Zelda Dungeon Talks: During Development Is It Better To See Frequent, Small Updates Or Less-Frequent Large Reveals?
Posted on November 24 2015 by Josh Tasaico
Hello everybody and welcome to the latest edition of Zelda Dungeon Talks! We haven’t really been given much information on Zelda U, but it that a good thing or a bad thing? Working towards the release of Tri Force Heroes we got quite a bit of information on the game. The complete opposite is happening with Zelda U. Is this the path Nintendo should be taking though? If we get frequent small updates on the game then we do know quite a bit about the game by the time it’s released but how much information is necessary. Some people don’t like having anything revealed at all so when they actually play the game themselves they are in for a complete surprise. Which of these is better for you? Frequent and small, or less frequent but large?
In this week’s edition of Zelda Dungeon Talks various staff members will share with us their opinion on what they believe is the best path is for reveals during the development stage and why. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below. Next week’s question is ‘What Console/Handheld Presents the Best Way to Play Zelda?’ so if you are interested in having your response featured put send an email to zeldadungeontalks@gmail.com.
Jon Lett – View Profile
I really think that this depends on the specific frequency of updates. I think that less big reveals is the better way to go, but unfortunately, the way Nintendo is doing it right now with Zelda Wii U is a fair bit over-the-top. I would GLADLY take a load of small updates over the horrendously long time we are waiting for a news update of any kind. The ideal I would have hoped for would be the new trailer they planned for E3 to actually be shown, and then some new gameplay, or another full trailer being shown in the recent Nintendo Direct. That seems reasonable, and it would given Nintendo a chance to really flesh things out and get things done between giving the fans updates.
Thomas Jacobs – View Profile
It all depends on what the content of the updates is. The Nintendo game that gives information the most frequently is of course Smash Brothers. But what was the fan reaction to this? Constant whining and complaining about how minor the daily updates were. This of course comes from people who do not understand that if you have daily updates you have to spread out your reveals so that you actually have something to say over the course of months. Sure, this is the other extreme from what has been going on with Zelda Wii U, and we don’t really need daily updates on every tree, pot and sign in the game. It WOULD be fun however to get something at least once in a while to show that the game is actually still in development and has not been completely abandoned or forgotten about.
Alexis Anderson – View Profile
From a Zelda news writer standpoint, frequent news would be ideal. But personally, I would prefer only big reveals and very infrequently. Regular updates concerning how near to completion the game is would be appreciated, but when it comes to the nitty gritty details of gameplay, music, plot, new areas, etc. I would really rather be surprised! All I need to keep me invested and excited are large reveals at spaced out intervals; one to show the visuals, one to give the title’s name, and one to give its release date (among other things of course, but those are the biggies). It honestly hurts me as a writer here never being able to avoid details about new games, but c’est la vie.
Jarrod Hadrian – View Profile
I feel that with a Zelda title small and frequent updates are the best options. With Zelda U there has been barely any news, with only two clips being shown. It would have been great if after the demo at the game awards they gave another short video on a different aspect of the game. These small videos would not have to be big enough to reveal anything major about the game, just simply a form of Nintendo giving progress on the game. Other news such as a title and possibly what Link’s green tunic would look like (if they are actually putting it in the game) would be very welcome as well and could be spaced out within a few months. I feel that this amount of news for Zelda U would be perfect, with it being big enough to spark more interest (AKA hype) in the fans but not as big as to reveal much about the story. As of the November Nintendo Direct we have been given hope for Zelda news with Twilight Princess HD and a small teaser for Zelda U showing it to be a Wii U title.
Alasyn Eletha – View Profile
The small frequent updates are what keep me going as a Zelda fan. I can’t see having it any other way with Nintendo. For example, when the first trailer for Zelda Wii U was released at E3 a couple years ago, that was too big, and Nintendo had to take a step back. From April this year to just over a week ago, we didn’t get anything on the new title, and it was beginning to make fans a bit antsy. During the Direct the other day, though, that little tidbit of footage that we got to see, and the somewhat promise of this game being released next year, was enough to satiate my hunger for news and will be enough to keep me happy until after Twilight Princess HD and Hyrule Warriors Legends are released if no new information is given before. And I really think that a lot of Zelda fans see it that way too.
