Most Controversial Zelda Game

[A Link In Time]

The Legend of Zelda has always been a traditional franchise within the Action-Adventure genre but recent installments have fans clamoring over what constitutes the Zelda experience and whether or not these new titles are deviating too far from that formula. In this thread I'd like to explore the bitter feelings some have amassed towards certain games and leave the gate open for you to respond which game is most controversial. As a point of clarification, this is not a thread to bash your least favorite Zelda. If you wish to do that do it here. I'd also like to clarify that these are not your personal views like in this thread but what you deem the general consensus to be. The purpose of this topic is to discuss which game has caused the biggest rift in the community.

Many are quick to point to Zelda II: The Adventure of Link as the first major series crossroads. At that point, however, no one knew what direction the franchise would take. After all, there were only two installments. While ALttP made certain the original transcript was used henceforth, the situation was still extremely ambiguous in 1987.

Then we have the historically belittled Majora's Mask. While it has experienced a recent surge in popularity prompting many to coin it a "cult classic", MM still starts wars over whether emphasis on sidequests over dungeons is the way to go as well as debate over whether or not its three day cycle and limited save system are the way to go.

As though a curse was placed on 3D console installments ever since, TWW, TP, and SS have produced considerable strife as well although for differing reasons. Many point to the fan bases' rose tinted nostalgic attitude towards Ocarina of Time for explaining this behavior but the problem is far deeper than that and very specific for each product.

The Wind Waker initially left a plethora of fans aghast with its "kiddie" graphics after the increasingly realistic simulation that was the Spaceworld 2001 tech demo. Another major complaint is directed towards the Great Sea which many equate to meandering across listless plains. They claim there is a dearth of tasks to perform out at sea.

Twilight Princess is a very peculiar case. Its E3 reception was unprecedented; why do fans therefore bash it so much? Dissatisfaction primarily stems from what many perceive as a carbon copy of OoT, made worse. Criticism is aimed towards its expansive dungeons with few collectibles and easy bosses as well as the poor introduction of Ganondorf into the story arc thus ruining Zant as a potent antagonist.

Battles over Skyward Sword obviously branch from its enhanced motion control but also revolve around the merits of its art style, narrative, and newly introduced elements including the stamina gauge, shield meter, and adventure pouch. Since the game has been on the market for less than a year it's still unclear what final perception players will form regarding the adventure.

No list like this would be complete without the DS games. Many argue against the central dungeons which must be trekked several times. Although the problem was alleviated in Spirit Tracks since already explored floors could be skipped, many stated the areas should be removed altogether. A specific fault with ST arises from its transportation system-the train. Large portions of the fan base accentuate that the rails largely remove exploration from the overworld.

These are my brief recaps of why certain installments receive wrath from Zelda aficionados; now I'd like to hear your thoughts on which game has sparked the most controversy. Feel free to rebuke any of the arguments I've presented above as well. Due to the nature of this thread I encourage you not to flame anyone over differing views. Thanks for your attention and knock yourself out.

 

[Krazy4Krash]

I have been a Zelda fan for just less than half a decade, and my thoughts on manners such as this are moot. I do not know what peoples initial reactions were for instances like these. From what I've heard and seen, I'd say The Wind Waker, mostly because of the supposed "kiddie" graphics that stirred audiences.

 

[Spirit]

Back in the day I'd have said Wind Waker. But really, in the here and now I'm still going to say it.

WW, even though it was a great game had a hard start trying to convince everyone that its visuals were the right move and then after its release when people warmed to the art syle, they complained about the Great Sea. TP was only so well recieved at e3 2004 because it washed away the sting of betrayal WW had left wi the notion of 'what people want form Zelda'.
But even now almost a decade on form Wind Waker its presence is still being felt, most notably in SS of which is very spiritually connected with WW in visuals, and the transport system, the ol' flight vs sailing thing again (theyre practically the same thing). Had WW not been released first i think a lot of people would have been harder on what SS gave them. Thanks to WW, we're diluted against the shock of not having a connected overworld in relation to land masses, and because the sky and sea are so familiar, we expect long periods between destination of almost uneventful travel. The art style of WW and SS may not be the same but the cel-shading of WW softened the blow of SS, and as such made SS a less appealing game for most in a 'we've seen it before' kind of a way. WW did its damage and survived, its gameplay and visual elements are brought back into the spot light by SS but its WW that proved itself, something i dont think SS will do with its controls or design ten years down the line.

