I wonder what Nintendo could actually do with Zelda that would please more people. It seems that there are those who feel like Zelda isn't developing enough because of the graphics or the fact that the new game doesn't have the scale of something like Skyrim. Or that it's too kiddy or whatever.
And then you have people who scream that it's more of the same, just before going back to Modern Warfare 3 or Assassin's Creed: Revelations, which is just more of the same. Sure, Zelda has been around a lot longer, but there have been changes made along the way. 3D, motion controls, etc.
So let's say that Nintendo develops a sparkling new Zelda for WiiU, with vastly superior graphics, bigger scale, etc. The people complaining about the graphics may be pleased by this, but then the people who complain about it not being grittier or because it's still puzzle solving and dungeon romping-- that there hasn't been enough change for them, are still going to complain as well.
Would Nintendo have to completely redesign the series to the point where it's not even recognizably Zelda anymore in an attempt to appease "everyone else?" This post isn't about the motion control issues-- that's an entire different can of worms-- but I've been reading feedback/impressions on not just here but at other places, and comments made by those who don't even care about the series anymore, and I'm at a loss as to how they could make a Zelda that would stick the franchise back "up there" without making something totally different, that doesn't feel like Zelda.
This worries me to some degree because I feel like Nintendo is already trying to cater to the wider audience by showing off stuff like... say, Arkham City being a WiiU launch title and looking just as good as the current version does, and I think that despite some of the comments about Skyward still not being different enough, it is honestly very different to me. Just the way everything is laid out, the pre-dungeon stuff, how disconnected the environments are... it does feel very different from Twilight Princess. It still feels like Zelda enough to me, but I am finding it decidedly different all the same.
I'm loving the game so far but I feel for people let down by the motion control implementation and those who long for further change. I respect that 100%, but I'm left wondering what Nintendo could do to get people to look at Zelda again like they now look at the other blockbuster franchises out now that are releasing installments every single year with very little change.
And yes, the hand holding is a problem. I'm bearing with it, but it's my first time through the game and I imagine that it's going to be horrible on replays. I think what I'm trying to say is that despite how far out Nintendo is going to deliver a new experience is that at the same time they lack something that, as developers, they cannot lack: confidence. Look at all the hand holding in fear of people not following. Look at how many instructional videos we got prior to the game's release, like the thing with the Goddess Cubes. They released a video just to show that if you use a Skyward Strike on a Cube, that a treasure will open up elsewhere. Thanks, I mean there's no fucking way I could have discovered that on my own or anything.
Someone, I think Ami said that Nintendo thinks gamers are dumber than they really are and that's absolutely true. The appeal of the older Zelda's were that they were a lot more ambiguous and the thrill of playing them was the idea of getting stuck, having no idea where to go or what to do, and then the idea that you'll continue to be stuck OR in the next 2 minutes, figure out what the fuck to do. I was doing this... I mean I was born in 83 and the original came out in 86 I think, so. But now we have sidekicks in every game telling us how to play the game, and while there have been instances where I've been confused as to what to do exactly (which feels good man), at the same time there's been way too much "to walk, move your legs forward one after the other"
I know this post has rambled about so many topics, and I'm sorry for not preparing a more focused essay, but everything I'm saying here kind of runs together in the long run. I'm loving the game so far, every positive thing I've said about it so far still stands, but I am sincerely bummed out about these very real problems ruining the game for some people, just as I was when Uncharted 3 launched with borked aiming and such. Uncharted 3 was a game I really did like a lot, but the aiming problem was so real that the developers sought advice from teh GAF and even invited them over to help address the issue.
Basically, it sucks that the motion control implementation is hurting the game for some, it sucks that some people think Zelda should turn into something totally new in order to be "good" again despite other franchises dishing out annual products that don't change much and getting way more attention, it sucks that Nintendo lacks confidence to the point where they're nervous about releasing the game without letting players just play it and not being treated like a preschooler, and it sucks that even if the next Zelda has beautiful HD graphics and a bigger scale, people are still going to bitch because it will still be the same kind of Zelda gameplay with the focus still on puzzle solving and explorations.
Just... everything sucks, man. 8/10. This post brought to you by boredom, too much time to think, and legitimate concern for the future of the franchise, and enough balls to actually click submit reply.
