Why the Legend of Zelda Series Is Losing Respect

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This article is a fan submission and does not represent our views here at The Hidden Triforce. With that in mind, please enjoy.

With The Legend of Zelda series being one of the most successful gaming franchises to date, what I am about to say will probably come as a shock, but none the less, it is all true. In its current state, The Legend of Zelda franchise will not ever be, and is not currently respected by the average hardcore gamer. It is my intention to state what elements of the game that needs changed to bring the series up to par and make it more worthy of respect. While stating all of this however, I will not deny the success the series has had thus far, nor will the fan be belittled. With all disclaimers out of the way, here is why the Zelda franchise just can not be respected.
Let’s face it, since the Gamecube onwards, Nintendo has not given us much to look forward to as a Zelda gamer. The Windwaker was an interesting adventure, anyone can admit that, but it definitely did not win the series more fans with its graphical style. Regardless though, since then we have had what? Toon link, toon link, toon link and again toon link. The only moment we had to actually get excited about was Twilight Princess. In these amazing trailers we saw the graphical genius that Nintendo’s systems could actually produce and we saw action beyond anything Nintendo had every provided us before.

When we played the game though, it was all an illusion. In the videos Nintendo gave the impression that Hyrule field would be filled with enemies, there would be organized assualts against Link, and epic battles. What we got instead was a rare gathering of 3 or 4 enemies who do not know how to aim arrows at you and have the combat skills of that Pidgey outside of Pallet Town. Yeah… I said it, those level 2 Pidgey’s have more combat experience.

Whether it is Nintendo’s desire to make their games easy for the “casual” aka the old people seconds away from death we see in their commercials and the 5 year olds who do not realize the toy in their mother’s drawer is not the 2nd Wii mote, or whether it is Nintendo’s just plain laziness or uncaring attitude, the series suffers from how easy they have made the games.

Respectable games do not have vast open field of nothing, aka  E.T. on the Atari. If the series was actually respectable, the landscape would have been filled with more enemies, more random or surprise attacks and actual action.  We are suppose to believe that Ganon, who knows Link is coming, sat down with 8 huge bosses and told them to sit and wait inside of one room, and that is to be his line of defense? Hell no! If serious about plot development, Nintendo would have had Ganon sending out forces to stop Link, and the open Hyrule field would have been the place to be. Why should Link be allowed to just walk right into his castle and last line of defense?

As stated before, Twilight Princess did have some well developed graphics, but again, the series will never be respected until it maintains that standard. Everyone was talking about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s graphics as being some of the best out there, but no one in their right mind has said that about a Zelda game in a long time. Yes, graphics are not everything, but in the age where game memory and space can be pushed to new levels and almost anything can go on a small disk, why isn’t Nintendo delivering? Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks… not impressive in the graphics department. They did not even do toon link too well in those games. Nintendo has even gone on record saying they made Zelda into a spirit so they would not have to design a lower body for her. That is called lazy, and Nintendo’s refusal to give gamers the graphics that most modern day games are being made at, is why The Legend of Zelda can not be respected.

Finally, the series is getting a little stale. How many times can Link kill Ghoma? How many times does he go into a forest, then fire, then water… dungeon? Why does he even have to enter dungeons? We are suppose to believe that all the bad guy can do is hide keys inside of a huge cave? The formula may work, and it may keep selling and making Nintendo money, but it is making the games repetitive and hardly worth buying (kind of like the new Halo’s). You have a magical realm of Hyrule, with parallel lands, so many people to talk to and “interact” with, weapon possibilities are unlimited, story lines can be anything, but Nintendo keeps with the exact same stale story. *Sorry, making the boss a demon train is not a huge leap forward. What happened to the day of Link’s Awakening? 100% unique. What happened to Majora’s Mask type stories? Because of the refusal to do ACTUAL innovation, the series will undergo the Halo effect, where people may keep on buying the games, but we all know there is no real difference between Halo 1,2,3 or any of the recent spin offs.
Nintendo is sitting on top of a gold mine and is treating the beloved Zelda franchise like it can be a sub-par series such as Donkey Kong. A new game may come out every once in a while, but each time less hype exists and each time the exact same disappointments are delivered. Until Nintendo addresses very simple concepts like the ones mentioned above, it will not get the same type of respect from the gaming community. It will just have the negative connotation that Nintendo has in most hardcore gamer’s eyes. Appealing to seniors and kids, and old schoolers, but never achieving a higher respect status.

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About Author

Noah Glaser is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati where he majored in Information Technology with a minor in awesome. Noah has worked in web marketing for over 5 years and has built a reputation that has followed him both professionally and independently. He is the founder and lead content contributor for The Hidden Triforce.In the 5th grade he bought Link’s Awakening for his brother as a Christmas gift. Since stealing it back, he has been hooked to the Zelda series and has never looked back. In his spare time you can find Noah frolicking with his Porygon and Kiwi Birds. He dislikes chocolate, cheese, and bacon.

  • T

    Interesting article!

  • Cyb

    I agree with the sentiments of Mr. Losey and the goddamn Batman.

    Your entire argument is mostly about you whining about a lack of HD more than anything else. You mention the games needing "actual changes" But complained about Wind Waker… just because of the art style

    WW was quite different from the rest of the series, aside from the artistic style it had a huge ocean that you traversed where you sailed through storms, fought pirates and krakens and even came across massive waterspouts made by Gods of all things. It has a lively world, unique characters(especially since it threw out the whole Hylian, Deku, Zora, Goron thing), and provided a fair amount of side-questing to be done.

    You also say that they should go like Majora's Mask(great game as it was)… which recycled every NPC from OoC out of laziness.

    And if you want to talk about stuff being the same. Let's take Call of Duty(as a series). How many times do Americans/British forces have to fight Nazis? How many times do they have to fight the terrorist forces of Unspecifiedistan and Russia? AND the only time anyone was particularly wowed by a MW game's graphics was that ghillie suit clip from the first game. Sure it's nice that they can keep frame rate up, but there are certainly better looking games out there.

