Artist extraordinaire, Dan Jones returns to talk with us about giant robot battles and growing concerns over a lack of Zelda U news on the latest episode of the ZI Podcast! Among other topics, we also discuss the Playstation Vita’s most intimidating quality that may have sparked its downfall, and we compare some of the most impressive weapons in video games. Your cast for this week’s episode is…
In Famitsu Magazine‘s latest edition of their most wanted games, Zelda U takes the 17th spot with 183 votes.
An interesting aspect of this listing is that this is not the first time this highly-anticipated Zelda home console experience has made the cut. Last June, Zelda U made Famitsu’s most wanted, but was in the 13th spot. This time around, Zelda U is at #17, which means that the game has fallen down 4 spots on the list…
In case you haven’t heard, Nintendo has allegedly filed a patent for a console that does not use physical discs. This brought a question to my mind: will I be buying a digital copy of Zelda U, or a more tradition physical copy?
There are arguments that can be made for a physical copy. If you’re somewhat of a collector such as I am, you like to be able to display your game cases. Whether this is to impress others or so that you can view the vast array of video games you have compiled…
The Symphony of the Goddesses train doesn’t appear to be stopping anytime soon. Originally launched for the 25th anniversary back in 2011 and lasting 2 years in the original run, the show came back again for a second run titled “Master Quest” that will be running into 2016, the 30th anniversary of the Zelda series. It’s an amazing experience that I hope many of you have or plan to enjoy in the future. Today however we have some extra special news thanks to a PR news letter. The October show in New York City is going to feature music from “yet-to-be-released-games”…
We’ve talked a lot about Zelda U‘s announcement lately and we’ve speculated just as much about the game’s story in the past. With Zelda U delayed to 2016 or beyond, we shouldn’t expect to hear a whole lot about its story at least until next year. However, that doesn’t mean that each of us doesn’t have certain expectations for the adventure that awaits us in this future game. So, let’s spend some time discussing what we expect and want to see in
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Oh Zelda U; wherefore art thou? This week, our podcast team discusses the repercussions of the lack of Zelda U news (Zelda U direct, please?), the current standings of Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo (Pro-Microsoft discussion? Have we gone mad?), and we evaluate the success of the Wii and Splatoon, and why Nintendo isn’t implementing powerful marketing like this more often (You’re a squid now!). Your podcast team for this week is…
A couple days ago I started a bit of a storm when I stated that Tri Force Heroes‘ method of revealing itself was better than Zelda U’s. Of course, this is pure opinion and most of you were pretty quick to jump down my throat about it. However, I feel like the conversation itself got lost as I wasn’t talking so much about the quality of what we saw, but the method of delivery. Let me phrase this in a way that makes this make more sense for this debate…
Last E3 we saw Tri Force Heroes in action. More than that, we got to play the game for ourselves. Before E3 we didn’t even have a hint this game existed – no one saw it coming. The reception may be lukewarm at the moment, but the reveal itself was everything a video game reveal should be.
In comparison, Zelda U’s reveal was practically pathetic. Yes, Eiji Aonuma talked about change and we got to see some pre-determined footage of Zelda U (they claim it’s all in-engine, but that means little), but that was it. Interviews kept being refocused to “open world.” They wouldn’t budge and let us know any real details. Beyond that, we never got to see true gameplay. For a new 3DS game we got gameplay, demos, revealing interviews, and a title. For the new home console game, we got a teaser and nothing else, not even a title.
Of course, not all reveals need to be as fulfilling as Tri Force Heroes was, but on every aspect that game executed in its reveal, Zelda U’s didn’t live up to a single one of them. We’ve seen gameplay since thanks to the Video Game Awards last year, but I can’t help comparing these two titles and feeling like Zelda U was shown before it was truly ready to be shown. If that isn’t the case, then Nintendo simply chose to show the game rather poorly.
When you purchase a new Zelda game, you can usually be guaranteed a few things. You will be flicking switches and pushing boxes, finding keys in treasure chests, and gathering items to complete dungeons and fight bosses. There will be grass to cut and pots to break. Link, a fair-haired lad clad in green, will be the main hero; Zelda a princess in distress; and some villain, 90% chance it’s Ganondorf, the one behind the trouble. We have questioned the longevity of Zelda conventions in Daily Debates before, and this time, we’re going to consider the Link / Ganondorf / Zelda triad…
We know Zelda U is going to be open world and feature horseback travel, but should that be the only way we travel such a vast land? Setting aside warp points, something the series features prominently, we’re focusing strictly on modes of transportation versus instant transportation. So, Epona, Loftwings, Trains, etc. I personally would love to see all the various methods used up to this point in the same game. So traveling by air, sea, ground, and even faster ground (trains)…
