Which story elements are you waiting to see?
I'm waiting for Zelda and Link to be killed outright. Not "omg my soul got sucked out!!1one", not "oh I was knocked out cold!"...I want to see Link and Zelda be completely killed for some tragic stuff to go on. I keep bringing up Final Fantasy XIII-2's villain, Caius Ballad, when I speak about this. Caius kills people without thinking on it so he can achieve his goals. It's cruel, I know, but I just want to see them dead. Stop giving us the same old recycled story, Nintendo, and put some spin on your narratives!
I've also been waiting for wars to be played through. Not recanted by some sprout or a robot, but either cutscenes or actually within the gameplay.
Which gameplay elements are you waiting to see?
I've personally been waiting for Link to dual wield. I reference the coolest Key holding hero ever, Kingdom Hearts' Sora, because he can dual wield and even triple-wield given the right parameters. Why can't Link ditch his shield for another sword? There's nothing stopping him from doing so as far as I know, except maybe that he's left handed.
I also want battle skills to enter the fray in full featured awesomeness. The gameplay is too monotonous within the Zeldasphere; from day one we just slash away at our enemies with no post processing effects or buffs or anything. I'm thinking on the lines of Star Ocean: Till the End of Time or even The Last Hope; what if Link was able to slash at the ground and create a shockwave that stretches 10 meters in front of him? Or slash in the air creating an arc of blue light that damages any foes within a 10 foot radius? There are so many possibilities that Nintendo COULD do but refuses to, but I've been waiting for.
Arcs of light? GETSUGA...TENSHOUUU!!
I'm sorry. I had to.
At any rate, I agree with everything you said to one extent or another. I like the thought of featuring an actual war in a Zelda game, something Link gets to participate in. The Hyrule Castle Twili invasion scene from Twilight Princess was one of the most epic scenes I've ever watched in a Zelda game, but it could go so much farther. It would be a great, challenging showcase for combat and enemy design, and I'm positive the Wii U and 3DS are powerful enough to handle so many enemies onscreen at once.
Dual-wielding would be a nice touch, although it's not huge on my wish list. It would present a nice new layer to combat.
My own personal wish list can be summed up in two categories: Story and Combat. Nintendo needs to sit down and focus on how to improve both with the next Zelda game. Not just "what nice new premise can we use to adapt around the dungeon order and gameplay?" or "how can we make enemies more novel?" Both need to be some of the core aspects focused on in the next Zelda. They've been lacking. It's time to bring them up.
The story should continue with its general lightheartedness, dialogue, and character development, but it should also incorporate the long, intricate plot twists and elements featured in many JRPGs. It doesn't need to copy the bad elements (obviously), but having that mindset should help greatly. Something where laughter and tears of sadness aren't uncommon and death is a cold, powerful reminder that the world is not always a fun place. I don't want M-rated Zelda: I don't want gore, or overt sexual themes, or bad language, or any of that. Think a story like the second and third Paper Mario games. Did they have blood, sex, and language? No, but their plots were long, deep, emotional, and impacting, not always shying away from death and betrayal. We NEED that in a Zelda game. We NEED it.
Combat's a big issue as well. Enemies need to stop hopping around you waiting for you to hit them. Furthermore, Nintendo needs to stop trying to turn them all into puzzles. A few puzzle enemies would be nice, but think of it this way: we have
puzzles as our puzzles. Enemies should be enemies and puzzles should be puzzles. Trying to mix the two usually winds up sloppy. I wholeheartedly agree with Ventus in heating up combat. Motion controls would make complex maneuvers a bit more difficult, but not impossible. What if Link had a parry or counter move that required split-second timing to pull off? Or a technique that attacked enemies behind him? What if it really mattered where you hit enemies and you had to look for weak points and gaps in the armor? In addition to these thoughts, enemies need to be fast and aggressive. Early and basic enemies can be simple and easily-dispatched, but any foe above that category needs constant involvement in the fight. Later enemies could show up in groups, constantly diving in and out and dodging as best they can. We're up for the challenge, Nintendo. We like that kind of thing.
Simpler wants include:
- Dungeons that can be beaten in any order (but used only occasionally throughout the series)
- The open-world design of an Elder Scrolls game (but with more color and variety)
- Constant dialogue choices to affect relationships and witness interesting scenes
- A bigger focus on sidequests (both numerous and fun)
- Optional dungeons and caves of loot scattered throughout the world
- The return of magic for varied and practical applications (illuminating dark places, camouflaging you on the spot, attacking enemies, etc.)
- FREAKING DIFFICULTY LEVELS (needs to happen. More than Hero Mode. Individual difficulty levels)
