Mario had his moment.Now it's Zelda's turn.After The Super Mario Movie and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie made billions, Zelda is heading to the big screen next April.
So to keep the franchise front and center, Nintendo is lavishly remaking its 1998 classic The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.The game debuts Nov.
5th, two weeks before the meteoric arrival of Grand Theft Auto VI — the only major release to dare compete with it that month.As other companies dodge the Grand Theft Auto juggernaut by avoiding the November release window, Nintendo's wholesome throwback is poised to stand out against the glitzy violence of Grand Theft Auto.While many will play both games, the early holiday season offers a contrast: a family-friendly fantasy or a modern-day crime epic.They're both gorgeous to look at.
GTA's Netflix preview showed off the obsessive photorealism developer Rockstar Games is known for.The Ocarina of Time remake, alternatively, maintains the original game's cartoony aesthetic but layers it with intricate detail.Your tunic isn't just flat green; it's a hand-stitched jumble of embroidered fabrics and leathers.
And fairies aren't just simple balls of light; they're furry creatures with mosaic wings.Yet, as someone who grew up with the original game and lost count of how many times I beat it, I found that the remake's baroque environments could confuse as well as dazzle.Nintendo gave me 90 minutes to play through a cross-section of the game at a New York City preview.
I blazed through Kokiri Forest, drinking in its dappled light and rippling waters.Then I dashed through Hyrule Field.
Though it's tiny by today's gaming standards, it still felt as vast as I remembered thanks to clever atmospheric lightning.Castle Town bustled more than ever, teeming with banners, flowers and colorful citizenry.
Even as I raced to explore as much as possible from the main plot, I couldn't help but stop to admire the scenery and shops of the city.I was then thrown ahead to the F...