  • Azrael

    I don't know what "hardcore" gamers are like where you come from, but where I am from the Zelda series is highly revered by every gamer I know. I live in a college town in the midwest, which means we get people from all over the place coming here for school, and given where I work I come in contact with a new group of gamers every year. I can easily say without any reservation that the Zelda franchise is well respected and loved by all.

    I guess the important thing to remember is not everyone cares about MW2 level graphics or swarms and swarms of bad guys. You're right that the formula for Zelda games hasn't changed much in the past, and I'm fine with that. Just like I'm fine with the way the Super Mario series hasn't changed much. Sure, there are new things added all the time, but the overall feel is still the same.

  • xino

    why shouldn't we hardcore hate the Zelda series? cuz it's always the same shit.
    Kid saving the world, Legend about a boy, Ganon, tri-star, zelda needs to be saved.

    Always the same shit

    The need to make Zelda 18 or Mature!

    • Connor Bonin!!!

      How do I say this? Well, in your unintelligent tongue: zelda r not ment 2 be hardcore an u not hardcore if u play game with good graffiks and shit so go play ur cod: modurn worfair 15 shit cuz it always teh same shit for dumm peeps leik u cuz it always teh same shit. an btw it not tri-star it Triforce dummazz!!! an plus no buddy leiks a hater u lonely garlfrendless bastard shitface. an go bak 2 kindergarten and shit cuz u keeps on capitilizin randum wurds an shit you dummazz lol u sound like dumm 13 year old!!!
      So do you get the picture?

      • Connor Bonin!!!

        For anyone whose eyes will burn from reading that mess. I told him that hardcore gamers are not people who play games with good graphics, I dissed Modern Warfare, told him it's not "tri-star" and that it's "Triforce", overused the word "shit", and told him he sounded like a 13 year old.

    • Mr. Coolbeans

      So what you're saying is…take a game that's made for ALL AGES, fill it with mindless sex, porn, violence, and language, and then slap a mature rating on it and hope for the best? You clearly don't understand why Zelda is popular. If somebody likes apple juice, do you just suddenly take that away and give them grape juice and hope that they like it? Of course you don't, but I don't think that a dumbass like you realizes that. If you like grape juice, then drink grape juice. Don't shove it in everyone's faces and make them drink it, otherwise, they're going to spit it into your face. If they like apple juice, let them drink apple juice.

      • noahglaser

        You nailed it. That is exactly what was said.

    • NintendoBeleiver

      Fuck off

  • Axe99

    I think this article is a little harsh, Zelda games have a large following who clearly enjoy them, but the statement in the comments "If a gamer doesn't respect the Legend of Zelda series, then they can't be called a gamer" is one-eyed, narrow-minded and just plain wrong. I've tried OoT twice (GC and Wii VC), and Wind Waker once, and on neither occasion could I bring myself to finish them – I personally found them boring, wasn't impressed with the stories or dialogue, and the structure drove me to put them down before I'd got to half-way (OoT – for the first ten hours, when you load up, you're _always_ in the same spot – was different save points so hard? It was being done on the PSX before Zelda came out, so hardly a groundbreaking dev) tedious. The dungeons were fun, but I found the puzzles often contrived trial-and-error affairs rather than a good logical thinkfest. Sure, OoT was very pretty for its time, but graphics alone do not make a great game.

    Now, I've been gaming since before the Ninty game-and-watch (my first Ninty piece of kit), and I've loved fantasy adventure/rpg games since before Zelda existed (they started on PC, in text form, a _long_ time ago, and continue on), but the Zelda series just doesn't do it for me. That's not wrong, that's different preferences, which a lot of Ninty fans seem to struggle to accept. I don't expect all of you to like MAG, or Metroid or Metal Gear Solid and I'm hardly arrogant enough to suggest that if someone doesn't like it they're not a gamer. Maybe biased against the letter M, but that's another story :).

  • This is a pretty ridiculous comment to make. I'm tired of people believing that "hardcore" means FPS games and stupid high graphics games for PS3 and X360. Don't get me wrong, I love the more graphical systems, but the Wii is not a child's toy. And to say Zelda isn't a hardcore gamer's game is to say that Dolce and Gabbona (spelling?) is not a fashion person's thing. Zelda is the bread and butter of what an ORIGINAL hardcore title is. It's unacceptable that stupid people nowadays tend to believe that violent graphically powered games are the only ones that are true "Hardcore" titles. Sales mean jack s*** when it comes to hardcore. I'm honestly sickened by this post.

  • Nayru

    Oh jeez 2 guesses who wrote this to make an uproar… *shakes head*

  • Nayru

    Hey average, if it was really a proper staff member, I'm sure they would have put their name. Seeing as they didn't I can guess who it is. I'm guna have a talk with the webmaster about this article.

  • ROFL

    This article made be ROFL!

  • TYFIGHTER

    Without regards to my affections to the Legend of Zelda series, I have to say this was one of the worst articles Ive ever read. Seriously, god awful arguments. I feel like this shitty site just let a random 13 year old write an article. No scratch that, a 13 year old could come up with better arguments. And write more intelligently. Fail, author. FAIL.

    • sparkles_a23

      Writing as a random 13 year old, I'd just like to say,
      1. I know you (probably) just choose 13 randomly, and no offence taken
      2. I'm the only kid in my class who knows about Zelda as a 'modern' game, the girls in my class only know about it because i explode their brain with Zelda facts, and the guys heard me talking about it and were all like "You play that game? its old", so maybe there's something wrong with my class, or maybe this guys sorta on to something
      3. I get the arguement about the story thing, but dosen't a crazy, long story take all the fun out of the game? It leaves no room for imagionation. Or maybe I'm wrong.
      4. This artical should be renamed to something more sutiable, eg. Rant about poor graphics, and some side arguments.

  • Pulits

    There's so much you need to know about videogames. Your own article not only demonstrates how much of a casual gamer you're (instead of a hardcore), but how little you know about the Legend of Zelda and the current gaming generation.

    The Legend of Zelda is so much more about graphics. Which by the by, LoZ has always delivered one of the best graphical performances on their respective console with superb art direction.

    The narrative of LoZ and the innovation it brings with each installment of the series can't be matched by any game as of today. And as a game developer, and I certainly can speak for anyone in the industry, LoZ is the standard of superb quality anyone would give their left nut to achieve.

