Posts Tagged ‘Spirit Tracks’
The Legend of Zelda : Spirit Tracks Launch Trailer
Friday, December 4th, 2009Iwata on Ura Zelda and More!
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009Zelda directors and Nintendo president sat down to discuss the Legend of Zelda series as a whole. They mention more about Ura Zelda, Ocarina of Time development, Majora’s Mask, Zelda Wii and Spirit Tracks. They also continue to go into far more detail on Spirit Tracks. This interview is separated into six segments.
Aonuma
That’s right. It made us very, very happy (laughs). Even after its release, I felt that we’d really done something special; I felt very fulfilled. At the time, I think (Shigeru) Miyamoto-san had that same feeling, but apparently he also felt as though there was still quite a lot left to do.
Iwata
Yes, Miyamoto-san really is greedy about things like that, isn’t he. (laughs)Aonuma
And so he said: we’d already made 3D models for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. By changing the situation, couldn’t we make new ways to play, a new story?
Iwata
So you made The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask.
Aonuma
No, we didn’t just start making The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, not right away. There was actually a flip-side, and in the beginning, the idea was to make a “Ura (Flip-Side) Zelda”.Iwata
That “Ura Zelda” (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time: Master Quest) was developed for the 64DD5. Ultimately, we recorded it on a limited edition disc that went to people who reserved The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker6.
Modern Aspects in the Zelda Series
Monday, November 30th, 2009Another new interview with Zelda director, Eiji Aonuma, reveals a possibility of more modern aspects in future Zelda titles.
“Technology actually was not a major concern for us when we decided to use the train. In The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, the boat was the key mode of transportation. Now that Spirit Tracks takes place on land, we needed a new way for players to get around, and felt that the train offered the best sense of exploration and discovery. We don’t think it feels out of place in the game world. Trains are also a popular mode of transportation in Japan. My children and I still feel a great sense of adventure when we ride trains in Japan.”
“Regarding use of other forms in technology in the future, as long it adds to the overall game experience and is something we feel the player would enjoy, we wouldn’t be afraid to implement it. As a matter of fact, we have used the Hook Shot in several previous games, which would be considered a very modern type of technology, even by today’s standards. “
More Spirit Tracks Videos
Sunday, November 29th, 2009Aonuma Talks Previous and Future Zelda Titles
Friday, November 27th, 2009Aonuma spoke with Eurogamer (while promoting Spirit Tracks in Europe) and mentions Ocarina of Time, Spirit Tracks and Zelda Wii.
Eurogamer: Let’s go right back to the beginning. What’s your earliest gaming memory, and when did you decide you wanted to become a game designer?
Eiji Aonuma: My first encounter with any videogames in my childhood was Game & Watch, the series of portable games products launched by Nintendo. I was amazed by knowing that within such a small LCD screen such an awful lot of different things were able to be done. That was my first memory of any videogames.
Since then, however, I do not have any recollection of what kind of games I was deeply into. I hardly played with any before I was grown up, even though a lot of my friends and people around me were already playing with Nintendo Entertainment System.
As a university student, I was more excited learning about the arts and wondering whether I should be an artist or not.
In my university and grad school days I was thinking what I should do in my life, whether I would be an artist, or whether I would like to do something else. I wanted to surprise people in a meaningful way, and I decided that as the theme of my life – and I happened to know there was a company called Nintendo whose job was also to surprise people in a meaningful way.
That’s why I became interested in joining the company, and the company hired me. At that time I was not thinking about becoming the game creator myself. I thought I was probably hired because the company was interested in me as a product designer, because that’s what I studied at university.
It was only afterwards I learned something about The Legend of Zelda, and when I started playing it I was deeply into it and surprised by the potential of videogames. I didn’t know that so many things could be done! And later on Mr Miyamoto gave me the opportunity to work on Zelda, which happened to be Ocarina of Time – and before I knew it exactly 12 years have already passed!
Zelda Director on the Spirit of Adventure
Thursday, November 26th, 2009Eiji Aonuma apologizes for the Water Temple in OoT, speaks a bit of Spirit Tracks, mentions his career at Nintendo and yet again reveals some new info on Zelda Wii (that will create much more speculation).
