So all day I've pretty much been Playing Twilight Princess on The Wii. A game that started off on the Gamecube and then slowly migrated over to the Wii for the launch of Nintendo's revolutionary system. I think it is a very good game. Apart from the resolution of the textures it hold up pretty well. The dungeons are well thought out and you constantly feel like your on a grand almost never ending adventure. But something is dawning on me as I play. The majority of the things I like about the game - the scale of the environments, the bustling life of castle town and the variety of things to do really only seem to wow me because ultimately, in the back of my mind I still know this game was made using Gamecube hardware.
As a Wii game it holds up like I said, but only just. The expectations I have for Skyward Sword are higher than ever after seeing the GDC trailer and replaying Twilight Princess is naturally making me draw comparisons. The art style of Skyward Sword is fantastic in my opinion, but Nintendo isn't kidding anyone, we all know the reason for it to look like it does is to:
A - Make it look as different to Twilight Princess as possible.
B - Allow them to make the game a little grander in scale and to generally look nice.
This worries me a bit as it seems like Nintendo is forgetting what sets Zelda and even Mario apart from the crowd. Technology. Nintendo don't want to admit it but harnessing new technology has always been at the core of any Mario or Zelda title. Nintendo use these two big names to showcase what their systems can do and in some regard Super Mario Galaxy done its job well - showing the world that in the right hands the limited technology under the hood of the Wii can produce some gorgeous looking games. Although Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 achieved high meta-critic scores - much of its is undoubtedly due to the Pixar like world that Nintendo created for their mascot. It charmed, fascinated and surprised. In my opinion Super Mario Galaxy already excited and delighted more than its sequel but with a game that good, more of the same was more than welcome.
This is where Zelda differs. Nintendo can not simply chuck Link in space. Thank god they didn't do that - they stopped a bit short of leaving the atmosphere and opted for the sky instead. From what we have seen though it seems Skyward Sword is very much following in the form of an Ocarina of time or Twilight Princess. We already know that Links journey will start high up in the clouds and then descend down to the land of Hyrule...After all the things Nintendo have been saying about changing the way this Legend will play out and how they have changed their philosophy in the way that a Zelda game is made - it seems like none of it is coming to fruition. They even showed us artwork of Link WITHOUT a sword to give us some hope that Nintendo is radically shaking things up. But inevitably when finally revealed at E3 2010 - Link had a sword in his hand. The GDC trailer showed us how motion plus will change the way we fight enemies and open doors - but I don't think that is the change that is needed. A big overhaul in terms of the structure of the game would make Zelda feel fresh again. At the moment its a very familiar and nostalgic experience for many players and even though fans still enjoy the games, I can't help but think that It could be so much more! Especially with the help of new technology, a new system perhaps? Could Nintendo be readying another revolution this E3 in june? I hope so, and next time I will tell you all why doing so makes perfect sense. I shall leave you with THE TRUTH though.
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