Being one of my most beloved Zelda games, and not owning a Wii U around it’s time (I was focused on my Xbox One and PS4) and with no real intention on picking one up solely for the game - it’s been over 20 years since I’ve experienced the game
I actually only picked up a switch just over a year ago but with the rumours been existence for a long time I was hoping it would have been confirmed by now
Especially with echoes of wisdom and how close we are to seeing Switch 2, is the reality now that if a re-release of the game, will it not be on the Switch?
If we allow ourselves to believe that Switch Successor will be backwards compatible with Switch, then I think there's still a reasonable chance that Wind Waker could see a Switch release... after the Successor has hit the shelves. Nintendo will still be looking to put out Switch games, so a game like this that has supposedly been lurking in a drawer for a good while, could be a good candidate for the job.
You guys had me at blood and semen.
What better way to celebrate than firing something out of the pipe?
@MisterBigMack First there was no virtual console. Then Nintendo strangely skipped releasing Mario Glalaxy 2. As of a year ago, I realized, the longer we've gone without seeing Wind Waker or Twilight Princess, it was becoming clear that Nintendo has been saving these games for Switch 2, and to fill release slots for particular years of Switch 2 lifespan.
With Switch install base being so gigantic (140million units sold), I think it would make sense that these games would release for the Switch. Or will Nintendo leverage these games as exclusive for Switch 2? I honestly don't know.
Considering we got two mainline Zeldas in a row, we will presumably get several remakes, remasters and spinoffs over the next few years. Wind Waker remaster in 2025 seems fairly plausible.
Another possibility is that they might start offering GameCube games with NSO on the Switch 2, as the hardware would be powerful enough to emulate them.
They could then concentrate the remake efforts on the DS and 3DS games that probably would need a fair amount of work to adapt to the Switch.
@Matt_Barber I hope it isn't just "play it on NSO." The remaster actually has quality of life upgrades that would be horrible to go away from. Swift Sail is a gamechanger for getting around the map.
"It is fate. Many have tried, yet none have ever managed to escape it's flow."
@VoidofLight That's basically what they did with Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, which I'd think had even more significant QoL upgrades with the 3DS remakes.
Of course, there are always going to be sticklers for the original gameplay - glitches and all - which is why it'd be best if they could offer both. Beyond Link's Awakening though, I can't see that happening; the rate at which they're remaking the games, and the lack of interest in porting the remakes isn't exactly working towards that.
@Matt_Barber I mean, that is true- but the other thing to remember is that Ocarina of Time 3D and Majora's Mask 3D would be a bit harder to bring over given the use of the secondary screen. Even if it is minimal, they'd still need to effectively port the game while making changes to the gameplay in order to make it function like the original.
@Novamii Personally I just hope we get a TTYD or Metroid Prime Remastered treatment for Twilight Princess instead. It needs an entire facelift in both the music and asset department.
"It is fate. Many have tried, yet none have ever managed to escape it's flow."
Another possibility is that they might start offering GameCube games with NSO on the Switch 2, as the hardware would be powerful enough to emulate them.
They could then concentrate the remake efforts on the DS and 3DS games that probably would need a fair amount of work to adapt to the Switch.
That is what I have been guessing might happen.
Imagine they announce a Switch 2, with launch titles: Elden Ring, Baldur's Gate 3, Red Dead Redemption 2 ...oh, and Super Mario Odyssey 2.
And then announce GameCube, DS and 3DS being added to the NSO, but only for Switch 2 (to encourage adoption of the new box). Launch titles: Twilight Princess, Wind Waker.
"You need the old. You need the new. You need the Switch 2."
Another possibility is that they might start offering GameCube games with NSO on the Switch 2, as the hardware would be powerful enough to emulate them.
It's worth noting that there was nothing stopping them from doing this on the Switch. The Switch is more than capable of emulating GC. And sure, the games are bigger, but all that means is it would have to be a different sort of app. It was never insurmountable
Really the main question is whether or not Nintendo feels as though they should "devalue" GC titles by putting them on a subscription like that. When it's still very viable to do remakes of these titles and charge full retail for them...... and I think the answer will eventually be yes
Some playlists: Top All Time Songs, Top Last Year
An opinion is only respectable if it can be defended. Respect people, not opinions
@skywake I also don’t think GC has been held back because of processing. I remember a tidbit of info from Capcom about the arcade 19XX (1995) not being included in the previous Capcom Classics collection (2006), it was still considered by them to be a modern game even though games from the same CPS2 board were included then. I’d wager Ntdo still considered Gamecube to be a modern system when Switch collections were being considered maybe 7-8 years ago.
@Grumblevolcano as far as the movie goes, I think Nintendo would be hitting a common demographic if they Remade OoT. In general, I think the 3D version should just get an HD conversion, but pair that with movie marketing and bump the budget to a second enhanced version, why the heck not
Another possibility is that they might start offering GameCube games with NSO on the Switch 2, as the hardware would be powerful enough to emulate them.
It's worth noting that there was nothing stopping them from doing this on the Switch. The Switch is more than capable of emulating GC. And sure, the games are bigger, but all that means is it would have to be a different sort of app. It was never insurmountable
Really the main question is whether or not Nintendo feels as though they should "devalue" GC titles by putting them on a subscription like that. When it's still very viable to do remakes of these titles and charge full retail for them...... and I think the answer will eventually be yes
I don't think that the Switch is capable of running a general emulator for GameCube and Wii games. The ones that we've seen released (Pikmin 1+2, Sunshine, Galaxy anything else?) that aren't remakes/masters are using a form of hybrid emulation where the game code has been recompiled for Switch and only the GPU is fully emulated. I'm not sure how applicable it would be outside the few titles we've seen and you certainly can't use them to run other ROMs via injection on a modded console.
In contrast, while it's possible to run the Dolphin emulator on a modded Switch, barely anything is playable at stock clocks. You've instead got to overclock it to double the speed, to get games into playable territory, at which point the cooling and battery are going to want modding too. The Switch 2 should have the power for that approach out of the box though, so it becomes a real possibility.
As for devaluing the back catalogue, we're still seeing Nintendo re-make content from the NES and GBA eras this year and, while you could argue that Nintnedo World Championship is a transformative work, Mario vs Donkey Kong is just something that could have been offered up via emulation, and I already mentioned Link's Awakening for being the best-of-both-worlds approach. There is room for both, at least so long as they don't flood the market with sub-par remakes.
Mostly, I'd think that Nintendo will be playing the long game. While the Switch 2 probably could launch as a one-stop shop with backwards compatibility for all prior systems of theirs - except maybe Wii U emulation when handheld - they'd much prefer to dribble it out over time. Gamecube would be the next stepping stone in that plan.
I never got a Wii U either, so I missed out. With all the rumors, you'd think they'd announce it soon. Just hope it doesn’t end up on the next console!
Forums
Topic: ANY chance at all now we will get Wind Waker on the Switch?
Posts 1 to 15 of 15
Please login or sign up to reply to this topic