The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD just came out today, allowing western gamers the opportunity to play through the definitive version of the game. While it may be that this is the third release of the game, there have been several small, but no less welcome, tweaks to the gameplay and structure to make it all the more enjoyable. Nintendo has had a small developer interview video series going for a couple weeks now, and the last episode released today covered the new enhancements.
Eiji Aonuma, Tomami Sano, and Aya Kayagoku – the director, assistant director, and scriptwriter, respectively – all weigh in on the new features, such as the GamePad map, Miiverse stamps, and Wolf Link amiibo, explaining how they make the game a smoother or improved experience over the originals. Interestingly enough, Aonuma goes off on a bit of a tangent at the end, explaining that Twilight Princess was a "starting point", and that many things he thought of in development are now being implemented in Zelda U. Check it out:
What do you think? Are you satisfied with the improvements made to Twilight Princess HD? What do you think Aonuma's comments on Zelda U mean? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
[source youtube.com]
Comments 78
so far this game is awesome/please make a sequel after zelda u of course
I just bought this game too. It's gorgeous. I think I'm in love. Link is sexy.
It looks so much better than any video on youtube! It is gorgeous
Awesome remaster. I was kinda surprised when I heard about frame drops in Faron Woods. Oddly enough, I found myself trying to notice this in game but had a hard time seeing any difference. It's been a smooth and well polished game so far.
Articles around here are getting short and being replaced by videos. I don't want to become the perpetual complainer but I dislike getting my news through video footage. Please continue to give text versions of the fun stuff. -_-
@TobiasAmaranth I was thinking the same thing. Glad I'm not alone on this.
@TobiasAmaranth I agree whole heartedly. Sometimes I'm not in a place where watching a video is possible.
@TobiasAmaranth same here, video based articles suck!
I usually avoid video based artticles on any site, so hoping for more text based to.
@TobiasAmaranth
Totally agree, videos are nice, but only when accompanied by text summary
@TobiasAmaranth yep, I agree with this too
@TobiasAmaranth I also agree!
He said ''new features, such as the GamePad map, Miiverse stamps, and Wolf Link amiibo, explaining how they make the game a smoother or improved experience over the originals''
These three features, (one which adds to the price of the game) is hardly a game changer for any one yet undecided about buying the game.
The addition of Amiibos, and then trying to justify to non Amiibo fans that it doesn't add anything of value to the game, while telling Amiibo fans what extra game play they can have with the toy seems to be conflicting, trying to please both sides.
Nintendo needs to rethink and draw a line in the sand as to how much Amiibos will be part of a game to the detriment of gamers who don't want these toys intruding on their game.
There is a game mentioned in the Direct video (forgot the name) that will be free to download, but if you buy the Amiibo you get the game before anyone who does not buy the toy. While the game may or may not be worth having, it shows how the Amiibo can be used in the future to split gamers.
A year from Nintendo fans who buy a new Amiibo could receive early access to games.
The game definitely blew me away with how beautiful it looked. The YouTube videos, etc. don't do it justice; the game does truly look 1000x better. I've also just enjoyed the little touches besides the textures, such as the added bloom, and in general the colours seem to e more vibrant. I've definitely enjoyed TPHD, even more so than the original.
@TobiasAmaranth Very interesting! I'll keep that in mind. May I ask why?
@TobiasAmaranth I can understand wanting to just read or skim through some text vs watching a video when it comes to a more traditional news story, but in the case of an "article" like this, the video is the entire point. The article literally only exists to tell you about the video, and then shows you the video. It's not the same as clicking on what you think is going to be a thorough journalistic write up about something and finding that the report is given in video form instead. In this case, the article only exists to report on and introduce the video.
@MitchVogel I can't speak for everyone, but I think some people just like to complain.
Nintendolife-I could be wrong, but it seems in the past couple months, more and more of your news is just videos.
Please-start writing more, and let us decide if we want to watch the video.
This article-like so many lately-hint at what we want to know, then forces us to watch a video. You're better than this.
I played this game on Wii so I am not really sure why waisting time and resources on a remake instead of bringing the new Zelda game!
Then again, milking on games have always been one of Nintendo's traits. I got to praise them however for their marketing efforts.
Look at Final Fantasy 7 and see how long it took them to decide on a remake.
Okay, sorry I didn't see Tobias' post already....but I agree totally.
@Chet it's not about complaining. It's more about getting the news out quicker and with less resources used.
