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Rumor: Zelda coming to both Wii U + NX, choose between male/female link, VA for NPCs
- Thread starter Nibel
- Start date
I'm tired of Link and I want to play as Zelda for once. Every game she's better than Mr. No Personality and yet she's always stuck doing nothing for 90% of the games.
Spirit Tracks and Skyward Sword Zelda are the best characters in the series. Time to dump that green elf Nintendo.
Spirit Tracks and Skyward Sword Zelda are the best characters in the series. Time to dump that green elf Nintendo.
Nah, it's a different Link every time, so this is actually a franchise where you can easily have the option to choose, or even only have a female hero.
Yes he can. It's easy.
Male Zelda. It's time.
Pretty much every game they publish lets you play as a female character these days.
balladofwindfishes
Member
(I'm ignoring Wind Waker for a minute)
But having three games to establish a personality of a character, to see their emotions, how they make decisions and how they act do.
The Hero of Time is a character. There is absolutely nothing anyone could possibly say to make an argument the Hero of Time is an avatar and not a full blown character.
It's not outlandish that it'd influence Aonuma. It's a question of whether or not Miyamoto would allow it, since he's anal-retentive over keeping certain aspects 'traditional'.
Spring-Loaded
Member
But what about the leggings?
ElectricBlanketFire
Member
Link is a man's name?
Scientist Supreme!
Banned
Not really the same thing but what would be wrong about change mario or sonic into a woman?
theSlacker
Member
This has been my PoV with Zelda games as well. I would rather just a set female character over a choice. If that is a set female Link, that is better then a choose your own character situation. Beyond that I would prefer that the if the protagonist is female that it be a new original character, or one of the other established female characters in the series instead of sex swapping an established character. Yes it is a reincarnation, but I always viewed it as a reincarnation of the same character.
So basically my preference for protagonist would be as follows;
Male Link > New female character/already established female character > Female Link >>>> Choose your own sex Link > Create a character
That being said I'm not going to not buy the game if they go further down that line so I guess my preference is irrelevant.
"Link" isn't even a name outside of, I guess, a pretty rare shorthand for "Lincoln", which is not the case here. You are arguing made-up semantics.
Just like the first game that had him blonde instead of with brown hair (aLttP), or the first game that had him as a young man instead of a kid (OoT) or the first time he was right handed instead of left handed (SS).
Nintendo World Report's Neal Ronaghan says he heard similar stuff from multiple sources. It might be worth mentioning in the OP.
https://twitter.com/nron10/status/718440249882386433
https://twitter.com/nron10/status/718448543833296896
https://twitter.com/nron10/status/718440249882386433
https://twitter.com/nron10/status/718448543833296896
UnemployedVillain
Member
Am I the only one who's most excited for whoever they pick to voice Ganondorf?
I'm imagining an epic WW-esque monologue by Norio Wakamoto
I'm imagining an epic WW-esque monologue by Norio Wakamoto
Like I said before, The Hero of time was in MM and OOT. All the other games had competely different heroes that are reincarnated versions of Skyward Sword link.
Link is, by nature, an avatar of courageous heroism. He can come in all shapes and sizes.
Also it's a video game so whatever.
Spring-Loaded
Member
This was a change done in the last year or so, almost certainly in response to the public outcry. Unlike say Fire Emblem or Pokemon where this stuff is planned long in advance, I'm not expecting any dialogue changes with NPCs.
To be fair, many things in this new Zelda feels like a Ghibli movie. I approve this.
Regarding to the possibility to have a Female Link, I am happy. Link was never someone who is associated to its gender, or someone whose actions are tipycally of the male gender, so it can works either if is male or female.
Still, I don't know what style will better, if have two characters who co-exists but you have to choose one of them (Pokemon) or two characters whose existence are mutually exclusive (Persona 3 Portable). I think I will prefer the latter, but anything is fine to me.
brandonh83
Banned
I've known one person IRL named Link and they were probably named after...
I think you're being a wee bit disingenuous by saying Link is exactly the same thing as Samus, Mario, and Sonic. sure, Link might be a character like all the rest but in a much different way according to the Zelda universe. each Link is a totally different person. why can't the hero ever be a woman? I'd say that the answer to that question has more to do with our universe than the fictional Zelda universe.
this too
balladofwindfishes
Member
Partly because of the character, yes.
Super Maria 3D Universe
Vyse The Legend
Member
Zelda should be the female option -- if only to guarantee that saving her (yet again) isn't part of the main plot in any way.
