Hyrule Warriors (New Zelda game, apparently)

[CommyXD26]

I don't think they will have multiple factions. My guess would be, they will have good versus evil. Just like most Zelda games. They may give you the option to play Zelda or Link though. Nintendo tends to make Zelda games not to there full potential. Other wise we would have Zelda games as great in detail as Final Fantasy and Skyrim.

That's the saddest part. It seems Nintendo is afraid of making evil a playable choice, or afraid of tarnishing "hero" character or sth. If someday, Ganon or any evil character is made playable (or any character that's not Link in general), that would be a glorious day.

[Eldren]

That's the saddest part. It seems Nintendo is afraid of making evil a playable choice, or afraid of tarnishing "hero" character or sth. If someday, Ganon or any evil character is made playable (or any character that's not Link in general), that would be a glorious day.

Well... They did make Bosser, Ganondorf, And Wolf, Playable in some of there games. So there is a chance of it happening.

[Cameron Shutters]

Especially since it's not an official Zelda game but a spin off. Like how Mario Kart is a spin off of the Mario franchise, and you can play as Bowser in that so maybe.

[Dragus]

That would make my day as well, GoldenGohma. The Empires titles have always been the ones I grab immediately.

[Apani]

If someday, Ganon or any evil character is made playable (or any character that's not Link in general), that would be a glorious day.

Two CDi Games starred Zelda, and Majora's Mask had a short sequence with Kafei playable, but it's been a long time since then. Unless you want to talk about Tingle.

[mcloud]

Please no (although if he was a low level enemy that you could kill that would be different)

[Apani]

Are you referring to him? Because I find the idea of Tingle serving as Cannon Fodder hilarious. Althought now that I think about it, regiments of Tingles could perfectly fill that role for Fairies of Tarm.

[CommyXD26]

Imagine an army of Tingles playing remote bombs. OH !!!

[InferiorBeing]

It should perhaps be pointed out that "Hyrule Warriors" is a spin-off from the Zelda-games. It is not to be considered the next major "Legend of Zelda"-release, according to Nintendo. From what I understand, it is essentially a new Dynasty Warriors-adaption, only with its setting re-fitted to the Zelda-universe. Much in the same vein as Samurai Warriors, Warriors Orochi, Warriors: Legends of Troy, etc.

It involves large scale warfare thought, even if it's just one green guy against hundreds Dodoblins.

If you honestly consider one person vs. hundreds to be "large-scale warfare", then you obviously have no bloody clue what either "large-scale", or "warfare" means.

To me, the greatest selling point of Hyrule Warriors is the fact that Link now has an army at his side. (At least in certain levels, from what we can tell from this video.) Rather than the usual nonsense of running around all alone, while the rest of the world is sitting on their arses doing jack-shite. That was the very reason I have never been able to enjoy the Zelda-games, and what they stand for.

The whole "A massive, organized enemy army is attacking a kingdom! Only you can stop them! The actual inhabitants of said kingdom will be too cowardly/lazy/incompetent/worthless to lift a finger to save their own asses, which honestly doesn't make them very worth saving, to begin with. You will be all alone, there will be you, only you, and no-one else. (Oh, and did we forget to mention that you'll be all alone?)" -concept should have gotten extinct long, long ago, like the wretched piece of utter idiocy that it is. This sort of thing was acceptable back in the NES-days, where technology was so basic that one had to quite severely limit the amount of characters on-screen. There is no such excuse, any more.

More and more games have moved away from the old formula of "A lone space marine/knight/hero/whatever must destroy hordes of enemies with zero outside help", and started coming up with settings where the player is often placed alongside friendly troops/protagonists, because this is simply that much more enjoyable.

I am so happy that a Zelda-universe production has finally showed the Hylian military doing its ing job, for a change. Might almost make me moderately interested in buying the next "Legend of Zelda".

[Apani]

If you honestly consider one person vs. hundreds to be "large-scale warfare", then you obviously have no bloody clue what either "large-scale", or "warfare" means.

Sorry, you are right. I should have said "It involves large scale warfare thought, even if it's just one green guy with his Redshirts against hundreds Dodoblins." Now let's hope those guys will actually help you instead of just standing around to absorb Dodongo fireballs.
Anyways, sometimes you had allies in Zelda Games; like the Resistance in TP and the Sages in OoT, althought common soldiers were almost always worthless dead meat and most secondary characters always stayed in the background.

[InferiorBeing]

Now let's hope those guys will actually help you instead of just standing around to absorb Dodongo fireballs.

