Zelda Fans: ‘All We do is Whine Whine Whine no matter what’

It’s a wonderful world we live in as gamers. Games are more

popular than ever, and as Zelda fans we have two titles hitting this year.

Technically we have 4 if you count the rerelease of Oracle of Ages and Seasons.

What isn’t so wonderful of course is the rampant “bitching” and “complaining”

we see out there.

Now, I am sure the initial response will be “but Nate, you’re

the worst culprit. You just bitched about the 3D in Zelda 3DS!” Sure, I did complain, but in my complaint I was actually pleading for Nintendo to make the

3D matter. To make it better. To finally show us what exactly 3D adds to the

experience. I wasn’t complaining just to complain, I was criticizing for the

sake of making something a better product.

This is where we start to run into the never ending Zelda

cycle. You know how it goes: New game gets announced. Fans complain about this

or that. Game comes closer to release and we get all excited. It comes out and

we start to both praise the crap out of it or call it overrated and complete

junk. Five or so years go by and we start to complain the next Zelda is too

different from the previous game, or that the previous game is way better

(which is something we likely stated was the other way around back during its

release).

It’s a nasty cycle. I remember the day Zelda 3DS was

announced I spent a fair amount of time defending the title. 48 hours after the

announcement I posted a couple articles that criticize what we have seen so far

for Zelda 3DS. Sure, you can say “we don’t know enough”, but anyone who has

followed ZI over the years must recognize that we overanalyze anything that is

related to Zelda.

In this analyzing, we find that no, Zelda 3DS likely isn’t

perfect. It doesn’t mean it’s a bad game, and I would dare anyone to go around

and find one time were I called it a bad game. Sure, I think the world’s

atmosphere could be improved with some aging. It’s true we may see such aging

before the game comes out, but based on the last two handheld releases I

sincerely doubt that is going to change.

Sure, they could vastly improve the 3D. I get that the trailers

always tend to look worse than the final product, but it doesn’t change the

fact that the 3D should at least attempt to be used in a way to make the game

better rather than shoe horning it in just because the 3DS can do it.

That being said, I love the top-down look, I love the

overall art style, and I am stoked to see another Link to the Past sequel

(especially one that appears to be a direct sequel). I am stoked for this game,

and I am sure I will play the shit out of it when it arrives later this year.

This is where we have to start separating the men from the boys. The ladies

from the girls. The fans from the whiners.

Yes, I, and other journalists, have criticized Zelda 3DS.

Yes, we know little other than what we experienced so far. You know what? We’re

not doing it because we hate the game. We’re not doing it because we want to

drive in traffic and see fans bitch. Rather, we’re doing it because we want to

see the best game we possibly can.

Believe it or not, I think this game looks fantastic.

It’s fine to accept Zelda for what it is, enjoy it, and ride

off into the sunset. Even the games I don’t particularly like in the series I

will admit to having fun with. I like the Zelda series. I enjoy playing every

game in it, and I do want to see it continue to get better. However, to just “accept

things and move on” would be to just let Nintendo do and get away with whatever

they want, including lazy design. If we just started “accepting things”, you

would see less innovation, less true change, and more lazy development.

Yes, we would all like to think Nintendo is different. That they

wouldn’t do that, but they will if the fans accept and demand it. If we sit

back and never complain and just have fun (which we are doing mind you), then

nothing ever changes. Suddenly, Zelda becomes Call of Duty. No one wants Zelda

to be Call of Duty.

Rather, we want to see the games we do get be the best

version of themselves. I am not upset it’s 2.5D instead of a fully realized 3D

world. In fact, I applaud this approach. But that means I want to see the best

we can get out of that world, and yes, that includes the best possible angles

and 3D effect we can get. There is nothing wrong with wanting something to be

better, so long as it doesn’t get in the way of enjoying the experience at

hand.

I can already tell, unless the game is extremely flawed or

repetitive with A Link to the Past, that I am going to love the experience through

and through. I am probably more excited about this game then I was Twilight

Princess, The Wind Waker, or even Ocarina of Time. In fact, I have spent a

copious amount of time talking to my friends about it and I’ve already shown

off the trailer on my 3DS XL to 7 different people today. I might be the game’s biggest fan.

But just as fans have the right to get excited over seeing

so little – praising what we have seen – we have the same right to criticize it

and take that criticism for what it is: Passionate people who care about the

series and want to see it strive to be the best it can.

In many ways, the Zelda cycle is never going to end here at

ZI. Fans are going to complain when we praise a game. Don’t believe me? It

happens all the time. Fans are going to complain if we criticize a game. Why?

Because they don’t’ feel it’s right, or they just check the headline and never

look into the reasoning.

So, where do we all go from here? It’s rather simple: Let’s

be better gamers. Let’s be better fans. Yes, lets praise and enjoy Zelda for

what it is, but let’s be open minded about many things. Let’s recognize that just because you like something doesn’t mean somebody else does. You

may like the 3D effect, but don’t be so blinded as to think it can’t get any better. Yes,

you may prefer 3D Zeldas, but don’t sit there and say that 2D games don’t have a place.

We all have our own thoughts and opinions, and that is

thanks to the wide array of audiences Zelda serves. Let’s just respectfully

discuss these opinions instead of raging about them and dismissing them as if

someone can’t make a point just because you don’t see eye to eye with them.

Part of this is what separates journalists from fans – it’s not that we don’t

get excited like you do, it’s that we can see everything in scope. We don’t let

the fan in us blind the reality set before our eyes. Zelda 3DS is likely going

to be a great game and a fun experience. But it can and could be better, and

there is nothing wrong with asking for that to happen.