How Link Became a Big, Clumsy Tard.

I have grown up my entire life being a fan of the Legend of Zelda. It was one of the first games in my household and can still be found there for a variety of Nintendo consoles. Needless to say, Ive played every addition to the franchise as it comes out. But after watching today's presentation at the E3 conference, I find the time is probably upon me to walk away.

The presentation was corny and lame. Fine. They had some sort of wireless interference that was disrupting things. I can accept that. But even when the game demo was running smoothly, the whole thing just looked clumsy. It bragged about taking full advantage of the Wii remote motion control system. But I remember when Twilight Princess made the same claims. In the first Zelda for Wii, the swordplay was really awkward. Random series of slashes and shakes in certain directions translated onto the screen. Sometimes it was too sensitive and other times it wasn't sensitive enough. And it was pretty easy to forget exactly which series of motions meant different attacks like horizontal, vertical, spin, etc.

Now the controls function with one side being the sword and the nun-chuck being the shield. The actual swinging motion seems to make a lot more sense. My problem with the controls is that even though they are improved, they still require a lot of large movements. This isn't a game that you are going to be able to play while laying back and relaxing. You will most likely have to be standing, or at the very least sitting on the edge of your seat.

Then there are the problems that come with just the general issues of using motion controllers. If you don't get the movement just right, you are doing a vertical strike instead of a horizontal one. Of course you may be thinking "who cares what direction you cut?". But as displayed in the game today, there will be numerous enemies that require you to strike in a certain spot and in a certain direction. So if you are feeling lazy, leaning to one side, not paying full attention, or even just have weak arms, your attacks can be messed up. I hate the thought of sneezing or coughing and accidentally stabbing a friendly character. But all of that is a lot of my own hangups with motion controllers.

But I don't want to just shovel hate all over my boy Link. The graphics looked a lot better. They have taken some great big steps since the days of Wind Waker. I like the more mature and slightly darker look of Link in the cinematics. The game play definitely brought back some more cartoonish styling, but i will take slow progression over none at all.

So while everyone else in the country eagerly reaches for their fire-proof tunic and Hyrule Shield, I will be pouting in my room for not understanding the fun new craze. Hopefully someday I will be able to get past my negative personal experiences with the Wii and move forward just like the console and everyone else.