A potential reader could be in a waiting room with a few mins to spare. Great, time to see what's new...though it's probably not appropriate to watch a video. I think it's great if you imbed the video, but can't you write about it too? (Besides a minimal overview of the video.) Let the people decide if they want to read or watch. #bestofbothworlds #journalism #teamread
(Hashtags have been making me laugh lately:)
@zool First of all, you can download Twilight Princess HD on the eShop for $10 less than the physical version/amiibo bundle, and I wouldn't be surprised if they were also planning on releasing a physical version without the amiibo at the lower price. But you don't have to pay for the "toy" if you don't want to, so that's pretty much a non-issue.
Also, I don't remember all the details about the game you're referring to, but if you're talking about the Mario/Donkey Kong amiibo game, amiibo interactivity is the whole point. I can't imagine even wanting that game if you don't have or want to have any amiibo figures. And if it really is the way you're saying it is and you have to buy an amiibo to get "early access" to a free game, that's called "the way the world works." You pay money, and in return you get something. Why should people who don't pay money get the same thing as people who do? And why complain about getting it slightly later when the game is 100% free and they don't have to let you play it at all?
I'm all for some text repeating what is said in a video, but what I can't stand is shortened interpretations of an interview, without the source material to refer to. Too many times in the past on this site I've read someone's third-hand interpretation of what the subject actually said (possibly with a questionable translation coming somewhere in the middle).
So I've got no complaints about this video, thanks.
@H_Hunter I always thought Nintendo was ahead in this department than with competitors. How many ps3 games have been rereleased as ps4 games? Or like 'God of War Collection'...well any of the GoW collections. I think right now, the community as a whole is looking to play great games quickly...and development times are only increasing. How do you fill the gap? Great rereleases. I don't know if we'll see an end to this soon...on any console.
@gcunit Exactly-let us read if we want to, and imbed the video for those who are interested!
@mattesdude Sorry, but that's not a good reason. It's a pretty safe bet that the vast majority of the people that have access to this site are able to watch a short video. And if you aren't able to right now, you can watch it later when you're no longer in a waiting room or wherever it is that you're not allowed or able to watch videos.
If you're writing for a site like this, you have to generate a lot of compelling content in a relatively short amount of time. It would be a massive waste of time to write out an entire transcript for every single video they ever decide to post. It's not even remotely reasonable to suggest that they should. Especially if you're reason is "I can't watch this video right now because I'm in a waiting room/library/movie theater/dark alleyway hiding from thieves etc."
@H_Hunter Oh god, not this crap again. Okay, here's how this story goes:
Nintendo- "Gee, it sure is taking us a long time to make this new Zelda game. Wish we could give fans something to play while we finish this game we had to delay even though we're working on it constantly. I know, let's hire some other studio that's not us to remake Twilight Princess in HD. People like that sort of thing. This way, we can A) give some fans something they might like, B) do it without taking our own developers off Zelda U, and C) make money to help us stay in business so we can keep making Zelda games."
Meanwhile, at Tantalus (studio that is not Nintendo): !!!Ring Ring Ring!!! "Hello, this is Tantalus, a studio that is not Nintendo, how can I help you mate?"
Nintendo- "Remaster Twilight Princess for us and we will let you have some of the money. This way we can both get money and we can continue making Zelda U without having to take our own developers off it to remake Twilight Princess. By the way this is Nintendo, and you are not us."
Tantalus: "Okay mate, we will do this. Then we will both make the money and you can keep making Zelda U and continue to exist. Something something kangaroo, something something crocodiles. Crikey!"
The end.
@Chet
It's not reasonable to think they can write about every little article...? You know they, as well as almost every other journalistic website did this for years?
And the waiting room thing was one example. Though I will say about it, in a situation like that, where I can't watch a video, I'm not going to wait until later when I can-I'm going o check out a different website.
Another example would be all the people who have limited bandwidths. Great if you don't have this...but there are still plenty of people who do in this day, unfortunately.
And again, the time factor. I can an article much faster than many videos. What is a short video in your opinion? Most of the ones I click on here are over 5 mins. Not something I want to sit through. My free time is very valuable as there is so little of it haha
Don't have this game yet, but apparently there is no motion controls or mirrored mode without hero difficulty, which I think are real bummers as a fan of the original Wii version, possibly enough for me not to get this game... . Am I only one who thinks this?
@Rekiotsu What's so good about mirror mode?
Gyro-aiming and inventory management on the gamepad are a plus. No-one's going to take away your Wii version and motion controls.
I am a Zelda link to the past guy, this means I have to play all Zeldas until they do not make them anymore or until I die (whichever comes first).
I'm loving TPHD at the moment- non blurry graphics and a simple control set up means I don't get those horrible headaches like the one I had playing the Wii version.
