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Majora's Mask 3DS announced!

Kjellson

Member
Hmm, Koizumi watched Run Lola Run and that inspired Majora's Mask.

Has anyone seen this film? I thought it'd be, you know, Groundhog day or something.

Then again, he was a film student so he probably watches everything.
Haven't seen it in at least ten years, but if I remember correctly it's just three different scenarios in three different "universes" (or something like that). The Lola in one sprint is not the same Lola as the others. So honestly I think Majora's Mask is more like Groundhog Day than Run Lola Run, lol.
 

zeldablue

Member
Haven't seen it in at least ten years, but if I remember correctly it's just three different scenarios in three different "universes" (or something like that). The Lola in one sprint is not the same Lola as the others. So honestly I think Majora's Mask is more like Groundhog Day than Run Lola Run, lol.

MM would be even more grim if you HAD to die at the end and then start again as a alternate reality Link every time.

o____o It was probably their initial thought though.
 
MM would be even more grim if you HAD to die at the end and then start again as a alternate reality Link every time.

o____o It was probably their initial thought though.
Link just leaves the death for all of Termina's inhabitants every time he plays the Song of Time - what a champ :D That's one of the subtler elements of the mask collection I love: the more cycles you go through collecting masks, the more multiverses you create and ultimately condemn to a fiery death. Is it worth chasing the one universe where everyone gets a happy ending at the expense of the dozens of universes and hundreds souls sacrificed in the process? Assuredly not, and that is supremely twisted. Completing this game in the fewest cycles is the only ethical way to play it.
 

zeldablue

Member
Link just leaves the death for all of Termina's inhabitants every time he plays the Song of Time - what a champ :D That's one of the subtler elements of the mask collection I love: the more cycles you go through collecting masks, the more multiverses you create and ultimately condemn to a fiery death. Is it worth chasing the one universe where everyone gets a happy ending at the expense of the dozens of universes and hundreds souls sacrificed in the process? Assuredly not, and that is supremely twisted. Completing this game in the fewest cycles is the only ethical way to play it.

I've destroyed so many people just for forgetting to put Anju's letter in the mailbox...
 

zeldarocks

Neo Member
I went to sleep yesterday and woke up with a boner.I don't think pressure was any bigger than before with Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time.

Getting those games out of the door was complete pain for the team, Mario 64 specially. Some guys quit videogame industry and vowed to never return thanks to that one. It was the first time doing a lot of stuff in 3D and there was lots of trial and error due to it, there was no time to rest.

Ocarina of Time was similar, yet another 3D leap of faith done with lots of pressure riding on it, they started off with Mario 64 engine and assets and continued to modify it, so not even engine implementation was ready for the most part of the development process. And all this while they had to get it out the door as the N64 was pretty much riding on it, this means lots of missed deadlines and lots of pressure.

For Majora Mask that's not true anymore, it was coming out alongside the PS2 (I remember some UK review magazine for the month it launched had a Timesplitters 1 review as well), current Nintendo would have probably retargeted it for the next system but they went through with it, good thing too.

And they were actually allowed to require the use of the expansion pack, knowing that that could artificially limit the sales of the game. Had pressure been over 9000 Nintendo would worry too much about selling systems with it and pressure them to fit the game into the vanilla 4 MB, at this point it wasn't about selling systems anymore it was about keeping players engaged for a few extra months.

OoT requiring an upgrade not included on the cartridge/game pack wouldn't be feasible.


Majora Mask was actually, time constraints aside pretty much a walk in the park for what it was (extra hours were a shoe-in though, but for the first time in quite a few years development was focused from start to end, not a lot of experimented needed to get it right). And development took 18 months (the original pitch was most likely 12 months, but they got a 6 month extension), pressure was part of the production chain and they had less people working on it (than on OoT) but not any worse than before.

Speaking of the 18 month mark: so did... Persona 4. It's ideal for a direct sequel recycling engine and game systems if you ask me.