 

[Ventus]

Normally I would say The Wind Waker, however in another light of the word controversy (a prolonged public dispute, debate, or contention; disputation concerning a matter of opinion. -- Dictionary.com), I think I'll say Skyward Sword is perhaps the most controversial Zelda game. If we're talking solely about initial release, then yeah SS is definitely it. The game got many complaints on release, from the motion controls not working to the soundtrack being dull; from it being too easy even in the lustrous Hero Mode to the art style being awkward; from the plot being a seemingly cop-out plot to the game just not feeling like a true Zelda title.

I've seen many Zelda haters back in the day, but they were all either pre-release (as is the case of Wind Waker -- most loved the game at launch when their initially feelings subsided) or post release (as is the case of Twilight Princess -- most hated the game only years after its release; the initially feelings towards Wolf Link as well as the mind-numbingly great, to them, art style had clouded their minds). I don't think there has ever been a Zelda game that is completely slammed with hate and complaints constantly and consistently from a sizable part of the community on its launch as Skyward Sword, bar the CD-Is of course.

Now, there is also another game that is pretty controversial using this definition: (contention, strife, or argument. -- Dictionary.com) and that, my dear friends, is the illustrious Ocarina of Time. The game is constantly lauded as the best game of the franchise, yet, there are still ongoing wars as to whether it truly is the best or not. A sizable amount of the community decided the game would forever be ingrained into their memories as the best Zelda and the best video game ever made, and I also subscribe to such a decision. However, there are those who are ever so quick to point out how the game is cliche (and it is), how the game has a faltering economy system (it does), and how it is basically just bland (I can see that complaint as well) among many other complaints. On release OoT was booming with praise, but even then, there were those so called Separatists who clung to the notion that OoT was simply a (Three dimensional A Link to the Past).

All in all, I would say my order is like this:

SS > TWW > TP = OoT

 

[JuicieJ]

Normally I would say The Wind Waker, however in another light of the word controversy (a prolonged public dispute, debate, or contention; disputation concerning a matter of opinion. -- Dictionary.com), I think I'll say Skyward Sword is perhaps the most controversial Zelda game. If we're talking solely about initial release, then yeah SS is definitely it. The game got many complaints on release, from the motion controls not working to the soundtrack being dull; from it being too easy even in the lustrous Hero Mode to the art style being awkward; from the plot being a seemingly cop-out plot to the game just not feeling like a true Zelda title.

Upon release would be TWW without a doubt.

 

[willsfairysword]

a lot of people complained about the wind wakers cel-shaded graphics and link being a kid

 

[Ventus]

fans were butt hurt

Wat. Fans were *not* "butthurt" whatever the hell that means, they were disappointed to near death experiences. You don't tease us with Spaceworld 2000 then show...TWW to us. That's like adding insult to injury in a way. :/

Doesn't change that TWW is a controversial game, though.

 

[zellinkda]

What I've learned about zelda fans in general, whether you're on ZU, ZD, or not on a forum site at all, there is always something to complain or debate over. While I can't say that I have decided on a most controversial game, I have a a tie between two games. I believe that the two most controversial games of the legend of zelda are Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess. Ironically these are two of my favorite zelda games.


Majora's Mask Was the direct sequel to a worldwide success; Ocarina of Time. A lot was riding on Majora's Mask, because of the game before it. I for one, was thrilled with the results of Majora's Mask. it took me forever to finish, (mostly because I slacked on it) but when I did finish, it became my absolute favorite zelda game, and engrossed me in it's creepy yet heartwarming story line.

Other gamers were not as thrilled as I. Many complained that the game was too short. This is a fair argument, as Ocarina of Time was a fairly long game, with roughly ten dungeons to stomach. On the other hand, Majora's Mask held some difficulty that some may not have been able to grasp. For example, The Great Bay Temple was one that is hard to simply "blow through" on a first attempt at the game. Another complaint was that time was the most annoying thing. I can agree that time was extremely annoying and sometimes made me want to tear my head off and take an eraser to the clock at the bottom of my screen. This also goes with difficulty, but if one listens to the characters carefully throughout Termina, they would find that there are secrets to the game to avert the crisis of literally "running out of time". That would be figuring out the Inverted Song of Time, which slows down time, andSong of Double Time, which will throw Link to sunset or sunrise. Another complaint was that the Fierce Diety's Mask made the final boss really easy. It does indeed make the final boss an incredibly easy thing to do, since the power of the mask was insane. One can only acquire this mask when they find all 20 normal masks found throughout Termina. I do agree that this was a difficult mask to acquire, but using the mask in the game was a choice, not a requirement of finishing the game. Moving on to Twilight Princess!

