Link (easy) and redone animations (not as easy). Besides, the screens of him shooting the bow show he's doing THAT lefty.

I don't really understand the argument about making enemy fights to match with a certain sword stance. I used to fence, and I was the only lefty in our club. It's really hard for a righty to fight a lefty - since 90% of people are right handed, righties don't really practice against lefties, so it's different. However, even as a lefty, it's tough to attach or defend if both people have the swords on the same side. That's life. I don't think that an enemy's hitbox needs to be changed at all - lefties have to be clever enough to reach it somehow. So all you really need is to mirror Link and his anims.

Sure that'd make the game a little tougher - fine: add three enemies to each dungeon and release it as a 'master quest' version. I'd be cool with that. Probably a lot of people who'd end up buying both then, if Nintendo's just thinking about the money.

I've always hated the Wii TP: I specifically got the GC version because that was the true, canonical lefty Link. And now I feel that the Wii has killed The Legend of Zelda. I'd love if I could swing my left hand around and get Link to swing his sword, but now he's a righty and it seems like that's how it's going to be from now on. So now we lefties have which video game heroes left? Umm....

Please Nintendo, EVERY swordsman in EVERY game is right handed. Can we have one? And why then can't it be the one who's been left handed since the beginning?

 

[Skyward Link]

it doesnt matter to much to me since im right handed.

 

[Zelda_Crazy28]

I aggree with you. And I also think yes, it would be hard to make two different versions of the game and would take more time. I mean, it's already coming out in 2011 and I really don't want to wait any longer. As long as your getting the Zelda experence it's fine with me.

 

[disturbed42]

If making it playable for left-handers was pretty easy, then I would greatly encourage Nintendo to do so (even though I'm right-handed). However, according to Aonuma, it's way more difficult than we think. Left-handed people seem to adjust to it fairly well, so as long as they're still having fun and enjoying the game, I don't see it as something neccessary to implant into the game. Although I do like seeing Link as his original self: left-handed. Ah well. We're obviously stuck with only right-handed gameplay, we'll just have to deal with it.

 

[MoblinPiglet]

i think they should make the left-handed option, but either way works for me cause im both-handed

 

[Lucrei]

"We just hope that people will play it right-handed."

What a bold statement. Usually I'm pretty conservative in my views, but this calls for extreme reaction.

This game is based on motion, no scrap that - PRECISION motion.

My entire life, I've been using my left-hand for all precision tasks - and Aonuma wants me, to learn a life skill (right-handedness), just to play his game? That is completely ridiculous and inconsiderate!

People seem to be under the impression that it's like a 9 to 1 ratio in favor of righthanders - when it's clearly not. That's just a myth. I'm sure it would be more realistically 7 to 3 or something similar - so by saying this Aonuma is potentially alienating 30% of his market.

When it comes down to it - this is discrimination. It shouldn't be allowed. I almost feel we should petition about this.

EDIT: No, we MUST petition about this. Anyone rehearsed in organising petitions?

 

[Zenu]

nintendo just has to flips the screen horizontally and the controls and everything would be lefthanded the text would have to flipped back or left unflipped. I fence and know that lefties at the club I go to aim for the outside more than a right handed person would because their hand is usually closer to the outside target than a right handed person normally is to another right handed person.

 

[tommytiger]

"We just hope that people will play it right-handed."

What a bold statement. Usually I'm pretty conservative in my views, but this calls for extreme reaction.

This game is based on motion, no scrap that - PRECISION motion.

My entire life, I've been using my left-hand for all precision tasks - and Aonuma wants me, to learn a life skill (right-handedness), just to play his game? That is completely ridiculous and inconsiderate!

People seem to be under the impression that it's like a 9 to 1 ratio in favor of righthanders - when it's clearly not. That's just a myth. I'm sure it would be more realistically 7 to 3 or something similar - so by saying this Aonuma is potentially alienating 30% of his market.

When it comes down to it - this is discrimination. It shouldn't be allowed. I almost feel we should petition about this.

EDIT: No, we MUST petition about this. Anyone rehearsed in organising petitions?

I'm with you 110%. I think that the left-handed market for the Zelda series is a little larger than for other games due to a simple fact - people will naturally gravitate towards heroes like themselves. Sure, we may be a minority, but I'm really hurt by the realization that I either need to suddenly be a master right-handed swordsman and gamer, or give up on the Zelda series forever because I share the same 'disability' that Link himself has...or had until the wii motionPlus dictated that it'd be more profitable to make him right-handed. I'd be perfectly fine with the game being held while animations for Link were remade - I don't need the rest of the game to be changed to make enemies' weak points to be more accessible. Heck, I'd even be fine if they released the promised version on time, as long as the aforementioned lefty version was going to be coming later.

Is there a huge difference between this and saying, "Oh, you're being discriminated against based on gender? Well, we hope you can just have gender reassignment surgery."?

We're not asking for much. A new model (that you already have), and new animations in order to allow the forgotten ones to have some fun too.

 

[AKRedden]

Since Link is originally left handed, how many right-handed dominant people would be disappointed if the decided to make the game left-handed, lol?

It only makes sense to make it optional where you could choose

 

[Mixtoplix]

If I am not mistaken I heard this same topic on youtube.......
the knowledge behind that conversation was,
at the begining of the game it is up to you to pick which hand option desirable.
But this is knowledge from another person! I agree with this person!
So as his theory may be right...I guess we have to wait

 

[ancazur]

tommytiger: I agree with your view on lefties going for heroes just like them. I mean, I obviously thought Link was cool to begin with, but when I learned he was a lefty he became awesome. It's an identity thing, being left-handed - righties don't understand that. We bond with fellow lefties, and Link is suppose to be part of our elite little group.

 

[rnddim]

I'm right handed, yet I love holding the Wiimote (the sword) in my left hand for LoZ games (which I did in TP, to no ill effect). I just prefer to be holding the sword the way Link would. I would be very peeved if they didn't include an option to select which hand you wish to use (like they did in PH).

I'm not buying that they have to change everything. You either have to flip the Link model (lazy way) or manually create a left-handed model (hard way). You may have to change some other things if there's, say, an enemy where you have to slash from right to left and then switch to slashing left to right (for convenience to lefties). Other than something like that, there is nothing to change. I'd like to hear specific examples of the flip resulting in another game.

Oh! Maybe there are asymmetrical models that would look better with lefties if those models were flipped as well! ...Nah, still not buying it. In real life, a lefty doesn't get everything flipped.

In conclusion: Just provide the option, and make everybody happy. Do not tell me that, even if you need to change everything for a lefty, the one year you've extended the release isn't enough time to simply flip all the models. They better give a really good, specific reason they can't accomplish this before I change my mind. I agree that it's very discriminatory to just say "just play right-handed".