Woah... Can you cite that regarding the devs that quit over Mario 64?
 

RagnarokX

Member
I really hate the Link is dead theory; especially with having a degree in psychology. Their supporting arguments are so incredibly thin but so many people don't even question the holes. I wrote a point by point counter to that video a while back:

This is a bad theory because it uses logical fallacies to support its claims. It makes presuppositions and finds evidence that supports the conclusions they've already drawn without examining everything and missing evidence that goes against their conclusions. They use false dichotomies where they try to show that one explanation isn't likely and then assume their explanation is the only other one and must be right.

The areas of Termina do not represent individual components of the stages of grief.

Clocktown: Several NPCs in Clocktown know that the moon is falling. Several of them flee or plan to flee the town by the third day. People are dealing with it multiple ways. The Happy Mask Salesman bargains with you to retrieve what he lost and gets angry with you when you don't pull off your end of the deal in the first 3 days. The mayor is bargaining by having a town meeting to trying and figure out what to do. The head carpenter is both in denial and angry. The swordmaster actually ends up dealing with the moon by running away rather than denying that the moon is a threat. The major sidequest of Clocktown involves dealing with a couple of people who are very much aware of their problems and not denying them at all. One of them fights to overcome his fate and the other plans to run away from the moon but if you help them they accept their fates.

Woodfall: Deku King is angry. Monkey bargains for your help and accepts his fate. Deku butler is depressed. Cremia is in denial about the cow abductions. Romani bargains for Link's help and gets depressed if you don't save the cows and Cremia.

Snowhead: Darmani does bargain with Link for help, but bargaining happens in every area of the game. People are always asking Link to help them. The song of healing is essentially the song of acceptance. Darmani is also depressed and immediately after asking Link to help him accepts that it may be beyond Link's power and asks him to do something else, so there's acceptance. Most of the Gorons are starving and freezing and they're pretty much dealing with their own losses by accepting it, being depressed, or denying it. The baby Goron is depressed.

Great Bay: Lulu is depressed. Mikau bargains for Link's help and accepts his fate. The rest of the Zoras are pretty much in denial that anything is wrong. Mikau dealt with the loss of his eggs by getting angry and got killed trying to save them.

Ikana Valley: You help most people you help in the game come to acceptance, so there's no reason to single it out here. Sharp and the king of Ikana are angry and most of Ikana is in denial of their own deaths and refuse to move on. The little girl is in denial about her father.

Majora's Mask is a game full of grief because there are many things to grieve about and the game makes no attempts to veil these reasons. None of the areas embody a single aspect of grief.

Termina: The game focuses heavily on time and "term" is a perfect root to describe a world on a time limit since that's what it means: a finite length of time. The world itself is terminal meaning it has a time limit. This is not "a pretty big red flag" for Link being dead. There's nothing about it suggesting anything to do with Link.

Termina is an alternate reality... Why would Hyrule be able to see a moon that doesn't exist there? Link falls through a mysterious Wonderland-esque portal to get there. There is no evidence for Link dying and the closest they can come up with is "maybe he died falling through the magical portal." Then they have a debate over how impossible things can happen in world full of magic and act like that's proof of anything. The people are mirrors of Hyrule people because it's a parallel universe. The game really doesn't hide this.

The elegy of emptiness lets you make a statue of any form you can take. It says nothing about the forms having to be based on dead people, and just because Link's other forms are from dead people does not mean that Link himself is dead. That's a leap of logic.

The Hero's Shade is an adult. He obviously hasn't accepted anything because he regrets not being able to pass on his skills.

"You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?" adequately describes both getting turned into a deku scrub and letting the world get destroyed/dying. Both are terrible fates and the Happy Mask Salesman saves you from both fates. It's his signature line and hints more at his mysterious god-like powers. It also ties into being warped back to the first day.
 
