Operation Moonfall a Week Later: Good or Bad? New Game Versus Remake

It was just a little over a week ago (July 25th to be exact) that we launched Operation Moonfall and watched it transform into an internet and Zelda community wide project. While we are proud of the support the project has received, there are certainly arguments to be had for the effort not being in the best interest of gamers on the whole.

Yesterday, Axle the Beast from Zelda Dungeon posted the following video on the subject:

While I don’t agree with some of his logic (such as the fact Majora’s Mask’s graphics aren’t as out of date as Ocarina of Time), it is definitely something that has been debated from the word go. As in, he would rather Grezzo work on a new game for Nintendo rather than remake Majora’s Mask, even if it’s not Zelda related. That’s a very fair point.

That is, of course, until you realize the limited talent level of the Grezzo studio. It was founded in 2006 and up to Ocarina of Time 3D they had practically exclusively created games for the “Mana” series for Square Enix. Oh, you thought the Mana series ended with Secret of Mana? Yeah, me too, given it’s the last truly great game in the series. That alone should tell you what they have going on for them on that team.

In creating a handful of Mana titles, none of them have had good reviews nor have they sold all to well. In fact, one could argue Grezzo was actually on it’s way out before Nintendo contacted them. Now, this doesn’t mean they don’t have some talent, but mainly that the talent may rest in doing grunt work versus being truly creative.

Of course, this goes on assuming they couldn’t actually create a great in house IP, but at this point (5 years into their existence) if they had that sort of creativity on staff, you would of seen it. Bare minimally, you would of seen some of it in the Mana series where they had more freedom.

Ocarina of Time 3D was a relatively safe game for them. It’s also the best selling game they have ever “created”. I find a severe lack of evidence around that Grezzo can create anything notable on their own. It should also be noted they are on their own to begin with – nothing is stopping them from making their own game. They likely do not have the talent level in house to do anything truly great. I would love, of course, for them to prove me wrong.

Now, the bigger debate of course is the value of a remake when a new game is much more enticing. You are not any less of a fan if your not in support of Operation Moonfall, and your no more of a fan if you do support it. Naturally most here support it, but not all the staff at ZI are for the project. Keen to what we are, we all have different opinions on the subject.

Truth be told, I don’t want Nintendo themselves sniffing Majora’s Mask 3D. If they have to be involved (even Eiji, like he was with Ocarina of Time 3D), then I personally do not want a remake of this game. If it’s completely independent, I have no real issues until Grezzo proves to me they can make a good game.

Still, is it really a debate? If we could only get one or the other… new game all the way. What about you? What are your thoughts on remakes versus new games, and the destiny of Majora’s Mask 3D?