What if a Zelda game looked like anime?

I think that it would be cool if they made a game that looked like anime. It would look like a cartoon but the characters would have outlines and they would be shaped more realistically. The game would have a dark mood too.

There may be voice acting but Link wouldn't say "Well excuse me princess!". The game wouldn't resemble anything close to the cutscenes from the cdi games. Those were just weird to me.

It would also be cool if Nintendo released Manga that's closely based off of the story of this game to every country that the game would be released in. Chapter one of the manga would come with the game.

Hm... I think that's what they tried to do with TWW, only the shapes were not quite anime.
But it would certainly be cool.

Seems like a marketing plan where you invest a lot of money in the product, then make profit from it much, much later. Doesn't seem like Nintendo, what with their cheap costs and high prices. (I read it only costs like $10 to make a Wiimote) Nintendo would probably release the entire manga set seperate from the game.

They have LOZ Graphic Novels and Comics. You should check those out cause they are pretty much equivalent to LOZ if it were an Anime.

Yeah, I think the art for Akira Himekawa's Zelda mangas are lovely. And Zelda has almost always been anime styled when you look at most of the official art. But I think the celshading for the Wind Waker is much nicer than the celshading usually used for anime games. But I do think something like graphics/art direction for the new Prince of Persia game would be nice.

Well, first of all, The Wind Waker was in no way meant to look like anime. There's a big difference between anime and cel shaded graphics. NOOB

Anyway, I think this would be a horrible idea. Reasons why:

1. There's no point. The Zelda series has always been known for having their own unique look and feel. To make it anime would make it the same as half the games out there. Plus, it just wouldn't fit.
2. Increasingly dark storyline. As time has gone on, Zelda has gone from more than "Save the princess" and has delved deep into the human psyche and philosophy, with their increasingly better graphics following suit. (The exception of this was Wind Waker, in the graphics department anyway. Why they chose it to be cel shaded is a whole nother thread) So, to revert back to such simple and easily done graphics as an anime would not give it enough credit.
3. Just cuz

It would be kinda wierd, but something new. i don't know if Nintendo would do that.

A more realistic cel-shaded look would be interested. TWW was based more on a super-deformed style of anime.

Originally Posted by Tenshi_Hyoeyu

It would be kinda wierd, but something new. i don't know if Nintendo would do that.

I remember that before WW was announced, fans didn't think that the next console game would look like a cartoon. They though it would be realistic. We can never know what Nintendo will do next. The wildest guess could be exactly right. Although I do agree that it would be unusual for Nintendo to do this.

Hmmm... If the next Zelda game is osmething that you have pretty much described, then it would turn out to be similar to that of Fire Emblem or something.

I don't really like the sound of it. I like the realistic graphics that we became to love in OoT, MM and TP.

Originally Posted by LunchboxZU

Well, first of all, The Wind Waker was in no way meant to look like anime. There's a big difference between anime and cel shaded graphics. NOOB

I think you've mistaken the definition of the term "cel shaded". It doesn't refer to character model form, it refers to the surface texture and coloring. Tales of Symphonia used cel shading as well as Zone of the Enders the Second Runner.

That being said, TWW does use the exaggerated expression and super deformed forms commonly seen in Anime and Manga. Sage is suggesting an Anime-like look but with less super deformity. That can be done without cel-shading actually.

Did you know that TP was designed as a shonen manga-style game rather than a realistic game?
And I loved Wind Waker, those graphics were awesome, and they should not add any outlines on them. But if they would, it sure as hell would still look awesome, as it would be fresh and new, graphically.