Reverting Controls Isn't Always a Good Idea

How will the Wii U change the Legend of Zelda?
Hopefully, not at all.

Last year, the Wii U launched with lots of fanfare and only ONE game from Nintendo's Brand Name franchises (Super Mario Bros U). Now Nintendo is about to launch a revamped Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (one of the series most underrated games behind Majora's Mask) in early October, but there's a conundrum that faces Nintendo. How do they revert back to simple controls after the advanced controls of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword? Before you think it's not a big deal, Nintendo has done this before with a Brand Franchise to mixed results when they revamped Metroid: The Other M.

Despite it's cartoony look, The Wind Waker was one of
Zelda's darkest game.

Before Wii U's launch, the Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword impressed many as the final big name game for the Wii. Nintendo combined their Wii Motion Plus into the game and featured a much more "motion anticipating" combat style. IGN rated Skyward Sword as a PERFECT TEN and a Masterpiece. In the review, it said, "This will change the way Zelda games are played." That's pretty high praise for the game franchise that changed adventure games forever time-and-time again. You thought this franchise could struggle moving from console to console, but Nintendo has kept Zelda fresh and consistently upgraded their style and controls. From the jump to 3D with Ocarina of Time to motion controls in Skyward. (Note: Twilight Princess' motion controls were not as thorough as Skyward's refinement.) Nintendo tried to remake the franchise's look in The Wind Waker, but fans were outraged with the cartoony look... that is until they played the game. The Wind Waker was one of Zelda's tougher and darker games in the franchise. Now Wii U is set to release the updated HD version, but one can look at it as a retro game and simply not a new addition. However, what is the future of Zelda on the Wii U with the touchpad controller? They don't have the controls that Skyward or Twilight Princess used. Unfortunately, I don't have the answer either.

Metroid: The Other M was a sharp departure from the
nearly perfect games Nintendo released for the last decade.

If you remember Nintendo switched around Metroid's style and controls TWICE. Metroid Prime switched from a third person adventure to a first person shooter. Some gamers were skeptical since Samus Aran would switch into a ball, but then the skeptics were proven wrong. Metroid Prime put you under Samus' helmet and gave you the control of the universe's most feared bounty hunter. When Metroid Prime graduated to the Wii, Nintendo used their motion controls perfectly to give the gamer Samus' arms as well as her eyes. The right arm (the Wii Remote) was the arm cannon and the left was the free hand. Gamers weren't just sitting on the couch. They were engaged. Then Metroid: The Other M was released. While Other M decided to try and flesh out Samus as a character (whereas most Nintendo characters are mute) reverted back to a third person formula and entered first person mode as a pivot point with nothing more. Scanning objects was nearly jettisoned from the game completely as Samus would enter cinematic cut scenes to give exposition. The game was rated 8.5 as opposed to the 9.5s of it's three predecessors, but if you click on this video, you'd think it's a 0. After playing Metroid Prime 3: Corruption lately, I'd have to agree these games are CLEARLY superior to the franchise's latest installment. However, Nintendo listens to it's consumers and changed Zelda back to it's more realistic look. Will Nintendo switch Metroid back to a first person shooter?

The point is that controls make the game just as much as story does. I understand that you can plug in the Prime series at any time and play them. Same is true for Zelda, where you can download any game or simply play them on the Wii U- which is still backwards compatible. The thoughts expressed here is on the future of these franchises and what to do besides changing things up for the sake of just changing things up. Metroid Prime was a complete reconstruction of a dormant franchise. Zelda is not. Hopefully Wind Waker is a retro game, not a sign of things to come for arguably the most popular console franchise today.

Best Music in Gaming History

In the genesis of the video games, music wasn't needed to soothe the savage beast. Pong didn't have music, neither did Asteroids or Missle Commander. Hell, even Donkey Kong and many early Nintendo games didn't have music except a bit in the beginning. However, as games evolved into bigger experiences with better storytelling, a great score was needed. Some of these games have scores that blockbuster films would envy and set the mood brilliantly. Sometimes it wrenched your guts and sometimes it keeps you going to the next level. The music of these games inspired the constantly sold out show "Video Games Live", where fans get to hear the music of games they loved.

