Is Zelda TP as "shifty" and fastpaced as it looks?

[pluto2]

Ok, that title needs some explanation. I've never had an opportunity to play Zelda TP on the Wii and probably never will have either before I choose to buy it, or not buy it.

I've watched so many videos of the gameplay and I must say it looks terribly "shifty" and fastpaced. Link always runs back and forth either by foot or on that horse (is he even able to just WALK?) and that camera seems to constantly shift and turn, back and forth, to capture the action. It all looks so darn "up-tempo" to me. RUN RUN RUN there's an item, oops an enemy, smash smash, turn twist run run run... that's what it all looks like to me and seems to be like all of the time!

Is the game really like this or do they just make the gameplay videos like that to showcase the game better? I'm not so sure I'd like that kind of gameplay. Could anyone that have played it abit help me out here to decide on this purchase?

Everything else in the game looks absolutely great and interesting!

Kristian

 

[Dougamer]

Well, as you say... The game does nvolve ALOT of backtracking... Get an item... go to the person, go back to another place... get item.. go back to same person.

But as with all Zelda games, there is puzzles, some you have to think really hard about... Which makes the game more challenging... in a different way though!

and yes he can walk, altough he is a lazy ass, so he also gets teleported eveywhere

The camera angles you see you cannot change (Except to shift it to 'links' line of sight with "Z")

 

[pluto2]

Well the backtracking like that doesn't bother me, or worry me rather, as much. I'm glad that he actually CAN walk at least All the videos just looks so WAM BAM, but I guess the game doesn't have to be played like that then? It's kind of hard to actually write in text what the hell I mean, but I guess fast-paced is the best word, or perhaps, jittery

Kristian

 

[Rajveer]

The game can be played at whatever pace you want. I dont play it fast because I know there wont be another Zelda game for a long time, and I like to explore every single piece of the world I can! I've played over 35 hours and only done 5 temples, I heard there's another 4 to go

Another words, you can take it as slow as you want

 

[pluto2]

Sounds nice, I guess it's just the videos making the game look like a constant slug-fest with a camera that's about to sping itself lose from whatever it's attached to

 

[Cjv]

agreed, it's not a 'fast-paced game' per se. the trailers all make it look like it, but in fact it's varied tempo, which makes it great. You have galloping horse chase combat (amazing sequence), some swordplay against a miniboss that's blisteringly fast and my favorite zelda swordfight to date, but also a lot of studying the map, trying to carefully negotiate through fog, reading and making sense of clues, etc.

Have you played a 3-D Zelda before? The Point of View (POV), the use of the 'camera' makes perfect sense once you get the hang of it; using the Z-button to make it face the same way you're facing is a standard 'jump' you'll make over and over, it's a staple move. This is the whipping jerky camera you're talking about?

IMHO the sequences where the view is 'fixed' (you must pull a chain, run down a laneway, etc, etc. and there's a forced point of view) look terrific, artistically speaking..... but in general, you control the POV at all times, doing so becomes second nature in about 15 mins of play, and exactly how jerky the game is, is entirely up to you. I love this game!

 

[Cjv]

oh yeah one other thing - a lot of the trailers show the cinematic sequences (storyline stuff) and these do have a lot of clever camerawork, zooms, quick pans and tilts... when you're controlling the game, you're almost always using a camera view directly behind and above you. The cinematics don't give you a clear sense of what's the game 'feels' like.

Chris

 

[pluto2]

Chris, thank you, that was a very nice answer touching exactly what I was referring to in my pretty poor description of my thoughts. And No, I've never played a 3d-zelda, but I've played quite some other 3d adventure games like tomb raider etc, and when I saw the trailers and gameplay movies of zelda tp for Wii, It all just seemed so jerky and shifty that I had a harm time seeing me sitting there playing it in an enjoyable way.

Your answer makes it sound all so much better. See I'm not the kind of person who likes to RUN through games, I like to take my time. Sure combat can be a bit frenetic at times, that's all fine and right, but it seemed at first like the whole game, besides fishing, was like that. Thank god that it isn't!

About the POV. Do I control it in the sense of free choice (rotatable etc) or is all I can do forcing it to head back to the way I am looking? The camera is alot of what's bad with the trailers as it seems to literally rotate like a ball on a stick to catch the action around it. Sounds like it doesn't have to be that way though and that's nice to know.

Putting down an order of it here right now, this game is not something I want to miss, that's for sure, even though I haven't played zelda since I had a SNES

Kristian

 

[Cjv]

Kristian,

well, mostly your control of the camera is limited to returning it to 'home position'... but you do control the camera during combat as well, because when you lock your targeting (hold down Z) on a specific enemy the camera follows him, to keep him on the screen. Only you won't even be thinking of it in terms of what you're 'doing' to the camera, only in terms of how well you can see what you're doing.

With targeting on, all of Link's attacks will land squarely on the target. Of course, enemy B may be sneaking up behind you and the camera is locked on enemy A...booo..... So you can't stay locked on one enemy for too long. Z-targeting is another 3D Zelda essential and again, you get the hang of it in a few minutes.

Also, when you're walking around (yes you can walk not run Just don't press the joystick all the way up, and Link kind of strolls along.... although he walks a little bit like a girl....) you'll frequently center the camera, but often, for whatever reason you'll decide to walk in the other direction immediately after you've centered it. In these cases the camera will slowly, smoothly rotate around and come to rest in home position. you can speed up the transition by hitting Z. really useful when you're trying to carefully jump from one narrow platform to another.

.... Zelda! Woo! Whoops, got excited there for a sec.

C

 

[pluto2]

Chris,

Thanks, then I think that I understand the controls better. It's not quite the kind of camera control that I'm used to but then again that can be a good thing if the game handles the camera work well which means less camera panning and more gaming. What I was afraid of, and first thought was the case, was that the camera becasue of this would jump around like a crazy horse pretty much all of the time but Thankfully, that doesn't seem very true anymore. Instead I'm looking forward to getting the game, either way It's friggin Zelda man, Zelda is like pizza, even if it's bad it's still pretty good
OK I admit I ripped that one lol!

Kristian