Interesting Editorial " Is Zelda in Decline"

[Asriel]

I wouldn't say Zelda is in decline. How many games have had the lasting impact of Ocarina of Time? Zelda Wii is probably going to come out 12 years after Ocarina stood high above the gaming landscape, and we'll have experienced three console Zeldas since then, but Ocarina is the game we'll compare to most, and the same is going to be true of critical reception. The trouble is, Zelda as a franchise has more to live up to than the vast majority of games. Ocarina is the highest rated videogame ever released, and has topped or been near top of the majority of "Best game ever" lists.

It will be incredibly difficult for Nintendo to create another Zelda that has the impact of Ocarina of Time. Videogames are more varied than ever, and Ocarina came out relatively early in the span of 3D gaming. So much of what it did first it did brilliantly; Nintendo essentially perfected the standard Zelda formula in 3D at their first attempt. How do you follow that up? With distinct games like Majora (distinct structurally and thematically) and Wind Waker (distinct aesthetically and thematically), they've divided critics and fans alike as to whether or not these are the definitive Zelda experiences. With Twilight Princess, Nintendo crafted an experience that was very similar to Ocarina, with thematic differences and visual improvements and more complex elements. Though it debuted to strong fan and critical reception, as Edge noted in a recent Zelda interview, the reputation of TP took a post release dive. I think much of that is due to its stature as a Wii launch title-the Wii was something new and very different in console gaming; Twilight Princess was easily the most traditional 3D Zelda following in the long shadow of Ocarina.

With Link's Awakening, Nintendo proved the GameBoy could handle a console like game experience structurally and design wise while remaining different enough to be distinctive. And here is why handheld Zeldas since then haven't matched up to LA, in my opinion; handheld and console development of Zelda titles has never been further apart. The portable games are becoming (especially with the DS iterations of Zelda) more distinct from console experiences. The problem for Zelda is that even as every game has references to other games in the series and triggers memories with every addition to the series (this is the case for long time fans and critics), the Zelda-nostalgia becomes compounded each time. Each new Zelda is a glorious stone that has gathered parts of the magnificent moss of previous games.

With so many great games in the series, and with the series consistently being such a high benchmark in gaming, I think it's more difficult than ever for Zelda to feel distinctive. Zelda (NES), Link to the Past, Ocarina and Twilight Princess are the traditional Zeldas. Link's Awakening, Majora's Mask and Wind Waker are the distinctive Zeldas. I think Zelda Wii is going to be Nintendo's best chance to top the impact and legacy of Ocarina. It's going to be the first genuinely big gamer's game and critical darling to utilise Motion Plus, and in that respect, true motion controls. Even if it retains the traditional feel of Ocarina (which I believe it will, if the Master Sword is central to the game) it has a chance to differentiate itself from every other Zelda and every other game released so far in the utilisation of motion controls.


Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks changes to interface and structure were practise. The way we interact with console Zelda is going to see a massive overhaul... The biggest since Ocarina. Added to that Aonuma's promise to shake up the dungeon/field structure of the game... I think we could very well be heading towards the biggest Zelda impact in gaming since Ocarina.

Of course, expectations like this only compound what Nintendo has to do. And this is just my opinion as a long time lover of the Zelda franchise.