What We Saw at E3

[Adolf Wolf]

Well technically you're right, by the time this video was made the then-next Zelda was probably at a very early stage of development and of course there wasn't a name yet, but on the other hand I don't think that they put money into the development of these scenes for the single purpose of showing the GC's capabilities at a game show.

But that's exactly what they were doing; that was almost a year before the Cube was even released, and I'm pretty sure it was the first video of what the GCN could do. None of those scenes were used in a game. Nintendo did not announce they were working on a new Zelda until a year later. That video is irrelevant.

I agree the game doesn't necessarily have to be dark (I'd prefer something like MM though, but OoT was fine for me too while WW was too light-hearted), but having more realistic graphics doesn't imply a dark game at all, just because it was so in TP. I would've liked to see polished TP graphics, that would've been the best. Simple graphics are for the handhelds.

I know it's all just a matter of opinion, but just like with TWW when its first screens were released, the focus is too strong on the fact that it's cel-shaded. The cel-shading isn't even that ridiculous. Why such a push for realistic graphics? TP only used them because it matched the mood of the game and they wanted it to feel like OoT. They want this to be a different game, with an entirely different feel. If you want insanely realistic graphics, buy a PS3. Play Elder Scrolls or Fallout, those are fantastic games with graphics as real as can be.

To me, I don't think Zelda is meant to be realistic. If the graphics really bother you that much, well, wait about ten years and they'll be releasing another darker, more realistic one probably.

But games are not, and should never be, solely about graphics.

Case in point. Personally, I like the look of it, but I don't even care. The game will be damn fun. I don't know why the graphics bother people so much. I'm more worried about story, subquests, characters, dungeons ... I could care less about what the graphics look like, so long as they don't prevent the game from being played.

 

[ChargewithSword]

I was throughly impressed by what I saw of SS. The game looks exactly how I picture a fantasy world and the graphics do it fine justice. It strays away from what we perceive as the real world and takes us off to the mystical land of Hyrule once more, but through different eyes. (However, I feel a mass amount of fan hate is going to approach this game. However, after already being exposed to Wind Waker, I feel that the fans will go easy on this one.)

I still wish to see more of the controls though since I felt Nintendo let us down in that factor as they only displayed so little of what I thought they would.

Anyways, I bid Nintendo good luck as they are going to need it to get this game out to us on time.

 

[Beeker]

I am stoked for this game! It doesn't matter what peolpe say, these graphics look beautiful! The title is neat and interesting too.The gameplay is also looking to be pretty good as well. While it didn't work as well during the demo, people from the show are saying that the controls are actually pretty smooth. I'm sure any issues about THE GAMEwill (hopefully) be fixed in time for release.

GAH! 2011, HURRY UP ALREADY! :cry:

 

[Ganon Slayer]

The game looks awesome! I can't what to get it. Hopefully it doesn't turn out to be a disapointment.

 

[Iamerror]

i am actually quite happy with what we saw at E3. i like the cell shaded style of tWW

 

[LozzyKate]

Okay...the trailer was the big thing everyone was waiting for. I was so excited to hear about it from my ex today at school. I just watched it and was somewhat disappointed. For one, the graphics obviously were not finalized into something more realistic. You could clearly see the stiffness of movement in Link and other monsters that were shown briefly. I disliked the name of the game. I've always noticed how the titles have this mysteriousness to them that draws you in. I just didn't get that feeling this time. Yes there were new abilities that could be seen. I'm not sayng they weren't cool or new. All I'm saying is that what I saw isn't what I really expected. I mean I just didn't see the mysterious feel that the first piece of artwork that was released did. Again, we didn't know much about the game. I pre-ordered it with hopes of something...unique and worth waiting for. I really disliked how they reused the trailer song from TP. Personally, something new in that category has always given me the reason to play the game. I honestly always thought that the music made the game something fun. We didn't see a whole lot in the trailer. I felt the exact same way about ST, and in the end, I ended up loving the game. Hopefully, this turns out to be a phenomenal game. Pushing back the release date to sometime in 2011 tells me that they want to really make this a spectacular game.

 

[Octo Rocked]

The graphics were kinda interesting...I dunno, it doesn't have the pure cartoony feel Wind Waker had, but doesn't have the realism of TP. On the one hand, it makes for an awkward "last gen" sort of look, but on the other hand, it gives us TP's art style without all that "Brown is Real" stuff that kind of ruins games. It gives us some realism while still giving us bright colors.

