Twilight Princess to feature 100+ hours of gameplay

by James Ransom-Wiley { Nov 17th 2005 at 11:30AM }

This ain't no kiddie adventure. Word from Down Under is that The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess will be packed with 100+ hours of gameplay, making it the meatiest Zelda adventure yet—and it better be! To say that the wait has been excruciating is an understatement. Don't get us wrong, we want it to be perfect too, but what's the deal with these "newly added game mechanics" that are causing the holdup?

[Thanks, Phil]

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

mat @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

yeah, and 50 hours of that will be shooting golden spiders with a bow and arrows.

I love Zelda, but those side quests can bore me to tears. And what sucks is that in WW, the side quests became the game. That tri-force hunt blew...

Princess Zelda @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

I'll get my money's worth then :)

100 hours, I wonder if it'll be 2 Disk's? It took my 4 months to finsh Zelda-The Windwaker. It's kinda sad though this will proably be the last Nintendo to be released for the Gamecube.

vidGuy @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

I've heard 60 hours main game first run, with another 40+ side quests.

And the rumour for the delay from November to March (or so) is that Ninty wanted this one to be played on the Revolution, too, so they went back to add the swinging sword and all the other mechanics that the new controller will provide.

vidGuy @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

For it to span two discs, wouldn't it have to have a subdivided world... where you complete one area and never return to it? That'd be pretty different for the Zelda games. I guess it could have a repeat of the "game content" on each disc and just have different cut scenes, though.

Tamo @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

I personally have to thank Nintendo for releasing it later. My GPA wouldn't be able to handle a game like that taking up my time.

Jody Anthony @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

I guess I'll be the first to say "SWEEEEEEET"

Sanitarium @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

Last I knew, it was 60+ hours, and that made me extremely excited. I usually take how long the game is or how long it will interest me into extreme consideration when buying. If a game seems like itd be too short for me, I wait for it to go down to about 20$ before buying it. Since its a Zelda game, it'll defenitely interest me all the way through and then for some time afterwards, so the longer the better.

When they delayed it, I had a good feeling that one of the main reasons was because the game wouldn't live up to the length they promised. It was at e3 i think where they said 60+ hours, and now I know the delay was well worth it. 100+ hours is just amazing. This game looks to be one of the greatest games I'll ever play, and will most likely take a spot in my top 5 favorite games ever. Not only does it look to be one the funnest Zeldas made, its going to be probably the longest, meaning the biggest, which just makes me almost stain my pants.

Michael @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

this is the reason i bought that second hand gamecube thats in the cupboard somewhere.

The 13th Duke of Wybourne @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

100 hours?

Fuck that. I've got other stuff to do, other games to play, money to earn, beer to drink, films to watch and a wife to keep sweet. Why bother picking it up in the first place if I know I'll only get 20% of the way into it.

The only people to get the most from it will be students, the unemployed and people without a REAL life.

Shane @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

no no no it wont be 50 hours of shooting spiders, it will be 50 hours of hunting the last remaining trifore pieces by searching all the bricks in the castles...

arggggg why 100hours? thats too long for a game, long hourage != fun meaty experience, im happy with my zeldas being 20ish hours.

Eric @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

There'd better not be any hours of "sailing" in that 100 anywhere. #3: Dude, I totally hope that rumour is true.

Jody Anthony @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

#9--or the people that work and have a "real life" and like long stories they could get involved in 1 or 2 hours a night, and let the fun last.

Im sorry, but if Im going to pay $50 for a game, i want it to last more than one sitting

Chiablo @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

Remember Xenosaga? That had about 100 hours of gameplay... of which 80% of it was sitting waiting for the boring FMV sequences to finish so you can actually play.

anthony @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

#9
It's funny how you talk about "people without a REAL life."
You are posting on joystiq.com. I admit that I'm a dork. I think
you should too.

anthony @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

#9
It's funny how you talk about "people without a REAL life."
You are posting on joystiq.com. I admit that I'm a dork. I think
you should too.

BXJoseff @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

by the time this game comes out Revolution will be right around the corner. and while I was going to pick up a refurbished cube...I guess I'll just have to sweat it out. However, it would be amazing to see if Nintendo can pack this all onto one disc...I heard RE4 was two discs, is that true? I doubt it.

GlitchCog @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

"That tri-force hunt blew..."

Yeah, it did. But that's because WindWaker was rushed. They said the hunt at the end wasn't how they wanted to do it, but they were pressed to meet a deadline.

That's why they're taking their time with this one, so we don't end up with another lame end-of-game quest.

Pyrulen @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

#15 yeah RE4 was 2 discs, the split was at mainlad - island switch.

most likely this game will be 2 disk, and the split would be similar to TOS, where some places will end up destroyed where u cnat return, and thats where they make the extra room on the next disc

Blizz419 @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

i cant wait till this game comes out

anyone wanna trade mario kart DS friend codes? visit my blogg

http://vgameviews.blogspot.com/

Lou D @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

I predicted Revolution would run a GC game "enhanced". Maybe they'll include a wired version of the Revolution controller for the GC like they demoed at the Tokyo Games Summit with a modyfied build of Metroid Prime 2...

pete @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

side question-
Does anybody have their GCubes hooked up to a HD set with the mythical GC component cables?
Does it make any difference? I'm toying with the idea just for this game...