    Imagine the incredible task it is to surpass each game, each delivery… make it better than the previous one, innovate and take the saga even further.

    Sales are slowing down because of this, and annoying little shits like you who think hardcore games are GTA, GH and any random generic FPS who are uncapable of appreciating what a good games is.
    (not that the games are mentioned are bad by any means, or that LoZ is the perfect game either)

    The music, the world, the fantasy, the characters, the innovation, the design, the magic, the inspiration, the legend…..

    You made me so angry, go fuck a cactus. :/

  • Kisama

    I think this guy would think Zelda is hardcore if it was an FPS and was on the 360, yeah?

  • Hiltz

    I agree that Nintendo needs to change the stale Zelda gameplay formula. I also agree that the Big N has resorted to gimmicks that have worn out their welcome like the sail boat and now the train. With that said, I do have to give credit to Nintendo with the Wii version of Twilight Princess as the implementation of the IR pointer was used really well (except for the annoying fairy icon). Even motion control was used fairly well (except for the standard sword attack).

    I do not agree with you about Zelda's 3D graphics. Quite frankly, Zelda games look beautiful whether rendered in cell-shading or a more realistic version. The problem with your comment is that you're comparing photo realistic graphics to cell-shading… and the two are completely opposite in terms of style. However, both can just as easily achieve a sense of atmosphere.People were stupid to complain about Wind Waker's graphics. They failed to realize that cell-shading can a convincing world and atmosphere and more easily provides the game with a stylish personality. In addition, Wind Waker Link's facial expressions were quite impressive to express basic emotion… something that didn't work as well in the more realistic looking Twilight Princess.

    As far as the story goes, it would be interesting to see Ganon do something more than just sit on his throne and wait for Link to come to him. At least in Wind waker, Ganon
    did some of his own dirty work. I'd also like to see Ganon do something unexpected and shocking. It would be great to see Ganon do something really sinister because he's really just been talking the talk but not walking the walk if you know what I mean. I'm certainly not suggesting that he has to do something as radical as killing Zelda and/ or Link, but he needs to have some complexity in his plans and have his role as a villain actually mean something.

    As a hardcore gamer and a fan of the Zelda franchise, I respect the series for what it has done and the quality of the games. However, it is indeed time for Nintendo to venture out of its safe zone and provide refreshing and possibly innovative changes to the gameplay structure.

    Lastly, I think it is time for the Zelda series to offer some voice acting but just for the npc characters. It won't be necessary for Link, Zelda or Ganon in my opinion. It would also be nice to have the music be fully orchestrated. I mean, the franchise has turned out to many great and memorable tunes that it is time about that it deserves to be treated with best quality possible. MIDI may have its advantages but its outdated. I also would like to see Nintendo focus on offering fewer items/weaponry and just allow for more opportunity to use them in and outside of dungeons.

    Ultimately, I agree that Nintendo has been dragging its feet with the Zelda franchise. It has accomplished a lot with the respective series but sooner or later it has to realize that it is time for a change and do something refreshing and bold like what it did with Mario Galaxy.

  • Hiltz

    Frogot to add something else.

    As far as Hyrule field goes, I do agree that it came off as an underwhelming barren area and the lack of enemies only made it more noticeable.

    I understand that Nintendo wanted to allow the player to explore the areas on and off horseback but perhaps it would be a better idea to shrink down the scale of the areas giving the player more things to do and see. I guess what I'm refering to here is set-pieces.

    In terms of dungeon design, I think it would be interesting to fight some bosses outside of dungeons. It would also be cool to include some unexpected ways to solve dungeons and bosses beyond the age old traditional methods.

    Zelda basically wrote the book on how to make a successful and fun action adventure game. However, Nintendo's got to evolve the franchise or it will be in danger of handing over the crown to a different series (God of War seems like it may be the closest to achieving this) and losing further popularity with gamers who have grown tired of the same old Zelda titles.

  • LoaMcLoa

    Zelda rocks!

    End of the discussion

  • Munnyz

    Wind Waker is what got me into the series, so it definitly got the series more fans, well at least one.

  • Buttface

    I also got into Zelda b/c of WW and it was the cel shaded look that got me to try it in the first place.

  • AC from goN

    its so damn obvious this person knows nothing about video games, its history, and where everything came from. its obvious this article (if you can call it that) was written by someone very young, in his teens, and his first game was probably grand theft auto 3, in which he wasn't suppose to be playing at the time. if i were you, i'd retract the article, read more about video game history, try some of the older games with different emulators, and older systems, and gain some perspective. most video game journalists have perspectives that go way back, with understandings on how the state of the industry has gotten to where it is today, and what were the key games and points in history. zelda is one of the older franchises, and has brought 'firsts' to the game industry on almost every entry. it is highly respected among 'hardcore' gamers. although the defintion of 'hardcore' has changed over the years. the original definition was someone of great skills in any genre of games, spends ridiculous amount of time honing their skills, and has vast knowledge of the whole history of video games. today, it might mean someone who plays gams from the FPS genre on a high end graphics PC. you my friend are someone with limited perspective, young, and have no idea what video games really are, and just latched onto the current generation, and limited tastes. sorry, but this article is a huge fail. gain some perspective, and do a rewrite; have someone help you that is a real 'hardcore' gamer………

  • The bosses are not a line of defence against Link, they're there for purposes not even RELATED to Link's existence. Nintendo never went on the record to say that Zelda became a spirit out of laziness. They never said that off the record either. Modern Warfare 2 might have looked good visually, but you can't deny that was one of the shortest single-player campaigns ever with no co-op and only some pretty shitty online (PC gamers got absolutely raped in that department). As for getting stale, have you neglected to mention that Nintendo has repeatedly gone on the record to say that they're moving Zelda in a new direction after Twilight Princess? Spirit Tracks and Phantom Hourglass are DS adventures, designed for pick-up-and-play gameplay, and you can't possibly argue that the DS' graphics chip is good enough to make the games look any better than they are now.