NinjaCoachZ
Member
Worth noting that it also clarifies the female character as being Link (which most of us figured anyway).
Link is named Link because he is a "link" between the player and the character.
Having a female version arguably makes that "link" that is core to the character even stronger.
Spring-Loaded
Member
brandonh83
Banned
It can still be exactly about that.
Finally voice acting, glad to see that is being added if the rumours are true as well as the possible NX version.
However as for the female character, please be Zelda. If Hyrule Warriors has shown us anything is that you can have Zelda playable and have her be as much of a bad ass as Link is, plus it can offer a different play style with her rapier and light arrows.
However as for the female character, please be Zelda. If Hyrule Warriors has shown us anything is that you can have Zelda playable and have her be as much of a bad ass as Link is, plus it can offer a different play style with her rapier and light arrows.
Who cares? You can rename him/her so it's not like it matters.
Link has no personality. He's just a blank slate.
I agree actually. But this is still pretty big news.
Well once Sonic Adventure came around they turned him into a character so I'm not sure how that would work. I'd also probably have nightmares from whatever female Sonic Sonic Team came up with.
I know we all prefer to pretend that Other M doesn't exist but Samus is no longer a silent protagonist.
LegendofLex
Member
I mean, the heroes in Zelda games are actually more or less literally avatars (in the sense that they are an incarnation of divine power).
I feel the exact same way, but the problem isn't just that Zelda is better (although she invariably is), it's why. If Zelda was the mute protag and Link suddenly became the focus of her quest, no doubt Link would suddenly be awesome... because he'd be free to be awesome.
So why not just leave him as the player character and make him free to speak, to emote, to participate in the story, to exist as a character?
Theanine3D
Member
The creator of the series has stated many times that Link is meant to be an avatar for the player.
It's fine if you want to interpret the character your own way, but the creator's own stance on the matter is #1 and always ultimately trumps your personal interpretation.
I'll agree that Hero of Time is an established "version" of Link, and changing THAT particular Link to a girl would be strange. But Zelda U's Link is a completely new incarnation, and therefore, they have the freedom to make a change like this.
Soooooo
Could this have been a female character model all along?
Aonuma: laughs
Yoshi
Headmaster of Console Warrior Jugendstrafanstalt
Since there now is a "Linkle", it would certainly be strange to have also the name "Link" as a female name. However, there is the male version of Andrea, Andreas, and Andrea still can be used for a man, so I don't know.
balladofwindfishes
Member
The Zelda universe story makes no difference at all. This is an established brand and an established character with a long history.
I'm not arguing the hero cannot be a woman. I'm arguing Link cannot, and will not, become a woman and people need to temper their expectations and assume it's two separate characters, as the leak implies.
Splash Wave
Member
I would totally play as "Maria," to those posing that hypothetical.
UnemployedVillain
Member
Not really true as of the console Zelda games since WW
This has no real basis...especially considering the strange unveiling of Zelda Wii U which
1. Had no character art for Link. The character art for SS was one of the first things unveiled
2. Link looking more androgynous than usual AND not wearing his typical tunic
I very much doubt it was reactionary to outcry
Chû Totoro
Member
Link is never the same but Link IS male.
Linkle could "work" the same way aka never being the same but always being female.
imo having different gameplay and characteristics is way better if you want a good representation of women and also something more interesting for players.
It's not like a woman is a man with boobs and no penis... people, come on. Women and men are different and it's a good thing so embrace the differences and don't try to make everyone having no genre at all so you could claim everywhere that you're the most inclusive person in the world.
... anyway we'll see, I'm just hoping for something interesting story / gameplay wise (at least one)
Linkle could "work" the same way aka never being the same but always being female.
imo having different gameplay and characteristics is way better if you want a good representation of women and also something more interesting for players.
It's not like a woman is a man with boobs and no penis... people, come on. Women and men are different and it's a good thing so embrace the differences and don't try to make everyone having no genre at all so you could claim everywhere that you're the most inclusive person in the world.
... anyway we'll see, I'm just hoping for something interesting story / gameplay wise (at least one)
That is something I'd really like, actually. Skyward Sword already broke away from Zelda being of royalty so she doesn't have to be anything of such here.
cartographer
Member
Link cannot be a man. She just can't.
Dark Cloud
Member
Why is Mario and Samus being brought up? They're set characters already. Mario is a character and so is Samus.
Link is only reborn game after game and can be any gender.
Link is only reborn game after game and can be any gender.
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