http://www.newnintendo.net/blog/2011/12/22/hyrule-historia-timeline-details-spilled-branch/
The merit of Skyward Sword is questioned constantly, I haven’t seen a
Zelda game this hotly debated as good or not (except me arguing about
the complete trash that is the DS Zelda games). Isn’t tis being
released to try to divert peoples attention away Skyward Sword?
I have no idea why Nintendo released the ‘official timeline’. Your question is interesting because what you’re really asking is, “Why did Nintendo release the timeline at this moment?” Nintendo does these things with reason. What is the reason?
I don’t really care what the reason is at the moment. Let’s look at the timeline. I have two types of reactions to it:
1) None of this is well thought out.
One theme I keep pressing is that content creation skills are unique and different than game creation skills (or novel creation skills, etc.). Anyone can write a fantasy book, but only a few can create something like Lord of the Rings. One thing I do know for certain with content creators is that they do not believe in creativity. The author of Lord of the Rings was immersed in real life mythology of Europe. The author of Horatio Hornblower books was very well versed in naval history. I wouldn’t be surprised if such authors would dispute their works were ‘fiction’ as it was extremely real to them.
Other mediums such as movies or books mock video games because of the poor content creation skills. This ‘timeline’ certainly makes these critics correct.
2) The magic of the timeline was the magic of people’s imaginations.
Nintendo says it is a company who believes imagination is the most important thing. If this is true, then why did they not understand why Zelda fans liked talking about the timeline? It is because it sparked people’s imaginations. It also sparked discussion. Putting out a definitive timeline is just dumping cold water on the imagination and discussion. A way around this would have been putting in ‘question mark’ events within the timeline (these question marks being future games) which would spark imagination and discussion among the fans. If these people knew what they were doing, they would have done this. Instead, they come across as amateurs who don’t understand the passion behind the Zelda timeline.
It was always in Nintendo’s best interest, as well as the fans’ best interest, to never release an ‘official timeline’. Allow people to have magic with their imagination. Releasing an official timeline (no matter its quality, good or bad) is only a lose-lose situation for Nintendo. It decreases fans’ interest in further Zelda games (because the mystery is gone). Why anyone at Nintendo thought this was a good idea is beyond me.
Back when Samus Aran was cool, none of us cared to know about the emotional history of the character. Samus was interesting mostly because of the Chozu influence (and how she curls up into a little ball). No one cares what Samus’s favorite food is, what her boyfriend is, and all that. But Sakamoto thought it was extremely important that we get the ‘backstory’ on Samus Aran. Since it wasn’t the market that animated this decision, we must conclude it was Sakamoto deciding he wanted embrace ‘creativity’.
You know what the difference between a good game and a bad game? A good game is when the players have more fun with it than the developers. A bad game is when the developers have more fun with it than the players. With Other M, Sakamoto clearly had a ball making it but fans did not have fun playing it.
And this is what I sense with Zelda and the timeline. Fans are not enjoying Zelda as they did or enjoying this ‘timeline’. However, I bet that the developers in charge had a ball with it.
Why is it that ‘creativity’ always means the artist gets to have all the fun? I’m not paying money for them to have fun. The only person who I care about having fun is myself. A quote from Iwata before the Wii released was “Only the customer has the right to be selfish.” All I see from Nintendo is selfishness on all levels.
The timeline sucks and releasing it ruins the ‘parties’ of timeline theorycrafting. But the ultimate question is ‘Why did Nintendo release it?’ The emailer thinks it is a response to Skyward Sword’s sales. I wouldn’t be surprised in the arrogant manchild minds at Nintendo that they thought they were giving us a ‘Christmas present’, that they were bestowing upon the fans the ‘honor’ and ‘privilege’ of seeing the timeline. They will be quite surprised at hearing the negative reaction. However, they will process that as “The little peasants do not understand our incredible genius.”
As an aside, I’ve been browsing a few forums and I’m amazed to see my name pop up here and there. Here I am, minding my own business, on my own little website, not even updating, bothering no one, yet I am mentioned.
All I’ve wanted is more games like Super Mario Brothers and Legend of Zelda. When Nintendo gave us them in the forms of Mario 2, Mario 3, Mario 4, and Zelda II, Zelda III, it was the height of Nintendo’s success. Why? The market said they wanted more of something so Nintendo made it. Market rewards Nintendo. It is no more complicated than that. We can see how Modern Warfare 3 is selling huge and other sequels are selling huge. Mario Kart is doing sequel after sequel and still going strong.
My consumer experience with Nintendo is that of purchasing trojan horses. It says Mario and Zelda on the box, but they are not Mario or Zelda games. “What the hell is this? It is a completely different type of game!” Not only is it not what I paid for, it is lying to the customers. How many times have you bought a Zelda game thinking it would build on Ocarina of Time? I’m sure all of you thought this. (Ocarina of Time built on the strengths of Classic Zelda at the time after all.)
Or let me ask you this question: how many of you bought Metroid: Other M expecting it to be the successor to Super Metroid? After all, Sakamoto said it was. Other M is many things, but it is not the successor to Super Metroid. You got hoodwinked.
If you think that Kid Icarus game coming out is going to be anything like Kid Icarus on the NES or Gameboy, well my friend, be warned.
I don’t understand the problem with giving the market more of what it wants. Mario and Zelda were like vanilla and chocolate ice cream. The market screams for ‘more! more!’ but the ice cream company begins to despise the market and keeps making pistachio ice cream in order for the chefs to ’embrace their creativity’. Since no one is buying their pistachio ice cream, the ice cream company keeps branding it under ‘New Vanilla’ or ‘New Chocolate’ flavors. And yet, the market isn’t being fooled.
No matter what you read here, it all boils down to one thing: all I want is Super Mario Brothers and Legend of Zelda. That’s it. Not 3d Mario. Not Aonuma Puzzle/Story Zelda. Just simple games that never stopped selling. When NSMB DS and Super Mario Brothers 5 came out, the market responded.
And you know what else I want? I want an actual Metroid game. Not a ‘Sakamoto-Goes-Anime’ game using the Metroid characters. What would it take for me to get an actual Metroid game again? Thank God for Retro.
NSMB DS came out seven years ago. When am I going to get another game like that? How long must I wait? Ten years? Twenty years? Thirty years? We’re not talking about a niche game here. We’re talking about the most popular game in the world.
All I want is Mario and Zelda. Why does Nintendo keep refusing to make them? This is the Big Question about Nintendo. Do they not want me to buy their game console? Apparently, they did with the Wii and DS. Today, they have no desire for my business. I don’t see the games I like appearing on the 3DS or on the Wii U. Am I supposed to give up gaming? Nintendo seems to say so.
Apparently, the only games I am supposed to like are the ones that Shigeru Miyamoto wants to make. It is a good thing Nintendo is not in the restaurant business. I’d hate to see diners have to eat whatever the chefs feel like making. The only person who gets away with making meals you don’t want to eat is your wife. And this explains to me the mystery of the so-called ‘fanboy’. They’re acting like they are married to the company. This also explains that when the ‘fanboy’ decides to go Xbox or PlayStation, he or she makes a huge public deal with it as if it was a divorce.
All I want is Mario and Zelda. Nintendo made them a few times. Each time, I was a happy. When they are not made, I am sad. Am I not allowed to be an advocate for my own happiness?
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