I really hate the Link is dead theory; especially with having a degree in psychology. Their supporting arguments are so incredibly thin but so many people don't even question the holes. I wrote a point by point counter to that video a while back:

This is a bad theory because it uses logical fallacies to support its claims. It makes presuppositions and finds evidence that supports the conclusions they've already drawn without examining everything and missing evidence that goes against their conclusions. They use false dichotomies where they try to show that one explanation isn't likely and then assume their explanation is the only other one and must be right.

The areas of Termina do not represent individual components of the stages of grief.

Clocktown: Several NPCs in Clocktown know that the moon is falling. Several of them flee or plan to flee the town by the third day. People are dealing with it multiple ways. The Happy Mask Salesman bargains with you to retrieve what he lost and gets angry with you when you don't pull off your end of the deal in the first 3 days. The mayor is bargaining by having a town meeting to trying and figure out what to do. The head carpenter is both in denial and angry. The swordmaster actually ends up dealing with the moon by running away rather than denying that the moon is a threat. The major sidequest of Clocktown involves dealing with a couple of people who are very much aware of their problems and not denying them at all. One of them fights to overcome his fate and the other plans to run away from the moon but if you help them they accept their fates.

Woodfall: Deku King is angry. Monkey bargains for your help and accepts his fate. Deku butler is depressed. Cremia is in denial about the cow abductions. Romani bargains for Link's help and gets depressed if you don't save the cows and Cremia.

Snowhead: Darmani does bargain with Link for help, but bargaining happens in every area of the game. People are always asking Link to help them. The song of healing is essentially the song of acceptance. Darmani is also depressed and immediately after asking Link to help him accepts that it may be beyond Link's power and asks him to do something else, so there's acceptance. Most of the Gorons are starving and freezing and they're pretty much dealing with their own losses by accepting it, being depressed, or denying it. The baby Goron is depressed.

Great Bay: Lulu is depressed. Mikau bargains for Link's help and accepts his fate. The rest of the Zoras are pretty much in denial that anything is wrong. Mikau dealt with the loss of his eggs by getting angry and got killed trying to save them.

Ikana Valley: You help most people you help in the game come to acceptance, so there's no reason to single it out here. Sharp and the king of Ikana are angry and most of Ikana is in denial of their own deaths and refuse to move on. The little girl is in denial about her father.

Majora's Mask is a game full of grief because there are many things to grieve about and the game makes no attempts to veil these reasons. None of the areas embody a single aspect of grief.

Termina: The game focuses heavily on time and "term" is a perfect root to describe a world on a time limit since that's what it means: a finite length of time. The world itself is terminal meaning it has a time limit. This is not "a pretty big red flag" for Link being dead. There's nothing about it suggesting anything to do with Link.

Termina is an alternate reality... Why would Hyrule be able to see a moon that doesn't exist there? Link falls through a mysterious Wonderland-esque portal to get there. There is no evidence for Link dying and the closest they can come up with is "maybe he died falling through the magical portal." Then they have a debate over how impossible things can happen in world full of magic and act like that's proof of anything. The people are mirrors of Hyrule people because it's a parallel universe. The game really doesn't hide this.

The elegy of emptiness lets you make a statue of any form you can take. It says nothing about the forms having to be based on dead people, and just because Link's other forms are from dead people does not mean that Link himself is dead. That's a leap of logic.

The Hero's Shade is an adult. He obviously hasn't accepted anything because he regrets not being able to pass on his skills.

"You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?" adequately describes both getting turned into a deku scrub and letting the world get destroyed/dying. Both are terrible fates and the Happy Mask Salesman saves you from both fates. It's his signature line and hints more at his mysterious god-like powers. It also ties into being warped back to the first day.

In other words "just like most fan theories"
 

zeldablue

Member
Yeah, there's quite a bit wrong with the theory. But the game definitely has a lot to say about grief in general.

Even though it definitely can't be canon at all it isn't all that strange of a theory saying how Link's Awakening
actually could be explained as Link in a near death coma that he woke from.
And that was another wacky direct sequel adventure game.
 

