I find the graphics great, and I just love looking back at how Link has changed over the past years. I didn't shit my pants out of happiness when Wind Waker introduced us to the "toon look" either, but I really got used to it. Most other Zelda fans I know did too, so after all it's just a matter of taste.

About the "lack" of enemies: Did you ever play "Shadow of the Colossus"? A game featuring 16 enemies in total, recieving high ranks pretty much everywhere (9.7/10 @ IGN) should speak for itself. Shadow of the Colossus has a great variation of beautiful landscapes with many clever details and that is why it's been so praised. The "Legend of Zelda"-series also has this, so it is unfortunate that you fail to see it, hence not being able to enjoy some of the most epic gaming experiences out there.

Of course I can agree on some parts, but that's because no game is perfect, and that definitely won't stop me from buying every upcoming sequel for the rest of my life^^

Thanks for speaking your mind and letting me do the same!

Some guys just complain about every Zelda released after their first,second or third Zelda,telling it's not the same anymore.

Of course it's no the same,and it was never meant to be.That makes the game better/worse?NO imbecile.

You're all gonna have arthrits and heart attacks in your thirds/fourties.

Just you wait.

I regret to say it but Majora's Mask was not well done at all compared to OoT.

Nintendo teased us with what could have been the most popular characters of all time in video games, and then failed because of the business system.

I am ashamed at what Legend of Zelda has turned into, WindWaker, these Toon links are such a sell-out.

RIP Ocarina of Time

Since Wind Waker, I've lost interest. By Zelda's insistence to not seriously evolve, the same-old presentation and recycled elements feel more and more pandering as I age. It's a turn-off.

Anybody remember high school parties as a teen and seeing some dude hanging around who's too old to be there? "That guy?" Zelda makes me feel like that guy. Its child-like vibe doesn't make me feel like a kid again, it makes me feel distanced from the target audience. "What am I doing here? Why am I playing this."

It's sad when playing a game as good as Shadow of the Colossus, I'm daydreaming about how cool it would be if Zelda were more like it. SotC recaptured that sense of wonder and mystery Zelda so easily inspired in me as a kid. I hope Nintendo will one day adapt Zelda to more mature audiences. Till then, I'll remember fondly the days when it was still a relevant franchise.

ZELDA ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Zelda has been a very important part of my life, call me nerd or whatever, but it has some escence that makes it trully special and thats what makes you Hardcore. When you can feel a videogame the sameway has a movie, or a book. Then you are Hardcore.

I play lots of Modern Warfare 2, plus many other modern games. To me, all of those games are 100% casual. Every little kid or new gamer plays them because everybody plays them.

I agree in some points of the article, but cannot deny it is written poorly. Hopefully Zelda 2010 will change all of this matters, and amaze us all. At least Zelda fans, dont care about new gamers right know. Sorry for my english

2. You right about the "boring" factor-nothing really happens outside the dungeons. The game itself is also sinfully easy.

3. Link doesn't talk. It makes him, and the whole game, seem childish. The characters who do talk aren't voiced–we have to read text boxes. Not that that's the worst thing in the world, but actual dialogue would be a great step forward to re-capturing the hardcore audience.

Finally: Megaman 1, original Ninja Gaiden, Battletoads, Zelda II and Shatterhand are infinitely more 'hardcore' than any modern FPS or sandbox game. 'Hardcore' in the original sense of course.

With that as our constant, Modern Warfare 2 can't be respected: Do you think you can really be shot that many times and then just hide and the wounds will heal? Oh and what about GTAIV!? Do you think people can really jump of the top of a building and only half die, or dial a number on their phone and have it spontaneously appear out of this air?

Get real mate, all design and gamestyle decisions are to improve the players experience. If I wanted to play something REAL I'd walk out my front door.

If taking you to a place of imagination, puzzles and action doesn't constitute a game demanding respect and ultra realism does, then stop playing video games.

Gooba.

And i just realized how retarded I am an incapable of actually reading before commenting. You never said any of these things but its what i wanted to believe.

That said, I do not agree with him on many points. The article is talking about how Zelda can appeal to the hardcore gamer again, but its pretty obvious the article is bias towards hardcore gaming = quality games. Zelda doesn't have to appeal to hardcore gamers, because hardcore can't be used to describe good gameplay and quality, which is all people really care about, and thats what will sell the franchise as it always has.

Back in the NES to the N64 era, someone could say "I think Zelda is the best franchise out there", and it'd be alot more respected of an opinion and agreed with to extents. These days, not so much. Its okay for people to usually say its one of the better gaming series out there, but that it simply isn't usually considered the best anymore. This is true, and part of it is because of how many people are falling for the hardcore gaming nonsense, but its also partly because Zelda has not only failed to evolve much, but because its lost some of its higher-appeal points, such as action and difficulty.

It's still a really great series, but it needs to revive its previous action-focus and drop its linearity, as well as changing up the formula a bit. As for hardcore and casual, that has nothing to do with it. I don't care if its Cel-shaded or not. Even if it stays easy and the story sucks, that has little to do with the problems Zelda has been having lately, but he is right in the fact that realistic graphics will appeal to "hardcore gamers" easier.

Este articulo esta completamente influenciado por alguien que realmente cree que los gráficos lo son todo, y que de seguro no tiene idea de los que habla…