    I've come to the conclusion that you're not actually a hardcore gamer yourself; you're a douchebag who's played a handful of Zelda games and then gone and become addicted to uncreative first person shooters and games you're convincing yourself make you hardcore and wrote this article to defend yourself for not appreciating the Zelda franchise. I say this as an educated member of the gaming press.

    Go fuck yourself.

  • Dark Link

    Hiltz so far is the only one that actually knows how to read and respond in a sensible manner. Thanks for the feedback and comments.

  • EtherCore

    Let me start off by saying I love the Zelda series. I have played them for the last 20 years. I loved the graphical style of Wind Waker. I think the basic formula works. Just look at Darksiders, a great Zelda clone.

    However, the LoD series does need to change. What Miyamoto needs to realize, is that we're not 12 years-old anymore. I'm not saying the core gameplay needs to change. I'm talking about the tone and execution.

    I know all of us were excited about the possibility of a darker, more mature Link when Nintendo first started teasing Twilight Princess. We wanted more visceral battle, more harrowing moments, maybe some tough moral decisions but most of all far less Tingle. What we were presented with though was more of the same in a slightly less colorful shell.

    I didn't hate LoD:TP. It just wasn't everything I thought it was going to be. I still love the Zelda series. I always will. I love each game for different reasons. I just want one made for 29 year-old me and not 12 year-old me. Kids today just don't appreciate Zelda like us gamers who have spent so much time with him. Why can't the series grow along with its core fan base?

  • Chris

    I'm with the article writer. Although the article was bad because he complained about graphics, he mentioned that it was made for casual gamers but then neglected the topic.

    And it's true. Ever since TWW Nintendo has simply been dumbing things down for casual gamers. There is a lot more on the topic (another Zelda site had an article about it, but people's comments on here make me not feel like linking it) but in the end I agree. Nintendo is just fucking lazy and stupid, and they just don't give a shit about the hardcore gamers.

  • Luca

    u r crazy =D

  • joe

    Zelda is considered the epiphany of hardcore gaming by gamers an the media alike. This just sounds like a dumb kid who wants blood in everthing. Zelda has always been considered hardcore since its release over 20 years ago. Sounds like dumb kids who need to get their facts straight. Zelda is hardcore, Call of Duty is accesable to everyone(casuals)

  • Sigma

    "average hardcore gamer"
    This is an ill defined buzz word which signifies nothing.
    "Appealing to seniors and kids, and old schoolers, but never achieving a higher respect status."
    So a game that appeals to 3 markets deserves less respect than something that appeals to a very small, isolated, rapidly shrinking, heavily arrogant, overly indulged market?
    "Respectable games do not have vast open field of nothing"
    Better call up Blizzard with that opinion. I think they could use a laugh.
    "Let’s face it, since the Gamecube onwards…"
    So… you're entire argument is based one three out of 17 games in the series? Have you ever even played the first three Zelda games?
    "Why does he even have to enter dungeons?"
    What do you suggest instead? You actually offer nothing but the complaint you would rather be playing some other game, not realizing that the dungeon environment is used in millions of games due to the ease of putting several varied challenges near one another without needing to stretch out the travel time. It's a trope from Dungeons and Dragons that's been used in games since before I was born.

    Keep in mind that this is coming from someone who works in the game industry as a designer/artist: You have no idea what you are talking about. Nintendo has done several things poorly in their tenure as one of the most iconic and respected companies in gaming but gamers have never had a single truly bad Zelda game. They consistently change the industry and most companies follow their lead in terms of design. Play Darksiders if you don't believe me.

    Secondly your article literally says nothing about what should be done about the "problems" you see with the series. You effectively make the same complaint that it needs to remove X and simply add in graphics that the Wii can't actually do, which effectively signifies nothing.

    Just try making a game yourself sometime and enjoy the rush of spending 8 hours to get a character to walk in a straight line, then tell us that Nintendo is phoning something in.

    Bottom line: The series has been selling millions of copies before you were born, will likely continue for many years from here and this mysterious Hardcore Respect is completely meaningless to game developers now. Even those who want to make a difficult game still couldn't care if you respect them as long as you pony up to the counter for more games.

  • Hiltz

    I agree with some of the people here in that the title's article is pretty much designed to be an attention getter but it has certainly worked in your favor to strike up an interesting article with some reasonable points brought up. Fortunately, Nintendo has provided us with comments that learn towards the possibility of acknoledging and actually making changes to the next game.Hopefully, these said changes will be for the best and revitalize the franchise to its former glory and not just because its a Zelda game in name only.

    Ignore half of the commenters here. They're simply Nintendo fanboys who are quick to defend anything Nintend-related including the beloved Zelda franchise. It's pretty clear that a lot of you guys are trying to deflect the logical points made by the author and then choose to bring up irrelevant and groundless accusations and unnecessary insults.

    The fact of the matter is that while Zelda remains one of the best quality and most fun action adventure games of all time, you cannot deny that in the big picture, Nintendo has produced too many recent "safe" titles. Phantom Hourglass only brought out innovative controls but other than that it was a scaled-down Wind Waker. Spirit Tracks deserves credit for experimenting with some fairly refreshing changes.

    Just a reminder: You can be a Zelda fan without being a fanboy. The difference is that a real fan isn't an immature, blind loyalist who defends their opinion at all costs by denying and deflecting valid points. They also hate on other gamers who may not share the same level of passion that you may have with a game and/or game system.
    Do yourselves a favor and stop being a fanboy. It makes you look foolish,immature and does damage to your credibility as a commenter on video game blogs and forums.

  • Dark Link

    Thank you Hiltz. You are the most intelligent commenter here so far. You got the point of the article and you arent jumping on totally irrelevant points like a lot of people are.

  • GG

    Seems silly to speak in generalizations as you do. I'm a "hardcore gamer" and I happen to love the Legend of Zelda series…and all my other so-called "hardcore" games, too.

  • MattDamond

    I don't ever really post on forums, but this one takes it all.. you are just a complete idiot. Done.

