The Bomber's Notebook Will Be Revamped in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D

Please don't dumb down this classic to cater to a casual audience.

I wouldn't refer to it as "dumbing down". I see it as modernizing/streamlining the game for those players that are younger,don't have tons of time to play in one sitting, or are less experienced with the game/genre in general. I never played the original on the N64 (was in elementary school and was more pokemon/mario kart focused when gaming as a child) but I'm sure I will appreciate the updates in some form. I still have my N64 and will likely pick up a copy of the original at some point just so that I may compare between the two, but I think it is pretty nice how they are trying to take all gamers (newbies, experienced, hardcore and casual) into account.

Cool. All the improvements and tweaks they made in OoT3D were for the better so I'm confident that this will too.

Sounds like dumbing it down in terms of difficulty to me. Concerning

Huh. I almost forgot about that thing. Considering I haven't finished MM yet, but I have played it, there are MANY sidequests I haven't done yet. I hope Aonuma adds more sidequests or "hidden events" for the fans that mastered MM unlike me, and because new sidequests are COOL. I guess. Depends.

@hcfwesker They're either "dumbing it down" or "no longer requiring a guide to play". There's a big difference. Having events that are so rare to discover on one's own doesn't make a game better or even more challenging--it just makes the game inconvenient because you have to look up what to do next, or waste hours of your life wandering.

The entire purpose of the bomber's notebook was to make it easier to keep track of quests. In no way is it "dumbing down" the game by improving a feature that is already in MM.

Speaking of MM.......My ideal MQ for MM3d is, original looking time limit as original MM, can only save at owl statues, bosses are same as original, mirrored world, harder enemies, and limited quantity for quiver and bomb bag upgrades. So. Whaddya think? I hope they do this to keep the hardcore MM fans quiet, and because I want the ultimate challenge, AND because how easy yet better the remake will be.

I forgot this even existed. Well, I guess that goes to show how I liked to manage my time.

@Storytime7 Thank you, you took the words right out of my mouth.

I've never played MM, so I don't really know what this whole thing means.
But to me whatever changes they do to make the game better are welcome.

Games being difficult and tedious are two different things to me. So if they take away anything tedious (which is common to Zelda games) without dumbing down the game, I'm fine.

OoT3D and WWHD had very good changes from the originals.

I can't wait.

I'm just glad they're not changing the name out of political correctness.

@hcfwesker This.

@Phantom_R I'm not even talking about the Bomber's Notebook portion. There was more to the article than just what the headline said It was more on Aonuma's quote at the end about "making the doomsday structure a little more manageable"

It's been so long since I've played MM I forgot about the bombers notebook

I get what is being said about the Bomber's Notebook and not knowing about the events happening around the game world.
I think the intention is to just make the experience more streamlined.

@hcfwesker Right, so... Much of the "challenge" of Majora's Mask was to rush through the 3-day cycle, and most of the "obstacles" existed for no reason other than to waste the player's time if they screwed up. Progress is constantly reset, and retaining it (like with Rupees at the bank) often just requires even more mindless, repetitive errands.

There are a lot of acceptable ways to punish a player, but mindlessly wasting their real-world time is not one. That's where the three-day structure needs to be refined. If Aonuma's out to fix that, then this game will be much more enjoyable for most players.

Removing archaic game design is not dumbing it down.

@drewb0203 provides a good example of archaic design: holding back saving the game. That is only inconvenient and unnecessary, not "difficult"

looking forward to this, sadly, I won't be able to get the special edition due to the fact that most places were sold out within hours

@WaLzgi Playing it with the equivalent of a save state would break it completely though. As long as it still ends with a perfect run needed though the cycle then it will be fine.

Nice, at times the notebook could be overwhelming for new players so I am glad it is being improved for this re-release!

@WaLzgi

Agreed 110%. The game definitely needs an updated save system and the developers are smart by doing so. That isn't making the game more "casual" though.

The "Bombers" were the source of my username (Z=Zelda, Bomber), over 14 years ago when I joined a Zelda forum. The N64 Zelda games have always been very special to me. Can't wait to see what changes they make to the 3DS version.

Those bomber boys in MM is very annoying.

I hope so. Hopefully they put the notebook on the second screen & have it update in real time so I can keep track of who to help next at any given time.

