Various sites this morning are reporting that fresh meat has been added to the bones of what the Nintendo community knows about the new Zelda game, in production at Nintendo Japan for the GameCube.
The first rumour is that the game will see a release in Japan in the summer of 2005, with US and European versions to follow by the end of the year. This sits somewhat uncomfortably with us, given that several high-ranking Nintendo officials stated to us - on the record - that a global release backed by a rolling localisation process was planned.
The second rumour is that the new game will pit Link not against Ganon or Ganondorf, but a new enemy, dubbed by several sites as The Hoard. This has been debunked outright, given that trailers shown to date depict Ganon’s disciples at work.
Next up are some possible subtitles, namely ‘The Legend of Zelda: A Link to Darkness’ and ‘The Legend of Zelda: Legacy of Link’. No comment on this one, either from us or Nintendo Europe – we’ll keep you posted.
And finally, according to reports, Shigeru Miyamoto has stated that Zelda may well return to its cel-shaded aesthetic as debuted in the acclaimed Wind Waker title. This is entirely open to interpretation – Will the new Zelda be cel-shaded? No, definitely not. May future games in the series be cel-shaded? Yes, as confirmed to us by Miyamoto at this year’s E3: “The cel-shaded look of Wind Waker was very popular. Although new Zelda does not use this technique, future games may do so.”
More as it breaks.
The first rumour is that the game will see a release in Japan in the summer of 2005, with US and European versions to follow by the end of the year. This sits somewhat uncomfortably with us, given that several high-ranking Nintendo officials stated to us - on the record - that a global release backed by a rolling localisation process was planned.
The second rumour is that the new game will pit Link not against Ganon or Ganondorf, but a new enemy, dubbed by several sites as The Hoard. This has been debunked outright, given that trailers shown to date depict Ganon’s disciples at work.
Next up are some possible subtitles, namely ‘The Legend of Zelda: A Link to Darkness’ and ‘The Legend of Zelda: Legacy of Link’. No comment on this one, either from us or Nintendo Europe – we’ll keep you posted.
And finally, according to reports, Shigeru Miyamoto has stated that Zelda may well return to its cel-shaded aesthetic as debuted in the acclaimed Wind Waker title. This is entirely open to interpretation – Will the new Zelda be cel-shaded? No, definitely not. May future games in the series be cel-shaded? Yes, as confirmed to us by Miyamoto at this year’s E3: “The cel-shaded look of Wind Waker was very popular. Although new Zelda does not use this technique, future games may do so.”
More as it breaks.
Read More Like This
Comments
Dreadknux 14 Jul 2004 11:06
1/3
Hmmm. Although I'm usually the first person to complain about localisation times and delays, for some reason I really wouldn't mind it if the new Zelda was pushed back until later in the year for us. I don't know, maybe it was because of the release date of Ocarina of Time and how magical that was to European gamers across the continent.
As to Miyamoto-san's comment, I wouldn't mind a future Zelda game in a cel-shaded style - I really quite enjoyed The Wind Waker's graphical style (the only barrier in that game being the unusual short lifespan of the game and the bizarre quests to artificially bump up the said lifespan - which showed severely). But then bearing in mind the new Zelda is using a modified engine of the Wind Waker's one, so if anything is to be related to the new Zelda game it's that. But again, open to interpretation...
As to Miyamoto-san's comment, I wouldn't mind a future Zelda game in a cel-shaded style - I really quite enjoyed The Wind Waker's graphical style (the only barrier in that game being the unusual short lifespan of the game and the bizarre quests to artificially bump up the said lifespan - which showed severely). But then bearing in mind the new Zelda is using a modified engine of the Wind Waker's one, so if anything is to be related to the new Zelda game it's that. But again, open to interpretation...
Pandaman 15 Jul 2004 19:36
2/3
Another cell shaded Zelda, huh?
*cough*DS*cough*
*cough*DS*cough*
Kaxxx 16 Jul 2004 08:58
3/3
I loved WindWaker.
It was a fantastic looking game and i for one welcomed the change from the constant drive towards realism that is being overplayed into todays industry. The next incarnation has got me very interested as it seems to advance the OOT and MM style but i would still enjoy WindWakerII.
It was a fantastic looking game and i for one welcomed the change from the constant drive towards realism that is being overplayed into todays industry. The next incarnation has got me very interested as it seems to advance the OOT and MM style but i would still enjoy WindWakerII.