Zelda. Link. Werewolf. Verdict?

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What do you think of Link transforming into a wolf in Twilight Princess?

Awesome!
33
63%
So so.
3
6%
2 - Doesn’t really care either way
0
No votes
3 - They’re pretty cool I guess, but they aren’t an obsession
1
2%
4 - I like werewolves a lot but wouldn’t want to become one
14
27%
Report the incident to your pack’s leaders and let them decide what to do
1
2%
 
Total votes: 52

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Zelda. Link. Werewolf. Verdict?

Post by Chibiabos »

Just curious what others think now that they've tried it.
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Post by Vuldari »

I think its sweet. Image

[spoiler]...the first transformation animation was slightly disappointing I thought, (random polygons shooting all over the place...the fade-to-black morph you do later looks better), but beyond that, it is as cool as I hoped. I used to think it would be annoying to have Minda on your back all the time in wolf form (though you do separate, or see yourself as the wolf with her invisible on occasion), but Minda has so much character and personality, she actually makes it more fun. (she slaps you on the back, and kicks you with her heels like "giddie up horsie" from time to time, or will turn around backwards and just check out the scenery while you are running around carrying her like a maiden and her horse)

Link looks awesome as the Wolf, and he can kick some serious butt in that form too if you know when, where and how to use it.

One of my favorite things to do is transform and then run through the castle town, watching all the people run screaming in terror like I am some big, scary monster. ...it's funny every time...

You can talk to all friendly animals in wolf form, including your horse Epona, but sadly, Epona does not seem to have much to say.


All in all, morphing Link is more than just a gimmick. It's a very entertaining gameplay mechanic, and feels very refined and satisfying. I love the way the wolf attacks smaller enemies like rats and bats...shaking them in it's teeth until it's dead like real dogs and wolves do, and then tossing it aside...or flying pounces at the neck of bigger enemies where you latch on with your claws and chomp away while it is helpless to fight back. ...you really feel powerful in that form. It is not until later when you build up a more diverse skill set and weapons in human form later in the game that human link really starts to feel like the more powerful of the two.[/spoiler]


Three howls for Wolf Link...
:howl:  :oo Image :howl:  :oo
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Post by Chibiabos »

I notice so far everyone who has taken the poll has either agreed Link rocks as a wolf or they want to try it but haven't had a chance to yet. :)

[spoiler]Even when you've taken control and even rescued one, I found you can't speak to the giant boars. I have found some creatures difficult to track down and talk to, but it can be worth it ... the hawk you summoned to take out the bee nest and the cradle-stealing monkey at the beginning, for instance, will show you exactly where some secrets are in Ordon village. For some reason, it seems easier for me to do the backslice attack as the wolf than as human-link. I am amid completing the forest temple (the one that's after the ice one) and it still seems like there are a number of situations and enemies where its easier to fight them as a wolf than an elf, even with Magic Armor. The wolf's ability to take out a room filled with enemies like Stalfos -- even 20 or more of them at one time -- in a single attack is just unbeatable.[/spoiler]
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Post by Vuldari »

Chibiabos wrote:[spoiler]Even when you've taken control and even rescued one, I found you can't speak to the giant boars. I have found some creatures difficult to track down and talk to, but it can be worth it ... the hawk you summoned to take out the bee nest and the cradle-stealing monkey at the beginning, for instance, will show you exactly where some secrets are in Ordon village.[/spoiler]
[spoiler]Oh really? I noticed the thing about the Boars too, but I never tried the Hawk. I've not managed to get anything out of the Goats either, now that you mention it.[/spoiler]
Please Forgive the Occasional Outburst of my Inner Sage ... for he is Oblivious to Sarcasm, and not Easily Silenced.

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Post by deruty »

D: now I want to buy it D:
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Post by BlackWolfDS »

It's a good game. I love the fact that Link can transform between the two forms. :D
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Post by deruty »

:*(
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Post by MoonHunter »

Link=werewolf... :cafinated:
If you look into my soul you'll see a wolf, staring back into your's.
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Post by navalagVLK »

I'm nearly through this game, and I must say, Link as a wolf has to be the greatest addition to a video-game, EVER! :)

He's not too bad at the ol' platforming, or general fighting either: He kicks an awful lot of a** when combined with Midna...

