Majora's Mask Remake - Wii U or 3DS?

[DarkestLink]

3DS, so it goes with the OoT Remake.

 

[bucketmouseman]

MM does deserve its own glory and I agree it's pretty darn unique + brilliant, but it honestly is more of an "add-on" to OoT than it is its own game. When you consider the scope and the nature of the game, then even look into the tutorial sections of the game I think you'll catch what I mean. The game's story is nothing more than a side-story to Ocarina -- the game's title before Majora's Mask was literally Zelda Gaiden which means "Zelda Side Story" in Japanese. The scope of the game tells the plot of a three day (well, far more than three days but in all honesty I'm sure Link completed his quest in three days) adventure that Link goes on to find a friend. Controls for Young Link are completely identical to OoT, items are largely the same etc. The ingame helper, Tatl, even suggest through her ridicule that you have indeed played Ocarina of Time before even touching the title, or that you should have. The grandeur of this title is absolutely nothing like its predecessor, but one cannot deny that MM was built with OoT in mind.

I couldn't disagree more. Besides using the same controls and character models (which were simply standard for N64's capabilities), the two games have nothing in common besides having "Zelda" in the title and both being N64 games. The game's plot also has nothing to do with Ocarina of Time. It has a rich and unique story that is unlike any previous Zelda game. Considering the scope and nature of the game, when one actually spends a decent amount of time with it, it becomes clear that Majora's Mask is a complex, dynamic and dark adventure, with its own character and style which divorces it entirely from Ocarina of Time. In fact, it still amazes me that these two games are even compared at all. As I said, besides using the same character models and controls, Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask are absolutely nothing alike. To suggest that Majora's Mask is merely a side story is only true in the sense that the plot deviates from the traditional Zelda theme. But apart from that, it should not be considered as such.

"Gaiden" can also mean "tale". It was codenamed this, only because of the lack of an official title at the time of production.

Taking all of that into account, I think it's more productive to release the game on the 3DS regardless of if people recognize it as a full game or DLC for OoT. 3DS titles actually take far less time to develop than their console counterparts, and I know this from viewing production on several games I followed, the most notable one being Kingdom Hearts 3D which literally took a year to develop. With Nintendo being able to quickly push MM3D out (by the way, all models and things for MM are already made for the most part, and we have the OoT3D engine to boot), I'm sure Nintendo could go onto greater and bigger projects for the Wii U, such as an ALttP remake or even an ALttP sequel.

Sure, Nintendo could just throw out another mediocre remake for the 3DS because it would be easy and cheap to develop... or they could start from scratch and create something spectacular.

I know what I want, but hey.... judging by some of the replies I've read, it seems that the only reason people want MM on the 3DS is because "it would go nicely with OoT". This reasoning shows a total lack of forethought and imagination, and is quite frankly not even a good enough reason to justify it. Majora's Mask deserves so much better. Seems like most Zelda fans have now become conditioned to mediocrity, but that's another topic.

3DS, so it goes with the OoT Remake.

I quote the above. It's just not a good enough argument.

 

[Vaati101]

they could start from scratch and create something spectacular.

That's exactly what they did with Ocarina of Time 3D. They made everything from scratch and it turned out spectacular and even better then the original. And before you go on about the sound effects, they weren't just copied and pasted, they were remastered and done from scratch. With the sort of technology Nintendo have (and Japan as well) it's pretty easy to mimic sound effects from past games.

it seems that the only reason people want MM on the 3DS is because "it would go nicely with OoT". This reasoning shows a total lack of forethought and imagination, and is quite frankly not even a good enough reason to justify it.

to tell the truth, there's nothing to justify it being on the Wii U. There are more valid reasons to put it on the 3DS then the Wii U and the above reason is a completely valid reason, and a good one as well. The whole point of Operation Moonfall is to put Majora's Mask on the 3DS, not the Wii U. I personally like Majora's Mask more then Ocarina of Time, but I don't love it so much, I want it remade with HD Visuals. Majora's Mask is unique anyway, so there's no need to give it better treatment then Ocarina of Time. Like I said in my comment, keep remakes away from the Wii U and put them on the 3DS instead, where they belong respectively.