BorkBork

The Legend of BorkBork: BorkBorkity Borking
I really hate the Link is dead theory; especially with having a degree in psychology. Their supporting arguments are so incredibly thin but so many people don't even question the holes. I wrote a point by point counter to that video a while back:

Good stuff.

I'm all about thematic analysis and extrapolation, (I'll link to my unoriginal essay like I do in every Majora thread ) but it seems strange that people want to reduce a complex piece of work into a single simple thesis like LINK IS DEAD, even if the evidence is contradictory and the statement has no meaning beyond gaining some minor shock value.

Trying to fit a work into a fan theory diminishes it, I think.
 

RagnarokX

Member
Yeah, there's quite a bit wrong with the theory. But the game definitely has a lot to say about grief in general.

Even though it definitely can't be canon at all it isn't all that strange of a theory saying how Link's Awakening
actually could be explained as Link in a near death coma that he woke from.
And that was another wacky direct sequel adventure game.

Right. Grief is a central theme of the game. The world is ending and several other tragedies are befalling the various people of Termina and they all react to it in various ways. It irks me that the fan theorists suggest that each area represents a single aspect of grief since none of them really have a single aspect that stands out more than the others. Every area pretty much runs the gamut.
 

zeldablue

Member
Good stuff.

I'm all about thematic analysis and extrapolation, (I'll link to my unoriginal essay like I do in every Majora thread ) but it seems strange that people want to reduce a complex piece of work into a single simple thesis like LINK IS DEAD, even if the evidence is contradictory and the statement has no meaning beyond gaining some minor shock value.

Trying to fit a work into a fan theory diminishes it, I think.

Awesome stuff!

It's also really interesting to analyze the cultural aspects of the game too. Like how Mayan imagery is so important since the Mayans were so great about studying time and the cosmos. Along with the whole savage/primitive vs. the civilized feel of the game. Or the more Eastern forms of symbolism, like how the name "Grasshopper" that Romani gives to Link is a direct reference to the belief that grasshoppers can jump through time and space, and how they make leaps of faith into the unknown as if they have knowledge of the future...just like Link.

There are so many tiny things that add up in this game. You could literally read into any sentence in the game and come up with something really thought provoking to think about. I see MM as the ultimate acceptance of fears.
 

Mak

Member
For Majora Mask that's not true anymore, it was coming out alongside the PS2 (I remember some UK review magazine for the month it launched had a Timesplitters 1 review as well), current Nintendo would have probably retargeted it for the next system but they went through with it, good thing too.

And they were actually allowed to require the use of the expansion pack, knowing that that could artificially limit the sales of the game. Had pressure been over 9000 Nintendo would worry too much about selling systems with it and pressure them to fit the game into the vanilla 4 MB, at this point it wasn't about selling systems anymore it was about keeping players engaged for a few extra months.

Majora Mask was actually, time constraints aside pretty much a walk in the park for what it was (extra hours were a shoe-in though, but for the first time in quite a few years development was focused from start to end, not a lot of experimented needed to get it right). And development took 18 months (the original pitch was most likely 12 months, but they got a 6 month extension), pressure was part of the production chain and they had less people working on it (than on OoT) but not any worse than before.

Majora's Mask actually took about a year to develop. The whole idea was to reuse the engine and assets of Ocarina of Time to remake a new Zelda in one year (Aonuma wanted to do a new game instead of Ura Zelda which was a remix)

They began programming in Feb 1999, and started with ideas in Jan 1999. Ocarina of Time was released in November of 1998, and the team basically split in two to work on Ura Zelda (Master Quest) and Zelda Gaiden (Majora's Mask)

Majora's Mask released first in Japan in April 2000, (development started in Feb 1999). It was delayed about 6 months for localization. The U.S. release at least launched the same day as PS2.

http://www.glitterberri.com/majoras...s-always-bringing-something-new-to-the-table/
How long did development take?

Aonuma: I looked it up. We started programming the game on February 1st last year.

