That was the exact mindset I had when making that reference. I just didn't know how deep it would go into their rivalry until this came up. If you liked it, more power to you.
Massively Multiplayer: Gaming In The New Millennium
- Thread starter RySenkari
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That was the exact mindset I had when making that reference. I just didn't know how deep it would go into their rivalry until this came up. If you liked it, more power to you.
No, I like Sonic too, even if i'm more of a Nintendo guy. Sonic's one of those characters I consider an honorary part of the Nintendo family now, along with Mega Man.
Spring 2009 (Part 14) - Silver And Gold
Quixsters Evolution
Quixsters Evolution is an action/platforming game developed by Silver Sail and published by Activision. It's the first Quixsters game to be featured on an HD console, and stars four colorful kids: Dash, Leep, Spin, and Dive. They are joined by more than forty other kids, each with their own colorful style, four letter name, and crazy gimmick. Like previous games in the series, Quixsters Evolution is a platformer, but instead of featuring massive, open levels like in other platforming games, it features small challenge-based levels. Evolution takes the formula one step further, with more gameplay and genre styles than ever before, and even dabbling into "emergent" gameplay, with many levels not defined by one simple challenge and instead allowing total freedom for how a player can achieve their goal. The game is divided into three iterations of seven: 7 worlds, each divided into 7 pods, each containing 7 challenges, for a total of 343 different challenges within the main game. Each completed challenge opens up numerous different things: at least one different challenge, at least one bonus unlockable, or perhaps something like a costume or character. This means that every single challenge completed, no matter how easy, unlocks something worthwhile for the player. Most challenges can be completed in multiple different ways, which offers up multiple different unlocked prizes. The average challenge takes around a minute to complete, but some can be completed in just a few seconds, while others may take 10 minutes or more. The game contains many platforming challenges, but also combat challenges in which enemies (or even other Quixsters) must be defeated, competition challenges in which the player must compete with other Quixsters to accomplish a task, sports challenges, racing challenges, puzzle challenges, RPG challenges, shooting challenges, or sometimes combinations of both, in which a player might choose to look for a key or brute force their way through the barrier. The game combines elements from previous games in the series and takes particular inspiration from the successful Supernova game Quixsters Qubes, and has a somewhat similar format, utilizing "pods" instead of cubes to contain the challenge levels. Players can elect to take "paths" through the game, in which they find a style of play that they gravitate toward and participate in challenges utilizing that style of play. It's possible to complete the single player campaign in as little as 80 challenges, though most players will complete somewhere from 120-160. The Quixsters themselves, both the main four characters and their fellow kids, have more personality in this game than they do in any previous game, with considerably more voice acted lines and personality. Before, only the main four Quixsters had a lot of lines, but in this game, most of the playable characters have quite a few lines and the writers and developers have done a lot more to give them distinguishable personalities. The Quixsters themselves can be somewhat considered a cross between the Inklings from Splatoon and the Sugar Rush kids from Wreck-It Ralph in terms of behavior: They're adorable, but also rambunctious and high energy, and they love making trouble. They often fight and compete with one another, but it has a friendly feel to it, and when confronted with a mutual enemy, they unite like no other. In addition to the main four characters, other notable characters include:
Glow: A glowing girl with beautiful blonde hair, Glow likes all things bright and shiny, and thinks of herself as being very pretty and fashionable, though the others think she's pretty stuck up.
Rock: A rough and tumble boy with hair made out of stone, Rock loves to smash things but can be tender deep down when he sees a cute animal or a girl he likes.
Hero: A "heroic" Quixster who wields a play sword and loves rescuing fair maidens, but often gets himself into trouble.
Sizl: A Quixster with flaming red hair, Sizl's very excitable and competitive, and loves when she wins. She leaves a trail of flames wherever she goes.
Beat: A DJ Quixster who carries a speaker with him everywhere, Beat loves to turn up the volume and rock the bass.
Jamm: A rockin' girl with a guitar, Jamm and Beat actually don't get along because Beat loves hip hop music and Jamm loves rock and roll.
Pony: A cowgirl who rides around a little horse, Pony can be a bit annoying (she loves to lasso people), but she's a loyal friend and one of the calmer Quixsters.
Cast: Cast is a weatherman who has a storm cloud over his head. He loves to predict the weather, but his forecasts are usually wrong, annoying the other Quixsters.
