Nintendo is so predictable. As expected, Aonuma seems poised to turn Zelda with motion plus into a lame game.
When people think of motion plus sword fighting and bow shooting, they are thinking more combat orientated such as found even in Wii Sports Resort. I had joked that Aonuma would probably make it all ‘puzzle based’. Lo and behold, he has done so:
Asked if there will be gameplay that emphasizes the ability to freely swing your sword, Aonuma responded with an “Of course.” He also hinted that the way you fight enemies could be the key to solving some puzzles.
I think we are going to get another type of Spirit Tracks with this game (without the train, of course).
Have you noticed the pattern of Zelda lately? This is the pattern I am seeing:
With the DS and Wii, the hardware is designed to have elements to make it more accessible (touch screen / motion controls). Several ‘Expanded Market’ games are made for it such as Brain Age, Nintendogs, and Wii Sports.
Nintendo’s core games ignore the new hardware almost completely. Only one core game is designed to make use of the new hardware: Zelda. Basically, Zelda becomes a potpourri of utilizing those hardware elements (touch screen, microphone, motion controls, etc) and all in a puzzle context. So expect Zelda Wii to have “fun puzzles” based on motion controls, the pointer, and even the speaker on the controller. Who knows? Maybe Tingle will call you with a secret message! The only sword fighting you will see will be interspersed lightly. The content of the game will be primarily puzzles (and probably “amazing story”).
Zelda really is a series in sad decline. After Spirit Tracks, Iwata is probably realizing this and is pushing Aonuma to wrap up Zelda Wii. I wonder if the first Aonuma heard about the 2010 release date was when Iwata said it. Now that NSMB Wii is out, Miyamoto has to have been turning his attention to Zelda.
Instead of asking about Motion Plus features in Zelda Wii, I hope a journalist asks, “Is there going to be an overworld?” With Aonuma, you never know!