Of course, I would definitely sacrifice graphics for gameplay, and it looks like they're doing really well with that. They had some problems in the demo, but it sounds like that was some sort of fluke and that it works well on the floor. It sounds like it makes good use of the controls without being too gimicky (rolling bombs makes perfect sense, the whip seems balanced and fun, and it seems like all the weapons work as naturally as possible), and I've heard that they're fun to use.

I'm a bit disappointed to see the Master Sword though, because that probably means we're fighting Ganon again. That dude seriously needs to just die already.



Edit: Oh! And I maybe just realized why we're all so disappointed: because we don't know what the unique part of the game is! A Link to the Past had the light/dark world, Ocarina of Time had the past/future, Majora's Mask had all the transformation masks, Wind Waker had the sailing, and Twilight Princess had Wolf Link, but right now, this is just looking like a generic Zelda game with no unique features. Suddenly, I'm excited again, because I know that they've got some unique gameplay feature not related to just the regular play!

 

[Ooccoo Watcher]

I don't know about the scenery, it seemed a bit like Alice in Wonderland.

 

[Hylian Pants]

I'm not going to say I was completely disappointed, but... I was close to it, I hate to say.

We don't have a whole lot to go on here, but overall, I just didn't get the giddy with excitement sense of "Oh wow!" that I was genuinely expecting. The only time I heard the audience cheer was during the visual recap of games past at the beginning and the end with the title screen...Which is a sad prospect when you think about the awe-inspiring crowd reaction from the TP trailer...The cel shading was hardly a surprise. Numerous people predicted that outcome, even if the concept art was seriously misleading, so that's nothing to be too shocked over. I simply wasn't impressed, and believe me, I hope that changes as we're fed more bits of information.

Now... Everyone's favorite subject for the day. Graphics, graphics, graphics.

Let me begin by shielding myself first. The graphics are NO implication of gameplay and I certainly don't buy games based on visuals alone. I'm sure any legitimate gamer does the same, and I'm sure that this game, like the others, will have great gameplay and plot accompanying it. But from what I've seen, I don't really agree with the graphical route Nintendo has taken. The watercolor-inspired style is very pretty, but I really think they missed the mark with Link's character design and his transition into it. I kind of wish they would just redo his adult character to make him fit better into this new environment rather than push TP Link into a style for which he wasn't made. The parts of the trailer with Link standing in an open area showing off some moves and items worried me; his character looks lifeless and stale, much unlike the two Links that he's basically a hybrid of.

The landscape was not on par with what Nintendo could do; the trees looked just silly, with flat planes comprised of leaves sticking out of the branches. A lot of the ground textures reminded me of Animal Crossing.Cel shading is fine by me, but what we saw today is the kind I would expect of a Mario game, and while both that franchise and Zelda encompass the same wide demographic of players, I really think it's important that Nintendo identify them as very different games in this regard. When I think of adult Link and cel shading, I personally envision a much more detailed, stylized rendering, akin to something like Red Steel 2, but with that Zelda element of fantasy. And while the scenes we were shown sure do look bright and fantastical, they don't seem at all medieval-inspired, which was a reason I enjoyed TP's graphics. Of course this is personal preference, but I do believe that it is an influence of the series that shouldn't be forgotten, hopefully we'll see it around later on.

I'm not asking for hyper-realism or realism (even though it would be nice down the road) or "WHOA SWEET GRAFICS, DUDE!!11!", but I would like to see a beautiful world and characters that mesh well, that exceed my expectations, and that have a distinct visual identity, cel shaded or not. I really think Nintendo could do a lot better, so even if "graphics don't make the game" I don't see why that should keep them at GC level. (By the way, when people say they had hoped for TP's graphics to return, they could easily mean the realism aspect, and not necessarily the darkness. imo, the darkness of that game was a byproduct of the storyline, so those two elements of that style don't really have to go hand in hand when referring to it.)

That said, I'm VERY curious to how how this turns out plot-wise. If I remember correct, there was talk a while ago about this Link being more mature... His model, the style, the music all lead me to believe otherwise. Again, I have nothing to go on, and either way, I'll be playing this game, but it sure leaves me scratching my head... Other than that, the gameplay looks neat, having to actually plan out how to beat such minor enemies instead of just going slashy-slashy mindlessly sounds great. I honestly believe there will be more items, so I won't gripe about that... Dashing looks really handy, but I still hope there's a primary mode or numerous modes of transportation. Lastly, let's all pray together at once: MAGIC!! This style begs for it, I really hope they use it this time. In all, we only got a taste; there's definitely a ton more things to come, things can be tweaked, I'm personally crossing my fingers for refined graphics, but let's be realistic; they've got their art style down at this point, that style probably won't change. Here's to patiently waiting for more info in the coming months.

