Gossip Stone: Is Zelda Wii U/NX Worth Taking Up All of Nintendo’s Time at E3?
Posted on May 09 2016 by Jon Lett
Well, this is certainly going to be a hard piece to write. It seems that Nintendo is gearing up to have a seriously Zelda-centric E3 presence, by which I mean you should only expect Zelda this year. No Digital Event. No NX. Just the new Zelda. As a Zelda fan – a hardcore fan for my whole life – is truly pains me to say this: it is far too likely that Nintendo is making one seriously bad decision, and as much as I wish to get hyped for Zelda, there are far too many reasons to have other things there, too.
Join the discussion after the jump.
Okay, to be clear, I am sure that I am going to be drinking up the mad Zelda Wii U hype all along the way. There is going to be non-stop coverage of this amazing new title, and it is likely a big enough game that what they show us will be only a fraction of what is to come in the final game. There could also be some non-in-game stuff that gets shown, like new merchandise for the game, and possibly a new Amiibo, what with the whole Twilight Princess interaction thing that they have mentioned in the past. Zelda Dungeon, Zelda Informer, and any other Zelda-based sites will surely be having a field day.
That being said, I have to bite my fanboy tongue, and consider the sadly LONG list of reasons this whole Zelda-only deal is a terrible plan. Firstly, while, again, the game will be huge, and therefor there will be plenty we will not see, I almost worry that we could see too much. Nintendo will have a LOT of time across the whole of the expo to show off gameplay and such. What if we get too much? Skyward Sword had admittedly little shown at E3 before its release, and fans were really asking for more a lot of the time. That, and we’ve been bone dry on the Zelda news from for years now. but still, there needs to be a real element of surprise from the game when the time comes, so let’s not be too spoiled. Also, what about Hyrule Warriors? There looks to be a primary focus on Zelda Wii U, of course, but no word on Hyrule Warriors Legends or the new DLC coming this year. There could be some great new stuff in those packs, and Nintendo could hype us ALL up, if they actually decide to show it. Finally, regarding the game itself, there will be no actual “Zelda NX”, as the NX is still a no-show for the expo, but that is a rant for another day, I believe. Needless to say, it deserves its spot in the light. And on stage.
Aside from that, I really just think that Nintendo is taking the time to show Zelda too much, and not leaving room for other important things. What are the non-Zelda-focused news sites even going to write about? What about other games coming to Wii U? Or indie titles that could be on it too? Are those just not important? Are they really giving up on it entirely? If so, should the NX not be there, too? I have a lot of questions, and I feel as though a lot of other people do as well. I truly want to see this as a good choice – there were times when, as a kid, E3 being totally Zelda-focused would be heavenly – but nowadays, I worry for them, in light of decisions like this. Perhaps I am totally wrong. I am no professional businessman, and I am not Nintendo. Maybe they have this expo in the bag and we have no idea. After all. It’s Nintendo. Anything could happen. Let us know in the comments what you guys think – whether Nintendo has it all under control, or if they are making the wrong choice.