Zelda director won't quit until he surpasses Ocarina of Time
by Griffin McElroy 
{ Nov 29th 2008 at 3:30PM }
In a recent interview with Nintendo Power, Aonuma expressed his lofty career goals -- he plans to stick with the Zelda series until he creates a title that surpasses Ocarina of Time. This is fantastic news, as Aonuma's continued involvement with the series is likely the only reason we've yet to see a spin-off title featuring a gun-toting Dark Link.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
CJC @ Nov 29th 2008 3:33PM
He already MADE Majora's Mask.
The Fatass of Kickassness @ Nov 29th 2008 3:59PM
Shouldn't he have quit seven years ago, then?
The Fatass of Kickassness @ Nov 29th 2008 4:01PM
Oh wtf. That wasn't meant to be a reply.
IGLAW @ Nov 29th 2008 4:10PM
+1
BananaBoat @ Nov 29th 2008 4:46PM
You hold an unpopular opinion, but I can't bash you for it. I remember when Majora's came out, and me and my friends didn't speak to each other for about a week until we had finished the game. All of them hated it, and while I didn't hate it, I didn't love it either. It's surprising how much people have begun to love it after all of this time.
For me, the 24 hour gameplay was not fun. Having to constantly feel like I'm going against the clock in an adventure game that should be about exploring was simply meh. Add to that the thought that it was a sequel to OOT (a game I adored) but that it had absolutely nothing to do with Hyrule (which I didn't know when I bought it) and the end result was less than optimal.
In hindsight, it may have just been that I didn't like the story, and the lack of Zelda (and Hyrule) didn't allow me to get too heavily involved. It definitely had something that I think TP lacked though, and that is character. Unlike any of the towns in TP, it really felt like Clock Town was a living, breathing town. Termina also felt like this lived in place, much more so than I felt any city in TP did, and that I hadn't felt about a city in a Zelda game since the Kokiri Forest town you start OOT in. Then again, Zelda has always had that problem (with the exception of LTTP) where Hyrule seems almost like a deserted place, and not the capital of Hyrule.
I've said it once, and I'll probably say it again between now and the launch of the first true Wii Zelda game (TP was a port); If they can find a medium between the goofy extreme of Wind Waker, and the overly dark Twilight Princess, they may actually be able to take a crack at dethroning OOT. If they can't find that balance though, they don't have a chance, and I think Aonuma knows it.
Eh @ Nov 29th 2008 4:52PM
That game was a joke, the 3 day time limit was the worst idea ever.
Mr Khan @ Nov 29th 2008 4:53PM
at the time, i was completely intimidated by the 24-hour time limit (though it can be excused, i was 10), but i later played a copy that a friend had already beaten, and i was intrigued by the depth of NPC interaction
The level of NPC depth remains unparalleled in the series. Twilight Princess came close, in the sense that TP had a fairly compelling cast (except Link & Zelda, oddly enough), but the number of compelling characters wasn't nearly so large
Noshino @ Nov 29th 2008 5:09PM
"For me, the 24 hour gameplay was not fun. Having to constantly feel like I'm going against the clock in an adventure game that should be about exploring was simply meh. Add to that the thought that it was a sequel to OOT (a game I adored) but that it had absolutely nothing to do with Hyrule (which I didn't know when I bought it) and the end result was less than optimal."
For me it was the oposite, I think the 24hr gameplay was a fantastic idea that to this day hasn't been matched.
Because of the time constrain, the player had to find shortcuts to get to other places, and thus familiarized with the buildings/surroundings, and because of that, they also got to see many NPCs often, and the fact that they actually moved and had different things to say depending on the time or situation actually made them feel alive and helped immerse the player into the game's world.
Oh, add on top of that the masks which were fun to collect and that included content to the puzzle/exploration aspect of the game...
god, I found this game so amazing back then, and to this day it still on of my favorite games
West @ Nov 29th 2008 5:51PM
I have to agree, I LOVED MM when it came out. The 3-day cycle brought new life to the game, it was no longer just a stagnant world like in other Zelda games; and although it wasn't as great as OoT was, it was still a great game. I never got why people didn't like it, but to each their own I guess. Can I not like bolth?
BananaBoat @ Nov 29th 2008 7:08PM
I guess it comes down to people either loving or hating the 24 hour element of the game. Just like how people hated or loved Wind Waker for the art style (I hated it. I was so disappointed because of the realistic version they showed at E3 the year before). Take away the 24 hour thing, and I probably would have loved the game for all that it brought to the table. Oh, and I was fairly young, so depending on how old you were when you played it, you may have been less frustrated with the time element. Playing it as an adult, I could probably master the time element, but I don't think I would ever forgive it for not being a direct sequel to OOT that involved Hyrule.