Vespa Boy @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

I hope it is more than 100 hours believe it just think about 40 dollars for a 100. That mean each hour is calculated to be worth about 2.20 dollars that means a lot of work has been done to make this game happen.

Spytap @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

Actually, it means that each hour is worth 40 cents

It's 40 cents per hour, or 40/100

If each hour were 2.20, then for 100 hours, the game would cost 220 dollars...I'm not paying 200 bucks for any Zelda game that doesn't come with a system attached.

kingoscar @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

The component cables for the GC bring out the flaws in the otherwise glorious RE4. Everything looks jaggy.

Jay @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

wait so drinking beer is having a life? yea man! having a life is what I just got back from, going out with mates climbing mountains. worried that any of us could die at any minute in the bitter sub-zero temperatures. THATS living.

oh yea. 100+ hours? I like. i can already predict the 100% glowing reviews of this game. its going to be a legend of a game.

LIT25 @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

#19 Pete

Don't listen to kingoscar. I got the component cables for GC to use on my plasma. The difference is night and day. The colors are more vibrant, progressive scan mode is available, plus some games support widescreen (like timesplitters 2). Best $30 i spent on the GC.

mike bouchard @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

I agree with vidGuy

I'm of firm belief that this is coming out for the Revolution with sword fighting assigned to the new controller as well.

It makes perfect sense, and the timing of the announcement to go back and develop NEW GAMEPLAY MECHANICS is pretty convincing.

Princess Zelda @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

pete

"Does anybody have their GCubes hooked up to a HD set with the mythical GC component cables?"

I don't know about component cables but I did get a set of good S-video cables for my Gamecube and they made a huge differance over the cheap composite cables you get with the Gamecube. I bought them to play Zelda-Twilight Princess. There are reviews on the Component cables just look around. Nintendo's online store says the component cables should be back in stock in January.

Mrs.EB @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

while having 2 disks seems likely, I find it highly unlikely that the break in discs will mean not being able to return to previous lands or temples. Just knowing what I know about previous Zelda games, I think it's a good chance that you will have to return to those previous lands or temples to gather collection items that you couldn't get without a certain skill. Zelda games really aren't that linear to allow something like that.

as for #9... wow I don't even want to respond to that, but.. I will anyways. Since when was drinking beer and watching movies a "real life"? I mean WOW, watching movies all the time and being drunk off your keister is so much more fulfilling. I'm married, a child on the way, and a full time job. I can assure you I will take all that game has to offer, probably twice over.

Jackass.

wonderflex @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

Yeah, seriously, why would anybody be down on a 100+ hour Zelda adventure unless they simply don't like Zelda (or Nintendo for that matter). Zelda games are always the best - even if some things seem kinda uneccisary. All games have a little bit of that though (The Mushroom King has been transformed into an animal again!?!), but it doesn't make it a horrible game.

Then on the plus side of things, if this game has THAT much side quest action then it's probably safe to say that the world is pretty big. I love the idea of huge worlds, like in Farcry, they are just fun to explore.

As a random side note - I don't drink alchohol, I have two jobs (although one I don't like), I see pretty much a new movie a week, have an amazing wife, and I still plan on playing this to it's fullest; as will my wife most likely.

Oh, and cables-shmables - great looking or not I believe this game with have the heroic feeling, with amazing sound, so the graphics won't play that large of role. That why I love A Link to the Past. It's just a solid, fun, amazingly wonderful, game, that you can rock on a color tv, with fading colors, that you picked up at a garage sale, yet still have more fun than 90% of the Origional Xbox lineup.

vidGuy @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

The way it sounds, there's going to be quite a few more temples than OoT had... so there's a good chunk of time there. I was pretty dissappointed in them artificially lengthening WW by the boat... but it seems like Link's going to have several quick methods of transportation in this game, so very little time will be used to trasverse the expansive environment.

Dan @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

> Does anybody have their GCubes hooked up to a HD set with the
> mythical GC component cables?
> Does it make any difference? I'm toying with the idea just for this game...

They are only mythical in that you can't buy them in stores, you have to buy them from the online nintendo store. Your tv doesn't even have to be HD, just has to support 480p, or ED. They do make a difference for any game that supports 480p, which is really quite a substantial list (Look for Progressive Scan on the back.) You do have to remember to hold "B" when starting up the game to switch to progressive mode (it will ask if you want to switch if the game supports it.) Just make sure your tv can switch between interlaced 480i and progressive 480p on the same input, or you will be disappointed.

Also if you aren't using s-video, that alone will improve your picture considerably, in fact I'd say the difference between composite and s-video is as big or bigger than the difference between s-video and progressive. the difference between 480i component and s-video is very small, though so on games that don't support 480p, they will not look much different if you're already using s-video.

bryan @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

I bought a refurb Gamecube(They are only 60 bucks some places) 3 months ago, and have picked up several games. As cool as Mario Cart, and Metroid Prime are.....After I started the Zelda Wind Walker, It's rarely left the cube. I still haven't finished, and have little desire to play anything else when I have the time. It is simply an amazing game. I cant wait to see what the next one is like. 100 hours, I will be playing this thing for a year. I can't wait.