The game's voice cast is made up of mostly unknowns, with a couple voiceover pros here and there. Many of the Quixsters are voiced by young children, including Sizl, who's voiced by Inez Delgado. This gives the game's voice acting an authenticity and charm that makes it fairly unique among games but also leads to considerable praise for the cast. Quite a few of the game's younger actors would also voice characters on things like Disney Junior kids' shows.
The game's plot is actually a bit more complex than that of other games in the series: the villain is an evil space overlord known as the Game King, who manipulates the Quixsters into competing in his games in order to drain their energy to power his superweapon. Many of the kids who find out about the Game King's evil plans don't find out until it's too late and most of their energy is gone, and eventually, only the four main kids are left to combat the Game King and his evil schemes. They eventually free their friends, and the Quixsters all unite to stop the Game King from using his weapon to conquer the galaxy. The ending is a fairly awe-inspiring and heartwarming scene in which all the Quixsters each get a brief little scene where they utilize their special power to help fight the Game King, and also shows off some of the closest friendships among the group. Each of the Quixsters also has their own special scene during the game's ending, but by default, only the main four have a scene: in order to see the other scenes in the ending, you have to collect each Quixster's special trophy, scattered throughout the world in one of the challenges. Many are easy to find and most new players will see about half of the full ending, but some are really tricky. Collecting all 46 extra trophies gives a special bonus scene in which all the Quixsters sing a special song together. It's quite a tough ending to achieve, and most players will only see it on Youtube or Videocean. The game would later get special DLC adding a few extra Quixsters, but each DLC pack automatically comes with that character's trophy.
Quixsters Evolution is released on June 2, 2009. Reviews for the game are stellar: it's seen as the best console game in the series since the original, with many reviewers calling it even better. Review scores average in the low 9s, and it's considered by many to be the best platforming game thus far in the seventh generation, right up there with Sonic Duo. As far as sales go, while it doesn't crack the month's top 5, it's still a superb seller, and only misses the top five because it's releasing into an extremely crowded month. Initial sales are held down a bit due to the impending release of Pokemon LightSun and DarkMoon, but it's still a hit that exceeds sales expectations, and would see strong sales on both the Sapphire and iTwin for the remainder of the year. The game is seen as a "perfection" of the Quixsters formula and one of the most innovative platformers ever released: one critic wrote "where else can you go from platforming to go-kart driving to vehicular combat all in the span of one 30-second burst of high energy gameplay?" A major factor in the game's critical success is the presence of game designer Kim Swift on the development team. Known IOTL as a lead developer on Portal, she's the main developer for Quixsters Evolution, and a version of the "portal" mechanic actually appears in numerous challenges, though in somewhat of an embryonic form. The "portal" challenges are some of the most highly praised elements of the game, and Quixsters Evolution features numerous gravity-defying levels very reminiscent of OTL's Super Mario Galaxy. The success of Quixsters Evolution revitalizes the series on consoles and firmly establishes it as the dominant Silver Sail IP. In fact, in the eyes of many, including Activision's Bobby Kotick, it's the only Silver Sail IP worth publishing. The success of Quixsters Evolution would not only change the fate of Silver Sail, but would set the company on an inexorable course...
-
June 30, 2009
Inez Delgado stood in a recording booth, waiting patiently as the sound technicians worked to fix a problem with some of the recording equipment. Her mother Sonora watched from outside the booth, and nearby sat the show's voice director, along with the show's creator, Seth MacFarlane. MacFarlane had finished up Larry And Steve on Cartoon Network several years before, and was now doing a much more mature show for Comedy Central, Dave McMaster, Elephant Cop, about a gruff police officer with the body of a human and the head of an elephant. The show had been fairly successful and was now in production for its third season, and it had plenty of vulgar humor and black comedy. Inez was doing just a few lines for a young character, and though Sonora wasn't the biggest fan of the show's humor, she knew Inez was a mature girl who could handle doing voices for such a show. Plus, experience was experience, and working on the show had given Inez the chance to work with more professionals in the industry.
"Okay, while we're waiting for the equipment to get fixed up, you said you can sing, right? Do you know any showtunes?" asked MacFarlane.
"Yeah!" said Inez excitedly, immediately belting out one of her favorites. "Don't cry for me, Argentina... the truth is, I never left you. All through my wild days, my mad existence, I kept my promise, don't keep your distance!"
