-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Rumor: Zelda coming to both Wii U + NX, choose between male/female link, VA for NPCs
- Thread starter Nibel
- Start date
Well, we know what a male link is like (doesn't talk, very little personality, maybe gets with the princess at the end because...reasons?)
Yes, make a very, very lame rebuttal that demonstrates you have no idea why people want this.
Go read that big long post on the previous page, see if maybe you can figure out why people are asking for this.
Nexus Zero
Member
Yeah, same actually. As someone who was obsessed enough to run a Zelda fan site for five years I understand seeing Link as having some kind of character - it is still very shallow and nothing he has ever done in the history of he franchise would be altered by him being female. I'm never even going to see the female version so like I say, I don't give a shit.
So stupid you decided to fan the flames and keep it going.
"Go around! Go around and around and around! What fun! I'm so happy!"
Good for you. I'm exactly the same, I often play as females whenever I can and don't spend much time pondering about whether I feel included or not. Too bad the gaming world as a whole is so skewed towards males, so females who more rarely get to see someone of their gender represented as a hero may not be quite as happy as you and I. So what you and I think isn't really that important, is it?
Because, if you haven't realized it already, it's not really about the Zelda-series. Well, in this case it's about that, but the root from where the desire stems consitutes a wider issue in the gaming industry. I can't feel it because I'm a guy, but I can understand the sentiments when looking at it from a perspective and I feel that there needs to be a change. One area of change is of course to create more new female heroes and let them take center-stage. In the Zelda-series there are a few cool female characters, which is awesome, I feel the developers have done well in this regard recently. However, the main playable hero, Link, has always been male. One can argue it's an established fact, but in this case there is leeway to make it not so anymore. You could keep him only male, no one would bring pitchforks to Nintendo's offices. You could do that. What I'm arguing is that if you for some reason (that I probably disagree with) are upset thinking about this established fact of Link always only being a male going away, then that's a small thing compared to being able to help out more in eliminating the issue of non-inclusion in the gaming industry as a whole. So I think it's a great idea to allow players to play as a female Link, and a better idea than keeping him only male for the rest of time.
KratosEnergyDrink
Member
Franchise must change to be relevant.
How have I? What is your argument for keeping Link a dude exclusively anyway?
He has character, but for the most part his character is to be your "link" to the game. Every trait you can write down that Link has, which is mostly eye of the beholder anyway as you've said in your last sentence.
Choosing the gender doesn't affect that at all. I would prefer Link as a dude, but I would play a game where Link is a girl with no option of switching without being bothered. Because Link's one big defining trait is that he's a hero who get's reincarnated over and over to banish evil. The reincarnation can be a girl.
It was an ongoing discussion and I joined in, blow me.
Change Link to be fixed character instead of a reincarnated one. Perfect for marketing as well since they won't have to worry about confusing customers with too many different Link images.
Cons:
We'll lose a Link in Smash
Less badges to fill Badge Arcade with
We might be stuck is a bad design
Sure is easy for us dudes to say that, isn't it?
I'd ask you to imagine what it would be like to be on the other side of this issue, but you've pretty plainly demonstrated that you lack either the desire or the ability to empathize with people in different situations from your own.
Francokid1
Member
Is a gender toggle option (to choose male or female Link), better than introducing a new playable female hero?
HawthorneKitty
Sgt. 2nd Class in the Creep Battalion, Waifu Wars
What do you think?
If you're looking for some sort of definitive answer, you'll never find it.
Galactic Fork
A little fluff between the ears never did any harm...
Yes.
Always-honest
Banned
Storywise? No.
Optionwise? Yes ;p
Isn't Samus always the same Samus though?
Doesn't get reborn in different times, right?
Ofcourse they could make a Sam...
or just a fucking robot
WhiteRabbitEXE
Member
Not even comparable, but ok.
Malcolm9
Member
In my opinion no.
HawthorneKitty
Sgt. 2nd Class in the Creep Battalion, Waifu Wars
Because the female NPCs might not want to have Link's babies. I think. I haven't been following the tread closely enough; it's a legitimate point though.
Malcolm9
Member
Read the comments opposing this, otherwise this thread ends in a constant loop.
This thread keeps going in circles. I think it's time to lock it down.
We have:
We have:
- "I'm ok as long as you can have male samus"
- "Link is reincarnated, so he can be whatever gender"
- "Isn't that just Linkle?"
- "Gender won't affect the story"
- "Gender will affect the story"
- "Gender hasn't affected story in the past"
- "Gender has affected story in the past"
- "Just let me play as zelda"
- "Zelda should have her own spin-off"
Malcolm9
Member
Galactic Fork
A little fluff between the ears never did any harm...
