Shigsy's "Mistake"
By Cook Train, RareDark.com Columnist
Oh dear, what has Shigero Miyamoto done now. For years he has been churning
out game after game of superior quality. Everything he does is gold. The
Mario games have encapsulated a generation. But recently, he appears to be
somewhat losing control, first we see Pikmin, a game about bugs people
creatures and a spaceman all based on the big mans garden. Maybe we should
let him retire gracefully right? After all, he shouldn't be allowed to do
any damage, but wait, what's this, he's only gone and ruined a gaming
instituion. He's taken Zelda and turned it into a cartoon? WHAT!?!
That's what I'd say if I were about 99% of the gaming population at the
moment. But I'm not, I'm the Cook Train, and my view, whilst probably being
contraversial is the only one I have. Shigero Miyamoto has been a very good
designer of games for many years. We got Donkey Kong and were amazed at the
gameplay, sure it wasn't top notch in the graphics department, but it's
still fun even today. Shigsy is all about making games. He isn't bothered by
the press rubbish, he doesn't care for the sales figures, all he cares about
is giving you a product that you'll remember, and for good reasons. Recently
he has taken an idea, that of a boy, who has to travel his world of Hyrule
trying to stop a disaster. For several times over this idea has been
successful and is now the highly acclaimed Zelda series. Zelda is synomomous
with quality and depth. It has never been a mature game, it deals with some
mature ideas like love and anger, but it's a land of fairies and magic. Not
exactly the Terminator is it?
The latest showing at Spaceworld has turned all of this on its head, or has
it? Maybe it's emphasising exactly what a Zelda game should be. From what
I've seen, it's got a solid game engine. Something al aspiring games need.
It ran at a steady framerate and made me stare in amazement at what the next
purple box could do. The whole cartoony aspect takes away some of the
darkness and maturity I've heard some say. Of course not. The whole video I
saw was quite gloomy and certainly had atmosphere.
Everyone is currently disappointed with Nintendo. They let the brave,
gallant, heroic figure of Link be turned into this humourous, short,
laughable child. All the while having an air of innocence around him. No
hero can be like this can they? Well, thinking back, every Zelda game in the
past has had this. Link is always starting as a child, and he always gets
faced with a task, which he completes. Just because he looks like a disney
reject, this doesn't mean that we should respect him any less.
Shigero made the comment that he wanted to make a game that was truly
"original" and with the new Zelda game, he sure as hell has done that. If he
had made the game look like the Spaceworld 2000 video, where everything had
lovely textures and looked very realistic, sure we would have had an
asthetically pleasing game. But then it would have blended so well with new
releases like Kameo and Star Fox Adventures. All of which look a lot like
the Zelda games from the N64. Using this cel-shading technique gives the
game a very unique feel.
One Nintendo enthusiast on a site I shall not mention recommended that the
cel shading be left for the GBA to handle. This person obviously has no idea
of how much more complicated it is to make games look like a cartoon that to
make them look real. Many have tried, and many have failed, but for once
Zelda may be a game that gives us a unique game experiece that will eave us
wanting more, much more.
Several people have recommended I rethink me ideas, taking a more
industrial standpoint. As ever, I refuse to do this. Shigero is about making
games, he does it for the people. If all he was bothered about was sales
quota's or retail income, I don't think he would be motivated enough to come
up with masterpieces like, before he made them, were never before seen and
were revolutionary. If everyone is questioning the graphics, then I implore
them to look past them. Gameplay is why you play games. Tetris was blocks,
(that's blocks, not any other word you may be thinking of) no fancy effects
or things to make you drop your game boy in surprise. But there was a game,
a rock solid game, one that addicted gamers for many years.
Shigsy has never failed us before, so before you judge what you've seen,
give him a chance, he knows what he's doing. He'll give you something to
cherish. Right now all we have is a video. No game can be judged from just
that. As ever, I'll be willing to eat my words if I'm wrong. But until, give
the main man a chance... Goodnight
© Cook Train, September, 2001 for RareDark.com
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