Inez was no Broadway diva, but she was on pitch and her voice was light and strong, and her singing even surprised Sonora, who wasn't aware just how good her daughter had gotten.
"Whoa!" exclaimed MacFarlane, clapping his hands before turning to Sonora. "Did you teach her to do that?"
"That wasn't me," said Sonora, smiling at her daughter and clapping as well. "That was so amazing, you could be on Broadway!"
Inez giggled.
"Does she even know what Evita is about?" asked MacFarlane.
"She saw the movie with Madonna in it," said Sonora, before her phone started to ring. "Hmm?"
She took it out. It was her husband Carlos.
"He knows we're in a recording session," said Sonora with a sigh. "Doesn't he? He's been so busy lately sometimes he forgets about these things..."
"I think it might be a few more minutes before we get fixed up here," said the technician. "You can go ahead and answer it."
"Yeah, go ahead, Inez can keep singing," said MacFarlane. "Know anything from Little Shop Of Horrors?"
"Suddenly Seymour!" belted Inez before Sonora shushed her.
"Not so loud, not so loud," said Sonora, answering her phone. "Carlos, what's going on? Inez is still in a session."
"Oh, sorry, sorry," Carlos replied, sounding somewhat excited. "Actually this is about her, when can she get on the phone? I need to talk to her real quick."
"Not until she's done," said Sonora.
"I think we've still got some time," said MacFarlane, gesturing to Inez to come out of the recording booth. "Your dad's on the phone I think."
Inez stepped out of the booth and took the phone from her mother.
"Dad?" she said, holding the phone to her ear. "What's up?"
"Honey, I have some exciting news," said Carlos. "You did a really good job voicing Sizl and Suni in Quixsters Evolution, and... well, the lady who was voicing Spin is stepping down from the role. They want someone new to play Spin, and I think they might want to audition you."
"What?" exclaimed Inez, barely able to contain her excitement. "Isn't she one of the main ones?"
"Yes, she is, but don't be too loud, it's still an NDA thing," said Carlos. "The auditions are going to be next week, would you be interested-"
"Yes!" Inez whispered forcefully. "I'd love to, I'd love to...!"
"That's awesome, I'll let them know to schedule you in. I think you're gonna knock 'em dead, they were so impressed with you in the last game and you're doing such a good job. You're our little champion, I know you can do it!"
"Thanks so much daddy," said Inez, still whispering but on the verge of bursting out into yelling, her entire body shaking with how excited she was to have a chance to get her first major role in, well, anything. "Thank you thank you thank you...!"
Inez handed the phone back to Sonora, and Carlos briefly told her what was happening before Sonora exclaimed how proud she was and then ended the call.
"Okay Inez, don't get too excited, you still need to finish up this recording session," said Sonora, kissing her daughter on the cheek.
"Sounds like that was something good," said MacFarlane.
"It was, but I can't say anything, it's an NDA thingy," Inez replied.
"Ah yeah, I know all about those," he said. "I think we're ready for you back in the booth."
"Okay!"
Inez was practically skipping as she went back into the booth to record the rest of her lines. Despite her excitement, she maintained her composure and didn't let it effect her record. She'd have plenty of time to scream in excitement when she got back into the car to go home.
-
Carlos Delgado had been calling from his office at Silver Sail, and soon after he'd finished up, he got a call of his own... from Bobby Kotick, head of Activision. Kotick was calling to report the latest sales figures for Quixsters Evolution... in its first two weeks, it had sold 350,000 copies across both of its systems, the fastest selling game in the series thus far, and on track to easily clear a million by the end of August, and perhaps three million by the end of the year.
Quixsters was certainly a bigger success than Honest Jack had been, and while Carlos wasn't 100 percent thrilled that his company seemed to be destined to produce games for younger players rather than the mature, sprawling epics he'd have liked to keep making, he was glad that his company was still one of the more successful small publishers in the industry. Silver Sail had grown from a company working out of a single-story office to a company renting several floors of space in a downtown Los Angeles highrise, and its value had increased fifty-fold since the release of the original Frederico.
"So this game, it's one of our biggest of the year," said Kotick. "Not on the level of Call Of Duty or Thrillseekers, but for the money we spent on publishing and promoting it, it's going to turn a hell of a profit, it might just be one of our five most profitable games of 2009."