This game is an absolute masterpiece.
And after so many years of playing realistic full-voiced games it's nice to get lost again in the world of imagination
Can't wait for the zelda u
Yeah, I'm enjoying Twilight Princess way more than I imagined; beautiful visuals, improved controls and GamePad integration make the game so much more enjoyable than it ever was on Wii.
@TobiasAmaranth
Totally agree!
@CHET_SWINGLINE Because I speak as a gamer and NOT a toy collector. And my point is just as valid as yours, at lease until Nintendo draw that line between games and toys. If only some games work with Amiibo's then I guess that would be fine, but Nintendo is adding Amiibo play to all games, and by the speed they are implementing it, from a not Amiibo supporter, it can only get worse.
Why would Nintendo release the game free for those who do not buy the Amiibo, if it wasn't playable? Or is the the start of Amiibo only games?
He said "Zelda U"? With the U at the end? That should have been the title, not the subtitle, especially after it was a no-show in the Direct. About time he acknowledged it's existence, that it hasn't been canceled or ported to NX or mobile. Not that it would be ported to mobile, but you can't announce a game at E3 2014, say it will be out in 2015, then ignore it all thru 2015 and now here we are in March 2016 and it still doesn't have a name or a time frame other than the useless 2016, which we already knew in March 2015 a year ago when they delayed it.
Yes, lots of effort went into this port, plays and looks better than the original, greatly improved, we get it, but it's still a 9 year old game that is a stopgap while we wait for the new one. Wiig U has been out 3 1/2 years without a new Zelda game, just 2 very old ports. What gives? WW HD was supposed to be the Zelda stopgap 2 years ago, Wii U was supposed to have a new Zelda game last year, but here we are replaying the WW HD scenario all over again, and everybody just eats it up.
I'm OK with ports and remasters, but they shouldn't ignore "new" games in the series while they give us not 1 but 2 HD ports while we wait as they continually build this old game up as something new.
So, good to hear he said "Zelda U", about frakkin time.
@mjc0961 Well I guess your systems bugged or something because I experience no lag and couldn't spot the frame drops I heard about, and I gave it a good try too.
Zelda U will have a gigantic overworld, which was something Aonuma really wanted for TP. Although TP did have a fairly large world, like Ocarina, it still felt very disconnected from the towns, dungeons and the like. I think Zelda U will be truly open - one world. We'll see soon if that becomes true.
Took a little break from Fire Emblem Fates (just a LITTLE break, I can't stay away from that game for long without withdrawals) and am playing Twilight Princess HD.
I'd forgotten just how much I love Twilight Princess.
@mattesdude Good luck checking out other websites that are willing to write out the entire script of this video. I'm sorry but this is getting ridiculous.
I can agree to some extent that not ALL articles need to be video only, but THIS article is specifically about The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess VIDEO Retrospective. It is a series of videos, NOT a series of articles.
For example: If they talk about some in-game mechanics in this video and they SHOW you these very mechanics or perform them for you while the interview is going on, how the hell would you replace that with only text?
"Eiji Aonuma: and then we thought of giving Link this special ability to swing like this. <points at video showing swinging mechanism>"
That would be a REALLY shitty article and most people would then want to KNOW what that swinging mechanism looked like.
Even a picture can't replace that, and in this day and age, most of us have a decent enough connection to be able to see this wherever we are, and 5 minutes is nothing. It takes more time to browse through this article and comments than to simply watch the video.
And besides all that, most of us like seeing (and hearing from) the people that made the games that we like so much...
@mjc0961 pointer aiming in TP was super clunky in the original. Surprised you want it. It was understandable as it was rapidly tacked on in development and I'm a fan of it in general, but it has aged poorly in this game. Granted it could have been improved but then waggle-sword. Do you not like the gyro-aiming in Splatoon? I mean that argument is long over.
I love the game so far(althoug the fishing had me rage)!
My favorite part is playing it, because I know absoutly nothing about the story, how a game should be played.
@Rekiotsu
There are motion controls
First time playing it ever and having fun...I love the subtle background music and especially love the goats. That cat wound me up for about 10 minutes though. I did notice a tiny judder in Faron Woods for about quarter a second, I was ready to spit the disc out and storm back to the shop and demand a refund. But I decided to persevere instead. Glad I bought it, plus my nephew gets an amiibo and soundtrack cd out of it!
I'm still in the slow part of the game at the beginning, but I'm loving the clearer graphics, and I'm especially loving the Gamepad features (inventory, map, gyro aim). Heresy, I know. During the aiming of the bird at the cradle I was like hey, Splatoon controls! I'm loving the game so far.