Looking at metacritic (I know, it's meaningless) OOT is "The best game ever" with a score of 99/100. Majora's Mask is fourth on the N64 list with a 95/100. Any way you slice it, the game is excellent, but it seems that the difference between excellence and godly perfection is 4 points.
Oh and yeah, Zelda was criminally under used in Twilight Princess. I really hope that Zelda plays a bigger part in the next game.
Pedobear @ Nov 29th 2008 7:23PM
Majora's Mask was my favourite Zelda. I really liked the NPCs and I liked the darker undertone of the game. Ocarina of Time is a close second though.
syrik zero @ Nov 29th 2008 8:43PM
I'm going to add myself to the list of people who loved Majora's Mask. I loved it when it came out and still love it! I played it a little less than a year ago. I really never understood why people didn't like it.
Roto13 @ Nov 29th 2008 11:17PM
Why do people keep calling it a 24-hour time limit? It was 72 hours.
BananaBoat @ Nov 30th 2008 12:19AM
I haven't played since I beat the game 10 or however many years ago, that's why.
24 hours or 72 hours, it was still only....what...30 minutes of actual time?
Ted @ Nov 30th 2008 12:48AM
Sure, all of the games he's directed have been better than Ocarina of Time, except Twilight Princess. But don't tell him that, or he'll stop making games.
Roto13 @ Nov 30th 2008 11:24AM
"24 hours or 72 hours, it was still only....what...30 minutes of actual time?"
God no. It's 54 minutes if you don't slow it down, but it's a lot longer than that if you do. Do you seriously think you could find a dungeon, enter it, and complete it in 30 minutes?
BananaBoat @ Nov 30th 2008 1:19PM
30 minutes, 54 minutes, tomato, tomato =P
Let me say this; It felt like 30 minutes =P
bm @ Nov 30th 2008 6:27PM
Anybody who thinks the time element in MM is meant as a time limit, is a fucking retard who doesn't deserve to be playing MM. Get the fuck out.
Erik Stroud @ Nov 29th 2008 3:34PM
Sweet. Atleast we know we will have many more great Zelda games to come. Now, why don't you port Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask to DS already?
Vegnagun bwf @ Nov 29th 2008 4:50PM
I know, right! That game would print money! Get on it Nintendo.
Erik Stroud @ Nov 29th 2008 9:43PM
The only problem I can see coming from it would be possible control issues, unless the C buttons get mapped to the screen.
Cody @ Nov 30th 2008 12:29AM
Dude I've been screaming that ever since I got my first DS in '05.... looks like it ain't happening :(
Erik Stroud @ Nov 30th 2008 11:06AM
I don't think it is. But we can hope. I liked Phantom Hour Glass and all, but I want a real Zelda. Like Minish Cap or Ocarina of Time on the DS. The controls for PHG were just to annoying for it to be on those levels.
Phoenixxx1974 @ Nov 30th 2008 11:22AM
I have a better idea. Why not make a four swords adventure for them like they did for the SNES' link to the past? Being able to play with friends through wifi or locally that would be awesome.
Erik Stroud @ Nov 30th 2008 3:24PM
That would be awesome. I think they were making it at one time, but it got replaced with Phantom Hourglass.
Markez @ Nov 29th 2008 3:38PM
Wow! Good to hear. Hopefully this ambitious fella will hit the mark with the next Wii Zelda releases.
*crosses fingers and does the wierd Hiro eye squinty thingy
Foetoid @ Nov 29th 2008 8:08PM
Except for Majoras Mask, there has only ever been 1 big Zelda release per console and i don't think the Wii will be any different. You'll find that since a new Zelda hasn't really been announced (yes, we know they're 'working' on one) it'll be probably another 12 months at least till we see something concrete, and by then Nintendo may be ready to announce a new HD Wii console (which hopefully has huge internal storage and GC games on the VC) and have the new Zelda as a gritty HD launch title.
mo @ Nov 29th 2008 11:42PM
Actually, with the exception of the SNES there have been 2 big Zelda releases per console:
NES: Zelda, Zelda II
SNES: ALLTP
N64: OOT, MM
GC: WW, TP (remember TP was developed for gamecube and ported to the wii)
I think we'll see one more Zelda for the Wii, and hopefully with better sword play with the wiimote, before they move on to the next gen.
shane @ Nov 29th 2008 3:44PM
Majora's mask is criminally underrated.
