Celda detractors, taunt no more!
by Ben Striegel 
{ Feb 28th 2005 at 7:50PM }
THIS could be big. Tipster Sam writes:
In the latest issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly, it is revealed that, starting in April, preordering the newest Legend of Zelda for Gamecube will nab you a redone version of The Wind Waker. The newest version of Wind Waker features what everybody has been requesting for some time: NON cel-shaded graphics. That's right, this version of the Wind Waker features ADULT Link in all his 3D glory, along with two unreleased dungeons that Miyamoto felt "had gotten too big for all ages to play."
Of course, there's no link to read to verify this claim, considering that Electronic Gaming Monthly doesn't post their articles online (damn magazines, with their so-called "paper" and their so-called "ink"). Not that I don't trust the validity of the tip, it's just that EGM's claim seems to be a bit far-fetched to me. Why would Nintendo take time out of their undoubtedly insane schedule by rehauling the graphics engine for a game that was renowned for its graphical style more than anything?
And if the tip proves to be true, what could it mean for Nintendo? Shigeru Miyamoto has repeatedly stated that The Wind Waker's graphical style was chosen deliberately to convey a more immersive game experience. What could warrant such a blatant reversal of position? Would this announcement serve to hype the new Zelda game even more, just as the inclusion of the OoT Master Disc spurred sales of The Wind Waker? Or would it only serve to cast a shadow over the upcoming Zelda by diverting attention away from it? And how would a realistic Wind Waker compare to its cel-shaded predecessor? Ah, so many questions, yet so many more.
UPDATE: It's a fake, "obviously." Apparently EGM thinks they're too good to wait until February ends to start making April Fools jokes. Still, the idea intrigues, don't it?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Congratulations Sucker! @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM
Congratulations on falling for an April fools prank!
monkey @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM
good stuff
striegs @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM
I KNEW IT! I SO KNEW IT!!!
Eh, whatever. I don't feel like taking it down now. I'll see how many opinions I get from people who don't read the comments.
Adam @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM
April Fools, OBVIOUSLY. The screen shot is terrible, and the article itself says the game will be out "The first of April."
Really, Joystiq? Don't make me doubt you. I could always go back to Kotaku. It's right over there.
Don't worry I will never leave you.
Ubernym @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM
Whether or not it's true, the original art design (that's right- I said art design) of Wind Waker is absolutely phenomenal. Of course I'm excited for the epic look and feel of the new Zelda game, but that doesn't mean Wind Waker was bad. Not at all. Wind Waker is one of the best games of the current generation consoles. While the idea of more dungeons is cool (since the game was pretty short), I don't know if I really want the style to change, becuase I loved the cartoony, colorful world I played in the first time 'round.
Only time will tell, eh?
SetupWeasel @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM
The Wind Waker was the first Zelda game I finished. I was disappointed that the next Zelda would be dark and realistic, but I figured that the more light Link would be back sometime in the future. If this rumor is true, however, I don't hold much hope of that happening. It would be like the company admiting it was a mistake, and promising never to do it again.
It wasn't a mistake though. The Wind Waker was one of the most beautiful, polished, and fun games I've ever played. It would be very sad if closed-minded fanboys doomed this artistic style to extinction.
striegs @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM
Damn if I didn't try for HOURS to verify this thing. Out of all the people on my buddy list AND all the editors of Joystiq, apparently nobody subscribes to EGM. Oh well, we all make mistakes, eh Sam? Or should I say... monkey?
SetupWeasel @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM
It's still February. I cannot be held responsible for falling for an April Fool's joke this early.
monkey @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM
Hahahaha. Hey, you can't blame a guy for feeling stupid
monkey/sam (i'm stupid) @ Dec 18th 2005 10:05PM
You can take this piece of news down as not being an April Fools... the other interesting thing in EGM was this months Next-Gen Console Report, which gives, what to me seems like a pretty good confirmation about changes to the Xbox 2 controllers:
"Some development folk who are hard at work on Xbox 2 projects tell us that Microsoft is making some minor (but needed modifications to it's controller for the next generation. The latest design has the Black and White buttons positioned up top, giving it two extra shoulder buttons... it also has a built-in jack for your Xbox Live Headset."