Let's take a look at ten: (will not include Mass Effect, Halo or Dead Space for lack of experience with them and all Star Wars games are out since their music comes straight from the movies.) 

Mega Man gave you a different
feel for every level.

Mega Man - The theme of different tones for different worlds and characters come up a lot and Mega Man was one of the first that used that tactic well. All of the worlds had a their own traits and their own music, but Dr. Wily's was always most ominous and frantic style. This would not be Capcom's only entry in this blog.

Ninja Gaiden's music was key for
the action as well as the cinema
scenes.

Ninja Gaiden (NES) - Probably the earliest game that used cinema cut scenes, but music drove the engine of Ninja Gaiden. Whether it was in the gameplay- where each stage had it's own identifiable music- or the cinema scenes that used the music to build the suspense during Ryu Hyabusa's search for his missing father. Throughout the game, Ryu encounters enemies, friends, counter-agents and even loss of those friends as they are captured or killed. The twists and turns of the story are all given extra juice by the score.

Arkham City put you in the
Dark Knight's skin.

Batman Arkham City - The Arkham games are the one place that DC Comics have conquered Marvel and it's music was a primary reason. Nick Arundel and Ron Fish create a score closer to the Danny-Elfman style, but it's used more like the Christopher Nolan movies that don't overpower the audience. During gameplay, the music stays in the background, but during fights or predator battles, the music leaps to the forefront as the panicking henchman desperately endure the Dark Knights tactics.

With a new techo-style, Metroid Prime
sparked gamer's adrenaline.

Metroid Prime - Metroid didn't use much music that would be memorable until it hit it's stride in Metroid Prime. With a more techno style by Kenjo Yamamoto, Metroid Prime created the style that made you listen to the game as well get your adrenaline pumping. Take the final fight of the first game against Metroid Prime or the battles with Dark Samus, you can't help but slide to the front of the couch as you attempt to destroy your nemesis. The series continued with great music in Metroid: The Other M and continues to reinvent itself all the time.

Resident Evil's score made you
live in a horror movie.

Resident Evil - The original installment relied on silence and mostly ominous tones, but hauntingly crept when the situation called for it. As the series progressed it used the music in the background effectively in a horror movie style. The music was appropriate; never overpowering and never letting you feel safe. Take the fights with Mr. X or Tyrant, where the music is absent and slowly builds to make you sweat. *Music by Akari Kaida, Makoto Tomozawa and Masami Ueda

The music in Street Fighter was
intricate for every stage.

Street Fighter II - The fighting game that spawned the craze. Sure Karate Champ was first, but this was separated from all others by it's music. Every character had their own home and their own theme highlighting the opponents personality. If you fought Zangief, the music would give you a more Russian flare. If you were in America, rock music would play and so on. Sure, some of these stories (PunchOut is also guilty of it) are comically racist, but that's not what we're talking about here. 

Final Fantasy VII was an epic experience
with an epic score.

Final Fantasy VII - Probably the best example of music enhancing the storytelling. From the into of the game to the end, the Final Fantasy series used music better than most other franchises. The composers didn't treat this like a video game- more like an opera. All the characters had their own music. You could have been blind folded and still known when Sephiroth comes on screen. You felt Cloud's decent into madness, when danger came to the group, or even when the members of the group had romantic feelings for one another (by the way, even Barrett could fall for Cloud). Perhaps on of the best moments in gaming history was the Aeis' death (FFVII), which was largely without music, but when inserted beautifully, made many gamers weep. The epic 60 hour experience was full of great music and few were better than it. *Music by Nobuo Uematsu

Who didn't hum the Mario Bros theme?

Super Mario Brothers - Possibly the most famous of all video game music, but it stuck in many gamers heads when they were done popping quarters in the arcade or when they turned off their NES consoles in 1986. The game had different music for the different worlds you'd visit, different tasks you accomplished (like warping: wa, wa, wa) and especially when you grabbed a star. That sounded like to composer took some cocaine and just went nuts. The only thing Mario didn't have was different music for Luigi...but at that time no one cared. This is the first mention of Koji Kondo on the list, but won't be  the last.

If Gear of War becomes a film,
it already has the perfect music.