    I don't think there is a better game out there in terms of an all around experience. "Quote by most hard-core gamers around who play to enjoy" *(Not my opinion)*

    PC – PS3 – Xbox360 – Wii > They all support Fun : )

  • jurz

    Can anyone explain to me how any of the recent Zelda games are "hardcore"? A lot of the commenters are throwing it around as if they actually know what it means. Zelda games are all about puzzle solving and mildly difficult combat, not instadeath traps at every corner, required 100% accuracy at everything, remembering entire level layouts, or strenuous unforgivng time limits. The article writer is right, and what some of you need to understand is that Zelda nowadays really is aimed at the casual market, rather than "hardcore", and Nintendo have to do something to if they don't want the series to eventually stagnate.

    As soon as someone says anything derogatory about Zelda, a lot of you are quick to jump the gun and instantly defend it, no matter how illogical you will sound, and even though the article writer made some points that I disagree with as well as some I agree with, I didn't have to resort to using abusive language. Grow up, a lot if you.

    • lxMattAranxl

      I’m with you on this. Everything you said, that all sounds like Dark Souls’ line. Zelda is more like a action/adventure puizzle game. Only exception was Hyrule warriors/Legends, a hack-n-slash game, which are all awesome! Topping it with a story that goes into the lore is what makes it a long lasting series!

      No, the only disrespect to the Zelda franchise is the CD-I games… those should never be created… at all… puts even Tingle (Oh yes… even him) to shame.

      Not sure about the animated series… I still watch that even today. lol Also aware it’s also non-canon, since it’s almost about between the main Legend of Zelda and Adventure of Link. Hard to tell since Courage was never mentioned till AoL, plus in that had the true canon part, as in Ganon with Power and Zelda with Wisdom.
      All in all, Zelda has been, and forever has been, a great gaming series… this review sucked so bad. Thumbs down to the guy that wrote it. (e.e)q

  • Dark Link

    We need more mature readers like jurz and hiltz

  • swice

    Here you go:
    http://n4g.com/wii/NewsCom-475599.aspx?CT=1#Comme

    This article is weak. However, Kudos to the author for making it long and worth a read-through. Still, very wrong.

    "Hardcore" doesn't mean what it did 20 years ago. I've been watching it evolve, or de-evolve, for the last 15 years.

  • jurz

    I love how easily people contradict themselves; saying Zelda games are hardcore as they come yet also saying that "hardcore" is a meaningless term. Hardcore imho in terms of games (not gamers) refers to a (usually) non-mainstream game with an extreme default difficulty/learning curve (this is subjective and different for everyone, but it's common sense to be able to tell if a game was made to be difficult or not). The only Zelda game I would consider "hardcore" would be the original, if only because most games of the NES era were arguably intentionally made to be more difficult than what games are today to increase replayability/game length.

  • mark

    i think that your comment is totally legitimate in some ways. On one hand there is the dry staleness from the continuous story line, one that was adequately shaken up by Majora's Mask, Oot, and Wind Waker. However, you are right in saying that nintendo hasn't really had a fresh enough story and visual graphics set since Oot, and i think that this is thier problem. I think the reason for this is laziness, and profit. They have had new and great ideas, and they are capable of stunning visual effects, they just need to put the two together, and this is what I think we all hope for in the "Zelda Wii."

    Personally, I think that nintendo will continue to send us awesome zelda games, but I hope that they will keep old thime favorites around. It is always nice to see things get updated, like the zora, and ghoma in Twilight Princess.

    i also think for all of you out there that are not Zelda fans, and you are commenting on this page because you took it offensive that he says Zelda needs to be more hard core and if you don't play zelda you aren't a true gamer, you need to just back off!

  • I like how many people who can not read and actually leave intelligent comments. You have a few like Hiltz, but most of them is just ignoring the actual statements made. Whatever the case is though, mission accomplished

  • striguy89

    While I agree that some aspects of the Zelda franchise need a serious renovation, not all of what the article writer needs to be done. It seems like the author has maybe, and I stress maybe, played 4 games of the series. It really seems like he owns a 360 and buys every single shovelware Call of Duty game that Activision vomits out, while their cousin owns a Wii, and played half an hour of Twilight Princess.
    First of all, you cannot compare the Wii to Playstation 3 or Xbox 360 in terms of graphical interfaces. The Wii is slightly better than a Gamecube, while the PS3 and 360 are leaps and bounds ahead of their predecessors. I can say the same for the DS. Comparing the graphics of a DS to a PSP, again, is pointless. The DS is capable of Nintendo 64 graphics, while the PSP is quite capable of competing with some of the higher end PS2 games. Not everything is about graphics, and this seems to be a huge problem of theirs. They even say, “Yes, graphics are not everything, but in the age where game memory and space can be pushed to new levels and almost anything can go on a small disk, why isn’t Nintendo delivering?” They seem to not understand that it doesn’t matter how much stuff you put on a disc, the GPU can only render the stuff that it’s programmed to. Sure, you can have the code on a disc to run HD graphics, but if the GPU isn’t capable of doing that, then what’s the point?
    They also seem to throw the term “hardcore gamer” around an awful lot. As AC from goN stated earlier, the definition of a hardcore gamer has changed with the generations. It used to refer to the gamers who study the moves and story of a game. Nowadays, it refers to any person who picks up a controller to play the latest shooter or sports game that Activision or EA put out on a yearly basis.
    I do however agree that Nintendo needs to mess around with the formula. It would be nice to see the NPCs have voice acting, even if Link, Zelda, and Ganon don't. A game that did that wonderfully was Fallout 3. Another welcome addition I could see Nintendo doing would be the changing of the dungeon. I like the way they have things now, except for one MAJOR flaw: once you defeat the boss of a dungeon, the weapon you found in that dungeon is never used again, other than the boomerang, bow, and hookshot. The Spinner and Ball & Chain from Twilight Princess come to mind. I NEVER once used those outside of that dungeon. I would like to see something like you find a weapon in a dungeon, and you do not need to use it to defeat the boss of that dungeon. It would be nice to find the weapon, and not have to use it until like 1 or 2 dungeons/places past the original dungeon. It’s just gotten a little bland.
    But, like everything else in life, the Zelda series is prone to critics and fanboyism. Many will assume that I play favorites. Well, yeah, I prefer the Zelda series to Metroid or Mario, but that doesn’t mean that I’ll defend it no matter what. Twilight Princess, as I felt, was an updated Ocarina of Time, just missing the ocarina. If I had it my way, I’d walk right up to Miyamoto and tell him that some things need to change. But seeing as how he wouldn’t care what I have to say and have Reggie beat the living shit out of me, it’s pointless. Nintendo is going to keep making the games until we stop buying them. And for such a long running, beloved franchise as Zelda, I think that the legend will live on. No matter what anybody says.