 

[shan-tastic]

So far, I'm loving the graphics. Yes, it's still in beta and there's still a lot of room for retouching and improvement (especially in some of the scenery), but as of now they remind me a lot of a more updated version of OoT. Realism's all good and everything, but taking a more stylized approach to a series like this really brings out a more magical and fantasy-like atmosphere, partially why I still play OoT/MM/WW. Link's model appears be very natural, and the monsters seemed to have a sinister quirkiness to them, not being as horrific in TP but not as cartoony as in WW.

As for the controls, I'm really hoping that they turn out to be as good as they're saying. It's definitely going to make for some interesting monsters/bosses and puzzles, and hopefully this will end up bringing more of an overall challenge to the game. Love WW/TP to death but all of the boss fights, which one would assume to be fairly difficult, were a total breeze.

Perhaps they could have explained a little bit more about the storyline but I'm sure that it's going to be creative and interesting as always.

I'm so excited for SS to come out. I have a really good feeling about this.

 

[Hero of Time]

Is it just me, or did the graphics look exactly like Mario Galaxy's? Also, a thing about the Master Sword and Skyward Sword. I believe they are the same, considering Link had the Master Sword, and how the purple part of the handle of the MS sticks up or skyward. And finally, if you would like to go ahead and watch the part of E3 where Miyamoto was playing the game. Now, did you notice the ground where he was using the items? Kinda looks like the Kokiri symbol, doesn't it?

 

[Hylian Pants]

Is it just me, or did the graphics look exactly like Mario Galaxy's?

It's not just you. A few other people, including myself think so as well.

And finally, if you would like to go ahead and watch the part of E3 where Miyamoto was playing the game. Now, did you notice the ground where he was using the items? Kinda looks like the Kokiri symbol, doesn't it?

I kinda noticed that too, but possibly that was just a beta forest area or something meant for the gameplay trailer. It looked pretty enclosed...Then again, this may just be my wishful thinking on my part considering I don't really care much for the idea of the Kokiri being in this game, meh. :T

 

[Anemos]

E3 Information Round-Up of Skyward Sword

Warning: Lists!
​

The Obvious Facts:

• Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is AWESOME
• There is a new item, which Miyamoto called a "beetle"
• The bow, slingshot, and bombs once again return
• The Master Sword is in the game
• Link has new abilities (most noticeably, dashing)
• There is a new whip
• It is AWESOME (Did I mention that already?)
• Sword beams are BACK
• Spin attacks and other classic sword techniques will be in the game
• It should have most of the classic game elements of previous titles
• etc. (things I left out that I didn't bother to put in because you all were listening so attentively during the conference that this is all old news by now)

Some of My More Supported Inferences:

• You raise the sword to charge the sword beam, thus "Skyward Sword", though how this is part of the gameplay and plot, we have yet to discover.
• It takes place in Hyrule. I've been watching ZI, and they mentioned "Hyrule or otherwise". It's definitely set in Hyrule. They mentioned multiple times during the conference how it would help get a better experience of Hyrule (Exact quotation is not currently available).
• Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is AWESOME, with 5 or more times as much win as the entirety of E3 before then combined (based on clapping dynamics and personal judgment)

Some of My Less Supported Inferences:

• The Whip is magical. It has some kind of blue flame thing at the end, so I think it is safe to say it has some kind of magical value. Plus, when it grabs an item, it has a kind of "aura" around the item.
• Looking at the geography, I would say that it takes place some time near the start or end of the timeline, as the landscape is so vastly different. It could also take place in a kind of "time gap", in which there is a vast chronological distance between two games on the timeline.

So, what do you think? Nintendo did a great job on this one...

 

[Ooccoo Watcher]

Thank you for rounding that up. I'm especially exited for the "Beadle", it looks like an EPIC (not AWESOME, EPIC) combination of Hyoi pears and the gale boomerang, too very EPIC things. I think it takes place before the split timeline, as the mastersword SPOILERS!! has not been created yet. The Skyward Sword becomes the :mastersword:

 

[TreeHuggerPanda]

I agree with Watcher, Link was born and raised in a city in or above the clouds and he needs to go to the land a revive the Skyward Sword, thus turns into the Master Sword.

And we're still not sure if it will take place in Hyrule because Nintendo did not announce that yet. They kind of hinted, but we don't know for sure.