@ShikabaneHime13
"I think it is pretty nice how they are trying to take all gamers (newbies, experienced, hardcore and casual) into account."

The problem is how hard it is to find middle ground when you aim to please so many. If the game's too easy, the dedicated players will feel excluded. If the game's too hard, young experience-less players will. And with how "hand-holdy" so many of today's games are, catering to the young and casual crowd will mean huge changes must be done to the game. The more I read about how they're making the game more accessible, the more worried I get. I guess only time will tell if these changes make that much of an impact on the game.

@hcfwesker From what I gather, it's just adding more entries to the notebook to make those small events more noticeable this time around. Nothing about dumbing down the fights or dungeons. Wonder how much you read before commenting here?

Love it, it's not just a remake, it's improved upon. Gotta love that approach- just like Windwaker HD and the fast sailing cloth- some game design choices of old were just bogus (or limited by technology).

Nintendo seems to be coming into maturity with the Zelda series. I see a lot of changes for the better lately with Windwaker HD, Link Between Worlds, Zelda U and Majora's Mask. So glad they care enough to actually improve upon, rather than just port verbatim.

@unrandomsam I disagree. If you don't want to save, that's fine. Do your own thing. But I'd rather not have this BS pseudo-difficulty in a game I want to enjoy. Again, inconvenience =/= challenge.

Matter of fact, I wonder why save points still exist today. I think it's because nostalgia.

@WaLzgi I think what they should've done is the same as with DKCR3D. Let someone choose either copypaste with minor differences (e.g. 3D available, less framerate drop) or changes which they seem to be making here (e.g. save anytime, 1 boss battle changed).

Meh. I'm sure the changes will be for the better. I've played the game enough times, that I don't even need to look at the Bomber's Notebook, at all.

loved the remake of ocarina and look forward to finally playing majora. was hoping they would revamp it and make it worth playing.

The Bomber's Notebook was useful, but it certainly had a tendency to be a bit too cryptic at times. I think so long as it now doesn't outright tell you what to do, but perhaps gives a slightly clearer hint then it'll work well. This is Nintendo after all, they'll get it right.

@MegaWatts
Ya, the NPCs associated with the sidequests usually tell enough information in the game to know more than what the notebook say, but that might be the information now included in the notebook. That's my guess.

I've played this game so many times over the years, I'm actually excited for all the tweaks and changes! It won't be much, I'm sure, nothing fundamentally different, but it'll make for a somewhat new experience. Now all I need is that New 3DS Zelda MM Special Edition. Hype!

@hcfwesker
I think what he meant was, because its a handheld game system and not a home console, the user will feel less pressured in to completing a task before powering the system down. One of the most underrated functions of the nintendo handhelds is their ability to suspend games and continue where you left off when you return to it (the Wii U now supports this in VC). For games like MM on the n64 where the earlier levels were more time (continuous) specific, any interruptions like: having to go out with parents or someone wanting to watch/occupy the tv whilst your playing added or intensified the pressure of trying to complete the said level. Moving the game to a portable with the 3ds functionality already allows the user to ingest the game in digestible chunks, allowing for stop/start play at your leisure. This makes the game more accessible and in some cases easier.

The bombers notebook was incredibly helpful as it was. As far as I could tell, a lot of people (who found the game too confusing) just didn't know to use it. Increasing its visibility is the best way to attract new players without changing the game significantly.

I don't get why people are complaining about this now of all times. The thing about the Bomber's notebook getting revamped is not exactly news, and the last time I read about it - probably over a month ago - it was more clearly stated that hidden events would be easier to notice through the notebook but they wouldn't spoonfeed you through them.

As much as the thought of playing a Zelda "on a clock" made me uncomfortable way back in the day, I must admit, it resulted in one of the best gameplay mechanics I've seen in videogames. I'd love to see it used in a whole new setting, but that's ok. Enjoy anyone who never played it, and enjoy (again) to those who have romped it once before

I don't get what people are saying about this effecting difficulty, they're improving a feature that really was hardly usefull in the origional. I hardly looked at the thing in my times playing the game.

I knew it! The Bombers note-book was a bit flawed.

I hope we'll get to at least an instant save, start and stop anywhere state. That would make me consider buying this version. Imagine not having to mess with the double layered owl structure again...