JerJer @ Nov 29th 2008 3:51PM
+1
Noshino @ Nov 29th 2008 4:42PM
Seriously, Majora's Mask is to me what a great Zelda game should be like
- Dark yet not emo
- Challenging yet not frustrating
- Fun and well thought out missions
- NOT A FREAKING PRINCESS INVOLVED AT ALL
kaneda26 @ Nov 29th 2008 5:17PM
I find humorous the idea that a game titled after a princess is best without a princess involved.
Noshino @ Nov 29th 2008 5:20PM
Funny, Ironic, but true....
Megadanxzero @ Nov 29th 2008 9:57PM
Err... Link's Awakening doesn't have a Princess either. It's far better than Majora's Mask too, or any other Zelda game
Psycho300x @ Nov 29th 2008 3:44PM
well he better hurry it up, I havent even turned on my wii in 4 months, Im getting a little discouraged.
Markez @ Nov 29th 2008 3:49PM
You forgot to throw in a dusty Wii comment, it's what the kids do these days.
tmacairjordan87 @ Nov 29th 2008 4:04PM
He assumed we were smart enough to figure out that something that's not touched for 4 months is a dust magnet.
LaughingTarget @ Nov 29th 2008 4:45PM
I haven't touched my Wii in 9 months, but I keep it dusted.
Ignatius @ Nov 29th 2008 4:50PM
I bet you keep it WELL dusted.
The Fatass of Kickassness @ Nov 29th 2008 4:59PM
What a worthwhile and insightful comment, Psycho. Creative and original, too. You deserve a medal.
Thanks to you, I've finally cracked the formula! I now know how to get upvoted on Joystiq easily.
Step 1 - Craft a well thought out and smart post
Step 2 - Crumple it up and post a comment that bashes the Wii
Lee @ Nov 29th 2008 5:03PM
I haven't played my PS3 or 360 in months but I keep them dusted too. Oddly though the Wii needs more cleaning, probably because it's white and dust stands out. Needless to say the Wii gets more play yet the same level of dusting.
FireAnt360 @ Nov 29th 2008 5:08PM
@tmacairjordan87
my brother's PS3 is a dust magnet even when it's on.
kaneda26 @ Nov 29th 2008 5:20PM
Just to make sure we are all on the same page, 'dusting the Wii' is a euphemism for masturbating, right?
Moptimus Slime @ Nov 29th 2008 5:48PM
why dont companies just make dust colored consoles?
Psycho300x @ Nov 29th 2008 6:38PM
@The Fatass of Kickassness
Thank you wholeheartedly for that smart ass remark, it truly made my day, and through its own implied originality made you look like a fool. However to address your concern, having paid $250 for the console, bought several games (I can count them on one hand), and Nintendo's inability to keep me interested in their console, I feel entitled to bash whatever the hell I would like to.
Foetoid @ Nov 29th 2008 7:17PM
Thats the problem right there. If i had bought any of the HD consoles and bought enough games to count on 1 hand, i'd probably never turn it on either. Just my Wii games itself i can't count on TWO hands, same with my VC/WiiWare games and same again with Gamecube games. Go buy some games and PRESTO, it won't collect dust -_-
The Fatass of Kickassness @ Nov 29th 2008 7:39PM
Never said you couldn't, Psycho. My smart ass remark was simply to point out that that is the exact same post I've seen from so many people around this site, in threads that really don't require it (like this one!). It was more against folks who upvote posts like that simply because they bash the Wii, rather than against you, the poster, though my post also had something to do with the fact that people still feel the need to post the same ol' shtick in every Wii related post, regardless of whether or not it makes sense to do so.
Psycho300x @ Nov 29th 2008 7:43PM
I would, provided there were more games that interested me, Zelda was great, RE4 was great although I had already beaten it several times on GC, Galaxy was cool but it didnt keep me hooked, same with No more Heroes, and same goes for Brawl, besides those games theres nothing I'd like to play on the console, which isnt living up to my expectations or the potential of the console.
Psycho300x @ Nov 29th 2008 7:44PM
@ Fatass-
I understand what you're saying, and its true, but what the wii bashers are saying is true too.
The Fatass of Kickassness @ Nov 29th 2008 7:45PM
"which isnt living up to my expectations or the potential of the console."
Alright, this I can agree with - I was expecting a lot more to come from this console. It's still been fun for me, though (I own twenty-something games for the Wii, still more than my 360 but only because I got the 360 late into the game). There are more good games out there for the Wii than people think.