Miyamoto: We’d been discussing different ideas about a month prior to that. So, it took around a year, all in all.​

So, the staff mostly carried over from the last game?

Koizumi: That’s right. And we had some newcomers who participated as well.

Miyamoto: Actually, we started out by cutting the Ocarina of Time development team in half and adding some new people. Once we realized that our initial setup just wasn’t going to work, I was forced to recall the original team members. In the end, around 70% of the team was made up of people who had worked on Ocarina of Time. Because I was producing the entire game, I had the final say in everything. To put it simply, it was up to me to say “We’re not done here yet.” I just had to wait until everything was finished. Once the opening meetings were done with, I didn’t really contribute anything. That being said, during the latter half of development, I’d occasionally complain about this and that. Just like a tester. “Just think of me as a member of the Mario Club,” I’d say. [Laughs]​

More Majora's Mask interviews
http://www.angelfire.com/games5/makzelda/interviews/nom_mm.html
http://www.angelfire.com/games5/makzelda/interviews/noa_mm.html
http://www.glitterberri.com/ocarina-of-time/how-ura-zelda-became-majoras-mask/
http://www.ign.com/articles/2004/03/26/gdc-2004-the-history-of-zelda
http://www.angelfire.com/games5/makzelda/interviews/mmleungjournal.html (localization)
http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/ds/zelda/0/0
 

zeldablue

Member
Right. Grief is a central theme of the game. The world is ending and several other tragedies are befalling the various people of Termina and they all react to it in various ways. It irks me that the fan theorists suggest that each area represents a single aspect of grief since none of them really have a single aspect that stands out more than the others. Every area pretty much runs the gamut.

Yeah, the cast goes through every emotional defense mechanism.

On a side note, I was trying to make a theory about each dungeon representing the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: pestilence (swamp), famine (mountain), war (canyon) and...death (ocean) ...But it feels like a stretch because all four have to do with death and there's nothing distinct about the ocean being the most "death" like....So I said screw it.

Deku Butler's Son, Darmani, Mikau, and Link are probably based off of the four humors/temperaments though.

Deku = Melancholic: Sad and depressed
Goron = Choleric: Proud and leaderlike
Zora = Sanguine: Playful and carefree
Link = Phlegmatic: Blank/Boring and thoughtful

This one seems to fit, so I'm going to say some of my theories are right. :p
 
Hmm, Koizumi watched Run Lola Run and that inspired Majora's Mask.

Has anyone seen this film? I thought it'd be, you know, Groundhog day or something.

Then again, he was a film student so he probably watches everything.

I've seen it in school. Don't really remember why though.
Anyway, bring Koizumi back into Zelda, please. Mario is now ruined anyway.
 

Rich!

Member
More ammunition in the "Majora's Mask will be released alongside New 3DS in US and Europe" theory.

Yep. Its gonna happen. Xenoblade wont be ready, and they will need something to promote sales for the hardcore. We just wont hear about any New3DS features for MM3D until the console is announced in a western direct next year.

I'll have my PAL N3DS just after next week, waiting for MM3D to launch from that point onwards! It will be an amazing experience I bet.
 

Axass

Member
Hmm, Koizumi watched Run Lola Run and that inspired Majora's Mask.

Has anyone seen this film? I thought it'd be, you know, Groundhog day or something.

Then again, he was a film student so he probably watches everything.

Seen it in my German class, back in the day. It's a good film, the premise is kind of the same of Groundhog Day, it's just a single day, though it starts again when Lola gets killed, not after she goes to sleep. Watch it if you can.
 

Neiteio

Member
Fresh off of Nintendo's official FB:
10426190_795386887189110_4974826938508926696_n.jpg


10644889_795386903855775_8495603253245729769_n.jpg
Are those two art pieces available by themselves? I believe they're both new.
 

mantidor

Member
I've seen it in school. Don't really remember why though.
Anyway, bring Koizumi back into Zelda, please. Mario is now ruined anyway.