Sadly, from the video, they didn't seem to be much more aggressive than regular Dynasty Warriors -grunts.

I've never understood that. I mean; I get that the devs want the low-level grunts to be less effective than the player, but couldn't they instead make them equally aggressive as the higher-level troops, but do minimal actual damage per strike? It just looks so ridiculous to come across a large brawl between multiple low-rank troops, and watch all fifty of them slowly circle around each other, with only one of them attacking per every ten seconds.

I saw a similar tendency in the Hyrule Warriors-video, sadly. At first glance, it looks impressive - dozens of blue-clad generic knights and little, reddish fish-things scattered all over an open battlefield. But then you look closer, and see the overwhelming majority of them just sort of stand there looking awkwardly at each other, shuffling back-and-forth and occasionally running off to another part of the screen where they'll stand and look awkwardly at someone else.

It's just such a weird gameplay-choice.

[Duke Serkol]

This sort of thing was acceptable back in the NES-days, where technology was so basic that one had to quite severely limit the amount of characters on-screen. There is no such excuse, any more.

I think that limitation would have applied to the SNES-days as well... possibly up to the N64 (really can't imagine it managing to handle whole armies of polygon models without obscene slowdowns). But yeah those times are long past and games like Twilight Princess desperately needed something like this.

Might almost make me moderately interested in buying the next "Legend of Zelda".

Agreed, I think I will be finally buying a Wii U when this game comes out, no sooner than that.

[Mattwensley]

I'm most reminded of Drakengard 2, in which there were NPC allies. They were low in number, but remarkably sturdy, and while they didn't do much in terms of actual damage (maybe 5 of them could, in 60 seconds, kill an enemy that you would have killed about 10 of in that time), it gave an actual impression of two forces colliding in large scale combat compared to Drakengard 1, where the cutscene involving a large army, mustered to counter the enemy threat, would disappear, leaving you to sort it out yourself. Eh, whatever. As long as they didn't get in my way.

The thing is, it doesn't make sense that Link would lead any military force in battle, assuming this is the pseudo-medieval era that most Zelda's go by, unless he is given an official rank, which in turn goes against the message that Zelda has been throwing our way for a while - destined by the goddesses or not, this is just a boy with the willpower to do good, not a knight, captain or lord. I would assume that Link isn't leading these men, but that he is assisting them in whatever battlefield that happen to be on. Growing up in the UK, you learn the difference between Lords, Knights and military ranks fairly easily, and even if Link is considered to be a Knight by virtue of his descendance, that doesn't make him qualified to lead men in battle.

P.s. quite excited for this. Realised that my post might not have brought that across

[rik209]

Hmm... Link with cape and shoulderpad leading the knights of hyrule in a battle against armies off SS bokoblins. Reminds me a lot of this:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I don´t think it will have anything to do with that manga, but still, it would be a nice way to fit it into the timeline and it would explain why Link leads the knights.

[IAmNotShazam]

I'll just leave this here.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Duke Serkol]

Hmm... Link with cape and shoulderpad leading the knights of hyrule in a battle against armies off SS bokoblins. Reminds me a lot of this:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

It does yes, but seeing as Princess Zelda is apparently around, it hopefully isn't that.

it would be a nice way to fit it into the timeline

Not really. The whole point of Skyward Sword, which that manga missed completely, was to forge the Master Sword and a hero that could wield it. Demise explicitly says before the final battle that no human ever stood before him, cowering instead behind their Goddess.

I'll just leave this here.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I like how Zelda's safely tucked away out of the battlefield and behind a magical barrier

[IAmNotShazam]

Looks more like Hylian lettering than a barrier, honestly.

[UndyingNephalim]

I'll just leave this here.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

First Image: Oh Hai Thar Impa.

Second Image: Uhhh.... General Valashi from Fallen Sage....?

Third Image: Glowing red Twili markings, I sense Midna fanservice incoming.

[mcloud]

From the pictures it looks like a spin off of skyward sword before demise ever showed up. Basically he sent his armies but isn't actually apart of the fighting and there will probably be a lot of fanservice in this game.

[InferiorBeing]

I like how Zelda's safely tucked away out of the battlefield and behind a magical barrier

A shame, actually. I would have loved to see her grow a pair of proverbial balls, and react in some way other than "immediate, ass-kissing surrender to any :wub: with a pointy stick", for a change.

I would assume that Link isn't leading these men, but that he is assisting them in whatever battlefield that happen to be on.

That was the impression I got, as well. I assumed him to be more of a figurehead/champion than a captain.