Zelda Could Move to Texas Studio
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Except that they would have. Last time I checked, they didn't turn Samus into a sniveling coward in their games. [sub]Opinions and such, sorry.[/sub]Sylveria said:
In some ways, I agree with you. However, one of the main draws for Zelda for me is how it never really has a consistant art style. Despite being more drawn to the series when it takes a darker approach (such as Maora's Mask and Twilight Princess), I enjoy the games even when they use their artistic liscence in unexpected ways (Wind Waker) and wouldn't mind having more of those. The point is that Zelda has stood on the edge of grim-dark before, and since it is a series where atmosphere is an important part of the experience, might actualy benefit from doing so again should they manage to balance it properly.
You also have to take into consideration that Retro managed to keep all the elements of the older Metroid games in the Prime series. The item hunting was still there, the powerups and upgrades remained, and the giant bossfights did not shrink in size or scale. They kept all the things that made a Metroid game a Metroid game in their Metroid game, despite shifting perspective. They also did Donkey Kong Country Returns, which was a throw back to the older 2D sidescroller game, so I'd say they'd treat Zelda with the respect it deserves.
<spoiler=Sylveria said:
It is glib, but it's probably more true than anyone at Nintendo would like to admit. >It's a well established practice in Japanese owned businesses, more often than not a well hidden practice, as an outsider you're unlikely to see it unless you're reading J-Cast or Time Global all the time (and who isn't right?).
Occasionally it comes into sharp focus though, usually because the 'don't embarass the boss' has been pursued right into and past the point of self destruction. It happens most obviously in fast moving technology like Motor Racing, where the list of Japanese owned teams being run to oblivion by upper management is as long as it is depressing. But it happens everywhere else too, you only see it when the wheels fall off.
I think it's an easy assumption to make that Retro would have done better, they'd released three Metroid games and they had all been good. More importantly they had treated it with a high degree of respect, team Ninja seemed to have already decided what they would do and put Samus' face on it.
This whole "Retro Studio is working on X Nintendo Franchise" (Zelda in particular) thing has been going around ever since Donkey Kong Country Returns. I kinda hope they announce something soon just to stop these rumors at this point... that and it'd likely be something really good.
I guess Nintendo is just more protective of the Zelda series than they are of most of their franchises. It makes sense when you think about it: if either the Mario or Zelda series were to be compromised by an infamous game at this point, it could be a minor disaster for the company.Voltano said:
Still, I feel Retro Studios deserves that level of trust. It would NOT be a repeat of the CDi incident, of that I am sure. I think the Zelda series could use a little shaking up by a team with fresh ideas, come what may, but Nintendo's hesitance at least makes sense.
Also, why is "Zelda" being red-lined by this comment box? Zelda is a real name. Ever heard of Zelda Fitzgerald, computer? HUH?!?!?
--sorry, got a little off-topic there.
Its not going to hurt it any...Zelda has been pretty bland since Majoras Mask. Tho I love the look and visual style of Wind Waker.
I wouldn't say that's necessarily a fair interpretation either. After all, Prime began development as a third person game, and it was Nintendo's suggestion to make it first person when the camera proved less then ideal. Hardly a western dev making an FPS because that's what western devs do. Especially considering we aren't talking about western developers in general, we're talking about one very specific, proven example.Sylveria said:
As far as fan favorites go while Super does probably take top spot, it's always been my understanding that Prime was right on it's heels at number 2, at least as far as you can accurately rank something like this. That's impressive enough for any game, even more so coming from an outside team with no prior titles to their name. Even if it wasn't their favorite from the series, pretty much everyone seems to agree that Retro did an incredible job reinterpreting the originals without betraying them, in everything from gameplay to atmosphere. That sounds like something Zelda could use right about now. As far as I'm concerned this can't happen soon enough.
Besides, even if it was a failure I doubt it would be enough to kill the series completely. I'd be very surprised if Other M was the last we see of Metroid, and hopefully they'll have learned from its mistakes. Experimentation is a good thing, especially in long running franchises. Failure or not we could use more of it.
Eh, I've seen worse. Like Phantom Hourglass.disgruntledgamer said:
<spoiler=And this>
<youtube=bNpLXo55yfw>
See? Much worse.
