Despite all the criticism and complaints about modern Zelda the games still sell a decent amount. Doesn’t that show that there are enough people who actually like modern Zelda and that it definitely does have its place in the market? No, it dosen’t.
Assume there was a game just like modern Zelda. Let’s call that game “Okami”. The hardcore were loving it, it was released on the PS2 AND Wii, it had a genius artstyle. If modern Zelda sells well because of what it is, then this game, which was supposed to be even better than Zelda, should have had no problems at all to become successful. What about Beyond Good & Evil, that was supposed to be a masterpiece as well. It flopped on three consoles and PC.
I played both of them (I had been pretty disappointed by Twilight Princess and was looking for something else). I remember sitting there, playing Okami for hours wondering when it would finally start being like Zelda. Then it hit me: It was exacly like Zelda… modern Zelda.
Basically this is what the game is like: read, read, read, walk, read, read, read, walk, read, use paintbrush gimmick, use it ten more times because your drawing did not get recognized, read, walk, read, read… You get the idea. You get a Navi-like flea who never stops making bad boob-jokes (I whish I was making this up) whenever you meet a female NPC. The paintbrush is not only unresponsive (I played on Wii), it’s nothing more than a gimmick, I might as well choose bombs from a menu instead. The dungeons are just as empty as in modern Zelda. Sure, there are monsters, but they are such pushovers, they might as well not be there to begin with, then there would be no tedious fights. Don’t even get me started on the puzzles. The dungeons are full of them and every single one comes down to “draw that obvious shape right there”, and you have to try several times until it gets recognized. Then there is the mini games. These must be beaten in order to progress and they are broken. You cannot even imagine how broken they are, unless you play it (which I recommend as much as playing Spirit Tracks or eating a brick).
According to the hardcore the game failed because it was too Japanese and the masses did not get the references. That’s BS. I know nothing about Japanese fairy tales, but I still know an evil witch when I see one. No, that was not the problem, the problem was that there simply was no actual game. It was like cotton candy, it looks nice but when you take a bite there is nothing except a few grains of sugar.
I didn’t want to turn this into a rant about Okami. My point is that a game like modern Zelda cannot sell well. This leaves only one conlusion: The only thing that sets modern Zelda apart from its clones is the Zelda license and the power behind the classic. Much like the new Star Wars movies would most likely be forgotten if the original trilogy was not carrying the whole Star Wars universe on its own. The only people impressed by the new trilogy are children who watched those movies first (come to think of it, when the Phantom Menace was released I was 11 years old; I’m so glad I didn’t see it back then). Star Wars has become lame and nerd territory.
Aonuma’s modern Zelda is just an undead monstrosity feeding on the classics. Only children who play this as their first game and nerds who suck up everything from Aonuma and Miyamoto (yes, there are actually grown men in favour of the ocean and train) actually like these games. It’s just a matter of time until Nintendo loses the children, and then Zelda wil be lost forever.
On an unrealted note, I ordered Morrowind yesterday; Zelda is dead to me, time to find something else. Maybe I could give Daggerfall a try, it’s avaible for free on Bethesda’s website…
I have yet to find a modern Zelda fan who is an experienced computer RPG player or one who is an experienced adventure gamer. Final Fantasy 7 has said to deserve a subtitle of “My Very First RPG”. In a similar sentiment, Modern Zelda fans have not had much experience with RPG games. Most of this is due to age of course. You cannot play games that came before you were born.
There is also the ‘Golden Ages of Gaming’ period which becomes a huge obstacle. To get what I’m talking about, let me use a book example. Science Fiction authors call the ages of around 11-16 to be the most magical for young readers. This is when they fall in love with science fiction. Any science fiction book they read during that particular age will be seared to their heart. In the same way, your first ‘love’ is never a remarkable woman except for the fact that she is your first. In the same way, I’m noticing many people’s experience with Modern Zelda to be their ‘very first experience’ involving a more grandiose game.
You never see Ultima fans or Elder Scrolls fans become fans of Modern Zelda. It never happens. It would be like going from prime steak to Taco Bell. Once your taste buds are used to high quality meat, they do not downgrade.
What I liked about Zelda was that it was not a computer game clone (like Aonuma’s awful adventure games). And Zelda was not an arcade game port or clone. It was unique in that it combined parts of both to make a new experience. Metroid did the same thing. Metroid could not exist in the arcades and could not exist on the computer. It could only exist on the home console. Zelda and Metroid are very much the same game be it that one is fantasy and the other sci-fi. There is twitchy gameplay but your character grows and becomes more powerful with a large world to explore. Unlike RPGs, the games were never grindy (no need to email me about NES Metroid trying to refill your energy tanks or NES Zelda trying to get rupees). If you had a good mastery of the twitch gameplay, you could skip upgrades and beat the game. However, in games like Dragon Quest, you can’t beat the Dragon Lord when you are only level 5. It’s impossible.
But your point is solid. If the Aonuma game design is so wonderful, why does it need Zelda’s cloak? A fantastic game design will sell despite nearly any intellectual property.
I can point to Classic Zelda’s strength and say, “It created fans.” I cannot say that about Aonuma Zelda. Aonuma Zelda keeps losing fans. Has Aonuma ever created a video game, that doesn’t have Zelda in it, that people liked? Why was this man put in charge of the Zelda franchise?
When Legend of Zelda came out, everyone played it including forty year old men. Aonuma Zelda does sell but who does it sell to? It sells to children or to excitable adults (i.e. the type of person who gets excited over toothbrushes selling in a different color).
I’m not putting down Zelda fans. I think they are being under-served… we all are being under-served. The reason why you won’t get another game like Ocarina of Time was because Aonuma was not the director of it. All he did was do the ‘puzzle dungeons’. So it is no surprise that Skyward Sword is now nothing but a ‘giant dungeon’. Is this what you want?
Aonuma has the arrogance to say that he is the Zelda series even though he had nothing to do with its creation (and confessed he couldn’t even finish the first quest. He can’t even play Super Mario Brothers which EVERYONE played).
It’s the arrogance that is putting me off. It is also arrogance of Miyamoto. Apparently, job qualifications do not matter to Miyamoto. Aonuma is qualified because he made wooden dolls in college and made a crappy adventure game no one bought.
So my advice to young people who wish to get a job working on the Zelda series is to start making wooden dolls and make a crappy adventure game no one buys. That will ensure you the lead director spot of the Zelda series!