Am I the only one who thinks fan expectations have been crazy ever since Oot?

I agree that expectations ahve been too high since OOT. MM was pretty good, noot quite as good, but still. PH was a letdown to most foo the other handheld Zeldas. FS was Good, but my favourites were the orcale games and LA, which in my opinion was was eth best of the Handheld Zelda games.

I don't think my expectations or demands of Nintendo are too high or unreasonable in any way. Frankly, I've been very impressed with the last couple of console games. Wind Waker had an absolutely incredible story, the best in the main series in my opinion, and it was beautifully presented.

Even Twilight Princess had a highly enjoyable story, and the more I analyse it, the greater I believe it could have been, but it ended up being anti-climactic for a few reasons. Firstly, they ruined Zant - he was a truly remarkable villain throughout the game. There is a great deal of evidence that shows how calculating he was - this is the first game since Zelda II in which you truly get the feeling that Link is being actively hunted down. Sadly, he completely fell from grace when he turned out to be a gibbering psychopath that ricocheted around the room like Daffy Duck. The other thing that wrecked the ending was Ganondorf. He didn't seem to acknowledge Link at all - his attention was almost entirely focused on Midna, and Link might as well have been her hired muscle. However, in spite of a poor ending, the rest of the game was a very enjoyable experience, very well presented, and played very well.

The only thing I want from Nintendo in the next Zelda game is a ****ing difficulty setting. I explained here in painstaking detail how pathetically easy the series has become in the last seven years, and that has got to change. Easy, Normal, Hard - I don't see how this is unreasonable in the slightest.

The only thing I want from Nintendo in the next Zelda game is a ****ing difficulty setting. I explained here in painstaking detail how pathetically easy the series has become in the last seven years, and that has got to change. Easy, Normal, Hard - I don't see how this is unreasonable in the slightest.

Great post, I strongly agree with it.

This got me thinking about the new Prince of Persia game, which drastically reduced the difficulty level and took the possibility of death out of the game. The team behind the game argued that they wanted to focus on creating an engaging experience moreso than a frustrating challenge.

The Zelda series seems to have gone in that direction. They won't be taking out the death mechanic as far as I can tell, but the health/damage system is so screwed up by now that death is hardly an issue anymore. It used to be you'd get secret endings for beating the games without dying; now it's almost a given that you'll win without having to die.

Twilight Princess did have a number of legitimately difficult encounters - the first fight with the twilight monsters when I only had three hearts was rough. The Darkhammer fight was intense, and the groups of Darknuts were also difficult. I see no reason why the games can't include a difficulty setting.

I would completely prefer that over them making another tedious enemy pit as a bone thrown to the hardcore fans. I want the exciting challenges to come while I'm playing through the main game, with all the atmosphere and context attached, cause that stuff complements the experience and makes it memorable. The enemy pits are challenging, but they aren't memorable and they quickly get monotonous given all the repetition.

Originally Posted by Hylian Dan

This got me thinking about the new Prince of Persia game, which drastically reduced the difficulty level and took the possibility of death out of the game. The team behind the game argued that they wanted to focus on creating an engaging experience moreso than a frustrating challenge.

I agree completely. I played the introductory levels in a shop one day, and the difficulty had been dumbed down severely. PoP is renowned for being at the top of the difficulty ladder since 2D original, not only for the acrobatic deathtraps but also for the combat, and it's saddening to see it take a plunge like this.

The Zelda series seems to have gone in that direction. They won't be taking out the death mechanic as far as I can tell, but the health/damage system is so screwed up by now that death is hardly an issue anymore. It used to be you'd get secret endings for beating the games without dying; now it's almost a given that you'll win without having to die.

Another funny thing is that right around the time it became difficult to die, the life counter on the file screen disappeared. That thing served as my incentive not to die. You'd think now that it's gone, I'd be a little more careless, but oddly enough, dying just doesn't seem to be an issue for me anymore.

Twilight Princess did have a number of legitimately difficult encounters - the first fight with the twilight monsters when I only had three hearts was rough. The Darkhammer fight was intense, and the groups of Darknuts were also difficult. I see no reason why the games can't include a difficulty setting.

That first encounter with the Shadow Beasts you mentioned is one of the only times I died in my first play, the other being against Darkhammer, which was a veritable rape in its purest form. It was the first time since OOT that an enemy killed me so swiftly that I had no time to work out what was going on, and nothing else about the game made me happier. It confirmed to me that Nintendo can still do it, but just aren't doing it enough.

I find it somewhat ironic that people almost universally acknowledge Darknut and Darkhammer as the best enemies in the game, when they are both shining tributes to Zelda II, the game that an overwhelming majority of fans dislike for being "too hard" or "not really Zelda" (compare Darkhammer with Gooma). Darknut and Darkhammer are solid evidence for the argument that gargantuan monsters pale in comparison to super-powered warriors, and that was what Zelda II was all about - duels with super-powered warriors. The only way you can challenge an agile warrior like Link is to fight him on the same terms. Hell, I even had a much harder time with Ganondorf in Twilight Princess, simply because it was duel.

I would completely prefer that over them making another tedious enemy pit as a bone thrown to the hardcore fans. I want the exciting challenges to come while I'm playing through the main game, with all the atmosphere and context attached, cause that stuff complements the experience and makes it memorable. The enemy pits are challenging, but they aren't memorable and they quickly get monotonous given all the repetition.

I am in full agreement. Grant you, fighting three Darknuts simultaneously is the best challenge you'll get at the end of the game, but we shouldn't have to go through forty rounds of other enemies just to get there.

The only other thing that I would like to see, which funnily enough has been seen before, is the ability to fight bosses again. Who hasn't wished they could fight Dark Link in the Water Temple without having to replay the entire game up to that point? Majora's Mask allowed boss replay, and it was a huge step forward - taking that step back is unacceptable.

Actually, there is one more thing: the game should no longer be limited to three save states. It's inconceivable that they still adhere to that system at this stage, when other console games in the genre have been allowing as many save states as your memory card could hold for more than ten years.

EDIT: For those interested, I have posted a thread listing some improvements that could be made to the series.