Post by MFB on Apr 25, 2005 17:30:17 GMT -5
More EGM info:
[info]
Hands-On Report - Part One: TOARU VILLAGE
Ah the tranquil Hamlet that kicks off nearly every Zelda game. The one thing that stands out about Toaru Village (Japanese for "unspecified"-the English name is to be determined)is, like everything in this new Zelda, the sense of realism. And we aren't just talking about the graphics: townspeople go about their business, cats and chickens wander here and there ( one attacking the other if they get too close), birds scatter out of the tall grass as Link approaches. The sense of scale is impressive; maybe it's just a reaction to Windwaker's squat characters, but everything seemed taller, bigger, more spread out.
As in the last game, Link starts out without a weapon or his trademark green outfit. "If someone happened to see this scene without knowing what game it is," says Aonuma, " they probably wouldn't even guess it was Link in The Legend of Zelda." Upon closer inspection, however, one detail is a dead giveaway : On the back of Link's left hand are three dark triangles-Zelda's Triforce symbol.
"Stick it to 'em"- Eventually Link gets a wooden sword and learns combat in a familiar scarecrow-bashing tutorial. As before, the L trigger locks on targets and B performs different attacks, depending on the direction of the analog stick. But if you don't lock on you can now swipe your sword as you move around, without stopping (handy for clearing tall grass, no doubt), and Link has a special coup de grace: Press A for a jumping downward thrust to finish off enemies you've knocked over.
"At home on the Range"- Another early minigame teaches the player how to ride horseback. As in previous games, you can simply push in the direction you want to go for a slow trot or hit A to apply the whip for a burst of speed. You can also see where "Cowboy Link" (Aonuma's name for our hero before he earns his green duds) gets his name- the goal here is to round up and force all the grazing animals into the barn before time runs out. It's a little togher than you might think.
"Flying the coup"- Good news: Chicken-gliding is back! Just grab one of your fine-feathered freinds, find a tall building or cliff, and jump off-Link floats slowly down, which enables him to reach areas he couldn't otherwise. This technique came in handy during our demo: A pregnant woman asked Link to retrieve a baby basket on the other side of an otherwise unscalable fence. After getting it, he slowly (move too fast and you'll be scolded) escorts her back to her home with it. What a guy!
Hands-On Report- Part 2: BOSS FIGHT!
"Horseback Attack"- Horseback riding has an expanded role in this new Zelda-as Aonuma tells us, fast transportation is basically a requirement from the very start of the game because of larger environments. The second scene we played proved his point with a full-speed boss fight; Link chased down this big-horned baddie atop his bigger-horned steed, first slashing him to remove his armor, and then pelting him with arrows. A very cool and very challenging concept for a boss.
"Fighting The Horde"-Other mobile enemies swarmed Link, trying to distract him from his true target. Horseback combat felt smooth and natural; as always, you can lock on to targets of go into first person and aim manually, slinging arrows with X (or the R trigger for exploding bomb arrows). Link's head tracked nearby foes, and he pivots in whatever direction you point to attack with his sword. He could also dismount anytime and the enemies would circle, making passes until he knocked them off their battle-boars or killed them right in the saddle. (Aonuma told us that in the final game, Link can even steal some of the bad guy's rides.)
The scenery was lovely-rolling hills with the shadows of clouds floating past-but sparse, with only a fence now and then to break things up. Then again most of our attention was on the enemies-seven or eight (counting thier boars) on screen at once, without a hint of slowdown.
"Steeple Chase"- As in the earlier cattle-driving minigame, you can make Link's steed trot in any direction by pushing on the analog stick. You can also whip his horse with the A button for a boost ( an action again limited to six times, with a corresponding meter that slowly regenerates). Speed is important; unless Link is moving fast enough to automatically jump over the same wooden fences the boss leaps over, he'll slam into them and stop completely. So that's three things you need to worry about: Keeping up with the boss, attacking him, and avoiding his minions.
Last but not least, I want to mention the beautiful drawing of Princess Zelda holding a sword, and three sketch drawings of Link's different emotions, assuring me that this part of the game isn't being overlooked.
[/info]
Zelda art? With a sword? Want it. Hopefully we'll be seeing a playable Preincess this time.
