How Do You Name Link?

Posted on 04/03/2012 by Michael Vincent

Every time you play a Zelda game, there will be an option to pick your own name. You, the player, can write your own name, or pick a name for the hero of the story, which we all know in the Zelda canon as Link. But what’s the point of officially naming the character as Link when you can pick any name for him at the start?

Whenever I play a Zelda game, I always stay long to think whether I should name my character as “Link” like what it should officially be, or “Michael,” my name. While there is no difference whenever you call him this way or that, there is, in me. I found out that I tend to enjoy it more when I named Link as Michael. I don’t know, do I have a hero syndrome as if I really am enjoying saving the princess and her speaking my name?

Perhaps? No?

Nintendo made a wise choice of letting the players put whatever name they want Link to have. Why? Of course, it gives a more personal sense of attachment when you name the character with your own name. What just puzzles me is that, whenever I play a Final Fantasy game, say 7, which lets me choose a name for the characters, I always end up not naming them at all, and just let Cloud be Cloud and Vincent be Vincent.

But not with Link. I always named him Michael. And I will travel every seas and brave every dungeon to save my princess.

How about you? How do you name Link? Are you like me who always change his name? Or you’ll keep it at default, so that you get attached to the hero every time he returns to Hyrule (or in whatever other place) and grow with him through the years? Let me know your thoughts. Thanks!

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Zelda Symphony – Should We Cheer While The Orchestra Plays?

Posted on 03/13/2012 by Michael Vincent

Given all the video games published these days, only a large handful gets their music to be played by a symphony orchestra. Final Fantasy was one, Zelda is another. The Legend of Zelda series has some of the most memorable pieces of video game music ever. It is a rare moment to finally listen to the music of a game being played by a large ensemble of people. But when attending an orchestra, people are supposed to listen aren’t they? No?

Are they supposed to clap their hands or shout in appreciation of the music while the music is playing?

Ms. Susan Schuyler from SchuylrPR attended a Zelda Symphony concert in San Francisco and observed that there was something, let’s just say, a bit awkward. While proper orchestra manners dictate that there should be respect for the ensemble, what she found was

A constant smattering of applause, deep throated cheers, and cries of outrage during each piece of a medley, effectively ruining both the otherwise deep acoustics and general enjoyment of the concert.

While the statement above was like saying she did not enjoy the orchestra because of that, turns out she actually did enjoyed it in the next statement

The compositions alone, when reviewed in tandem and without the vocal audience’s opinion, were at times superior to the original tracks.

She just felt that even though the symphony orchestra was enjoyable (and really superior,) it was somehow hard to hear everything due to the surroundings which disrupts the general feel of the tracks as a whole. If you take a look at this YouTube video, you’ll find out that there are people who feel the same way as her.

However, we have two sides to every coin.

While general manners dictate that in an orchestra, we are supposed to listen while just clapping our hands occasionally in appreciation, the fact that the show is targeted to an age group that grew up with the Legend of Zelda may also say another thing. Why? Because as Zelda fans, we can say that they were astonished to hear the tracks live and in an orchestra in addition. We can also say that that is their way of appreciating the music that they have heard in all the Zelda games they played. On the other side, perhaps it really wasn’t supposed to be that way. Perhaps it really matters that we stay collected during a symphony. And being silent while the orchestra is playing is what’s expected of the audience that’s listening to them.

While I realize this may be a sensitive issue to discuss, if you have attended one of the Zelda concerts that has been touring the States and Canada right now, what is your opinion of the show? Did you also experience what Ms. Schuyler had? Let us know your thoughts!

Source:

PWR After Class

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Thoughts on Zelda’s Music – Setting the Mood to Save The Princess

Posted on 03/09/2012 by Michael Vincent

Whenever someone first plays a Legend of Zelda game, he or she may be impressed with tons of things – the boomerang, the puzzles, the constant sword and shield. The fact that there are so many things just validates how amazing the franchise is. But wait, I forgot to tell what always fascinates me with Zelda – its music.

Over the years, the fans have heard Zelda’s theme over and over again in various formats and bitrates – that sound from the NES to the Wii. It goes without saying that the theme perfectly describes the adventure-ish feel of the game. Take for example Minish Cap. As Link was instructed by the King of Hyrule to go forth to find a way to defeat Vaati, that moment when you entered Hyrule field… that sound… you can feel as if everything was on your shoulders and there was an inkling feeling that you need to save the princess no matter what.

And doing that time and time again with every game is never tiring. Why? Because of the music that accompanies the setting – be it in the dungeon, or in Hyrule Field. I almost always max out the speaker every time I play a Legend of Zelda game. Because the music never gets tiring to listen to even though it is just a different arrangement of the theme.

And when you hear Princess Zelda’s Lullaby, there is always a heartfelt emotion that will always fill you, telling you that this princess is pure and needs saving, and you are the only one who can do that.

Perhaps, you also can’t even avoid music either in almost any Legend of Zelda game. Just like the Ocarina in Ocarina of Time or the Spirit Flute in Spirit Tracks, various musical instruments are always present in every game in the series and play a vital role in the stories. You either use them to do a number of things – to teleport, to beat a boss, to perform a task, the use of these instruments ranges from simple to complicated. One cannot simply avoid music in Zelda, you’ll be the one playing the songs most of the time!

If you are going to ask just how popular Zelda music is, just browse on YouTube and search for people playing Zelda music. Just ask the people who think Ocarina of Time has the best music in all of video games. Ask the hundreds, if not thousands of people that attended The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddess Tour across North America, and those that are anticipating to attend it.

Koji Kondo, the Nintendo composer for the Legend of Zelda series may have had some wonderful thoughts right now about his music being performed with a symphony. We all give thanks to Shigeru Miyamoto for creating the franchise, but we should also give credit to Kondo-san for making the music and therefore bringing life to the Legend of Zelda series.

Just a quick note, we at Zelda Chronicles has a Zelda Music player on the lower right. You might want to check that out. I did while writing this post. And yes, I’m the new guy.

Pic Source:

Zeldapedia

Zelda-Symphony

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