 

[Cfrock]

Sure, Nintendo could just throw out another mediocre remake for the 3DS...

Ocarina of Time 3D improved on the orignal's graphics and controls immeasurably and added the Master Quest, making it available for the first time to a lot of people. To call it mediocre seems quite unfair. It may not have the same impact that it did 14 years ago but the remake did enough to still earn it a 94/100 on Metacritic. A lot of publications gave the remake full marks and the improvements can't really be argued against because who doesn't like better graphics and a greatly refined user interface?

judging by some of the replies I've read, it seems that the only reason people want MM on the 3DS is because "it would go nicely with OoT". This reasoning shows a total lack of forethought and imagination, and is quite frankly not even a good enough reason to justify it... Seems like most Zelda fans have now become conditioned to mediocrity, but that's another topic...

Actually if you read people's replies a lot of the reasons for wanting it on 3DS are:
- To have the game available anywhere at anytime
- Majora's Mask on Virtual Console will be available on Wii U
- A desire for original games on Wii U, not remakes
- The benefit of the 3D effect
- It would be easier to make for 3DS and therefore more likely that Nintendo will do it

With regard to those who want it just because they see both N64-era games as a set (which makes perfect sense. They share an engine, an art style and a gameplay style), why is that not good enough? You asked why they would want to see it on 3DS; they then told you why. Just because you don't agree doesn't mean these people have no imagination.

And again with the mediocrity. How have people been 'conditioned' when all they said was that they see the two N64-era games as a set? Majora's Mask, as a direct sequel to Ocarina of Time, is connected to it right from the off. Again, they share an engine, they share an art style, they share many of the same game mechanics and songs and sound effects and character models. These two games do go hand-in-hand together. They compliment each other extremely well, Ocarina providing the traditional Zelda adventure and Majora's proving that Zelda can be unique but still retain the elements that make it great. Acknowledging and appreciating such a connection does not mean anyone has been 'conditioned to mediocrity'.

It's just not a good enough argument.

It's a better one than you give it credit for. I get that you don't agree but that doesn't mean it isn't a valid reason.

 

[Kupsacker]

3DS. I want the next Wii U Zelda to be a new installment.

 

[Ventus]

I couldn't disagree more. Besides using the same controls and character models (which were simply standard for N64's capabilities), the two games have nothing in common besides having "Zelda" in the title and both being N64 games. The game's plot also has nothing to do with Ocarina of Time. It has a rich and unique story that is unlike any previous Zelda game. Considering the scope and nature of the game, when one actually spends a decent amount of time with it, it becomes clear that Majora's Mask is a complex, dynamic and dark adventure, with its own character and style which divorces it entirely from Ocarina of Time. In fact, it still amazes me that these two games are even compared at all. As I said, besides using the same character models and controls, Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask are absolutely nothing alike. To suggest that Majora's Mask is merely a side story is only true in the sense that the plot deviates from the traditional Zelda theme. But apart from that, it should not be considered as such.

The first section of the bolded stuff is true, and I agree -- MM's story is completely separate from OoT, bar that it deals with the Hero of Time's life that he never got to have (which, in itself, wasn't something Link was supposed to live, so it honestly was more of a side story). As to the second bolded stuff, I apologize for my insolence but that just isn't true. MM has no significance on the timeline, and its story encompasses all of what, three days (speaking strictly about the time here, it could be any number of days but again, I'm sure Link canonically gets his journey done in literally three days). I will bring this comparison to Resident Evil 0 and Resident Evil REmake -- RE0 honestly has few things if any relevant to the overarching plot. RE0 does deal with a somewhat important S.T.A.R.S member, Rebecca Chambers, but the timestamp of the game as well as how it affects the series at large is largely unimportant. Hell, Rebecca herself is not more than a side-character, and it really shows as Capcom has completley dropped her dead outside of a few fan treat appearances in Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition and Resident Evil Mercenaries 3D, both of which weren't at all important. But enough about RE and enough with this; I'm off-topic here.

Seems like most Zelda fans have now become conditioned to mediocrity, but that's another topic.