  • TheSoupDragon

    I wish I knew you were trolling… but I think you're trying to be serious…. Zelda =/= Atari ET. It never will.

  • guy

    It was a stupid remark to throw Halo into the equation (especially mentioning that Halo Wars is no different from the regular halos). Each Halo game drives something new, experimental and innovative, something that Zelda stopped doing after Majora's Mask. That's 10 years of staleness for you, and as a fan of this series since the NES era this makes me sad.

    • sadfasdf

      i really hope you were trolling when you wrote this…

  • David Macphail

    LOL, 9 year – old Zelda fans crying hard on here. Trying to defend Zelda's lack of originality is almost as pathetic as trying to defend Halo's lack of originality. Both games haven't done anything new or productive for the past 5 years. That is just a fact.

  • Menx64

    Big fail… Ok mr hardcoregamer, what do you propose nintendo to do so they can make zelda a respected game?

    Este articulo esta completamente influenciado por alguien que realmente cree que los gráficos lo son todo, y que de seguro no tiene idea de los que habla…

  • Realm

    I really don't think he was meaning to say Zelda is comparable to E.T. I don't think he's even trying to say Zelda is bad at all.

    That said, I do not agree with him on many points. The article is talking about how Zelda can appeal to the hardcore gamer again, but its pretty obvious the article is bias towards hardcore gaming = quality games. Zelda doesn't have to appeal to hardcore gamers, because hardcore can't be used to describe good gameplay and quality, which is all people really care about, and thats what will sell the franchise as it always has.

    Back in the NES to the N64 era, someone could say "I think Zelda is the best franchise out there", and it'd be alot more respected of an opinion and agreed with to extents. These days, not so much. Its okay for people to usually say its one of the better gaming series out there, but that it simply isn't usually considered the best anymore. This is true, and part of it is because of how many people are falling for the hardcore gaming nonsense, but its also partly because Zelda has not only failed to evolve much, but because its lost some of its higher-appeal points, such as action and difficulty.

    It's still a really great series, but it needs to revive its previous action-focus and drop its linearity, as well as changing up the formula a bit. As for hardcore and casual, that has nothing to do with it. I don't care if its Cel-shaded or not. Even if it stays easy and the story sucks, that has little to do with the problems Zelda has been having lately, but he is right in the fact that realistic graphics will appeal to "hardcore gamers" easier.

  • Nick

    So your point is: Zelda can't be respected because the actions of its 'bad guy' e.g. hiding keys in dungeons, aren't realistic and because Nintendo needs to choose a graphical style that is as 'real' as possible.

    With that as our constant, Modern Warfare 2 can't be respected: Do you think you can really be shot that many times and then just hide and the wounds will heal? Oh and what about GTAIV!? Do you think people can really jump of the top of a building and only half die, or dial a number on their phone and have it spontaneously appear out of this air?

    Get real mate, all design and gamestyle decisions are to improve the players experience. If I wanted to play something REAL I'd walk out my front door.

    If taking you to a place of imagination, puzzles and action doesn't constitute a game demanding respect and ultra realism does, then stop playing video games.

    Gooba.

    And i just realized how retarded I am an incapable of actually reading before commenting. You never said any of these things but its what i wanted to believe.

  • Kasuto

    Well, from a viewpoint within the series Ganon and his actions make sense: Z1- establish fortresses with powerful generals to maintain control over South Hyrule, Z3- keep the needed maidens separate under powerful guardians to prevent another sealing, Z5- unrelated to Ganon or enemies unleashed to cause chaos in Hyrule, Z7 etc. often to protect a series of items that will pose a threat.
    Z2,4,6 don't even use Ganon directly (just the phantom in Awakening)
    Console Zeldas have held to the tried-and-true formula, but the sheer variety in the handheld should not be ignored. Zelda even had multiplayer before Mario!
    The series will progress, yes, but it cannot grow with the player unless they allow it or regress back to the felling they first had with the series. Nintendo can and should make great games as it always has, unless they devote the company into making several progressive iterations of the series for each age level (like Capcom and Megaman).
    Bottom line is that the writer picked up on several valid but unsound points due to his lack of 'illumination' to gaming as an art. There is more to this medium than what narrow ideals he has exposed himself to.

    Finally: Megaman 1, original Ninja Gaiden, Battletoads, Zelda II and Shatterhand are infinitely more 'hardcore' than any modern FPS or sandbox game. 'Hardcore' in the original sense of course.

  • Nada Nuff

    1. First and foremost, it's on the Wii, a system that was purposely aimed at (and has catered to) the casual market. A true gamer will not forgive that. Besides that, Nintendo itself seems to have that image, and doesn't wanna shake it.

    2. You right about the "boring" factor-nothing really happens outside the dungeons. The game itself is also sinfully easy.

    3. Link doesn't talk. It makes him, and the whole game, seem childish. The characters who do talk aren't voiced–we have to read text boxes. Not that that's the worst thing in the world, but actual dialogue would be a great step forward to re-capturing the hardcore audience.

  • L

    There's nothing childish about Link not talking; in fact, Miyamoto-san has stated that Link doesn't talk in order for the gamer to feel like he/she is inside the story. If Link had a voice it would maybe not be appealing to everyone, and will loose that Zelda-feeling. That's why it will always be about text boxes, to me, it works perfectly and without it, it will not be Zelda.

    Zelda has been a very important part of my life, call me nerd or whatever, but it has some escence that makes it trully special and thats what makes you Hardcore. When you can feel a videogame the sameway has a movie, or a book. Then you are Hardcore.

    I play lots of Modern Warfare 2, plus many other modern games. To me, all of those games are 100% casual. Every little kid or new gamer plays them because everybody plays them.

