http://wii.ign.com/articles/119/1192308p1.html

IGN just posted an interesting article, which I just linked above. These are my two favorite franchises and I used to be a hardcoe Zelda fan growing up, but TES has surpassed it through the years as being my favorite.

I do think Zelda could incorporate certain features from TES, but above all else, it's the freedom that separates TES from basically every other franchise. I wish more of that freedom was in Zelda.

Without reading the article I can say that Zelda and TES should never learn anything from each other and remain awesome being very different games.

So, a list of general things that are attributed to Skyrim for some reason?


Yes, a Bethesda game is the first that comes to mind when I think of great stories.

Anyway, I love Zelda and certainly would like to see the series evolve, but learning from Skyrim isn't exactly the way I'd like to see it happen.

Ones an RPG, the others an Adventure game. I doubt Zelda ever becomes an RPG.

It could learn a lot. Maybe not story wise, although we don't know yet how the story will turn out in Skyrim, but Nintendo could inject some of Beth's world building into Zelda.

I don't really think Zelda and Skyrim have enough in common to borrow aspects

I'm going to write an article titled "What Mario Kart Can Learn from Battlefield 3" and see if they publish it.

This.

They're two different game series, with two different focuses entirely. Yes, they both have exploration of the world as a staple of the series, but that's where the similarities end. Zelda focuses on environmental puzzles: exploring the world and putting together how new items you acquire can be used to get to new areas, solve puzzles, and so forth. TES focuses on making a game world that is as close to "alive" as possible, and is best described as a "single player MMO."

Whoever wrote this article needs to have their gamer-card revoked.

Or how about "What World of Warcraft Can Learn from Halo"? "What Game of Thrones Can Learn from My Little Pony"? "What Apples Can Learn from Oranges"?

This article is somewhat ridiculous. The two are entirely different games and I like them that way. I like my Zelda zeldaish and my Elder Scrolls elder-scrollish.

Bethesda's world designs don't really suit Zelda's style of play. There's virtually no platforming or opportunity to make use of the tools one acquires over the course of the game and it doesn't strike me as a very good design for collectables either (heart containers, bomb/arrow upgrades, etc.).

I wouldn't even like to see the size of Bethesda's maps applied to a Zelda game as it is (/flameshield) mostly wasted space. Aside from roleplaying (which has never been the draw of Zelda), why on Earth do we need such large maps? Zelda's worlds have always made sense according to the amount of content found in the game. They don't just up the map size for the sake of being bigger, which is something that's always turned me away from open world games.

Nintendo could easily get away with making larger, more intricate maps, but they can do so in a manner that best suits their game rather than borrowing from one whose design is wildly different.

The only bit of that article that has any merit in my eyes is possibly a larger world - but then I remember running back and forth through flat, boring Hyrule Field in Twilight Princess. So, no.

Everything else is just apparent fluff - I mean, make Zelda with more RPG elements? What? It's not really the point of Zelda games at all.

CoD:BO already has RC cars. They learned from Mario Kart. Nothing stopping anyone, now.

Skyward Sword will feature and item upgrade system. No details that I know of, but the concept of upgrading items seems good. Nothing we haven't seen before (Hookshot > Longshot, Master Sword > Tempered Sword > Golden Sword, etc.), just that it's never been fleshed out.

Mmm, true enough. I was thinking more along the lines of skills and whatnot that RPGs feature. Plus you get the Longshot through the normal progression of the game. Though you are right about the Golden Sword being an actual optional upgrade. But that's just one weapon.

With the exception of one item (using items in multiple dungeons) I think these are horrible ideas that take away part of the essence of Zelda... Its not supposed to be HD Gritty realistic graphics - its a comic story. Its supposed to be railroaded because its telling a very specific story...

It is the only JRPG series I can honestly say I like. Lets not ruin it by westernising it.

Zelda is as much a JRPG as Skyrim is. Which is not at all.

:rofl: my favorite!

These are my two favorite video game franchises but apart from them both being fantasy, they don't have much in common. The article doesn't make much sense but at least it is interesting.

The there are only two things I'd really like to see Zelda do differently, and that's story and dialog. The story needs to move away from the whole "save the princess!" idea, and as well... Why is it that EVERY game is a fresh start? Seriously, make a story that actually continues over the course of several games. <_<

And then there's the dialog... I like reading, and I like playing video games. That DOESN'T mean I want a book worth of dialog in my game. Sure it's nice in the form of books in the world, but I don't want to have to read every bit of character dialog. Especially considering how far along games have come.

The reason there can't be a continuing story line is because Link isn't a person, he's a link between the player and the game itself, every game is a new adventure, we aren't playing as Link we're playing as ourselves. As for the dialogue, without there wouldn't be as memorable NPCs.

Say what you want about the changes between Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim - at least we're not stuck being given basically the same game with a different gimmick for more than ten years.

My god, that...I actually agree with that. Finally, a reason to like TES again. Not being sarcastic, either. You know, compared to other series that don't even try, at least TES does.

Exactly. Nothing is worse for a game series than stagnancy. Heck, if you want to play Morrowind and see different things this time around, there are so many mods available to do just that, you really couldn't complain about being unable to get new content with the same gameplay. And for free, too!

Agreed. I do rant about Oblivion and Skyrim too much to be healthy, but I have to admit one thing: They're all vastly different games. If Bethesda had made Morrowind two more times after Morrowind, I'd be just as pissed off right now. While I heavily dislike the switch to more conventional fantasy fare, at least it's a switch at all. At least the games in the series are not copied and pasted over.

It's amazing how much such a simple statement calmed my nerves over this series. I kept making comparisons to other series when I should only judge a TES game by its status as a TES game.

Something the SpooneyOne suggested was a new set of Legends in the LoZ series. He compared it to Tales of Symphonia (I think that's the series) which had a main story arc and then spin off games that expand on the lore and history of the universe. Nintendo should really consider a Chronicles of Hyrule or other idea that expands on the kingdom of Hyrule and tells a different story other than the Hero of Time and the Triforce. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE LoZ, Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask are two of my favorite games of all time and Link is right up there with the Top Three favorite video game characters of all time for me but eventually Nintendo will run of steam and ideas if they don't go in a new direction with LoZ.