"That's good to hear," Carlos replied.
"So have you talked with the rest of the people at your company about a possible merger?" asked Kotick, getting right down to literal business. "We'd love to acquire Silver Sail as a development studio. We could even put you and some of your people to work on other games, maybe games more like Honest Jack."
The prospect of an Activision acquisition of Silver Sail had been on the table for the past several years, but poor performances from some of the company's games had made Activision wary. With console Quixsters a success again, the company's value was going back up... and Activision was looking to buy. It would be a big change in some ways, but in other ways, things would stay the same. Carlos would get to keep making games. He wouldn't be in charge of as many decisions, but it would be a reduction in workload, a reduction in stress, and more time to spend with his wife and daughter, time that had been in short supply since development of Quixsters Evolution began. It was starting to cause a strain on his marriage, and though Carlos and Sonora weren't the type to have big arguments, the two had visibly drifted apart over the past couple of years. Inez could tell, and she also missed her dad during those long work weeks.
"Some people at the company are still skeptical," said Carlos, "and I don't want to make a decision like this without most of my people on board."
"They'd be making a lot of money," said Kotick, "and most of them could keep their jobs."
Most of them, thought Carlos, knowing that a more than a few people would probably get screwed over if this acquisition went down. While he was good friends with Bobby Kotick, who'd taught him a lot about the game industry and had helped him rise to his current prominent position at Silver Sail, he knew how shrewd of a businessman the Activision CEO could be. He didn't want anyone to get screwed over, and Bobby Kotick had screwed over a lot of people.
"I'm not going to sell the company out from under the people that helped make this company what it is today," said Carlos.
"Of course you're not," Kotick replied, though he didn't say what he was thinking. But we may just buy it out from under you anyway.
"Look, can I try to talk with some of the holdouts, get them to see that this company's best future is with Activision?" asked Carlos, pleading with his friend for some more time to make such a major decision.
"Sure you're not just stalling for the price to go up?" said Kotick, only half joking.
"Well, who's the dirty son of a bitch who taught me to do that?" Carlos replied, entirely joking. The two shared a laugh over the phone, and Kotick's tone remained friendly and cordial, despite his impatience.
"Yeah, sure, you take plenty of time," said Kotick. "In the meantime, think we might talk about those Quixsters toys Sega's going to make for us?"
"I saw the prototypes, they look really slick. I think kids will love playing with them."
"What does Inez think of them?"
"She's not really into toys like that, she's more into musical instruments and games. She doesn't even play with Barbies, which is weird because she really liked that Barbie game that came out last year."
The two continued their conversation for nearly an hour, with no more talk of Silver Sail's potential acquisition. But even though Carlos knew that he'd have some time to convince his Silver Sail staff that the acquisition was in their best interests, he knew that no matter what they thought, the acquisition was still going to happen.
He just hoped that he'd be able to convince his friends at the company to feel good about it.
Quixsters Evolution is an action/platforming game developed by Silver Sail and published by Activision. It's the first Quixsters game to be featured on an HD console, and stars four colorful kids: Dash, Leep, Spin, and Dive. They are joined by more than forty other kids, each with their own colorful style, four letter name, and crazy gimmick. Like previous games in the series, Quixsters Evolution is a platformer, but instead of featuring massive, open levels like in other platforming games, it features small challenge-based levels. Evolution takes the formula one step further, with more gameplay and genre styles than ever before, and even dabbling into "emergent" gameplay, with many levels not defined by one simple challenge and instead allowing total freedom for how a player can achieve their goal. The game is divided into three iterations of seven: 7 worlds, each divided into 7 pods, each containing 7 challenges, for a total of 343 different challenges within the main game. Each completed challenge opens up numerous different things: at least one different challenge, at least one bonus unlockable, or perhaps something like a costume or character. This means that every single challenge completed, no matter how easy, unlocks something worthwhile for the player. Most challenges can be completed in multiple different ways, which offers up multiple different unlocked prizes. The average challenge takes around a minute to complete, but some can be completed in just a few seconds, while others may take 10 minutes or more. The game contains many platforming challenges, but also combat challenges in which enemies (or even other Quixsters) must be defeated, competition challenges in which the player must compete with other Quixsters to accomplish a task, sports challenges, racing challenges, puzzle challenges, RPG