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Next Zelda Game Examined
From the pages of Gamecube.IGN comes a look at the upcoming Zelda title for the Gamecube. Their examination includes both established facts: "Looking at the official screens and trailers, it's apparent Link will once again mount a mighty steed and battle on horseback", and some wishful thinking: "Will Link transform into a wolf in his latest adventure? Undoubtedly, it's the most talked about rumor."
Link's turned into a Goron, Zora, and Deku in the past. (Majora's Mask)
In Link To the Past, he turned into a bunny thing when you went to the dark world without the peral thingy.
In Ocarina of Time, he could change form by growing older or younger.
As long as they don't just say "You can change into a wolf!", it wouldn't be anything new. If they worked the wolf (maybe a new wolf species?) into the storyline for this game, it would be as if he had turned into a Deku or Goron.
Come to think of it, the Zelda series already has a wolf character, but as a common enemy: Wolfos. The article discusses him commanding nature (I believe the cats following him was just a rehash of the OoT sidequest to get the lady's dog in the town, though,) so if he could do more than command, but become 'nature', it would easily work out.
I'm just kind of worried that they'll stick with the music kick, which has been a core part of the last three console games. I don't hate it, but I want something new now. The nature thing would be a nice change of pace.
(Yes, there was an Ocarina in LttP, but it's functionality wasn't nearly as core to the game.)
There is nothing new under the sun. You can find shared elements in just about everything, really. Ghosts and giant spiders are staples of fantasy settings, and there are only so many ways to portray them graphically, especially in a realistic style (as realistic as giant spiders and ghosts can be, anyway). Spiders, for one thing, are real world creatures so we all know what they look like already, although the Zelda series has always had spider-like creatures (tektites, I think) that I hope aren't replaced by simple giant spiders.
Ghosts, I think, are always portrayed as transparent and in cool colors like blue and green for psychological reasons. Transparency makes them look otherworldly. Cool colors make them look dead. Live humans are red and brown and yellow. Those are warm colors. You see someone with rosy cheeks, and you think that person is vibrant and full of life. Colors from the other end of the spectrum look just the opposite. That means the most effective way to make a character look ghostly is to make it transparent and blue or green.
Combine the above with a style limitation to realistic graphics, and you have very little choice in how to do things.