Nintendo Trying to Stay Relevant with Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WIld

image from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Legend_of_Zelda.svg 

Perhaps the coolest thing about video game franchises is the way many transcend generations. While not every franchise manages this lofty task, one that truly gets it done is the Legend of Zelda franchise over at Nintendo.

Parents who grew up with the original NES had the luxury of growing with the franchise over the years, and those games have inspired the children of the Nintendo generation to pick up those older Zelda games. The great stories truly never age.

The cruel irony about the titles is that the recent games, like Twilight Princess, appeared on the Wii, which wasn’t exactly a cutting edge system compared to the other competitors in the industry. Now the newest Zelda title will be hitting the market on a pretty uneven playing field.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is coming to the Wii U sometime in 2017 and the footage released at E3 promises some of the most exhilarating action to take place in a Zelda game so far. While some things about the game are pretty clear, a lot still remains to be unfolded.

Ocarina of Time remains considered one of the most perfect video games ever created, and the Nintendo 64 launched a number of great titles into super stardom. However, none of the gems are as treasured as Zelda (Sorry Mario 64 fans). The new Zelda game has been hotly sought since the Wii U was released.

The problem with what will be considered a Game of the Year award winner is that console. The Wii U has not exactly been lighting the sales world on fire. Lack of support and games is again one particular reason the console has been lagging. The other, sigh, is that control set up.

The large touchscreen controller the Wii U comes equipped with offers little in the way of easy design. A game designed around the control setup, like Lego City or Nintendoland, can be surefire hits. For other types of titles the controller is just simply more of a hassle.

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will be one of the hottest games of the year. Mostly because Nintendo created titles are really what drives the popularity of the Nintendo systems. Zelda is always at the very least a good game.

The gameplay footage alone does enough to inspire some pretty impressive visuals. Coupled with the usual great story and some intriguing puzzles, Breath of the Wild has the power to drive a few more consoles off the shelves and into living rooms.

Nintendo is still trying to play catch up with the Wii U, and this game is long overdue. The real problem is that this title comes at the end of the console life cycle, and it is probably too little too late. But that won’t stop millions of fans from snapping up the latest adventure of Link to swing the Master Sword one more time. 

Rogue One Olympic Trailer Delivers on the Build Anticipation Checklist

The pretty obvious elephant in the room when it comes to geek culture is this December’s “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” Now that a freshly cut trailer has made its debut during NBC’s coverage of the Rio Olympics, fans have been trying to gauge whether or not the force is strong with this one.

Well, if you spared the two minutes or so already, you probably have your own conclusion. In my humble opinion, this trailer looks pretty well put together. I mean, my one complaint about the Star Wars Universe was that there simply were not enough characters, so it made sense to add a few more (read: sarcasm).

That being said, Rogue One looks like it will have pretty common Star Wars elements. Distant planets? Check. A dude that looks like Morgan Freeman? Check. An annoying droid that just might steal the show? Check. Massive fight sequences? Check. A cameo from Darth Vader? Big fat check.

The last few seconds with Vader are perhaps the most titillating few seconds for Star Wars fans since the whole “Chewie, We’re home” statement. The Sith Lord looks like he is ready to make sure the Death Star goes operational at best (we all know how the story ends).

It’s always hard to gauge a film from the trailers, because the comic book and geek set has been somewhat let down this year from film makers and even television show creators. There have been wins as well, and that means there should be at least a little bit of confidence in Rogue One.

If any fictional universe can make stand alone stories happen, it is Star Wars. The simple reason is the amount of characters. Let’s face it, there are a lot of riveting characters that can be explored in their own right. Opening the non-timeline films with the story of how the rebels got their hands on those plans in the first place is actually a stroke of pure genius.

The story takes place just before Star Wars: A New Hope, which means there will be plenty of Easter Eggs for fans.  Just don’t call it a prequel, because that ship has sailed.

The success of the film will draw on the nostalgia and interest from the current massive fan base, which is not really a surprise. Star Wars fans should flock to Rogue One, it’s the repeat business and the chance to draw in additional eyeballs to the entire franchise that generate the huge box office grosses.

Worries about reshoots and changes to what was first intended to be are both good reasons for concern. However, the new trailer, which likely will not be the last, should be enough to satisfy the curiosity of even the most concerned fan. Of course, just like Superman and Batman will tell you, making a great trailer is one thing, making a great movie is something altogether different.