Gears of War - Believe it or not, this series produced exceptional music throughout it's trilogy. Kevin Riepl's score made it feel like a blockbuster summer action movie. It made a fire fight with hordes of grubs engulfing and kept you fighting until it you heard that tone signaling the last locus had his head blown off. All that is good, but this series gave you fantastic music during it's cinematic scenes. Whether it was watching Kim get killed by General RAAM or the soul crushing scene of when Dom finds Maria in Gears of War 2, this series pulled you in with it's tone, heightening the peril, exciting you with the danger and even breaking your heart. The booming tones of the series echo in your brain hours after you shutdown the game. If you don't believe me, play the end of Gears of War 3 and try not to hum the theme in the end.

The Best of the Best when it comes to video game music.

The Legend of Zelda - The cream of the crop when it comes to video game music. Koji Kondo created the greatest of all video game themes and adjusted the music from game to game in a way that made every installment unique. In fact, the one time the music for the series was criticized was when they didn't include the famous Legend of Zelda theme in arguably their greatest game (Ocarina of Time). Still, every edition of this series has not just given fans good music- it's been great music. Every aspect of the music accentuated each main (and even most minor) characters, the story, the time of day, the mood and even broke you emotionally. Music has also been a weapon used by Link in every edition of this series. Whether it was saving Zelda, facing Ganon (or Ganondorf in later games) to surprise twists or that tone when you solved a mystery. Most people can tell you exactly what game it is from the first couple bars of the theme. It was so popular that Nintendo gave away a CD of the series popular themes. Most fans would agree that it was worth the extra money for the "special edition".

Life Lessons by Link

Every time Nintendo puts out a Legend of Zelda title, gamers dig in and delve into the land of Hyrule. As gamers play through the game, they may not realize they're getting good morale direction from the game's protagonist- Link (though you can give him any name). The reason is simple, if you weren't a noble-do-gooder than the game would end quickly. However- in directly- Link teaches people many things they may not realize.

Sacrifice for the Greater Good - A theme in most Zelda games is that the characters (not just Link) put themselves at great risk. Whether it's Zoran Princess or the Gorons in Ocarina or Zelda (repeatedly) putting their own lives on the line to stop evil, only to be rescued later. The point is that Link isn't just trying to do good alone. There's others trying as well.

Always Do the Right Thing - It's not just Spike Lee who thinks that- Link does too. Whether it's to help a young girl find her chickens (Ocarina) to helping an old woman (who looks an awful lot like a witch he killed before) get back to her sister (Majora's Mask). Not that this isn't without reward... which will be covered later, but another good example is Link refusing to tell Ganondorf which way Zelda went after fleeing Hyrule Castle in Ocarina of Time. He refused and got a lightning bolt to the face from his adversary. Nice. Before you think, "Well duh, that was all in the moment," remember Link had a premonition of that moment in Ocarina's into. If I knew I'd get a lightning bolt to the face, you can have her, man. In fact, there's only one person Link really screws over in the Zelda series- the man that played the Song of Storms in Kakariko Village.

Someone may not like you... now - Zelda's stories are littered with Frien-emies. Take for instance Lido in Ocarina or Groose in Skyward Sword. Both characters hate Link in the beginning, but their experiences soon lead to a respect for Link.  There's always the fairy from Majora's Mask or even Navi from Ocarina, but the chief example is Midna from Twilight Princess. She clearly is not a fan of Link's, but little by little, Midna grows to love her traveling companion, so much so that she thinks he falls in love with her upon seeing her true beauty.  Even the majority of Zelda villains are "brainwashed" or "mistaken" creatures that try to kill Link, but come to their senses after Link defeats them. Funny how a little ass-kicking makes you want to befriend someone.

A Stranger is just a Friend You Haven't Met - Streetcar said, "You can always depend on the kindness of Strangers," but it's clear that you're the stranger in Hyrule that has to make everyone's acquaintance. Now Link meets some many colorful characters in his travels. In the first Legend of Zelda, Link meets an ogre who simply says, "Grumble, Grumble." Link brings him some meat and then the guy becomes so nice that he lets you proceed through Level 7. There's the old woman making stew in "Link to the Past" that you give a mushroom to and get back Magic Dust. I'd list the rest of these, but let's face it, I don't want this blog entry to go for days.

