The delays are frustrating, I agree. But it's hard for me to get angry with Aonuma when his most recent game, A Link Between Worlds, is, in my opinion, the best Zelda game in years. If EAD can push out a Zelda game of that quality every three years I'll be happy, remakes and delays notwithstanding.

Delaying the game is a consequence of what you wrote. Aonuma doesn't know what to do anymore. Those remakes are only the proof that he has to revisit old games to take ideas.

I remember reading around the web (don't know if it's real or not) that the E32004 Twilight Princess trailer was just a demo of their goals. They didn't have any idea of what to do with the game. As development progress they were implementing new features like the twilight or the wolf transformation.

This is not about rushing the game, this is about delaying a game because the dev team doesn't know what to do anymore. We don't know what to expect next gen. 10 years development cycles? 3 more remakes before a new one?

Their only new "original" game is A Link Between Worlds, a game that started as a remake of A Link to the Past.

What surprises me more, is that Iwata let this happen. Zelda is becoming a very financial focused franchise. From delaying a game one complete year to release succesfully on the Wii, to move every release date to the holiday season. There's nothing good in delaying games as you invest even more money. But maybe that was the reason why they decided to focus more on remakes rather than new content: cheaper and easier to make.

I agree that A Link Between Worlds is a good game, but that game is based on one from 20 years ago. As much as there are new mechanics, this game didn't provide us with a new experience like The Wind Waker or Skyward Sword. It feels too familiar and reused.

But I disagree with your last point. I'm not happy if the only thing they can do every three years is releasing a new Skyward Sword game with the same overwolrd but only a couple of new (neat) features.

A Link Between Worlds not start life like a remake, Miyamoto wanted Aonuma to make ALTTP remake but Aonuma decided to make completely new game instead, evan if is start life like a remake, who cares, it is new game not remake. What spin-off?

And last gen situation was better!? We had for home console one port and one original game, and for handheld two games that majority of fans count them like worst Zelda games ever. This gen all together we will have 3 great remakes, one new handheld and one home console Zelda that looks like game that fans wanted for years.

I very like everything we saw or Aonuma said about Zelda U till now,  really looks like ultimate Zelda game.

We all know that every 3D Zelda game expect Majora's Mask was delayed, Zelda U is not exception. Development cycles are getting bigger and games still have some flaws but perfect game don't exist (exept maybe OOT :)) and Zelda games are still one of the best games on market (last example is A Link Between Worlds). I am fine with one completely new game and one remake per platform, like for Wii U this gen.

So you are skipping Zelda U? :)

Well, you got me there. Releasing a rushed game won't help, but I said that because I have the perception that the more time Aonuma has, the more wrong thing he make. I don't know why, but I have that feeling. 4 years to make Majora's Mask 3D is something I can't simply understand. They made a great graphical update, but aside of that it went backwards in some aspetcs like the boss battles and the Zora swimming.

I also have to say that I agree with the word: Zelda team is inefficient. I remember reading that the Gamepad had features that the Zelda team asked for, so if that was the case they should have at least a clear vision of their work, but rather they needed to remake firstly The Wind Waker. Something is wrong with that considering gens before they didn't need to remake anything to give us new experiences or at least new content.

Finally, since last year I believe it's time for Shigeru Miyamoto to step down too. I believe Koizumi can still make great games. For example, as much as I hate 3D World, I can't deny that the game is good. I believe there was also a team of young developers that started Twilight Princess, but later in the cycle Aonuma and Miyamoto went into it and changed the game.

BTW, I'm clear about the time that changes like these needs. Of course we are not going to see anything this gen, that's why most likely I'm going to skip it.

I'm just being honest. A Link Between Worlds is new game, but as I said before, it feels too familiar. That doesn't make the game bad, but is not as new as The Wind Waker was or Skyward Sword. Even the overworld is the same.