People have read them, that doesn't make the reasons reasonable. The reason it is in a constant loop is new people coming in making the same arguments against it. Like the Samus thing. You can't tell me there's anything reasonable about those comments from anybody who has the least understanding of Metroid or Zelda.
"NO U" is not a good reason
royox
Member
OOT:
Female Link would never get the Zora's Sapphire as Ruto gave it to Link as a "engagement ring".
The whole Gerudo part would totally change. Remember they hate men.
Majora's Mask:
Link is OOT's Link, it makes impossible a "female" choice.
Wind Waker
The whole Wind Waker would be fucked up as Ganondorf was SPECIFICALLY searching for "Little girls with Spiky Ears". If Link was female (as his SISTER) Ganondorf would also have captured him.
I played TP like 10 years ago so I don't remember an exact moment when Link's gender was involved but I remember there was a Link x Ilia and that's what triggered the whole story.
Meesh
Member
After following this thread for quite awhile... At this point I just want Nintendo to show us more footage of that luscious, full, mysterious looking world...it literally looks as though you could explore almost anything in it and if OoT is anything to go by considering great use of 3D space I'm sure New Zelda will be packed with secrets and oddities with little room to spare 
Simply can't come soon enough.
Simply can't come soon enough.If Link was a girl in those games, those aspects would have been written differently
Like
This is not a hard concept.
Malcolm9
Member
After following this thread for quite awhile... At this point I just want Nintendo to show us more footage of that luscious, full, mysterious looking world...it literally looks as though you could explore almost anything in it and if OoT is anything to go by considering great use of 3D space I'm sure New Zelda will be packed with secrets and oddities with little room to spare
I agree the game looks lush, it's landscape looks so vibrant and ready to explore.
Link will be a genderless entity like those sages in TP. Link will switch between genders using masks. The next Zelda gimmick will indeed be a gender gimmick.
So for example, they could hide the master key in the ladies toilets in one dungeon as a puzzle. Or in another dungeon, in order to defeat the boss you have to explain the off side rule.
So for example, they could hide the master key in the ladies toilets in one dungeon as a puzzle. Or in another dungeon, in order to defeat the boss you have to explain the off side rule.
All these elements are so minor that changing them would not at all effect the complexity or the scope of the story whatsoever. Which is what people are worried about right? Keep in mind that if this game has this option that the story would specifically designed with it in mind.
royox
Member
So you prefeer "stupid generic writting" over "specific and well driven writting"?
That's why some people don't want the "male and female Link" to happen. Because we will be on the Pokémon path with a generic story, generic relationships and generic writting.
The "You can't pass because you are a man", being "a bro" with Darunia, Ruto giving the Sapphire as a sing of engagement....we would lose all those little things for generic bullshit. I don't want generic bullshit on a Zelda game. Make Link 100% male or 100% Female but don't make the game a generic bullshit just for the gender choice.
I think the idea, unless i'm mistaken, is that they like how those things were written, and wouldn't want them to have been changed.
Francokid1
Member
I agree. I don't want Zelda to have a pokemon-like story. Where you just go to the next city/dungeon and beat the gym-leader/boss. I would prefer a female only protagonist over a choice.
We have 2 possibilities, right? Male/Female Link and Link/Female Other char (for the sake of argument, let's say impa). The second possibility can result in 2 types of games also. One where Link existing causes the other to not exist (and vice versa), and one where they both exist and their actions complement one another.
So in a Male/Female link game, you can have nothing but gender-neutral encounters. Interactions are for a goal/motivation other than a romance/crush. If nintendo's super progressive, then they can make romance stuff in there, but then your choice also affects other NPC's gender preferences somehow - which may be off putting. The other option is that *IF* you encounter something that would be romantic, you write it two ways. Any romance would exist for male doesn't exist for female, and vice-versa. Maybe dudes hit on you if you pick female link, but they don't hit on you if you pick male link, etc. You now have 'bonus' cutscenes depending on which gender you pick. This offers some replay.
The other possibility, the one I like more, is that there are 2 different playable characters. I like this MORE because it likely means you get 2 games in one (or at the very least, 2 very different sets of cutscenes, ideally). If they play differently, that means you get 2 gameplay styles in one world, which is fantastic. Offers a ton of replay value. It also likely means that each character has entirely different actions and interactions with other key NPCs. If it's, say, impa, she has a duty to protect the kingdom of hyrule, so she does what she can to protect it. A different motivation from what link usually has, which is that he's chosen by the goddesses to save the world from evil. It's his sole purpose in life, versus impa's inherited duty/loyalty to the throne. In an open world, this could drastically change dungeon order, key cutscenes, and even the items/powerups you find.