    I agree in some points of the article, but cannot deny it is written poorly. Hopefully Zelda 2010 will change all of this matters, and amaze us all. At least Zelda fans, dont care about new gamers right know. Sorry for my english

  • Midna Freak

    and I was just beginning to think I liked this supid site until you put up this sad exuse for a artical. like holy crap. wind waker and twilight princess were the BEST zelda games. like what are you 3? just because some people are hardcore gamers dosent mean that they cant like zelda. zelda is a game for ALL ages. probably the MOST respected nintendo games. I have alot of respect for it. call me a dork but I love these games and always will. ocarina of time was my very first video game. when I picked up that controller it wasnt just like any game. I felt exited. ever since I was 5 I have playd and had respect for he legend of zelda. so call me dork or geek but I dont care. I will always have respect for the legend of zelda.

    • Noah

      Says the person acting like they are 3

  • Midna Freak

    oh and one more thing…

    ZELDA ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Luke

    this article is pretty bad. No organised assaults? every twilight portal is placed somewhere strategic where link is likely to go.

  • Dudeman

    While this article could've made stronger arguments, its general drive I agree with. As a kid, the Zelda series inspired wonder and awe, making it difficult not to think about its world when not playing. It had mystique.

    Since Wind Waker, I've lost interest. By Zelda's insistence to not seriously evolve, the same-old presentation and recycled elements feel more and more pandering as I age. It's a turn-off.

    Anybody remember high school parties as a teen and seeing some dude hanging around who's too old to be there? "That guy?" Zelda makes me feel like that guy. Its child-like vibe doesn't make me feel like a kid again, it makes me feel distanced from the target audience. "What am I doing here? Why am I playing this."

    It's sad when playing a game as good as Shadow of the Colossus, I'm daydreaming about how cool it would be if Zelda were more like it. SotC recaptured that sense of wonder and mystery Zelda so easily inspired in me as a kid. I hope Nintendo will one day adapt Zelda to more mature audiences. Till then, I'll remember fondly the days when it was still a relevant franchise.

  • I acually don't agree, I like the Zelda series has it is. Nintendo can make a few changes and I still will play it. I love the zelda series.

  • Zach

    The Fact is that The Legend of Zelda Series created Ocarina of Time and it was way ahead of it's time. The entire fan base loved it (obviously, rated best n64 game of all time) And then they ruined it with every sequel since.

    I regret to say it but Majora's Mask was not well done at all compared to OoT.

    Nintendo teased us with what could have been the most popular characters of all time in video games, and then failed because of the business system.

    I am ashamed at what Legend of Zelda has turned into, WindWaker, these Toon links are such a sell-out.

    RIP Ocarina of Time

  • Roger

    Zelda games are not getting boring.People are.Boring,old and stupid.

    Some guys just complain about every Zelda released after their first,second or third Zelda,telling it's not the same anymore.

    Of course it's no the same,and it was never meant to be.That makes the game better/worse?NO imbecile.

    You're all gonna have arthrits and heart attacks in your thirds/fourties.

    Just you wait.

  • It's "Gohma".

    The Legend of Zelda is the shit, and this comes from a hardcore gamer so what is there to argue about?

    I find the graphics great, and I just love looking back at how Link has changed over the past years. I didn't shit my pants out of happiness when Wind Waker introduced us to the "toon look" either, but I really got used to it. Most other Zelda fans I know did too, so after all it's just a matter of taste.

    About the "lack" of enemies: Did you ever play "Shadow of the Colossus"? A game featuring 16 enemies in total, recieving high ranks pretty much everywhere (9.7/10 @ IGN) should speak for itself. Shadow of the Colossus has a great variation of beautiful landscapes with many clever details and that is why it's been so praised. The "Legend of Zelda"-series also has this, so it is unfortunate that you fail to see it, hence not being able to enjoy some of the most epic gaming experiences out there.

    Of course I can agree on some parts, but that's because no game is perfect, and that definitely won't stop me from buying every upcoming sequel for the rest of my life^^

    Thanks for speaking your mind and letting me do the same!

  • Miriam

    those people are stupid!!….zelda is awesome!!….what does it matter anyways?!…im begging nintendo to not change zelda…..i will die….i love zelda the way it is!…just becuz its not entirely on the top dosent mean they should change it….if fans love zelda….shouldnt that be enough?…besides…if nintendo changes it…then you can lose some fans…..do you really want that?

  • Neofcon

    The series IS losing respect. A lot of people don't understand that when the latest Zelda game undersells even Fire Emblem, this is NOT a good sign. Skyward sword was to be a killer app for the Wii, and it blundered. OoT3DS didn't sell hardware. spirit tracks went straight to the "bomba bin" in Japan, which was an INTENSE SHOCK to Nintendo. Miyamoto has said Zelda is in trouble

    At the conference at E3 2011, Miyamoto made a warning about Starfox 3DS and Zelda 3DS. Due to Starfox 3DS’s horrible sales performance, Starfox will now join Metroid as a ‘dead franchise’. Miyamoto said that Zelda needs to sell or they can’t make it anymore. He did later say he was joking (Because the comment shocked), but it is completely in line with the poor performance Zelda is doing. (And why would he make such a poor taste joke?)

    The reason why Iwata and Miyamoto are taking a salary cut is because of the failure of Ocarina of Time. It was assumed that Ocarina of Time would create momentum for the 3DS. Reggie Fils-Aime is recorded as saying as such. People on the Gaming Message Forums informed us that Ocarina of Time 3DS would be popular because ‘of the lines for it in Japan.

    Classic Zelda never went into the bargain bin. Link to the Past stayed on top of the Nintendo Power’s reader’s choice polls throughout all of the SNES’s lifespan for example. Zelda games back then were REVERED. They came in the GOLD cartridge. And everyone felt that was appropriate. That reverence is completely lacking in Zelda today. Only Ocarina of Time has such reverence, but only young people have confused that reverence to be solely to Ocarina. It was applied through the other Zelda games as well. People don’t realize this because there was half a decade from Ocarina of Time’s release since the last Zelda released: Link’s Adventure (which was a Gameboy game). A person’s knowledge of video game history begins, sadly enough, on the day they were born. Zelda probably came out before these kids were thoughts in their parents’ heads! (Damn I’m old.)

