Cel.. Zelda: opinions from Japan
KoalaKiller
many ppl don't see what Zelda GC is showing something new.
***
Brief: An editor of the world famous Famitsu magazine, gives his post-E3
thoughts about the 'new' Zelda.
Related Links:
Reporter
Shou Suzuki
Nintendo's new edition in the Legend of Zelda series has created quite a
stir on this side of the pacific due to its controversial change in style to
the cartoon-like cell-shading. At least it has on this side of the pacific?
But what about Japan? Are the Japanese split on the new design style?
Whenever a generalization is made, it's hard to be accurate, but at least
one person is raising their voice on the new style of Zelda.
That person is an editor of Famitsu magazine. In the newest issue of the
magazine that came out on June 7th, he wrote a one-page editorial on Zelda's
change. Since Zelda has become quite a bit more anticipated since its E3 and
this editor was, of course, there to experience it, he weighs in on what
kind of impact he thinks the style might have. While it is not, of course,
in any way a survey of how the Japanese public view the new Zelda, I think
it's an interesting perspective to take. (Please note the editor's name is
not translated, as I don't want him to become the recipient of biting hatred
from disappointed Zelda fans.)
He starts by talking about E3 and its role in gaming trends. Not only is it
the place where many of the biggest games get their time in the spotlight
before released, but a highlight of the directions and paths the industry
might take in the future, as well as what games might act as the leader up
that pathway. He acknowledges that there were many good games for each
console that showcased interesting trends and a bright future for gaming
with quality to be had for all, but here the editor diverges in thinking
Zelda is set apart from the rest.
About four years ago when discussing Dragon Quest with the developers, the
editor reminisces that in 1998 Dragon Quest was taking a distinctly
different path from those of other games. The developers said that when you
see a mountain or village icon on the map, or other such "icons" that denote
what it is in the world that they want you to be able to imagine what the
mountain or village looks like from the outside. Our editor now offers that
the more realistic the representation of whatever it is, be it a character,
place or enemy, the less room gamers have to imagine what only they can
imagine, to fill in the details. The more the game helps along your
imagination, the more personality-imbued it seems to become and a more
personal reception of the game becomes possible. However, ever since games
moved on to 3D, not just gameplay, but the ability to display worlds and
particularly, people, in 3D, they have gained an added avenue towards
realism. Therefore, developers have been working for years in improving the
realism in a game, in particular the movements and body detail of the
characters. As hardware gets more powerful, gamers demand more and the
realism gets more and more believable. However, the editor notes that until
recently, not many games have focused on the face, despite it being the most
important part of the body for expression.
Motion capturing has become extremely widespread in order to make
character's movement increasingly realistic, and while there are games that
accomplish great things with this (the editor mentions DOA Extreme
Volleyball and Capcom's Red Dead Revolver as examples) there is only one
reality. The more and more you try to make games that mimic that one
reality, the less and the less they will differ from each other, he argues.
And pretty soon, you'll have nearly all characters from all sorts of games
moving and appearing not very different from anyone else in the most
opposite of genres. The editor gives an example of the myriad soccer games
that appeared in Japan to take advantage of the World Cup fever. Great
amounts of attention have gone into making them realistically move and react
with detail down to the stitching of their clothes, but their faces remain
pretty static. For the appeal of playing with something that denotes
disappointment and euphoria at such a high level as the World Cup, these
games don't concentrate on offering the gamer players who react with emotion
and personality to the events of the game. And that, ironically enough, is
the very opposite of realistic.
Enter Zelda. Here the editor acknowledges that the face has been by far the
most concentrated area in which the graphics style will be geared towards in
the game. Link's eyes have been enlarged more than necessary and the
super-deformed style allows his face to be large and obvious, in a way the
editor agrees is largely reminiscent of anime. By concentrating on this, the
editor argues, it allows our imagination to run wild. For instance, he gives
the example that when you pick something in the inventory Link pushes in his
hand into his back pocket and rummages around for the item. While playing at
E3, the editor actually made a mistake of doing the same once this happened.
The world had been so convincing through Link's actions that he had found
himself thinking he was Link and mimicking his well-animated character
animations unconsciously. He gives another example of when Link climbs a
box, first trying to raise his left leg over the top and then flailing while
trying to prompt himself up, the expression he has communicating a sense of
resentment to his small size.