You live in a sad and bitter world, don't you?

I love how some people believe everything wrong with Zelda is Aonuma's fault and everything right is suddenly Koizumi.

Dev fanboyism is just as annoying as game or console fanboyism.
 

georly

Member
Yep. Its gonna happen. Xenoblade wont be ready, and they will need something to promote sales for the hardcore. We just wont hear about any New3DS features for MM3D until the console is announced in a western direct next year.

I'll have my PAL N3DS just after next week, waiting for MM3D to launch from that point onwards! It will be an amazing experience I bet.

My bet is it's c-stick camera controls and not much else. Improved framerate if we're lucky, but doubtful.
 
Oh, man. I'm completely stoked that this game is coming out. I've been going through a Zelda binge of sorts; I've owned most of the Zelda games but I have had the bad habit of never finishing one until this year when I finished Wind Waker HD. It inspired me to beat the other Zelda games I owned, and I did so: I went from Twilight Princess, to Skyward Sword, to Ocarina of Time and finally as of yesterday I beat Majora's Mask. I was waiting like many others here for the eventual remake, but I personally couldn't wait to play it. I had MM in my Wii's Virtual Console so I went ahead and played it.

At first, it took some time to get used to the three day system as well as the darker themes. Here I was thinking that Twilight Princess was the 2spooky4me Zelda and this game ends up beating Twilight Princess in my opinion in a matter of moments. The creepy music, the darker tones in color, and the three day system bringing a feeling of dread in general to me would have creeped me the fuck out if I was younger playing the game!

I've always heard that MM did not have as many dungeons as the regular Zelda games do and that did turn me off at first but I always felt that I had things to do in MM. I definitely cared more about the NPCs in this game over other Zelda games (namely, Twilight Princess... I can't for the life of me remember the names of a lot of them). The dungeons were challenging; I definitely had a harder time playing through the
Great Bay
temple in comparison to the Water temple in OoT.

I guess I understand why everyone freaked out when the
Fierce Deity
Link costume in Smash 4 was revealed. :lol I felt terrible breezing through the final boss with that form. I haven't settled on a favorite Zelda list yet but this is somewhere in the top 3 and I can't wait to play it on my 3DS.

Also, random thought... Am I the only one who preferred the
Razor
Sword to the
Gilded
Sword? :(
 

SerRodrik

Member
I really hate the Link is dead theory; especially with having a degree in psychology. Their supporting arguments are so incredibly thin but so many people don't even question the holes. I wrote a point by point counter to that video a while back:

And the thing is, even if every place you visit in the game actually was symbolic, it could just be because, you know, it's a work of fiction and the creators wanted to include symbolism in their work to add a deeper layer of meaning. There doesn't necessarily have to be an in universe explanation about why everything represents grief.
 

maxcriden

Member
I can't post scans, of course, but if you're interested Nintendo Everything and Go Nintendo have posted scans from the game's Famitsu article. The only notable piece is the full extent of that Skull Kid artwork, which looks pretty rad.
 

Grief.exe

Member
You know what would be an interesting remaster? Paper Mario 64. Would be perfect for the 3DS especially with the sour taste left after Sticker Star's release.

Super Mario RPG, Paper Mario, and Thousand Year Door are some of my favorite games of all time.
 
As far as the theories of MM go, I think the more the better. I think it's great to have that back and forth discussion. But as for me, I've always thought of Zelda games that have a sequel as a different setup.

For me, MM is all about what I call "the personal journey," in that it's strictly about making learning to make choices and self reflection. Ocarina of Time was the "Hero's call," the destiny that has to be fulfilled, the Purpose that must Be. But once that's fulfilled, where does the Hero go? What does he/she do with their life? There are personal questions that must be answered in that kind of scenario, but this time there aren't any road signs telling you where to go. Is Link the person that helps out? Does he help out others, and/or risk everything to save the world? Does he give back? In Ocarina he didn't really have a choice - it was fulfill his destiny or die trying. So he went and did just that. But in Termina, he could walk away. Nobody would blame him - the moon is going to fall, and he doesn't have any sort of prophecy or destiny on his side this time. Hell, nobody even knows who he is or where he's from.