I too thought she'd be annoying to have trudging around with you throughout the game, but she's quite the character!

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Re: Zelda. Link. Werewolf. Verdict?

Post by Scott Gardener »

I finally got myself a copy and started playing this puppy. It starts off ho-hum, the usual herding cattle and training, and then just as things get going as your basic fantasy quest game, WHAM! It suddenly really rocks!
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Re: Zelda. Link. Werewolf. Verdict?

Post by Vagrant »

I'll be honest, my findings were similar to Scott's at the start, and I wonder if his will be similar to mine as he gets further into the game?

The thing of it is, the game is just a Zelda game underneath, which is a bit staid and stale. But the Wolf parts are magnificent, the platforming works so well in those bits, and the digging, and the Wolf senses, and the atmosphere, I love it all.

Then soon, one has to spend a time as Link, and the game really begins to drag, because it just feels like Ocarina of Time all over again, there's nothing really there to differentiate it between previous Zelda games. It does have an interesting story, so that helped... but I found myself always longing for the time Link would become a Wolf again.

I eventually got the power to shift at will (hooray!) and I stayed the Wolf as much as possible, but there were so many things in the World that required Link instead of the Wolf, I felt that the Wolf was under-implemented past the intro stages.

I really wish they'd done more with it, because Link made for a fantastic (and very pretty) Werewolf with some of the most enjoyable gameplay mechanics I've seen. If they'd made the entire game about Link as the Werewolf, it would've been a really good contender for game of the year, in my opinion! I just wanted moar Wolf-Link, because it was so good!
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Re: Zelda. Link. Werewolf. Verdict?

Post by Scott Gardener »

I don't have quite the same contamination of having already played so many other Zelda games. Indeed, although I can see the graphics differences between it and the PS3 titles, I'm still new enough at this to find the 3D rendered environment pretty awe-inspiring. I know; those of you who have been gaming for years probably think nothing of 3D rendering, since the PS2 had it nailed almost a decade ago. But, I was in medical school at the time, so most of my attention was elsewhere. The games I grew up with in adolescence were 8-bit graphics from the original Nintendo Entertainment System that a friend had. Before that, I was plunking quarters in Pac-Man, Defender, and Centipede in the eighties, when those games were new.

That said, Zelda: Twilight Princess does feel like it's dragging now that I'm out of the first wolf part, romping caves and rescuing monkeys. I should be nearing the end of that part, except that I'm back-tracking to find a key that I missed, or rather the way to get to that key. I'm ready for Twilight again, and I don't mean that fricking Vampire movie...
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Re: Zelda. Link. Werewolf. Verdict?

Post by Vuldari »

When did gameplay being reminiscent and faithful to the gameplay of another great game become a FAULT?

Baseball still plays by the same rules, in the same type of fields with same game progression as it did over 50 years ago. That is just the way the game is supposed to be played. It's BASEBALL.

Likewise, "The Legend of Zelda" is an adventure series of Videogames, and they Play like adventure games. A Zelda game is SUPPOSED to play like a Zelda game.

If you don't want to play another Zelda game ... don't buy another Zelda game ... because the Next Zelda game is going to play like a Zelda game too ... and the one after that as well.

"Links Awakening" and "A Link to the Past" played roughly the same as The original Top Down Legend of Zelda (with unique themes and new additions), and were good because of it. "Zelda 2: Links Adventure" didn't play like a Zelda game ... and suffered because of it.

Then 3D became a viable play form. "Ocarina of Time" established what 'Zelda in 3D' IS ... and what it will remain until people don't want to play Zelda games any more, or a new play form is made available.

"Majoras Mask", "Wind Waker", "Twilight Princess" ... they all Play like OoT because that is how a 3D Zelda game is played.

"Oracle of Seasons/Ages", "Four Swords", "Minish Cap", "Phantom Hourglass" ... They All Play like ALttP because that is how a Top-Down Zelda Game is played.


When gamers get tired of that style of gameplay and story, Nintendo will stop making Zelda games, because that is what they ARE. They keep making more because games are NOT tired of that kind of Gamplay and Story.