@mjharper yeah I had that Splatoon vibe too. First time I hit an enemy with the catapult in the back of the head made me laugh...
Question: Was the original Wii version completely mirrored from the GameCube or Partially? Because I went to Ordon and saw that things looked "rearranged...
@mjc0961 I'm not having none of those issues.try to troll harder next time.
So this is the "new" dungeon ? are you kidding me ??? I have already played through this game SEVERAL times waiting for Nintendo to make a NEW Zelda, and was hoping for at least a new full dungeon, I guess I will stash this away as a collectible, meh
@Detective_TeeJay Me too!
@TobiasAmaranth Yup. Agreed. Never thought I'd say it, but reading is more fun.
@rjejr Nope, he only referred to it as "new Zelda" and "new Legend of Zelda".
Yeah I don't understand the whole hate towards remakes/remasters on Nintendo consoles when it's more prominent in other consoles; Last Of Us, Kingdom Hearts 1.5 and 2.5, Nathan Drake Collection, Gears of War, Resident Evil 1 and 0 etc.
@Grumblevolcano Oh sure, I knew that was going to happen, I just finished typing that other long reply to you about 30 seconds ago. Guess I jinxed it.
@Grumblevolcano Finally watched the vid. And besides the lack of "U" it certainly didn't sound like a game that was supposed to be released last year. What the frak were people drinking at E3 2014 saying that the game would be out in 2015? When I read "I can't talk specifics" I about lost it. Why can't he talk about a game that was supposed to be released last year? He was fine talking about it in Dec 2014, telling us "no worries" it would be out in 2015. But in March 2016 he can't talk about it? Madness.
No date. No name. No console. Just "new Zelda game".
@TheRealThanos Perfectly stated. Thank you.
@zool Nintendo has always been a very merchandise-heavy company. I've been following the company since I was a kid in the 80's and amiibo is just one more piece of plastic on the mountain of toys and cereal and pajamas and backpacks and lunch boxes and posters etc etc. If you're mad about Nintendo pushing non-video game merchandise then you seriously don't know Nintendo, because they've been doing this all along.
Also, amiibo is one of the very few things that is keeping Nintendo in the black right now. It is literally driving their business forward by keeping them financially solvent. So I find it very strange when people complain about amiibo. If you like Nintendo, you should be glad they're actually making money on something right now. And if you don't like amiibo, don't buy it. All of this stuff, including games themselves, is non-essential and frivolous. You don't need it, and no one is forcing you to buy it. So if you don't like the direction Nintendo is going, vote with your wallet.
@MrPuzzlez
I believe it was completely.
@CHET_SWINGLINE lunch boxes, posters OK. But I don't have to scan a lunch box into my 3ds or Wii U to access part of the game.
If all the Amiibo's are is collectable toys they would have been kept separate from the game, and those who wanted them could buy them.
But they are more than that. They are becoming part of the game, all be it a small part now. And they are included as part of every game.
I can see more and more content being held back from games in order to sell the Amiibo's. And if that happens it will turn gamers away from Nintendo and that will be costly.
@CHET_SWINGLINE Well, you're most welcome. By the way: earlier I was kind of chuckling at people not even being able to simply press the reply button and instead simply addressing you as "chet".
You may have missed some "important" reactions to your comments that way...
@CHET_SWINGLINE #26
Well put!!
@zool
except Nintendo have already played with the idea of amiibo before. Actually, almost everything about the Wii U is something that Nintendo has played with before.
Amiibo = ecards (which could unlock things in certain gba games)
Wii U pad = Gamecube/GBA connection cable. Remember Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles or Legend of Zelda 4 swords?
@TheRealThanos Haha I saw that, and I had a hearty laugh from it.
@zool The parts of the games aniibo unlock are effectively just paid dlc, but in addition to the extra content you get a collectible figure that will continue to unlock content in more and more games without having to pay for it. And just like virtually all other dlc in any video game, none of it is ESSENTIAL. You don't need the figures, you don't need the content. This is just such a non-issue if you take the time to detach yourself from the emotional aspect and analyze it from a logical standpoint.
Who ever said writing a script of the entire video? And, again, I'm not just talking about this video, but all the videos that have been put lately.
People have seen videos/live events and summed them up in words for years. That's journalism. If a writer can't do that...yikes!
And, I shouldn't assume everyone's reading abilities, but 5 min a long time to spend reading an article on here, or a similar gaming website.
And I agree, many people have decent Internet nowdays...but there are many who dont, which like I said is unfortunate. Either way, that was, like my earlier points, just one more argument for having an article.
