It's All About the Graphics, Part 1
"Which Zelda game would look best if it had a GameCube style graphical update?"

Now I'm never someone who ever judges a game just solely on its graphics but in this investigation I'm going against my belief. Just writing this introduction I fear what I'm about to write, it's an odd feeling, I hate it when people just talk about graphics and just want to against what they say. So the purpose of me writing this investigation is a personal challenge for myself to find out what it would be like to just look at graphics in a game and to see why people go that way of thinking.

I will warn you now though; I may or may not slip into my normal mode of "You don't judge a game just by its graphics!" Which to be honest is going to be very hard for me not to slip into, but hey! We'll see at the end won't we?

And so the question that I pose is, which Zelda game would look best if it had a GameCube style graphical update? And which game would be best out of the lot?

So let's think back to the olden days when people played on 8-bit machines and played on games which were flat, graphically impaired and look very awful in today's society of graphics loving people. And on one particular console, known as the NES, a hero was born in a game called 'The Legend of Zelda'. Link the little Elf-thing, he wore green clothes, had a green hat, he was equipped with a sword and very pixelated. Now in today's growing world of graphical excellency, the game would be laughed at (especially from the newer generation of gamers, who have been brought up with the PS2 and N64 as their first consoles), you could just hear them now,

"Hahahah" they would chant, "When was that game made? In the Stone Age?"

Then an older gamer (like myself) would reply,

"Actually it was made in 1986 for the Famicom in Japan and then was released in 1987 for the NES (US name for the Famicom) in the US."

The Younger generation would look blank and the reply would be something like this,

"Duh...What's a NES? It must have been rubbish then, as the graphics are awful (putting it politely, I doubt they'd actually say awful, but instead something else...but hey this is site for Family and for all ages so awful is the best word that fits)."

And so it would go something like that, but what would happen if the game did get a nice GameCube update, so the graphics were up to par with the games of the modern world? The first game in the series is let's face it, bland (I really don't like saying that), flat and umm...old. To be honest a graphical update of even Ocarina of Time proportions would be hard. The game just doesn't have the right capabilities for it.

So then that leads me on to what's considered the 'black sheep' of the Zelda series, Zelda 2: Adventure of Link. 2D side-scrolling adventure all the way! And that's exactly all I need to say, a GameCube update would be impossible, for those of you who haven't played the game allow me to explain why. There are absolutely no ups or downs in the game (mountains wise etc...); also with the 2D side-scrolling perspective the game doesn't offer much detail into the villages and dungeon's. If someone of the N64/PS1 generation of gamers saw the game in its NES form, they wouldn't even play it, which in a way would be a shame because the game isn't as bad as people make it out to be.

Now, what came after the two NES games? Ah...yes...the Crown jewel of the Zelda series, A Link to the Past. The colours, the music, the gameplay it's all just so perfect. And so will a GCN graphics update be good? Well the simple answer would be YES!

I'm not going to moan about the newer generation of gamers, as they do have a chance of seeing the game in all its glory on the recently re-released version on the GBA. The game has set the standard for all Zelda games to come. Graphics wise on the SNES the game was a beauty, the colours were immense, details were finely done and overall it was (and still is) just so gorgeous to look at. So with all these colours around the place, imagine what a GCN graphical update would bring, the first hurdle would be if they should use cel-shading or not. I'd love to see the SNES classic running in 3D, if it were cel-shaded the game would still be similar to the colours used in the SNES original.

And now the GameBoy games, A Link to the Past (DX) and the two Oracles games (I'm using all three here because the graphics in the games were the same). Again like the SNES game these games would be great for a GCN graphical update, I'd love to see Mabe Village in full 3D glory. I think it would be possible for all three games are able to have a 3D update, but some area's would need to be sorted out, like the jumping off cliffs to reach your target area. But all in all, the GB games would not have any probs, nor would they look shoddy.

So where does that lead me to, ah yes...The Ocarina of Time (*bites tongue*). Now OoT by many is seen as the best Zelda game around and graphically the best so far also. Now take the old spaceworld realistic Link image and put it together with OoT and you should get something very nice indeed. The lushness of the graphics would be phenomenal, each ripple in Lake Hylia would send shivers down your spine and the fights would be more magical then ever! Ocarina of Time originally was a triumph in the graphics department, so what would the GCN graphical update be like? Gets you thinking doesn't it?

A so the sequel to OoT is the next destination, Majora's Mask. Majora's Mask was different in OoT, in many ways. But graphics wise, it was slightly updated. With a GCN update the moon would be more rounded, a though you can see it in the N64 original, the moon would be able to move down slowly and smootly. A graphics update would allow many of the bosses to look a lot better, and again the battles will be able to show more power and colours!

It's hard to decide what game would suit a GCN update, obviously OoT wouldn't change that much, but in say LttP had an update many things would change, like for example Kakariko village would be more like a village instead of houses facing the same way and all in row. So, though no conclusion can be given, it seems that LttP and the GB games would be the best games to have the graphical update.

And so that end's my little investigation, putting myself in the shoe's of a graphics lover. And so watch, out for next month's investigation, part 2 of this small series.