Last gen you have new experiences. From Zelda touch to Zelda motion. Good or bad, it was something new, and we can't say the same about this gen. Nintendo can't expect to keep releasing remakes and people going to buy it and be ok with that. One day people won't like it and leave the franchise. On top of that, last gen not being good doesn't excuse the poor perfomance this gen, in fact, they must have step up but their answer was to remake old beloved games.

Aonuma always says the same. They want to break conventions and it will be the ultimate Zelda experience. In the end, he fails to do so. He has not been capable of developing a balanced game like Ocarina of Time was at its time: overworld, boss battle, desing, dungeons, puzzles. Some of their games exceed on certain aspects while others fail miserably.

Ocarina of Time was delayed because the transition to 3D, changed some mechanics and planned 2 expansions for it. Yet, it came in 1998, third holiday season for the N64. One of those expansion became a complete game 2 years later. The Wind Waker was released in Japan in 2002 bur delayed to the overseas only 3 months. Twilight Princess was delayed 1 year to develop the Wii version, but was ready after 3 years. Skyward Sword on the other hand, started this downward trend as it took 5 years, same as this game. The problem this time, is that we don't have original content to play unlike the Wii where you have at least the TP Wii version.

And for your question, I don't know. I can't be sure, but right now I don't feel anything about the game.

ALBW have similar owerlworld like game that is old around 24 years (lol), but it's new game with new experience.

Like I said ALBW delivered new experience despite similar overworld, and Zelda U will certanly deliver  new experience. I don't think this gen is poor performance for Zelda fans, on the contrary, it is very good generation for Zelda fans, 3 great remakes and 2 new games (one of them looks like a Ultimate Zelda). Give me two new Zelda games and two remakes per generation and I am a happy Zelda fan.

Well I didnt saw Aounuma talked so much before about breaking Zelda conventions. For Zelda U they announce that want to go back to Zelda roots (Zelda NES), big open world with the feeling of freedom and more explanation than any previous Zelda game, and breaking conventions about finishing dungeons in certain order. In Zelda U footages we already saw very big open world with feeling of freedom and very big potential for exploration, and about breaking dungeons and other conventions, we already saw some of them in ALBW.

It could say that every home Zelda except MM was delayed, and only because MM start life as URA Zelda and use same engine and majority of same textures and models from Ocarina Of Time, if that wasnt the case MM probably would be delayed too.

Zelda games are becoming more and more complexing and bigger, they need more time to be developed, especially in HD era, add to that Nintendo way for delivering perfectly complete, finished and working game, at the end you will get one new home Zelda game per generation.

Only way I see that they could finish two new Zelda home games in generation is that they pull again Majora's Mask again, use same game engine, same textures and majority of models, and make new game in somehow similar world like previous game just with completely new story, similar to Ocarina Of Time and Majoras Mask. Example, we have Zelda U and new game could be Zelda U game just in dark world or new game in new kingdom near Zelda U world, something like that would easily be made like a DLC in around year, year and half. This cant be case this gen ofcourse, but they would release game like that at first year for next home console and later they would have plenty time for new Zelda game.

For Zelda U I expect to be one of the best Zelda after Ocarina Of Time (for me best game ever, not just Zelda game) and I think that Nintendo will surprise at E3 and nevertheless show at least small proper trailer for Zelda U.

Zelda plush available for pre-order

Nintendo World of Nintendo 8 Bit Plush Wave 1 Set: Relive the days of classic Nintendo video games with the Nintendo World of Nintendo 8 Bit Plush Wave 1 Set. The plush are designed to resemble the look of classic 8 bit games. The plush are a must have for Nintendo fans. The Nintendo World of Nintendo 8 Bit Plush Wave 1 Set includes individually packaged plush (subject to change):

1x Link
1x Mario
1x Luigi

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Hyrule Warriors Sells 1 Million Units

"Hyrule Warriors was a huge success worldwide for Koei and Nintendo allowing the musou series to expand across to a different genre and platform, only 130,000 units were sold in Japan meaning that the overwhelming majority of game sales came from the USA and Europe. Koei noted that the game as well as its download contents is still selling at a good rate."

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Added a new poll, too!