Eiji Aonuma, director of the Legend of Zelda franchise, has an apology to make. “The Water Temple in the Ocarina of Time was notorious for being very tough to conquer,” he says. “I am most sorry that it was not easy for you to put on and take off the heavy boots; that all the time you had to visit the inventory.
“I am,” he continues, genuine regret evident in his tone, “very sorry about that. I should have made it much easier to switch to the heavy boots.”
His favourite among his dungeon designs so far, the Ocarina of Time’s ingenious Water Temple is marred in his eyes by this slight ergonomic flaw. “Aside from the problem with the boots,” he continues, “I like the Water Temple so much.”
Aonuma’s first job for Nintendo was the design of the intricate temples and dungeons for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and he has been director of the Zelda franchise on every title since Ocarina’s 1998 release, including the latest instalment, Spirit Tracks (released on DS on 7 December in the US and 11 December in the UK). He is also working on a new Wii addition to the series.
Zelda Developer Stumped in Spirit Tracks
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009Kotaku reports this Aonuma interview which informs us the difficulty of Spirit Tracks and how its puzzles are different from any previous Zelda title.
“One of our lead planners for the game is a programmer, so he has a different, more scientific or mathematical approach, so to say, to creating puzzles,” he wrote to Kotaku. Aonuma is the producer on Spirit Tracks.
“Development team members, including [senior Nintendo developer] Mr. [Takashi] Tezuka and myself, actually got stuck in several places. So the dungeons and puzzles pose a different type of challenge than what we have utilized in previous games, and will certainly require longtime Zelda fans to approach each challenge differently. “
Getting more specific, he noted: “I believe that the latter half of the Tower of Spirits dungeon in The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks — [which] players will revisit throughout the game — has puzzles which require a different type of approach from those of previous games.”
New Spirit Tracks Commercials
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009A few new Legend of Zelda : Spirit Tracks commercials have hit online.
Aonuma Talks More on Zelda
Sunday, November 22nd, 2009
Eiji Aonuma talked more about Zelda Wii, how important controls are, building off Ocarina of Time and his arguments with Shigeru Miyamoto.
“The Difference between the two platforms (Wii and DS) is big. The experience with Spirit Tracks, trying to enhance an already ‘near-perfect control’, is what pushed us on learning how to rack our brains. With Wii it is the same, we want to make the most of its controls. We want the player to control the game in the best possible way. On Wii, the camera is more realistic. Graphics are more realistic, too, and controls have to be, therefore, much more realistic” – Eiji Aonuma
Mr. Aonuma had a lot more to say about Zelda Wii in relation to Spirit Tracks. You can read a few more excerpts from the man himself below.
“There were a lot of things we couldn’t do [back with OoT] due to technical limitations. But I think we’ve been solving those issues with every Zelda since then. With each entry, I’ve tried to add things I couldn’t do before. Actually, it’s like I’ve been remaking it during these years. So if you ask me if there’s going to be a Zelda remake… I thought I was making it all this time! So it maybe I haven’t done well enough, I haven’t been up to the expected level.”
“It’s complicated. Past things belong to our memories, and they grow bigger in there. If you play Ocarina of Time nowadays, you notice that it’s not that good. Sometimes it doesn’t move as fast as it should, graphics aren’t as beautiful as they should be; there are some confusing parts… Any present Zelda is technically superior. Everything goes faster, more fluid… but to best Ocarina of Time, a great change –comparable to what happened back then- must be introduced. And that’ll be rather complicated”.
Finally, Mr. Aonuma discussed his legendary battles/arguments/discussions with Miyamoto
“I didn’t know our discussions were so well known! I believe we have different visions because Mr. Miyamoto is just a genius; he’s got an innate talent, and everything I do, I had to learn step by step. And it took a lot for me, I have no natural talent. I’ve spent many years with Mr. Miyamoto and, since the beginning, the moment I have to bring my work and show it to him for his opinion is a very special moment, and I enjoy with it. (…) He notices things I’d never see. After this time, our visions are starting to match up more and more. However, I have a lot more left to try to reach his level”.
Eiji Aonuma Video : Zelda Wii and Spirit Tracks
Saturday, November 21st, 2009Eiji Aonuma spoke more about Zelda Wii and Spirit Tracks in this video interview.