Twilight Princess was a game for Wii and gamecube. It was the first zelda game for the Nintendo Wii, and featured a highly controversial character; Midna. I was excited about this character, who seemed so ominous and strange that I wanted to see what else this game had in store for me. Zant was also a new character that brought my attention, as he brought the twilight over the land of Hyrule. I loved the game every step of the way. it had character and charm.

I can agree a lot more with the people who complain over Twilight Princess, than I can with Majora's Mask I can definitely agree that Zant was destroyed at the end of the game, and replaced with a familiar face-- Ganon. On the other hand, I can see how a person would think that this was something to expect. In past zelda games, a final boss usually isn't one to show its ugly mug all over the place like Zant did. Maybe fans were too involved with Zant to think that maybe he was just the second-in-command. Many feel that Midna was scary, annoying, and downright creepy. Midna was a growing character. she was one who needed change. In the beginning of the game, Midna was a spoiled princess who lived frivolously in the twilight, without a care for both worlds of light and dark. Eventually she did see what pain and suffering she had done to her own people, and started to have a change of heart for the world of the light. Sure, at times I said to myself, "Midna, just go away before anyone else is killed and/or manipulated." She wanted nothing else but to have her life back. I will definitely agree with those who say that the final boss with Ganondorf was incredibly easy. It was anything but hard. I think that the boss battle with ZANT was harder than the one with Ganondorf. As soon as I fought, I was confused on how easy it was. Perhaps I have been playing too much Majora's Mask, but I realized that it was in fact a really easy boss. Others will fight my claim and say that the final boss was epic and detailed to even worry about difficulty, which may be. I was expecting a bit more.

These reasons and complaints show which games I believe are the most controversial of the zelda series.

 

[Sir Quaffler]

Taking everything into consideration my vote is for Majora's Mask.

Wind Waker certainly has arguments for it being the most controversial. I should know, for the longest time I was staunchly against this game. The cel-shaded graphics were a huge deviation from the norm, and the "kiddie" feel was something that I could not get over. But now, I don't think so as much. Recent years have been kind to WW, as the visuals have proven to be timeless. The happy-go-lucky vibe belies a very dark and disturbing understory, the characters are surprisingly authentic (especially Ganondorf, that was the biggest surprise for me), the kid-friendly vibe gives way to pure carnage at times (tell me you didn't cringe when Link shoved the Master Sword through Ganondorf's head, I mean I know he's a villain and he killed many innocents but holy crap is that graphic!). On top of all that, it has spawned many other games in its liking.

I've never understood why Twilight Princess was supposed to be controversial. It was and still is a fantastic game and accomplishes what it sets out to do. Get mad at me if you will, but many of the complains I hear about this game sound like aimless bellyaching to me.

With Skyward Sword, I feel it's too early to really determine its status as a controversy. Yes it has made some radical changes, but whether these changes stick and become more mainstay in the series or fall off to the wayside and forgotten remains to be seen.

I would say Zelda 2, but as my previous post in the other thread has indicated, it's not that I find the game controversial so much that I find this game repulsive. Since I don't feel like I can talk about controversies with this game without reverting to a raging lunatic I shall not talk about AoL.

Majora's Mask, however, is extremely controversial. Unlike a lot of changes that have remained at least a little bit in the series, the time-scheduling and 3-day limits have never seen the light of day again, in the Zelda franchise or otherwise. People who don't already like this concept are very averse to accept it; I am having the hardest time getting my brother, who is also a hardcore Zelda fan, to play this game because of it.

The drastically darker and stranger tone haven't really stuck with the franchise, and while Twilight Princess is IMO the darkest Zelda game it's a darkness of a different kind. Whereas TP was darker in the traditional sense, MM had a constant dread throughout the entire game, you can feel the freaking moon staring at you all the time. Unlike a lot of Zelda games where the fridge horror is stowed away behind everything else, here it's front and center, and you can't look away. My guess is that many people simply did not like this sense of darkness, hence why another game in the same vein as MM has not been made or even considered.

Also, I consider the fact that you had to have an expansion pack to play it in its original form had something to do with it.

 

[PokaLink]

I used to say Wind Waker, so many people bashed on it for looking kiddie and looking nothing Zelda like, however as of 2011 i would have to say Skyward Sword, so many people say it didnt live up to Zelda, the graphics were a downgrade to Twilight Princess, and some people say its the best game, with amazing utlization of Motion control.