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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.)
Examined? How?
This is just a list of things two writers at IGN would like to see in the game. The list include innovative ideas like "good storyline" and "voice acting."
As for the Wolf rumor, all they say is, "we hope it's true."
This read more like someone's blog entry, not any kind of news what-so-ever. The subheading was: "We examine fact and take a took at the possibilities." That translates to: "We took what everyone already knows and guess."
Majora's Mask does count.
It used a tuned version of the engine from Ocarina of Time, but it's a great game (if you can wrap your head around the 3-day timer system). It's a lot prettier, too, although it isn't as good of a game. Still very good, but Ocarina of Time is the greatest action-adventure game of all time.
For the record, the list of Nintendo systems with at least two Zelda games:
___GB___
Link's Awakening
LADX *
___GBC___
LADX * (same release, DX version works in enhanced mode on GBC & later systems)
Oracle of Ages
Oracle of Seasons
___GBA___
Legend of Zelda
Adventures of Link
Link to the Past w/Four Swords
Minish Cap
___NES___
Legend of Zelda
Adventures of Link
___N64___
Ocarina of Time
Majora's Mask
___GCN___
Wind Waker
Four Swords Adventures
Ocarina of Time Master Quest disc
Legend of Zelda Collector's Edition
Zelda 2K5
Really, SNES was the only mainstream Nintendo system to have only one Zelda game. And the Nintendo DS still doesn't have one, although its superior-to-N64 capabilities point to the potential of an N64-grade Zelda game being released for it.