Linkle May Be Considered for Future Zelda Games

[JimB]

I'm arguing that Zelda is better than that. Or used to be.

Please be explicit, loa, because these vague portents of doom are meaningless. What exactly do you think will happen? It sounds to me as if you believe Nintendo means to create a game in which Link and all its inhabitants behave at their normal, more or less believable power levels, yet Linkle alone will be running through it like Dante in Devil May Cry. Is that your fear, or is it something else?

What are you on about?

Oh, for god's sake.

loa, I am asking you to please describe exactly what complaints you have with the announcement that Nintendo is considering adding Linkle to a Zelda game. I do not understand the nature of your grievance because your language is extremely vague, bordering on the nonsensical (for example, saying "Zelda used to be better than that" without explaining what level the game has sunk to or why that level is a bad one), and because of logical inconsistencies like the way you deride Linkle for her capabilities in a spin-off game without applying that same complaint to every other character in the series ("Oh man, Link totally doesn't fit in Hyrule with all his wearing costumes and holding two full-grown versions of himself over his head, that shit is so cartoony"). The only conclusion I can conjure to this is that you are nearly panicked at the thought of Linkle appearing in a game, so I asked you to explain in precise terms what harm was being inflicted and by whom.

Has this at all clarified my question?

If you take the "fast fire" away from the crossbow, then...what are we left with, exactly?

Whatever Nintendo decides to add.

There is literally nothing else even remotely interesting to this character and if you think she's on the same level as, say, Midna, then I don't know what to say to you.

I did not say one word comparing Linkle to Midna. Please do not strawman me, loa.

 

[Lightknight]

I know this sounds like a stupid question here. But why can't we choose between either? You know, like at the start of the game you press left or right to select Link or Linkle? Is making a second skin really that difficult?

According to the developers of the Assassin's Creed games, yes, it is absolutely prohibitive.

But... I remember being a kid playing Resident Evil and choosing between two characters that were not only different sexes but also had entirely different story lines... I had no idea it was a financial bust...

In case you're being serious, I will inform you that the developers of Assassin's Creed were famously lying when they said female skins were prohibitive to code.

Nope, was being sarcastic.

But despite my glibness, they weren't necessarily lying either. It just costs more money than not doing it. The opportunity cost analysis (if they did one) possibly showed that having a female protagonist as an option does not generate enough revenue to justify it. I mean, even if it just costs $5k for voice acting, character modeling and character choosing interface, that's still a lot of game sales that it may not generate.

 

[JimB]

But despite my glibness, they weren't necessarily lying either. It just costs more money than not doing it. The opportunity cost analysis (if they did one) possibly showed that having a female protagonist as an option does not generate enough revenue to justify it.

Unless I'm confusing my games, no, there was a story reason for it:

Spoiler

All four assassins were, like, quantum clones or some shit like that; multiple versions of the same person. I dunno, I forget. It was stupid and nonsensical.

It made the lie seem stupid--why not just say there was a story reason?--but whatever.

 

[Lightknight]

But despite my glibness, they weren't necessarily lying either. It just costs more money than not doing it. The opportunity cost analysis (if they did one) possibly showed that having a female protagonist as an option does not generate enough revenue to justify it.

Unless I'm confusing my games, no, there was a story reason for it:

Spoiler

All four assassins were, like, quantum clones or some shit like that; multiple versions of the same person. I dunno, I forget. It was stupid and nonsensical.

It made the lie seem stupid--why not just say there was a story reason?--but whatever.

I don't believe there was a story reason for it. I could believe cost benefit reasons. In fact, I can only assume that the "quantum clones" idea was also money based.

The real story is probably that they didn't want to say that it wasn't worth their time to make a female protagonist. They tried to just leave it at expense but their PR department or whatever said it would be a terrible idea to explain that the cost of making such a character exceeds the increase in sales it would produce due to the current climate in how it is reported whenever a company makes such a claim even if studios like Ubisoft have actually done it in the past and do have real world data.

 

[CrazyGirl17]

Eh, I don't mind, it might be a nice change of pace. Still wish they'd change the name, though... (Linkle? Really with that name?!)

 

[Hero in a half shell]

Could we just call her something beside Linkle? That sounds like tinkle. Not a good thing.

It always makes me think of ankle, which isn't exactly an heroic name.

 

[Demonjazz]

I'm with everyone else. Linkle is just a silly sounding name. There's tons of other names you could have chosen. Linka, Linkella, Linkara, Lin, Lena, Lon, Lank, Lane, Lan, Lana, Lang, Lexis, or how about just plain... Link. Heck, why not give her an entirely different name altogether. I'd be okay with a reincarnation of courage named Jane, or Ariel, or whatever... Just not Linkle.

 

[Lilani]

The only problem I have here is that they're using the name "Linkle" seriously. I mean, it's their universe, why can't Link just be a gender neutral term? Or why does it have to sound like the practice of a bunch of people holding hands while tinkling in a line?

This is pretty much where I am. I have no problem with her beyond the fact that Linkle is about the doofiest feminization of the name they could have come up with. I agree that Link would work as a girl's name just as well as a guy's, but I can see why they would want to be able to easily distinguish between the two. I mean, okay, I can't think of a better one off the top of my head, but they could have put a it more thought into it. Link's name was supposed to refer to the fact that originally the Triforce was supposed to be electronic chips and you could use them to travel to the past and future, making them a "link" between them. So why not go back to that original meaning--connect is another word for link, so why not Conne?

 

[go-10]

is she Tingle's adopted daughter?
She has Tingles compass and uses a map she can't seem to read properly; as if drawn by a crappy spandex wearing balloon flying guy. Maybe he named her Linkle in honor of his brother (remember that he thought of Link as his brother) hell that could be the whole reason why she's traveling in the first place she's searching for her dad to bring him back up and since he's always up in the with his balloons she did Crossbow Training to be able to bring him down.

 

[Lightknight]

The only problem I have here is that they're using the name "Linkle" seriously. I mean, it's their universe, why can't Link just be a gender neutral term? Or why does it have to sound like the practice of a bunch of people holding hands while tinkling in a line?

This is pretty much where I am. I have no problem with her beyond the fact that Linkle is about the doofiest feminization of the name they could have come up with. I agree that Link would work as a girl's name just as well as a guy's, but I can see why they would want to be able to easily distinguish between the two. I mean, okay, I can't think of a better one off the top of my head, but they could have put a it more thought into it. Link's name was supposed to refer to the fact that originally the Triforce was supposed to be electronic chips and you could use them to travel to the past and future, making them a "link" between them. So why not go back to that original meaning--connect is another word for link, so why not Conne?

Yep, nothing you said sounds worse than Linkle. I don't really care what hoops they have to contort through to get to a real name that doesn't make a mockery of the attempt.