But he makes the choice to help anyways, even if there might not be anything he can ultimately do. He takes the risk and decides he is that person. MM integrates that so well into the gameplay, that the ending changes depending on how many people he (and you, the player) decide to help. And thus Link and the player learn that their efforts do effect the world around them, even if it wasn't "destined." Endeavoring to make a difference in another person's life DOES create something good, and one of the great parts about it is that literally anyone can choose to do it. Link doesn't have to help that old lady get back to her shop, or boost the confidence of a depressed soldier, or help two seahorses reunite, or relieve a relieved Captain of his long-served post. But he decides to do it anyways, and I'd like to think he ends up finding something important, even if it wasn't what he was originally looking for. The Skull Kid serves as a good foil to this: he chooses to make trouble for people, and instead of finding answers he
finds himself on a ride of destruction and misery that he can't possibly hope to control, and at least partially mind-controlled or influenced for good measure.
Both make an initial choice, and find themselves on different paths.

For me, Link's Awakening and Phantom Hourglass (and Adventure of Link in a way) both do something similar. Those Links have their Destiny fulfilled, and then have to go on a personal journey afterwards. I like that the series explores the theme of what a person can do post-destiny.
 

RagnarokX

Member
As far as the theories of MM go, I think the more the better. I think it's great to have that back and forth discussion. But as for me, I've always thought of Zelda games that have a sequel as a different setup.

Theories are fine, but I have no patience for ones that promote ignorance. If you're going to propose a theory it should at least be backed by actual empirical evidence and not logical fallacies. All these kinds of theories do is make the people that fall for them miss the opportunity to think about what is actually happening.
 

Who

Banned
No, WWHD started that. (not counting dowsing in SS)

Ah I guess without a second stick it wouldn't be practical. Possible n3DS exclusive enhancement?

What other exclusive enhancements, if any, do you guys think Nintendo will put in for MM3D?
 
Theories are fine, but I have no patience for ones that promote ignorance. If you're going to propose a theory it should at least be backed by actual empirical evidence and not logical fallacies. All these kinds of theories do is make the people that fall for them miss the opportunity to think about what is actually happening.

I definitely prefer well-reasoned theories. But people have to start somewhere. Hopefully they can take criticism and use that to modify or change their mind and create a new theory and keep thinking about it.
 

zeldablue

Member
that's honestly how most fan theories should end up, from what i've read

D'oooh. But it's so much fun!

You can read old interviews where they studied all sorts of religions and cultures to build the soundtrack and world of Ocarina of Time. And all of that stuff spilled into Majora's Mask.

Digging into the history of Chinese Opera, Noh theatre or Sumerian legends is actually really really cool and gives you some more understanding of Termina's "foreign" feeling world.
 

RagnarokX

Member
I definitely prefer well-reasoned theories. But people have to start somewhere. Hopefully they can take criticism and use that to modify or change their mind and create a new theory and keep thinking about it.

You start somewhere. You come up with an idea, you test it, and then if it isn't supported you drop it. You don't start believing something is true without any actual evidence until it's disproved, look only for evidence that supports your idea, and start spreading the idea as if it's well-supported.

The five areas of Termina represent the five stages of grief: false. Each of the five areas exhibit every stage of grief with none standing out as representative of the area. The game deals with death and loss as an all-encompassing theme and these 5 emotions are very common in the kinds of situations the game deals with. There is plenty of grief in the game and the idea that Link is dead comes literally out of nowhere.

Link is dead: unlikely. There's absolutely no evidence to support this idea and there is evidence that he lived to be an adult. If you want to assume that the game is about grief because of Link, the more obvious answer is that it's because Link is dealing with the loss of a friend (Navi).
 