Proper Tools for Proper Work - Link's adventures could have been a game where you swing your sword around, killing ogres and bugs that jump around, but it isn't. Nah, Nintendo has supplied Zelda players with several items both necessary and baffling. Sure the bow is the most obvious need since Silver/Light Arrows are always needed to thwart Ganon(dorf), but there's boomerangs, hammers, bombs, magic rods that shoot fire or ice, candles, boots that allow you to hover for a second, boots that make you sink, gloves that give you epic strength, flippers, a raft, a ladder, invisible capes (yeah Harry Potter stole it), bug catching nets, books for translating, mushrooms for potions, candles to burn down trees... and more. There's many different shields, swords, tunics, rings and grappling hooks; all for Link to use for specific tasks which can be as important as saving the WORLD or as little as helping a person collect bugs. My favorite, the Ball and Chain from Twilight Princess- that thing was bad ass!!!

There's a Girl Out There for You - I know what you're thinking, "Zelda! D'uh!!" Not exactly. Since Ocarina, Link's been a bit of a chick magnet. There was Saria, Midna, the Item Check girl in Skyward. Heck, Zelda isn't even a love interest for most of the series. Skyward Sword is one of the games that spells it out for you, though it is possible for you to treat her like crap and still have her end up in love with you. Geez, I hope that's not a lesson...

Music Is Under-appreciated - Not just having the most iconic music in video game history. In the first Legend of Zelda, the old man tells you in Level 5 that Digdogger hates sounds of a certain kind. AH-HA! You should play this Recorder (or whistle) that four graders play and everyone finds annoying as well. However, it's uses didn't stop there. If you used the whistle later, a whirlwind will take you around all of Hyrule. Since then, music has played a role in Zelda. It unlocks worlds, drains lakes, cures curses and moves you into the netherworld. You've played a Flute, an Ocarina (two of them), a conductor's wand, the howl of a wolf and a harp in the series latest installment. Thank God the quests never required a piano. It's great that Nintendo has continued using music in the game, but if Link is required to use a DJ table then I'm done.

Take Time to Stop and Smell the Roses - As you travel around the world of Zelda, you encounter various new villages, lands, kingdoms and species. You can have several sides adventures in these lands, play various mini-games and save up for new items which helps the Hyrule economy from sliding into a depression. You may also see that some people have their own problems; a house of people turned into spiders, a giant whale stuck in a mountain or a demon that needs you to do more good deeds so he can become human. Some many people, some many lands, so much to do...

The Apathy of the World - The previous point leads me to this- don't people ever notice that the world around them is going to shit. There's a black cloud over Death Mountain- which isn't a good name for a mountain you want to hike up one day- or that an entire kingdom is flooded, a princess is missing and maybe the fact that everyone in Hyrule Castle is the WALKING DEAD! Gee, you think maybe delivering milk seems kind of pointless if an evil sorcerer is making the people of the world into the same brain capacity of the Jersey Shore cast! Staying up late with the "All Night Mask" just to get a piece of a heart from the old storytelling woman can wait too. What about the fishing portion? Can't people see Link is busy! No, it's okay, because the idiot does the deeds thinking this falls under the "Do the Right Thing." Doesn't anyone notice the moon getting closer? What the fuck?!!!!

There's Greatness Inside of You - EVERY Legend of Zelda (don't count Link's Awakening) begins with a simple peasant boy that leads a simple life, but there's some act of evil that plunges him into the world where he is completely over his head. One adventure after another and Link discovers that he's armed with more than just his courage. He's been turned into a Wolf, dropped from the Sky, changed into a Fish, a creature made of wood and whatever a Goron is. He's been through the light world, the dark world, the desert, the sea, the sky, the shadow world and underground. Hell the Water Temple in Ocarina is reason enough to respect him. Why does he do it? Because there's alway more to him than being a simple peasant boy. A great hero that the world needs. There's so much more than a simple life.

Fact is that the Legend of Zelda show us more about ourselves than just trying to figure out when to play the flute in level 5. It shows us that we're never complete. There's always something we need to get to move us further in our stories. It lets us realize that there's always someone in need. That there's always a challenge to face, something to stand up for, something to fight for. So go home, play the game...maybe to escape into fantasy, help someone in need or maybe... just maybe... you can see that Link is really a part of you. The part that always wants to make the world a better place and always will fight for what's right.