Jago @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

The 13th Duke of Wybourne:

Get off your high horse you ass...

There are plenty of people who are able to play games, have a life AND have a relationship (be it g/f or wife.)

Nossy @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

At the rate at which you guys guys blog and posts in forums, it'll take years for anybody in here to finish a 100 hours game.

hilker @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

If you don't feel like waiting for nintendo.com to restock the component cables, Lik-Sang has them in stock.

bd (formerly b) @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

With this, along with other features, Twilight Princess has the potential to dethrone Ocarina of Time. I hope it will.

norebonomis @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

i for one will not be seen online until i complete loz tp

Jody Anthony @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

Star Ocean: Till the end of Time was supposed to be like 80 hours or something like that. I finished it in about 60. But that 60 hours took me about 4 months. I like games like that, personally.

(i guess i could of stretched that way over 80 hours if i went after all the battle trophies)

Lou @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

"The component cables for the GC bring out the flaws in the otherwise glorious RE4. Everything looks jaggy."

So true. I have the component cables and RE4 is ugly on that. TV has a nice softening effect. HD does not...though DLP does a bit. Madden is awesome in widescreen mode with progressive scan. You also realize what a gem Metroid Prime 1+2 are from a graphics point of view. Even Soul Calibur is sweet. Not all games say it on the box but some support progressive scan anyway.

I have a 50" Samsung DLP widescreen tv and progressive scan rules!

Blueman @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

I'm gonna be in the service by the time it comes out... :(

This will be the first game I will get... if I come back.

theUnknownGamer @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

100+ hours? i wouldn't want it any other way. IMO, there are only a handfull of truly great games at any given time and this will surley be one of those. if you're not a game junkie and don't buy every thing on the shelf like myself, then this game will surly fill the void in-between the AAA titles.

Google Nazi @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

I am happy to hear there will be 100+ hours of gameplay. Unfortunately it will take months to get that far because of job + college but even at that, it is great!

I remmeber as a kid I would play zelda games and get everything at full and windwaker didn't really impress me much on getting evertyhing. (I didn't like the way the sidequests were made)

Could this be another epic adventure like OOT? I think so, even greater! I just hope the game isn't too big where it takes forever to get to point A to point B which in turn would make the game 40hours longer lol

michaelk @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

I love Zelda and can't wait for this to come out but I wish they would've kept the cartoony design. I don't really like such photoreal art.

RabidMoose @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

About the component cables, yeah, you have to get them online from Nintendo. And yes, they do make a difference. I have a normal CRT 20" TV (no HD, no progressive), but it does have a component input, as well as normal composite ones.
As a test when I got the cable (when Metroid Prime came out), I plugged the GC into the TV on both inputs at the same time (yep, it can do that). Switching back and forth, it was like night and day between the two different formats. Composite was SO blurry compared to component, and that's without factoring in progressive scan.

Frostofsparta @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

I'm Super excited for this to come out... Although There are sections where Link turns into a wolf... and something rides you around... That sounds like this could very well ruin this great game....

vidGuy @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

Frostofsparta:

It'd be hard to justify the name Twilight Princess if there was no reason, aka the Twilight world. A place where no humans can exist in their original form.

What's interesting is Link is going to be able to ask animals to help him in the normal world, too. Sounds interesting.

Frostofsparta @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

Yeah the game looks really great and sounds cool. I just hope you play as Link a lot longer then you are the wolf...

Zeromus @ Dec 18th 2005 10:01PM

I cant' wait for playing Zelda Twilight Princess anymore!!! it's been a long long time since i'm salivating at reading and watching things about this game!!!

I'll buy it as soon as it'll be on the stores...

And 100+ hours is a great idea... I loved the other games from Zelda, and i needed to play more when i finished them... Now... i'll enjoy a lot more the story and the game...

Ah!... another thing... If you just play the game and dislike the story scenes, you are not a real gamer... and you are wasting your time in a place that you don't belong...
And... I'm about to get the title of computer science engineer, i have a great boyfriend and i love him... I have a family, a pet (i can't take it out to walk it cause is a cat and not a dog xD)... I read a lot, and enjoy playing videogames, I walk sometimes to a quiet place and then i draw it and paint it... i breath, smile, cry, scream, kiss, hate, care, and a lot of another things...
All people have a life, you stupid fuckhead social recentful...

Playing videogames doesn't make you a dork or not having a life...
It's just a pastime activity that gives you some specials habilities like mental agility, psicomotor development, creativity and more ideas about anything (well, that is just if you play video games, not bullshit like those games about stupid unbrained girls like barbie or those ridiculous unbrained games like those about dancing with stupid music, and dancing like they say "obey")... Games are applicable to your life... and it gives you a lot of fun!!! What an ass can appreciate that???