Very long TLDR; thread, brace yourselves.
The Legend of Zelda series has always been one of the best games ever made. It wasn't until Ocarina of Time it's popularity sky rocketed and the series became an even more important staple to Nintendo's name. Twilight Princess made me realize that the standards and hopes of gamers have spiraled out of control ever since Oot, they expect each game to be some kind of "Lord of the Rings epic" that ends up being the most ground breaking game of the year.
Let's rewind all the way back to the NES, the debut of the very first Zelda game. You were put in the middle of nowhere with no direction on where to go. You were given a sword and it was all up to you to figure out what exactly you would have to do to save the land. At it's time Zelda was considered a revolution in gaming, one of the most incredible games of that time to ever come out. Link to the Past built on top of this formula and made it more user friendly for the general audience, but the difficulty was considerably at the same level. To many, they consider this besides Oot, the pinnacle of all Zelda games, almost enough to call it "perfection."
Ocarina of Time was Nintendo's chance to bring Zelda into 3d, and they created a formula that harkened back to LTTP and expanded on it as well. With the power of the N64 Nintendo was able to present the story of the game in a much more impressive manner then before, but if you really take a good look underneath all it's bells and whistles, it was really LTTP in 3d brilliantly recreated. It was not the same game, but everything the formula had was rightfully retained and beautifully executed once again. This also however to me, signified a new era in the franchise's name. The expectations of fans and new gamers that were introduced to the series marked a new beginning for Nintendo. Majora's Mask was released soon after, and it tipped the scales on what everyone was expecting out of true sequel to Oot. It was a fantastic game and continues to be one to this day, so how do you top that? Nintendo however, chose a different route instead of giving us another sequel akin to Oot and MM, we got the Wind Waker.
It was at this point we should have realized how crazy the expectations of each Zelda game were to the fans. To many it was like Nintendo was pulling a horrible prank on it's entire fanbase, while another half of the fan base embraced the change of pace. It was at this time the entire Zelda audience was split in half. The Wind Waker eventually released and ended up being a phenomenal success despite the constant moaning and accusations of Nintendo "babying" it's own franchise. People weren't happy though, and soon after Nintendo promised to deliver with what everyone expected to be the best Zelda ever.
Twilight Princess's first teaser debuted at E3 of 2004. The announcement shook a large part of the industry and seemed to have put the franchise "back on top." After years of delays and being hyped up to heaven, TP finally released on the Gamecube and Nintendo Wii. What we got was nothing we expected, but one of the most sub par games in the franchise that reeked of one message, appealing to the fans. A good number still consider it a good game, but to many it's nothing we were expecting. Twilight Princess was nothing more but a love letter to Oot fans, and it lasted for a good time, but the bitter sweet taste of the game eventually caught on to us. You can argue as long as you want on why TP didn't deliver or if you disagree with me, but I feel that the main reason TP ended up not being as great as we had hoped was because it only existed for the fans that were drawn in after Oot.
I won't get into PHG, because I haven't played enough of it to give you my two cents on it. The point I'm trying to make quite simply, is that the fans need to tone down and rethink what Zelda truly is about. Ocarina of Time is definitely a fine game, and I also consider it one of the best games I've ever played, but people have forgotten what makes each Zelda game so wonderful.
The sensation I used to feel from the games has not been present for awhile now. I haven't felt that wonderful feeling that I was playing something truly amazing ever since the Wind Waker. It's that same feeling you get from playing game you love you just can't put into words. The deeper the series falls into the general audience, the less "Zelda" the games will be. We need more games like the Wind Waker, a new Zelda that dares to be different and have it's own personality despite what the fans want. I have incredible faith that the new Zelda game being made that is supposedly a break from the norm will be able to do this. I believe that if Nintendo keeps appealing to the same generation from Oot that expect the games to be something more then they are, it will be like wringing a towel completely dry. That's what TP almost did.
End rant.
The Legend of Zelda series has always been one of the best games ever made. It wasn't until Ocarina of Time it's popularity sky rocketed and the series became an even more important staple to Nintendo's name. Twilight Princess made me realize that the standards and hopes of gamers have spiraled out of control ever since Oot, they expect each game to be some kind of "Lord of the Rings epic" that ends up being the most ground breaking game of the year.
Let's rewind all the way back to the NES, the debut of the very first Zelda game. You were put in the middle of nowhere with no direction on where to go. You were given a sword and it was all up to you to figure out what exactly you would have to do to save the land. At it's time Zelda was considered a revolution in gaming, one of the most incredible games of that time to ever come out. Link to the Past built on top of this formula and made it more user friendly for the general audience, but the difficulty was considerably at the same level. To many, they consider this besides Oot, the pinnacle of all Zelda games, almost enough to call it "perfection."
Ocarina of Time was Nintendo's chance to bring Zelda into 3d, and they created a formula that harkened back to LTTP and expanded on it as well. With the power of the N64 Nintendo was able to present the story of the game in a much more impressive manner then before, but if you really take a good look underneath all it's bells and whistles, it was really LTTP in 3d brilliantly recreated. It was not the same game, but everything the formula had was rightfully retained and beautifully executed once again. This also however to me, signified a new era in the franchise's name. The expectations of fans and new gamers that were introduced to the series marked a new beginning for Nintendo. Majora's Mask was released soon after, and it tipped the scales on what everyone was expecting out of true sequel to Oot. It was a fantastic game and continues to be one to this day, so how do you top that? Nintendo however, chose a different route instead of giving us another sequel akin to Oot and MM, we got the Wind Waker.
It was at this point we should have realized how crazy the expectations of each Zelda game were to the fans. To many it was like Nintendo was pulling a horrible prank on it's entire fanbase, while another half of the fan base embraced the change of pace. It was at this time the entire Zelda audience was split in half. The Wind Waker eventually released and ended up being a phenomenal success despite the constant moaning and accusations of Nintendo "babying" it's own franchise. People weren't happy though, and soon after Nintendo promised to deliver with what everyone expected to be the best Zelda ever.
Twilight Princess's first teaser debuted at E3 of 2004. The announcement shook a large part of the industry and seemed to have put the franchise "back on top." After years of delays and being hyped up to heaven, TP finally released on the Gamecube and Nintendo Wii. What we got was nothing we expected, but one of the most sub par games in the franchise that reeked of one message, appealing to the fans. A good number still consider it a good game, but to many it's nothing we were expecting. Twilight Princess was nothing more but a love letter to Oot fans, and it lasted for a good time, but the bitter sweet taste of the game eventually caught on to us. You can argue as long as you want on why TP didn't deliver or if you disagree with me, but I feel that the main reason TP ended up not being as great as we had hoped was because it only existed for the fans that were drawn in after Oot.
I won't get into PHG, because I haven't played enough of it to give you my two cents on it. The point I'm trying to make quite simply, is that the fans need to tone down and rethink what Zelda truly is about. Ocarina of Time is definitely a fine game, and I also consider it one of the best games I've ever played, but people have forgotten what makes each Zelda game so wonderful.
The sensation I used to feel from the games has not been present for awhile now. I haven't felt that wonderful feeling that I was playing something truly amazing ever since the Wind Waker. It's that same feeling you get from playing game you love you just can't put into words. The deeper the series falls into the general audience, the less "Zelda" the games will be. We need more games like the Wind Waker, a new Zelda that dares to be different and have it's own personality despite what the fans want. I have incredible faith that the new Zelda game being made that is supposedly a break from the norm will be able to do this. I believe that if Nintendo keeps appealing to the same generation from Oot that expect the games to be something more then they are, it will be like wringing a towel completely dry. That's what TP almost did.
End rant.