It has recently penetrated my head that nearly all of my good ideas for Zelda made their way into Skyward Sword (light parkour!), so it's back to the drawing board. What's next for Nintendo's fiercely loved (and therefore heavily scrutinized) long-running series?

- Zelda 3DS -

Little details are known about this completely original 3DS entry in the Zelda series, but Aonuma has hinted last summer that 3D will be a major factor in its design. The 3DS could always use a game where 3D is legitimately useful, but unless this entry is heavy on spatial reasoning puzzles I don't see how 3D can be a game-changer.

Here's hoping for an E3 reveal this year.

- Remakes -

Majora's Mask 3D is still a possibility, and with the Wii U we might see a HD Zelda remake, too. As long as gameplay improvements are made (like OoT3D's improved interface), I certainly wouldn't mind another fun nostalgia trip. Wind Waker HD would look better than real life.

- A Link to the Past -

Recently Miyamoto has expressed his interest in revisiting A Link to the Past, possibly as a remake, or just something inspired by it. I myself enjoy 2D Zelda games but after Minish Cap was criminally overlooked I'm not surprised that Nintendo abandoned that style. But perhaps the time is right...

- Zelda Wii U -

We don't know anything about the plot, graphics, or general directon of the next console Zelda game. Aonuma suggested that motion control may return, along with other elements from Skyward Sword, but I don't think anything is set in stone yet. We may not hear anything about Zelda U until 2013 at the earliest.

- Partnerships -

Nintendo worked with Grezzo on OoT3D, and Monolith Soft assisted with Skyward Sword. Could we see more involvent from Nintendo studios (or second parties)? Miyamoto mentioned Retro Studio as a developer that could help greatly (I agree, especially if they're in charge of the graphics). Maybe that's a hint at what's to come next...

Zelda needs a redesign and Aunoma(however his name is spelled) knows this. Like he said as much recently in interviews. Though I think it's going to be tough to revolutionize Zelda. There's no game out there really like except for Darksiders and even then it doesn't do Zelda as well. It's the king of its genre and it's becoming stale (I loved Skyward Sword, but I don't think I'd ever play it again). Though I'm stumped with what they should do next.

Nowhere.

This gen I played 3 Zeldas (Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks and Twilight Princess). They all have flaws (well, only TP has for me, actually) but can all be called, at minimum, fantastic games. I call them genius games, myself.

And that's not counting the Ocarina of Time remake, still the same game that was once called best ever, even after all those years.

So, like I said, Zelda should go nowhere, it's in very capable hands right now.

As much as I loved Skyward Sword, it does illustrate a problem for the series- splitting the game between nonlinear hub world and Metroidian land regions ended up diluting the potential of both structures. A new entry needs to have a tighter focus to its design, and not be a cop-out.

This is exactly what Skyward Sword is O.o

Outer space.

....hey, it worked for Mario.

Zelda needs to either go back to its 2D roots or open-world WRPG style. That's the only way I'll be able to get back into it. Wind Waker was the last 3D Zelda I enjoyed, even with all of its flaws, and Minish Cap was the last Zelda period that I enjoyed.

Give me majoras mask HD

I personally feel that Nintendo should make some Remakes of the series before doing anything else. Not small ones like OoT3D but ones that look a lot different. I think a Majora's Mask Remake would be perfect on the Wii U. (Or 3DS.)

Ryan... I think you made an "Oopsie."