| RolStoppable said: Now that's more like it. Many of your complaints are based in your interpretation of my words which weren't overly detailed to keep the length of the OP within reason. Because once you get past a certain point, people simply won't bother to read any of it. I know you will be reading this, so there's no harm done in approaching a similar length as your post above. Difficulty: In Zelda's case, the one thing I wanted to make sure is that people understand that it should be more like ALttP than the handheld Zelda games made by Capcom, because those titles (especially The MInish Cap) were influenced by the design of modern Zelda. Dungeons weren't particularly dangerous and they were quite linear, rather than more maze-like. You know, in ALttP you didn't need to visit each and every room and you also didn't need to find all keys. The dungeons were also designed in a way that you could carry more than one key at a time, something that has gone completely missing in the Zelda games of the last decade. As for Metroid, I didn't mean a level of difficulty that makes you smack your handheld against the wall. All I am asking for in both games is a level of difficulty that makes the player take the game seriously, instead of giving an impression that the game will be beaten no matter what. Puzzles: It's a matter of fact that in modern Zelda you spend more time with investigating the environment than with battling enemies. That's something that should be avoided and it's a serious problem, because as mentioned before, this type of gameplay already made it's way into the more recent handheld games. Directions: Since we are talking about the 3DS, the slide pad is the natural control method, because the d-pad sits in an awkward position. Might as well allow Link to move into more than eight directions then and that's all I said. If I meant that to apply to sword stabs/swings as well, I would have added it. Upgrades: Mostly in the sense of more swords. I think it would be neat, if there were different kinds, each with their own upgrades. The base swords would differ in their length and the speed at which they can be swung, this would allow the player to find their prefered style. There wouldn't be more than a dozen swords (including upgrades) in the game. As for the other items, they don't need more than one or two upgrades. Like silver arrows, magic boomerang or rods having an addition effect upon impact (like in the original Zelda). Metroid timeline: Some people care about that and I guess I need to respect that. That's all there is to it. Size/collectibles: Metroid is quite short of a game, so it was an idea to make it longer. I guess you are right though, but another option would be to ship such a game with two chapters. As in, two separate games which are both only slightly bigger than Super Metroid, each with their own 100 items. Two different planets, two different missions for Samus Aran. Maps: The cool thing about the DS/3DS is that you always have that map with you when you play the game. It's more convenient than the pen and paper method. Nintendo could also be more generous with the amount of rewritable storage on the game card which would completely negate the potential loss of the third save file. The square-block-filling is no problem at all, because Super Metroid's as well as ALttP's maps were all made of squares. A square on the map screen doesn't mean that the environment has to be fully rectangular too. Your ideas: You really aren't saying much here at all. Most of this just means natural evolution of the SNES classics. About the only reason why I suggested polygon graphics is because I am sure that Nintendo wants to toy around with stereoscopic 3D. Not that I would complain, if those games didn't use 3D at all. PS: Was it really necessary to create an alt account that agrees with your ideas? |
If there's a specific section to which I do not apply then you can take it as a tacit agreement on my part.
Puzzles: It's a matter of fact that I spent more time fighting the environment than fighting enemies in both the original game and LttP, especially the latter. The balance of the series has always favored the environment, simply because it is possible to get lost. Now I agree that the overworld/dungeon divide (where it exists) should also act as a a demarcation line, where crossing into a dungeon means the challenge becomes more combat-oriented. THat's definitely true. I think a lot of modern Zeldas kind of fall flat on that point - though I have noticed that that very shift has occurred in the first three dungeons of Skyward Sword. It's unavoidable that the balance isn't going to be 50/50, and that balance has always favored the environment, but again: I do agree that dungeons should have a stronger combat focus than the overworld.
Directions: The point remains that one needs to be clear about this, because more directions LInk can face = more angles from which to attack = necessitating more complex enemy design = bad.
Upgrades: This isn't Monster Hunter. Single upgrades for items? Fine, whatever, I guess I'm cool with that if it's necessary (it isn't). Three or four separate branches for your swords? We would be better served by a single sword with identical physics in its upgrades so that enemy encounters can be designed specifically around challenging the use of that one sword. Focused design is much more important than variety.
Metroid timeline: One of Prime's biggest strengths is that Retro did not give a damn about the timeline.
Size: I agree with this, but.... you're talking about two actual, separate games. This is a pipe dream. More, it gives the game two very visibly divided linear arcs, which I don't like the idea of.
My ideas: All of it beared saying in that your ideas move away from simplicity of design or what's built into the original games. More, those ideas need to serve as the bullet points tattoo'd onto the brainpans of every developer approaching 2-D Zelda or Metroid, and they need to be reiterated over and over again, forever. In addition, there is no reason one could not use pixellated graphics with the 3DS's 3D. It would be very nice, all neat and layered.