I don't see why people try to spin this tale that Majora's Mask is some dark, depressing tale of woe where in the end everyone loses. Is it darker than other Zeldas? Yes. Is there grief and sadness throughout? Yea. But you take it upon yourself to remedy the unfortunate situations that everyone has found themselves in by inspiring hope for a new day, hope for the return of a loved one, hope that the teacher's teachings can be passed onto a new student, etc. You use the masks you wear, the masks of the people you encounter, to spread happiness.
When you're in the field with the 5 children, they all explain a little bit more about the purpose of your journey when they question their own happiness. They wonder if they'd be happier people if they were more altruistic.
Majora's Mask has a lot of layers to it, a lot more than any other Zelda, but I feel like people try to dig too deep to find something that isn't there. It is a game with many meanings behind it, but they explain these meanings pretty damn well if you pay attention.
 
You start somewhere. You come up with an idea, you test it, and then if it isn't supported you drop it. You don't start believing something is true without any actual evidence until it's disproved, look only for evidence that supports your idea, and start spreading the idea as if it's well-supported.

The five areas of Termina represent the five stages of grief: false. Each of the five areas exhibit every stage of grief with none standing out as representative of the area. The game deals with death and loss as an all-encompassing theme and these 5 emotions are very common in the kinds of situations the game deals with. There is plenty of grief in the game and the idea that Link is dead comes literally out of nowhere.

Link is dead: unlikely. There's absolutely no evidence to support this idea and there is evidence that he lived to be an adult. If you want to assume that the game is about grief because of Link, the more obvious answer is that it's because Link is dealing with the loss of a friend (Navi).

I agree with you.

I'm just saying that I like that the discussion happens and is still happening on a 14-year old game.
 

zeldablue

Member
As far as the theories of MM go, I think the more the better. I think it's great to have that back and forth discussion. But as for me, I've always thought of Zelda games that have a sequel as a different setup.

For me, MM is all about what I call "the personal journey," in that it's strictly about making learning to make choices and self reflection. Ocarina of Time was the "Hero's call," the destiny that has to be fulfilled, the Purpose that must Be. But once that's fulfilled, where does the Hero go? What does he/she do with their life? There are personal questions that must be answered in that kind of scenario, but this time there aren't any road signs telling you where to go. Is Link the person that helps out? Does he help out others, and/or risk everything to save the world? Does he give back? In Ocarina he didn't really have a choice - it was fulfill his destiny or die trying. So he went and did just that. But in Termina, he could walk away. Nobody would blame him - the moon is going to fall, and he doesn't have any sort of prophecy or destiny on his side this time. Hell, nobody even knows who he is or where he's from.

But he makes the choice to help anyways, even if there might not be anything he can ultimately do. He takes the risk and decides he is that person. MM integrates that so well into the gameplay, that the ending changes depending on how many people he (and you, the player) decide to help. And thus Link and the player learn that their efforts do effect the world around them, even if it wasn't "destined." Endeavoring to make a difference in another person's life DOES create something good, and one of the great parts about it is that literally anyone can choose to do it. Link doesn't have to help that old lady get back to her shop, or boost the confidence of a depressed soldier, or help two seahorses reunite, or relieve a relieved Captain of his long-served post. But he decides to do it anyways, and I'd like to think he ends up finding something important, even if it wasn't what he was originally looking for. The Skull Kid serves as a good foil to this: he chooses to make trouble for people, and instead of finding answers he
finds himself on a ride of destruction and misery that he can't possibly hope to control, and at least partially mind-controlled or influenced for good measure.
Both make an initial choice, and find themselves on different paths.

For me, Link's Awakening and Phantom Hourglass (and Adventure of Link in a way) both do something similar. Those Links have their Destiny fulfilled, and then have to go on a personal journey afterwards. I like that the series explores the theme of what a person can do post-destiny.
Oh God. I love the direct sequel games. They're way more open ended, personal and different.

Phantom Hourglass was pretty rough though. :\
 
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