I may not be reading this correctly, but I get the vibe that you're saying "releasing MM on the 3DS would be considering the game mediocre", at which point I understand that you're saying the 3DS is largely inferior to the Wii U. Well, it's techincally true: the Wii U is vastly superior to the 3DS. But, the 3DS has many perks that the Wii U doesn't have:

- Gaming when you want
- 3D Effect
- Portability (which is gaming when you want really)
- Doesn't need an outlet to power on

As I said in my OP, would you want to be able to play a legendary game wherever you are, or would you rather be confined to a single room (or rooms)? I'm not saying that one choice is better than the other -- you may not be able to play on portables anywhere BUT your home in which case a console would be better.

 

[DarkestLink]

Y'know...there is something that bugged me about Majora's Mask. And that's how reliant it is on sidequests for the story. I mean, the sidequests are good, but if you're the type of guy who just wants to do the main quest or save the side quests for later after you beat the main game to 100% it...this game's experience just fails for you. And there's a sizable amount of people who are like this.

 

[bucketmouseman]

That's exactly what they did with Ocarina of Time 3D. They made everything from scratch and it turned out spectacular and even better then the original. And before you go on about the sound effects, they weren't just copied and pasted, they were remastered and done from scratch. With the sort of technology Nintendo have (and Japan as well) it's pretty easy to mimic sound effects from past games.

Yes, they made everything from scratch with Ocarina of Time 3D (well, sort of). But if they base Majora's Mask on Ocarina of Time 3D, then they aren't starting from scratch at all, are they? Why shouldn't Majora's Mask get the same treatment; an all new game, started from scratch...?

to tell the truth, there's nothing to justify it being on the Wii U. There are more valid reasons to put it on the 3DS then the Wii U and the above reason is a completely valid reason, and a good one as well. The whole point of Operation Moonfall is to put Majora's Mask on the 3DS, not the Wii U. I personally like Majora's Mask more then Ocarina of Time, but I don't love it so much, I want it remade with HD Visuals. Majora's Mask is unique anyway, so there's no need to give it better treatment then Ocarina of Time. Like I said in my comment, keep remakes away from the Wii U and put them on the 3DS instead, where they belong respectively.

The fact that it would almost certainly look and play 10x better on the Wii U completely justifies it. Operation Moonfall was started just before the Wii U was even revealed, if I remember correctly. Nobody had thought of putting MM on the Wii U, and nobody had seen that spectacular trailer video. I used to support Operation Moonfall until I saw the trailer. Then I realised that we could have something so much better.

I may not be reading this correctly, but I get the vibe that you're saying "releasing MM on the 3DS would be considering the game mediocre", at which point I understand that you're saying the 3DS is largely inferior to the Wii U. Well, it's techincally true: the Wii U is vastly superior to the 3DS. But, the 3DS has many perks that the Wii U doesn't have:

- Gaming when you want
- 3D Effect
- Portability (which is gaming when you want really)
- Doesn't need an outlet to power on

As I said in my OP, would you want to be able to play a legendary game wherever you are, or would you rather be confined to a single room (or rooms)? I'm not saying that one choice is better than the other -- you may not be able to play on portables anywhere BUT your home in which case a console would be better.

All these reasons are already givens. I thought they were already pretty obvious. Of COURSE the main reason for a game being on a handheld is the fact that it can be played anywhere. What you forget, however, is the 3DS' awful battery life. Whenever you use the 3D mode, it drains the battery extremely quickly. So unless you carry your charger around with you, and have access to a plug point to use it, then you aren't going to be able to enjoy MM 3D for very long anyway. And Majora's Mask is the kind of game people want to spend many hours playing.

Plus, I bought a 3DS XL just a few weeks ago, and I can honestly say the 3D effect gets very old, very fast. Take away the 3D effect and what's left? Nothing special. (And if you want to preserve battery life, you'll be wise enough to turn the 3D off, thus eliminating the point of MM 3D entirely).

You people need to waken up. An MM remake should be on the Wii U. It should be done in a similar art-style to the one shown in the E3 trailer, and it should be something truly special. It deserves nothing less. Unfortunately, it just won't look all that special on the 3DS. On the Wii U, it will look and play spectacular.