*deep breath* (Here we go again!)fix-the-spade said:
Other M's story was written and directed by Executive Producer and Director Yoshio Sakamoto, who's been with the Metroid franchise since the very first game on the NES.
He never had to do any real writing before (except for the iffy monologues in Metroid Fusion), yet apparently thought it was a good idea to handle it in Metroid: Other M.
Spoiler: it wasn't a good idea. He's a terrible writer.
Hm...this could be interesting. Just don't try to "Americanize" it, to borrow from Yahtzee. Don't turn Zelda into a smoking hot babe with revealing clothing, and Link into a gun-ho bad-ass (you know what I mean). This could work out. I've heard nothing but praise for Metroid Prime.
If only there existed a technology so advanced that people could instantaneously contact other people from around the world, through their computers. Imagine that!
We could even form some kind of bulletin board, or forum for discussing our favorite hobbies! Science fiction at our fingertips!
We could even form some kind of bulletin board, or forum for discussing our favorite hobbies! Science fiction at our fingertips!
Like I said, science fiction.weirdguy said:
I envisioned a future were people would be able to not only communicate with each other vocally, but be able to see each other as well. Like those video phones on Back To The Future II.
But a multi-billion dollar corporation like Nintendo would ever be able to afford anything like that. Hell, they probably can't even afford to send people out that far periodically to make physical human contact. You'd need some kind of magical flying apparatus for that.
Or, you know, a shit ton of weak excuses. But hey, I'm not Nintendo. I can't compare myself to the mad geniuses behind so many classic games and their many, many, many remakes that rack in millions of dollars every year. Perhaps Miyamoto has come down with some kind of exotic malady that require his bloodstream to undergo continuous dialysis with smelted yen pieces. I can't fault the guy for that.
Dude, we already have flying apparatuses. The future is, like, now:Scrythe said:
OP: Hopefully it's not strictly a first person game, but that's unlikely anyway. This sounds like a very good idea. I'm excited.
I think this is exactly what Zelda needs. A new team to consider the franchise from a new perspective. Zelda has lately felt kind of stale, and I think this could give the franchise new life.
I actually sometimes work with people who live in India, and it is actually much more difficult than you would think. It is the time difference. Because of this every conversation needs to be scheduled, and that can be a huge barrier to productivity.Scrythe said:
Yes, let's get our facts straight people. Team Ninja is NOT to blame for how bad Metroid: Other M turned out. ...at least not as far as the story ans Samus' characterization are concerned anyway.JediMB said:
OT: I suppose Miyamoto's concern's aren't entirely unfounded. However Retro has done good work in the past and I think Miyamoto should have a little more faith in them.
Nintendo didn't really care as much about Metroid so passing it off to Retro wasn't a big risk. Remember, at the time Metroid had only 3 titles and was not considered a "core" nintendo IP. It didn't really matter if Retro screwed it up forever.Voltano said:
Zelda, on the other hand, is Nintendo's second most important franchise and one of Shigeru Miyamoto's personal creations. If the Zelda franchise were damaged by Retro, Nintendo would be in a really bad position. On a personal and emotional level, it is very difficult to hand off a creative project that you created and have loved for over 25 years to someone else and just hope they give it the respect you feel it deserves. Shigeru Miyamoto loves Zelda and wants to be deeply involved with its continued development.
For these reasons Miyamoto would want effective communication with anyone he handed Zelda too. The fact that they are even considering handing Zelda to Retro shows that Nintendo has a huge amount of respect for their skill at creating games.
I want to point out that Nintendo did step in during Metroid Prime's development because they didn't like the direction the game was heading in at one point. Also, they were developing Metroid Fusion while Retro were working on Metroid Prime, so it's not like they didn't have any plans of their own for the franchise.DrOswald said:
Definitely true and a very good points, but I still feel justified in saying that Metroid was an unimportant franchise to Nintendo at the time. Metroid Prime and Metroid Fusion were an attempt to revive an old and dead franchise. If the revival failed, Nintendo would not lose anything except the money put into the games. That is not to say that they were not interested in the outcome, Nintendo wanted the project to succeed and would give Retro direction when needed. I could have expressed myself better, sorry.JediMB said:
Zelda, on the other hand, is a different beast. A stagnating but extremely important franchise to Nintendo. Handing it off to another development studio is probably the best move at this point, but it requires an entirely different approach.