Legend of Zelda Wii U Gameplay Demo

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So GDC is next week.

I'll still eat my pants if we get anything on Zelda Wii U.

Just to be clear, I want footage. New footage. If we only get some two lines in a random interview that means nothing, it doesn't count.

If it happens I better see a picture of you chewing on some blue jeans
 
So GDC is next week.

I'll still eat my pants if we get anything on Zelda Wii U.

Just to be clear, I want footage. New footage. If we only get some two lines in a random interview that means nothing, it doesn't count.

After the Video Game Awards, I can believe in anything happening now.
 
So GDC is next week.

I'll still eat my pants if we get anything on Zelda Wii U.

Just to be clear, I want footage. New footage. If we only get some two lines in a random interview that means nothing, it doesn't count.

Iwata isn't doing a presentation so I highly doubt there will be anything Zelda related at GDC.
 
I much prefer the current self-sufficiency of the dungeons.

I think that self-sufficiency is a big part of the reason Zelda has been struggling with overworlds as of late. Aside from connecting the dungeons together, there is little to no gameplay necessity derived from the overworld. You don't need to "explore" because you are always told exactly where to find the next dungeon. You don't need to worry about preparing for the next dungeon because everything you need to complete a dungeon can be found in the dungeon. This includes health and ammo.

By placing all the necessary resources inside the dungeons, the developers reduce the overworld to a glorified hub. There is no necessary reason for it to exist.
 
I think that self-sufficiency is a big part of the reason Zelda has been struggling with overworlds as of late. Aside from connecting the dungeons together, there is little to no gameplay necessity derived from the overworld. You don't need to "explore" because you are always told exactly where to find the next dungeon. You don't need to worry about preparing for the next dungeon because everything you need to complete a dungeon can be found in the dungeon. This includes health and ammo.

By placing all the necessary resources inside the dungeons, the developers reduce the overworld to a glorified hub. There is no necessary reason for it to exist.
I understand your reasoning, but I don't agree. The overworld is a very important element for the atmosphere of the game. Moreover without the overworld the story of the adventure could not really be told - locations in the overworld are paramount to the unfolding of the story. And even though nothing much happens in a traditional Zelda overworld, the overworld has never been lifeless, and it seems ZeldaU will have the most lively overworld yet. Heck, I'd argue that the most 'barren' Zelda overrold - WW's, still offers tons of stuff to do, seek out and just enjoy roaming around.
 
I understand your reasoning, but I don't agree. The overworld is a very important element for the atmosphere of the game. Moreover without the overworld the story of the adventure could not really be told - locations in the overworld are paramount to the unfolding of the story. And even though nothing much happens in a traditional Zelda overworld, the overworld has never been lifeless, and it seems ZeldaU will have the most lively overworld yet. Heck, I'd argue that the most 'barren' Zelda overrold - WW's, still offers tons of stuff to do, seek out and just enjoy roaming around.

I agree on the atmosphere and story points. TP is my favorite overworld just for the atmosphere it brings to the game. However, I think it's possible for an overworld to have more gameplay significance. I mean, look at ALttP. Several of the necessary items in that game could only be found by wandering its overworld. There was more reason to be there beyond traveling.
 
What does Iwata have to do with Zelda? :P

Remember the meme Ein Bom Zal Droppen? That was Iwata dropping Phantom Hourglass at GDC 2006, and he did it again 3 years later with Spirit Tracks.
This always give hope to see announcements at GDC, but now that I searched for those dates, I see it didn't happen for a while.
 
What does Iwata have to do with Zelda? :P

this:
And Zelda U won't be at GDC 2015 ;) ...

Iwata was opening keynote speaker in '05, '06, '09, '11 and Miyamoto did the 2007 opening keynote. And now you'll realize why we won't be seeing Zelda at GDC this year.

^ any time there was a big Zelda drop (trailer), we had either Iwata or Miyamoto giving the keynote which also meant Nintendo was making a big splash there in general. And that's precisely why you can be 100% sure there won't be any talk (nevermind a trailer) about Zelda U at GDC 2015.
 
So GDC is next week.

I'll still eat my pants if we get anything on Zelda Wii U.

Just to be clear, I want footage. New footage. If we only get some two lines in a random interview that means nothing, it doesn't count.

Well considering the last two console Zeldas got new trailers at GDC, you'd better get out the pants seasoning :)
 
I'm playing through Castlevania SotN for the first time. It has made me realize how much enjoyable it is to have a large amount of items to choose from to create your own strategy and equipment. It makes Zelda games seem very limited and claustrophobic in the regard. This kind of open ended flow where you are left to choose how to progress and with whichever means you desire is very interesting and almost new to me even though I've played both open world and RPG games before. Even Super Metroid (which is divine) is very strict and rigid in the items/equipment area. I would really like to be given this kind of freedom with the next Zelda.

I was about to post something almost identical, I also just played SOTN for the first time. It really did make me think of Zelda/Metroid the whole time. I don't want quite as many items in Zelda but I loved how many options you're given to equip your character with, and the vast array of different gear gives a great incentive to explore. It also reiterated the point made in this thread that Zelda needs to move beyond the bow or boomerang being a big dungeon item. It just seems boring compared to the rewards in Castlevania.
 
I have no qualms with the unrealistic oddity of finding items in dungeons used to solve those dungeons, as I don't attach a deep level of plausibility or realism to the Zelda franchise. To me it generally just makes for good puzzle solving, if formulaic.