I also agree - sometimes it's nice to hear things straight from the developers. Which is why I stated they can still inbed the video. So I'm not really seeing how that was an argument against what I was saying
I have been in a situation like the one I mentioned above, and did just go to a different site instead of viewing the video. It's really not that hard.
Another big problem with these comment sections (and most Internet boards/comment sections/etc) is that people reply to a comment they disagree with and throw in an insult. That adds nothing to the conversation, and is a former of bullying. People should not be scared to be insulted by voices their comments. And I'm not just talking about my self here.
@CHET_SWINGLINE Its not a non issue if there are two side to the Amiibo discussion.
Take the Mario Kart 8 DLC. For £13 we got the Zelda and Animal Crossing tracks and all that was without the need for two expensive Amiibos.
I have nothing against these toy as such but keep them away from Adult games.
What is an adult game? Well Nintendo said they are making more games for children and females, so keep the toys for children's games.
We live in a collecting world, people collect stuff, mostly useless stuff. If children want this stuff the parents pay for it. Adults really don't want toys, well most adults. Teenagers I guess have a limited cash flow so the more Amiibos they spend money on the less money they have for games. Young working people should be saving for a house deposit and not collecting toys.
I keep trying to control the camera with motion controls like in Splatoon lol its just such a habit when using the gamepad for me
I agree with some people above. Clicked on article hoping to read a summary of what the devs said then saw it was just a vid so I left. Something about reading that interests me so much more. Of include the vid that is the source of the content too...just don't post an article that really says "hey watch this vid." My opinion of course.
@zool Oh brother. Okay, I'm done even pretending to take you seriously. As soon as you start throwing around terms like "adult games" and lamenting over Nintendo's choice to include (gasp!) "children and females" when they design games, you automatically disqualify everything you've said and will say on this or any topic. There is soooooo much more that I could say about this, but I've already wasted more than enough time on you. Have a nice life, big boy. Have fun with those adult games, assuming your mom actually lets you play them.
So you can ONLY play it with buttons? I'd have expected you could use the Wiimote controls if you wanted.
@CHET_SWINGLINE keep up with what's going on. It was Nintendo's President that said that Nintendo will be making more games for children and females. Shame you didn't have anything positive to say.
Play nice. -Morpheel
You are reading the words but not understanding the concept of what is being said.
Anybody know if they added a death counter at the end of the game like Link Between Worlds?
@MitchVogel Reasons other people here have stated. I prefer to do other things with my audio, I'm a quick reader so text is more effective, and I'm a PC user not a mobile user.
Speaking of PC vs mobile, I reallllly dislike the new website when it comes to the PC. That instant-appear bar makes speed reading a hassle (scroll down too far, scroll up, then scroll up one more click, then scroll down one more click to make it go away), the images are typically invasive by being so natively large and fully interrupting the article versus the old style of thumbnails you click, AND on a 1080 resolution monitor there's a large amount of dead space that has just made articles here less and less enjoyable.
The transition from text to video is just making it worse for me.
(And really, am I the only one who understand the function of the home key on the keyboard? I don't need this silly pop-up navbar appearing when I scroll upwards. I know where to find that information and if I need it, I will hit 'home' and bring myself to the top of the webpage.)
Edit: Oh, and as an example of something I stumbled on recently. There was an interview involving some Zootopia crew, and the entire thing was transcripted. (Not implying every video needs a transcript even if it would sometimes be nice.) I read through the transcript while multi-tasking, at around half the time of the actual audio interview. I was really thankful that the site had that transcript, as that's the way I prefer to take in most news. Sometimes videos are nice but usually I have other stuff to do.
Did you know the remaster was made by an Australian company
I wish they could've included the "addition" of aiming and walking. It's a pain to aim your clawshot at a target, be a couple of steps out of reach, put away your clawshot, walk forward, then use your clawshot again to see if you're closer. It's really a pain that it was in WWHD, but not TPHD.
Plus, does Midna HAVE to yawn every 5 minutes?! It sounds like she's bored, thus making ME bored too!
@VR32F1END Good heavens, I hope not. I'm playing on Hero Mode and probably clock a few deaths each hour on average. In particular, I must have died five to ten times fighting the miniboss in Death Mountain and then five more fighting the miniboss when you first reach the dried Lake Hylia. A death counter at the end may cause this grown man to weep with shame.
@singingbrakeman
I'm in a similar boat. Those shadow beasts and crawling monsters practically one shot you in the beginning. The moblin you charge on the bridge does heaps of damage, and you only have 4 hearts at that point.
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