While male/female link is neat and progressive, I really doubt it'll change the game that much depending on which one you pick. I think it'd be a cool 'bonus' to be able to choose female link, but it's nothing groundbreaking or gamechanging for the series. Being able to pick one of two major protagonists with different paths/stories would be. It'd offer up a ton of replay value for a franchise that severely lacks it.
So in a Male/Female link game, you can have nothing but gender-neutral encounters. Interactions are for a goal/motivation other than a romance/crush. If nintendo's super progressive, then they can make romance stuff in there, but then your choice also affects other NPC's gender preferences somehow - which may be off putting. The other option is that *IF* you encounter something that would be romantic, you write it two ways. Any romance would exist for male doesn't exist for female, and vice-versa. Maybe dudes hit on you if you pick female link, but they don't hit on you if you pick male link, etc. You now have 'bonus' cutscenes depending on which gender you pick. This offers some replay.
The other possibility, the one I like more, is that there are 2 different playable characters. I like this MORE because it likely means you get 2 games in one (or at the very least, 2 very different sets of cutscenes, ideally). If they play differently, that means you get 2 gameplay styles in one world, which is fantastic. Offers a ton of replay value. It also likely means that each character has entirely different actions and interactions with other key NPCs. If it's, say, impa, she has a duty to protect the kingdom of hyrule, so she does what she can to protect it. A different motivation from what link usually has, which is that he's chosen by the goddesses to save the world from evil. It's his sole purpose in life, versus impa's inherited duty/loyalty to the throne. In an open world, this could drastically change dungeon order, key cutscenes, and even the items/powerups you find.
While male/female link is neat and progressive, I really doubt it'll change the game that much depending on which one you pick. I think it'd be a cool 'bonus' to be able to choose female link, but it's nothing groundbreaking or gamechanging for the series. Being able to pick one of two major protagonists with different paths/stories would be. It'd offer up a ton of replay value for a franchise that severely lacks it.
Or not written differently. Not every crush or relationship needs to be heterosexual.
MMaRsu
Banned
Exactly. If they make a seperate character to play as who is not Link, then Im totally fine with being able to play as a female in a Zelda game. Theres nothing wrong with that at all.
I just dont see why we need a female link. Like, do we need a female mario?
royox
Member
But if Nintendo makes a new character they will complain because "But She's not Link, we wanted Link, this is sexist because she's not Link".
They only want Link to be a female. They don't care if that destroys one of the most iconic characters of the industry and the lore Nintendo managed to stablish few years ago with the Hyrule Historia and Skyward Sword.
Malcolm9
Member
Yeah but because of the audience (all ages) having anything other than heterosexual relationships is not a good idea in a Zelda game.
It works in games like Dragon Age because of the maturity of the writing and characters, and the audience.
This. Every time I come into this thread, I lose the will to post because it's just the same opinions going back and forth and back and forth and back and forth.
I can't wait to see the NX version, hopefully it showcases what the system can do and drives sales at release. Though it's a little weird the Wii U won't have it's own exclusive Zelda game.
I'm also concerned about the voice acting, though if it goes something like Kid Icarus Uprising, I'll be happy. Cautiously optimistic
Galactic Fork
A little fluff between the ears never did any harm...
He is not an established character. They have been 11 different people so far. How can 11 different people with different parents, back stories, friends, family, and homes, who live in the same universe but at different times be an established character? How are they the same person to you? Please explain how 11 different people are 1 established character or just stop.
That won't happen. These minor things being slightly different would not make the story less complex. If a game is written with it in mind, the effect would be even less.
royox
Member
If a game is written with it in mind what you have is a generic writting so both genders can fit ANY situation. We are again on Pokémon levels of writting.
OniBarubary
Banned
If I rolled my eyes any harder I'd have a Wrestlemania streak. This is why people are dismissing a lot of people's opinions in this thread; because they're really stupid opinions.
Green Mamba
Member
Games with much better writing than Pokemon have had gender options.
Samus is always the same character, but she doesn't always have to be. Considering Nintendo had no idea what to do post Fusion and everywhere on the timeline is petty much used now they might as well go in a different direction.
Samus is a blank slate character with no significant personality in any of the main line Metroid games unless you count Other M.
I don't think anyone wants to play as that Samus again.
Galactic Fork
A little fluff between the ears never did any harm...
You can literally list parts where minor sub plots were affected by gender... So by your standards, all of Zelda is generic. Thanks.
You must not be up with the times, even if you roll your eyes back all the way you still have to job to Brock Lesnar.
Samus is literally one person in one fixed timespace. Link is several people covering eons, it's what the ivory towers of my elementary school would have called a false equivalency.
Similar threads
- Locked
- Locked