Twilight Princess is supposed to be "Ocarina of Time, all over again" ... that is the POINT. People LIKED 'Ocarina of Time'. 'I' Liked 'Ocarina of Time' ... people WANT to play 'Ocarina of Time' again ... or rather, a new adventure and story with the same gameplay ... because it is the stuff that you seem to think is "Dragging the Game Down" which defines what a Zelda game IS.


TP is not a Werewolf game ... it's a Zelda game. It's SUPPOSED to Play like a Zelda game ... it IS a Zelda game. It's right there in the title. "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess". ... why on earth should a Zelda game NOT play like a Zelda game Underneath? It's a Zelda Game Inside and Out!



... for goodness sake ...
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Re: Zelda. Link. Werewolf. Verdict?

Post by Scott Gardener »

OK, that is kind of a "well, duh!"; point taken. Thankfully, I do like Zelda games--at least both of the ones I've played: Twilight Princess and the original 8 bit Legend of Zelda.
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Re: Zelda. Link. Werewolf. Verdict?

Post by WolfeGuardian »

8) I love the game and all it's places i personally thought the place in the sky was the hardest, sides that I think wolf link is amazing sometimes though i wish i could see him without midna on his back just for a bit sides in the beginning but yea he still cool hwlwnk
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Re: Zelda. Link. Werewolf. Verdict?

Post by Scott Gardener »

Human scenes are too long; wolf scenes are too short. And, why do they call Link "human"? All these years, I thought he was an elf. The pointed ears was the hint, so it seemed a logical conclusion.

:vulcanwolf:
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Re: Zelda. Link. Werewolf. Verdict?

Post by Morkulv »

So so.
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Re: Zelda. Link. Werewolf. Verdict?

Post by Morkulv »

Scott Gardener wrote:And, why do they call Link "human"? All these years, I thought he was an elf. The pointed ears was the hint, so it seemed a logical conclusion.

:vulcanwolf:
There is even a gravestone in a elf-village in the first Final Fantasy game that says "Here lies Link", which is a direct hint. So I agree, he's a elf, dammit. :lol:
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Re: Zelda. Link. Werewolf. Verdict?

Post by Spiritwhitewolf »

Scott Gardener wrote:Human scenes are too long; wolf scenes are too short. And, why do they call Link "human"? All these years, I thought he was an elf. The pointed ears was the hint, so it seemed a logical conclusion.

:vulcanwolf:
>.> link is hylian which is neither an elf or a human but as far as the zelda series is concerned hylians are pretty much the same as humans
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Re: Zelda. Link. Werewolf. Verdict?

Post by alphanubilus »

Technically speaking the "Here lies Link" hint in the first Final Fantasy game, was actually a jab, not a homage, to the Zelda game. FF was released shortly after the Zelda title, and Square wanted to "show" that the FF title was a superior fantasy title as opposed to the Zelda series. It didn't though. :p

Link is a Hyrulian, of which is the same as humans. They have differences than regular humans, but they aren't elves to be exact. The Zelda series has its own race of elves, of which were the ones that raised Link, in Ocarina of Time, the Kokeri.

It sort of surprised me to see a Twilight Princess thread, this long after it first came out, but I will shed my thoughts on it right fast.

As a lover of all things wolf, seeing Link turn into one was the height of my geekery. I loved Zelda long before Link turned into a wolf, so I wasn't disappointed by the shorter wolf stages. His wolf form has one of the darnest longest quests in the game, of which compares to hunting down the Biggoron Sword in Ocarina, so there is PLENTY of wolf related quests. HAD Nintendo just used the wolf form as a gimmic, I probably wouldn't have liked it so much, as Zelda is always known for really solid game play core mechanics. Being a wolf was flawless and easy to use. As your frequent buttons mapped out between forms, it made it incredibly easy to switch between them, without having to learn to modes of fighting. My one and only gripe is having to pause and open a wolf/change menu with Midna, as opposed to just tapping the button to initiate a change. It would have made the transformations more fluid and on the fly. Nothing like pausing a boss battle and switching forms, instead of just switching as you go.

Now the big question is, what is life going to be, with the absence of wolf link? A new Zelda game has been announced in Japan, although story details are quite scarce. They've continued the Wind Waker narrative and characters for the DS games, so they might possibly do the same for the Wii games. I would love the idea of Link being able to shapechange right from the get go, but we'll see.
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