[info]
Hands-On Report - Part One: TOARU VILLAGE
Ah the tranquil Hamlet that kicks off nearly every Zelda game. The one thing that stands out about Toaru Village (Japanese for "unspecified"-the English name is to be determined)is, like everything in this new Zelda, the sense of realism. And we aren't just talking about the graphics: townspeople go about their business, cats and chickens wander here and there ( one attacking the other if they get too close), birds scatter out of the tall grass as Link approaches. The sense of scale is impressive; maybe it's just a reaction to Windwaker's squat characters, but everything seemed taller, bigger, more spread out.
As in the last game, Link starts out without a weapon or his trademark green outfit. "If someone happened to see this scene without knowing what game it is," says Aonuma, " they probably wouldn't even guess it was Link in The Legend of Zelda." Upon closer inspection, however, one detail is a dead giveaway : On the back of Link's left hand are three dark triangles-Zelda's Triforce symbol.
"Stick it to 'em"- Eventually Link gets a wooden sword and learns combat in a familiar scarecrow-bashing tutorial. As before, the L trigger locks on targets and B performs different attacks, depending on the direction of the analog stick. But if you don't lock on you can now swipe your sword as you move around, without stopping (handy for clearing tall grass, no doubt), and Link has a special coup de grace: Press A for a jumping downward thrust to finish off enemies you've knocked over.
"At home on the Range"- Another early minigame teaches the player how to ride horseback. As in previous games, you can simply push in the direction you want to go for a slow trot or hit A to apply the whip for a burst of speed. You can also see where "Cowboy Link" (Aonuma's name for our hero before he earns his green duds) gets his name- the goal here is to round up and force all the grazing animals into the barn before time runs out. It's a little togher than you might think.
"Flying the coup"- Good news: Chicken-gliding is back! Just grab one of your fine-feathered freinds, find a tall building or cliff, and jump off-Link floats slowly down, which enables him to reach areas he couldn't otherwise. This technique came in handy during our demo: A pregnant woman asked Link to retrieve a baby basket on the other side of an otherwise unscalable fence. After getting it, he slowly (move too fast and you'll be scolded) escorts her back to her home with it. What a guy!
Hands-On Report- Part 2: BOSS FIGHT!
"Horseback Attack"- Horseback riding has an expanded role in this new Zelda-as Aonuma tells us, fast transportation is basically a requirement from the very start of the game because of larger environments. The second scene we played proved his point with a full-speed boss fight; Link chased down this big-horned baddie atop his bigger-horned steed, first slashing him to remove his armor, and then pelting him with arrows. A very cool and very challenging concept for a boss.
"Fighting The Horde"-Other mobile enemies swarmed Link, trying to distract him from his true target. Horseback combat felt smooth and natural; as always, you can lock on to targets of go into first person and aim manually, slinging arrows with X (or the R trigger for exploding bomb arrows). Link's head tracked nearby foes, and he pivots in whatever direction you point to attack with his sword. He could also dismount anytime and the enemies would circle, making passes until he knocked them off their battle-boars or killed them right in the saddle. (Aonuma told us that in the final game, Link can even steal some of the bad guy's rides.)
The scenery was lovely-rolling hills with the shadows of clouds floating past-but sparse, with only a fence now and then to break things up. Then again most of our attention was on the enemies-seven or eight (counting thier boars) on screen at once, without a hint of slowdown.
"Steeple Chase"- As in the earlier cattle-driving minigame, you can make Link's steed trot in any direction by pushing on the analog stick. You can also whip his horse with the A button for a boost ( an action again limited to six times, with a corresponding meter that slowly regenerates). Speed is important; unless Link is moving fast enough to automatically jump over the same wooden fences the boss leaps over, he'll slam into them and stop completely. So that's three things you need to worry about: Keeping up with the boss, attacking him, and avoiding his minions.
Last but not least, I want to mention the beautiful drawing of Princess Zelda holding a sword, and three sketch drawings of Link's different emotions, assuring me that this part of the game isn't being overlooked.
[/info]
Zelda art? With a sword? Want it. Hopefully we'll be seeing a playable Preincess this time.