Y'know...there is something that bugged me about Majora's Mask. And that's how reliant it is on sidequests for the story. I mean, the sidequests are good, but if you're the type of guy who just wants to do the main quest or save the side quests for later after you beat the main game to 100% it...this game's experience just fails for you. And there's a sizable amount of people who are like this.

The side quests are wonderful. They only add to the game's genius.

 

[Cfrock]

Yes, they made everything from scratch with Ocarina of Time 3D (well, sort of). But if they base Majora's Mask on Ocarina of Time 3D, then they aren't starting from scratch at all, are they? Why shouldn't Majora's Mask get the same treatment; an all new game, started from scratch...?

Why does the production even matter? The end product is the important thing. The original version was built off Ocarina of Time and managed to be better in every way so a 3D remake would logically follow suit. It doesn't matter if they use OoT3D as a foundation because that won't in anyway change what Majora's Mask is. Starting from scratch will just make the game take longer when it doesn't have to. Doing it HD will just make it take longer for the sake of prettier graphics.

The fact that it would almost certainly look and play 10x better on the Wii U completely justifies it.

Look better, yes. It would look better in HD and on a bigger screen. But graphics alone are not worth the amount of time and the expense those HD visuals would cost, especially when the 3D effect on 3DS is more functional and more visually interesting than HD.

As for play better...
The only things the Wii U could offer a MM Remake is a second screen and a touch pad... Wait, I've heard of something else which has a second screen and a touch pad, something that already has a working engine for the Remake to be built off, something which has a more interesting and useful visual device, something which is portable and therefore offers the game to be played at anytime and something people want the Remake on more... What could it be...

Oh that's right, the 3DS. The Wii U can offer nothing more, gameplay-wise, than the 3DS. Everything they would do to take advantage of the Wii U's controller is already available on the 3DS so gameplay improvements would be identical on either platform.

The only way a Wii U remake would edge out a 3DS one is in visuals and, again, 3D is better than HD because it's functional and more interesting as well as cheaper and would take less time.

nobody had seen that spectacular trailer video.

This is a matter of pure opinion here but I thought that trailer was horrendous. The art style was just... Wrong. I don't mean that it was different to the original (which it was), I mean that it just looked bad and didn't suit the game or characters at all. If they remade the game and it looked like that I actually would not buy it.

An MM remake should be on the Wii U. It should be done in a similar art-style to the one shown in the E3 trailer

You do know that trailer was a fan-made one... Right?

 

[Ronin]

Have it redone in 3D or HD?

That's basically what this boils down to, since Nintendo would probably only want to focus on one port [if they even decided it was worth it]. From a fan's perspective, however, they could go either way and opt for a Wii U or 3DS transfer. At this time it'd be more convenient to get it on 3DS, but the Wii U isn't too far off; and it's much closer than the final stages of an MM Remake development. Thus fans who already have a 3DS would most likely want to go with a 3D remake, whereas fans who are going to get a Wii U might lean toward that; especially if they don't have a 3DS by then.

Personally, I've always been more of a home console type, so I would more than likely go with the Wii U's offerings. Depends on how much of the game they changed, which I would find out with extensive research online.

This is a matter of pure opinion here but I thought that trailer was horrendous. The art style was just... Wrong. I don't mean that it was different to the original (which it was), I mean that it just looked bad and didn't suit the game or characters at all. If they remade the game and it looked like that I actually would not buy it.

Yeah, I have to agree. I'm a huge fan of Majora's Mask (my first Zelda title after all), but the visual style of the trailer did not fit it at all. To be forthright, it looked like something out of a Tim Burton film.

 

[Akuhime-sama]

I think it would it be much cooler on the Wii U.... but PERSONALLY, I think it should be on both.
Not ONLY because both are good ideas, but ALSO because Majora's Mask is my favorite game.
Having it on both a home console, and having it on a portable system sounds WONDERFUL.
But I REALLLLY do like that trailer. I love it so much. x3

 

[Cfrock]

To be forthright, it looked like something out of a Tim Burton film.

It really did, didn't it?! It was so weird to watch.

 

[Wasteland Dream]

Majora's Mask on the Wii U would be a dream but its a bit too short to warrant a home console remake a decade later. It'll be on the 3DS eventually, really its the only reason i have a 3DS.