    Modern Zelda is so risky that Nintendo restricted production of Ocarina of Time 3DS in a metered way. Why? To avoid the bomba bin like Spirit Tracks did above.

    These are all red flag indicators that Modern Zelda is in serious trouble. Some games like Twilight Princess rode the Wii success, but did you see the Twilight Princess sales in Japan? Ouch!

    In the United States, according to NPD data, Ocarina of Time 3DS did not sell very much. Some PS3 game, that I never heard of (Infamous 2?) outsold it.

    The point is that Ocarina of Time fans have been living in a bubble filled with other Ocarina of Time fans where they created a make-believe fantasy that the game is far more popular than it was. Why do they do this? Because they grew up with the game. It is a major part of their childhood. But the game isn’t half as popular as they think it is.

    I chuckled at Nintendo Financial Statement calling Ocarina of Time 3DS sales ‘respectable’. That is what they said about the Galaxy games. Nintendo is quite disappointed. Ocarina of Time was supposed to sell hardware. It didn’t do it.

    What is REALLY funny is how Nintendo is entering a state of denial that the Wii success occurred because of Twilight Princess, that people bought the Wii for Zelda but then Wii Sports went viral. This would explain the laughable software included on the 3DS which Nintendo thought would go ‘viral’ (it didn’t).

    What is selling Nintendo hardware? It is games like sports simulators, fitness simulators, puppy simulators, brain simulators, arcade racers, and 2d Mario. What is NOT selling Nintendo hardware? 3d Mario, Modern Zelda, Metroid, and Wii Music.

    Nintendo has to be panicking. The only games that are performing (first party games must sell hardware or else there is no point in making it) are games Nintendo doesn’t want to make. And the games that are not performing are games Nintendo DO want to make.

    The 3DS disaster shows that the games Nintendo wants to make cannot support the company. The massive price cut for the 3DS came well after Ocarina of Time 3DS not selling.

    Zelda is finding itself in big trouble as Zelda games begin to appear in bomba bins. Zelda is in such a precarious condition that Nintendo was limiting the production of Ocarina of Time 3DS just so the game doesn’t end up in the bargain bin (where everyone can mock it).

    Skyward Chore sold 3 Million…. and froze. Usually, good games keep selling. But the sales for SS stopped at 3 Million. Suffice to say, it sold on name brand, not quality. And for obvious reasons.

    Say what you will about the guy who made the article, but he's certainly right about the state of Zelda. It's not respected anymore.

    • Alex

      You may be right but I certainly don't want Zelda AND Nintendo to fade away like sega and Atari. Hopefully with the Wii-U coming out with some M games they will LIVE ON. But one such as myself can only hope. Of course if Zelda goes out but Nintendo does not I will be very unhappy about it.

  • Alex

    I think personally that was a little harsh. I love how Zelda is set up and personally Twilight Princess is my favorite. I agree with the statement that Ganon should send out more troops. But the Dungeons have a reason they need to be there. One item is being protected inside and Ganon is making it hard for Link to get that item. But overall I think Zelda should stay the same. I'm a 14 year old guy who loves the Zelda series. So you should just stop being so rude about it.

  • I and all my fellows fully respect the zelda series. It is not the games fault that they are getting worse, but it is nintendos fault. If anyone should get disrespected it’s nintendo. Nintendo gamecube was the last nintendo console that you can call “good”.

    • punch it

      The gamecube nearly destroyed Nintendo's home console business. I wouldn't call it "good" in any sense of the word.

      If anything, that label should go to the SNES as it didn't have a sharp decline in consumers like with the N64 and Gamecube.

  • Beppeoioi

    Maybe this guy does not need zelda game to but another game.
    The legend of zelda like it because it is so.
    If you prefer the most difficult games filled with action and combat, raw, must not do is play one of the many games on the market.
    The Zelda games have become legendary because they are made so
    if they were different, they would not be Zelda games

  • Jarrett

    Okay you can't mention Call of Duty and then call The Legend of Zelda repetitive, it just doesn't work that way. "How many times can Link kill Ghoma? How many times does he go into a forest, then fire, then water… dungeon?" That IS The Legend of Zelda. That's the style of the game; Link goes through dungeons, slaying the most powerful creatures he meets, getting stronger and stronger until he finally meets Ganon or whoever else happens to be the final boss of that game and defeats him, usually saving Zelda in the process. Asking Nintendo to change that is like asking Infinity Ward to make the next Call of Duty a dress up game. I mean that might make CoD a bit better… but that's not the point. The point is that you can't really change the basic formula of a game series.

    • NintendoBeleiver

      YEAH! That’s it!

  • NintendoBeleiver

    Ok. Let’s just get something straight. Zelda is awesome. This review is horrible. Most of what you are saying is that it sucks because the graphics are not quite as good as some of that other shit you play. Graphics don’t really matter, especially when it comes to storyline and gameplay. When I first pulled the Master Sword out of the Pedestal of Time in Ocarina of Time, it was an astounding and life- changing event in my life. When I first played Halo, I thought, this is CRAP. No storyline at all, and it did not make any sense. I have nothing against first- person shooters, like Metroid Prime, but it’s just the crappy ones like the shit you play I don’t respect.

    All in all, you Zelda haters are unbelievable. You are just too God Damn stubborn to admit that The Legend of Zelda kicks Halo’s ass in every aspect possible. Grow some balls and some brains and become a real hardcore gamer, and get used to the fact that Zelda rocks your ass off. NintendoBeleiver out.

  • Ryu

    ….there's only one thing in this artikle i can agree with, and that is that Zelda Games, or rather Nintendo games are getting much to easy. In a past so long ago that i couldn't even speak back then, Nintendo hard was something around the lines of : "Fuck this game is so hard i can't play it without wanting to throw my console out of the window 20 times before i am even halfway throught the game". Today it's more like: " Oh the hardest boss of the Game, i'm killing him on the side while simultasely reading a book and writing a research paper".