That being said I wouldn't at all being opposed to that formula being shook up, and I'd like if you very early on (or at the start) were equipped with the basics. I'm less fussed about "You found a bow in the dungeon that needs a bow to be conquered!" so much as finding the bow in a dungeon in the first place. Not because of implausibility, but because I've done it so many times now that the impact is lost. There's only so many times you can find the bow or hookshot in a dungeon before it becomes a bit trite and unoriginal.

So yeah, I do like the idea of dungeons housing more exotic and original items. This is something I thought Skyward Sword actually did pretty well with. Finding a bombs wasn't an issue, but giving the player the flying beetle and using that as an extension of bomb use was a nice creative twist on an old idea while using a fresh new item. I enjoy that most of all; discovering a new tool that I have to learn and master in combination with familiar stuff.

I guess that's been the bane of a lot of my frustrations with the Zelda franchise even when I'm loving it. I think it's wrong for it to totally abandon certain formula and ideas that form an integral part of its identity. But good designers don't do that with a franchise. You don't need to reinvent something so it no longer resembles its origins. Creative designs can take the formula and reinvent implementation and execution of said formula to keep it fresh. Again, something I thought Skyward Sword did exceptionally well a number of times.

But I can imagine it's a hard balance, enriching your game with an identity that's so strictly based around pacing of item acquisition and use, and at the same time trying to reinvent that. ALBW does a great job of shaking it up, but it did come at a cost to that balance, which others have mentioned above.

I think that self-sufficiency is a big part of the reason Zelda has been struggling with overworlds as of late. Aside from connecting the dungeons together, there is little to no gameplay necessity derived from the overworld. You don't need to "explore" because you are always told exactly where to find the next dungeon. You don't need to worry about preparing for the next dungeon because everything you need to complete a dungeon can be found in the dungeon. This includes health and ammo.

By placing all the necessary resources inside the dungeons, the developers reduce the overworld to a glorified hub. There is no necessary reason for it to exist.

Skyward Sword changed this by having the various overworlds based heavily around puzzles in order to progress and unlock new areas. But even so, I disagree, because I think downtime is an important part of any adventuring video game. There needs to be a break in the pacing that dungeons alone do not provide. The overworld is a bit of a sandbox for you to explore at your own pace, soak in the atmosphere, and ideally explore item use in mini puzzles and discoverables for extra bonuses. I do feel the emptiness and aimlessness of the overworld is a bit too much at times though, and that adding resources to the overworld or more events and interactivity with the overworld would be very welcome. As much as I love the game, Twilight Princess suffers badly from this; massive play space that while arguably immersing is massively unimpressive towards game mechanics and due to hardware limitations visually empty and often lifeless. Skyward Sword does it well at the cost of (arguably too much of a cost at that) play space and a true sense of openworld "hub". Zelda U will, in many ways, be the real test. The test to see if Nintendo resort to awful Ubisoft-like collect-a-thons and checklisting.
 
Hmm.... I don't think there's much wrong with finding dungeon items in dungeons, though as eatchildren said, it would be nice if we found more unique items in the new game, since finding older items has lost its luster.

But I think it would be kind of cool if things like the map were found outside of the dungeons. Since maps aren't necessary to beat the dungeons, and they just make them easier, it would be fun to be constantly finding maps for dungeons that you've never been to yet, or stumbling across a dungeon that you don't have the map for. Of course, if you don't have the map, you can chart your own map. Just like the older games, when you go through a room it could be on your map permanently, but rooms you haven't been through don't show up.

But the main thing I want is for them to give me the most basic and boring items right away. Sword, shield, bow, bombs, boomerang. Then distribute items so that older items, if they're in the game, are gotten the earliest (things like the hookshot), that way there are always newer items to look forward to as the game progresses. It really bummed me out in skyward sword how the bow was one of the last items you got.
 
My main concern is that the game will lack the density of other zelda games, You can complain that the great sea from wind waker was a bit of a drag (personally I loved sailing) but there was always stuff to do, pea hats to fight, or treasure chests to find. I really hope this game has the density to go along with that world size. If it does, this might be one of the most impressive zelda titles since ocarina of time.
 
My main concern is that the game will lack the density of other zelda games, You can complain that the great sea from wind waker was a bit of a drag (personally I loved sailing) but there was always stuff to do, pea hats to fight, or treasure chests to find. I really hope this game has the density to go along with that world size. If it does, this might be one of the most impressive zelda titles since ocarina of time.

You really worry that there won't be chests, caves, secrets, random things in that world like there were in every single other Zelda game?
 
My main concern is that the game will lack the density of other zelda games, You can complain that the great sea from wind waker was a bit of a drag (personally I loved sailing) but there was always stuff to do, pea hats to fight, or treasure chests to find. I really hope this game has the density to go along with that world size. If it does, this might be one of the most impressive zelda titles since ocarina of time.

Miyamoto already said there are going to be a ton of sidequests, so much that you can forget about the main story if you want to.

And if my NPC's with schedules theory pans out, then the sidequests are going to be very interesting to do.
 
Since arrows seems to be a big deal in this game what if they dropped bombs altogether and just gave you bomb arrows.

Would be a cool change.
 
Why not do what TP did and give you both? Combine bombs with arrows and (literally) boom.
Yeah but then you'd have to use up both bombs and arrows. I think it would be cooler if just got explosive arrows that used up arrows.

Regular bombs are boring anyway.
 
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