Though it has less detail than the other games at E3, it is tied to Dragon
Quest in that it allows the player to fill in other details and connect with
the game by suggesting actions, expressions and places rather than showing
them. (In other words the detail you see in Link's face when you can see it
translates into interpreting detail when you can't and a more one-on-one
connection with the game and characters.) It is not real in the sense that
polygonal games have achieved for, but it is a type of ironic realism that
makes the game squarely differ from all those around it. The editor believes
that this new Zelda's graphical style could spark a revolution towards
artists and designers being enlightened around this personality-conducive,
imagination-based graphical approach that he thinks separates Zelda not only
from the rest of the realism-intensive games but the other cell-shading
games as well.
http://www.gaming-age.com/cgi-bin/news/news.pl?y=2002&m=6&nid=11-19.db
Jimmery
it occurred to me that links facial expressions are like a direct level
of communication between the character and the player - link is actually
frowning with frustration to let *you* know he hates his small size...
pretty cool... i reserve judgment on how "free" his facial animation's
are... i mean, if he frowns the exact same way everytime he tries to
climb up something it would be a bit lame and a wasted opportunity to
put some real life into the main character...
Shadow
"Jimmery" <sp...@freeserve.com> wrote in message
news:3D07082D...@freeserve.com...
> great post!!
>
> it occurred to me that links facial expressions are like a direct level
> of communication between the character and the player - link is actually
> frowning with frustration to let *you* know he hates his small size...
>
> pretty cool... i reserve judgment on how "free" his facial animation's
> are... i mean, if he frowns the exact same way everytime he tries to
> climb up something it would be a bit lame and a wasted opportunity to
> put some real life into the main character...
>
facial animations, if they even have more than one. Then again, this is
Shigsy we're talking about, the man lives for the little details.
The OFM
> I doubt it'd happen every time, but they might not have a varied array of
> facial animations, if they even have more than one. Then again, this is
> Shigsy we're talking about, the man lives for the little details.
There's quite a few others, like his eyes got really big as he paniced when
he was about to be shot out of a cannon onto an island.
--
I am the OFM
flo...@usit.net
wrote:
>After reading this, I have to agree with what he says. Its just sad that
>many ppl don't see what Zelda GC is showing something new.
Great read.
From the beginning Miyamoto and even magazine writer's have said that
the new Zelda would gain an emotional component from going in the
direction it's going in. IMO the game is gonna wind up having alot of
personality, and the Cel shaded techniques are only gonna add to the
emotional impact of the situations in the game. I liked the pre-Zelda
being shown, but I have come to truly like the new direction better.
flounda
reastlack
running on the store demo units, the same way that Mario 64 did.
There have been other cel-shaded games, but absolutely nothing that
looks or plays like this, and it is going to be eye catching. That
boss fight with the lava creature alone... wow.
"KoalaKiller" <tjon...@bigpond.com> wrote in message
news:UfBN8.291147$o66.7...@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
Shadow
"The OFM" <oscar...@REMOVEbigfoot.com> wrote in message
news:l2HN8.92046$6v2.3...@twister.southeast.rr.com...
Kevin Sullivan
>On Wed, 12 Jun 2002 05:47:32 GMT, "KoalaKiller" <tjon...@bigpond.com>
>wrote:
>
>>After reading this, I have to agree with what he says. Its just sad that
>>many ppl don't see what Zelda GC is showing something new.
>
>Great read.
>
>From the beginning Miyamoto and even magazine writer's have said that
>the new Zelda would gain an emotional component from going in the
>direction it's going in. IMO the game is gonna wind up having alot of
>personality, and the Cel shaded techniques are only gonna add to the
>emotional impact of the situations in the game. I liked the pre-Zelda
>being shown, but I have come to truly like the new direction better.
>
>flounda
I think it's cool that he reaches into his backpocket to get items.
It'll be badass if he reaches in there and busts out his bow and
arrows:) My girlfriend always makes jokes about games like Final
Fantasy where the characters are carrying around 30 metric tons of
items apparently in their backpocket. This is the ultimate answer to
that:)
slapkicksy
"Kevin Sullivan" <ke...@beestung.net> wrote in message
news:8hgfgu8mj5a4hgt59...@4ax.com...
> On Wed, 12 Jun 2002 09:48:29 GMT, flo...@usit.net wrote:
>
> >On Wed, 12 Jun 2002 05:47:32 GMT, "KoalaKiller" <tjon...@bigpond.com>
> >wrote:
> >
> >>After reading this, I have to agree with what he says. Its just sad
that
> >>many ppl don't see what Zelda GC is showing something new.
> >
> >Great read.
> >
> >From the beginning Miyamoto and even magazine writer's have said that
> >the new Zelda would gain an emotional component from going in the
> >direction it's going in. IMO the game is gonna wind up having alot of
> >personality, and the Cel shaded techniques are only gonna add to the
> >emotional impact of the situations in the game. I liked the pre-Zelda
> >being shown, but I have come to truly like the new direction better.
> >
> >flounda
>
> I think it's cool that he reaches into his backpocket to get items.
> It'll be badass if he reaches in there and busts out his bow and
> arrows:) My girlfriend always makes jokes about games like Final
> Fantasy where the characters are carrying around 30 metric tons of
> items apparently in their backpocket. This is the ultimate answer to
> that:)
Yep. And because its a cartoon when ever anyone complains you can say "but,
it's a cartoon"