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Zelda - Wind Waker Sequel Confirmed
Thanks to Shacknews for pointing to the Computer and Video Games site, which has an interview with Eiji Aonuma, the project director of Zelda:The Wind Waker for Gamecube. Among the subjects discussed are a Wind Waker sequel, of which Aonuma says: "..as I did between Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, I will use the same engine and the same graphics of Wind Waker for its sequel. However, I do plan on powering everything up a bit." He suggests the sequel should be playable for E3 2004, and also discusses other subjects, including the choice of cel-shading and puzzle design for the original Wind Waker.
Nintendo not selling any games or hardware is what happens when they make the exact same damn games over and over again.
The hardcore Nintendo fanboys are the only ones keeping the company afloat after their horrendous sales of the Gamecube. I suspect many are in the same boat as me - I like the hardware, but there are no games that appeal to me.
If they could quit making Mario 64 over and over and come up with some original games in new product lines, perhaps they'll attract my interest again.
I'm absolutely sick of a number of cliches that Nintendo/arcade style style games and their ilk cling to. Some of these don't apply to Zelda (points finger at Metal Gear Solid 2), but I hate:
shitty items / weapons at the start of the game (makes the beginning of the game beyond boring); retardly unbalanced / impossible boss fights (just when you think you're getting somewhere they change the rules); linear story with zero strategy (and no character development beyond 'collect the powerups'); kindergarten graphics (I *like* cell shading [see JSRF on Xbox] - but I don't want to play as a super-deformed 2 year old); teaching the player a lesson through killing them; friendly sidekicks who you'd kill if you could rather than stand talking to
Etc - many of their design choices clash with those that I would have made.
"(btw, the game is amazing and I can't wait for the sequel.)"
I still can't get into it. Slow, unskippable, repeated cutscenes (plus, I have to wind wake again!? yawn). It's also too easy. I initially really liked the no jump button innovation, but then he kept taking flying leaps off of bridges into the lava, whereas in any sensible platformer with a jump button, the character would grab onto the edge of the ledge rather than taking an obviously stupid jump.
Too easy + bad jump controls meant that 90% of my deaths were a result of the no jump button "innovation", while only a handful were due to boss monsters, other enemies, and real platform challenges. Despite the clearly breathtaking art style of the game, I just can't consider that sort of gameplay as best of class.
For some reason, I was able to overlook some of the same flaws Waker has in Ocarina-- just a better game, I guess.