challenges, shooting challenges, or sometimes combinations of both, in which a player might choose to look for a key or brute force their way through the barrier. The game combines elements from previous games in the series and takes particular inspiration from the successful Supernova game Quixsters Qubes, and has a somewhat similar format, utilizing "pods" instead of cubes to contain the challenge levels. Players can elect to take "paths" through the game, in which they find a style of play that they gravitate toward and participate in challenges utilizing that style of play. It's possible to complete the single player campaign in as little as 80 challenges, though most players will complete somewhere from 120-160. The Quixsters themselves, both the main four characters and their fellow kids, have more personality in this game than they do in any previous game, with considerably more voice acted lines and personality. Before, only the main four Quixsters had a lot of lines, but in this game, most of the playable characters have quite a few lines and the writers and developers have done a lot more to give them distinguishable personalities. The Quixsters themselves can be somewhat considered a cross between the Inklings from Splatoon and the Sugar Rush kids from Wreck-It Ralph in terms of behavior: They're adorable, but also rambunctious and high energy, and they love making trouble. They often fight and compete with one another, but it has a friendly feel to it, and when confronted with a mutual enemy, they unite like no other. In addition to the main four characters, other notable characters include:
Glow: A glowing girl with beautiful blonde hair, Glow likes all things bright and shiny, and thinks of herself as being very pretty and fashionable, though the others think she's pretty stuck up.
Rock: A rough and tumble boy with hair made out of stone, Rock loves to smash things but can be tender deep down when he sees a cute animal or a girl he likes.
Hero: A "heroic" Quixster who wields a play sword and loves rescuing fair maidens, but often gets himself into trouble.
Sizl: A Quixster with flaming red hair, Sizl's very excitable and competitive, and loves when she wins. She leaves a trail of flames wherever she goes.
Beat: A DJ Quixster who carries a speaker with him everywhere, Beat loves to turn up the volume and rock the bass.
Jamm: A rockin' girl with a guitar, Jamm and Beat actually don't get along because Beat loves hip hop music and Jamm loves rock and roll.
Pony: A cowgirl who rides around a little horse, Pony can be a bit annoying (she loves to lasso people), but she's a loyal friend and one of the calmer Quixsters.
Cast: Cast is a weatherman who has a storm cloud over his head. He loves to predict the weather, but his forecasts are usually wrong, annoying the other Quixsters.
The game's voice cast is made up of mostly unknowns, with a couple voiceover pros here and there. Many of the Quixsters are voiced by young children, including Sizl, who's voiced by Inez Delgado. This gives the game's voice acting an authenticity and charm that makes it fairly unique among games but also leads to considerable praise for the cast. Quite a few of the game's younger actors would also voice characters on things like Disney Junior kids' shows.
The game's plot is actually a bit more complex than that of other games in the series: the villain is an evil space overlord known as the Game King, who manipulates the Quixsters into competing in his games in order to drain their energy to power his superweapon. Many of the kids who find out about the Game King's evil plans don't find out until it's too late and most of their energy is gone, and eventually, only the four main kids are left to combat the Game King and his evil schemes. They eventually free their friends, and the Quixsters all unite to stop the Game King from using his weapon to conquer the galaxy. The ending is a fairly awe-inspiring and heartwarming scene in which all the Quixsters each get a brief little scene where they utilize their special power to help fight the Game King, and also shows off some of the closest friendships among the group. Each of the Quixsters also has their own special scene during the game's ending, but by default, only the main four have a scene: in order to see the other scenes in the ending, you have to collect each Quixster's special trophy, scattered throughout the world in one of the challenges. Many are easy to find and most new players will see about half of the full ending, but some are really tricky. Collecting all 46 extra trophies gives a special bonus scene in which all the Quixsters sing a special song together. It's quite a tough ending to achieve, and most players will only see it on Youtube or Videocean. The game would later get special DLC adding a few extra Quixsters, but each DLC pack automatically comes with that character's trophy.
Quixsters Evolution is released on June 2, 2009. Reviews for the game are stellar: it's seen as the best console game in the series since the original, with many reviewers calling it even better. Review scores average in the low 9s, and it's considered by many to be the best platforming game thus far in the seventh generation, right up there with Sonic Duo. As far as sales go, while it doesn't crack the month's top 5, it's still a superb seller, and only misses the top five because it's releasing into an extremely crowded month. Initial sales are held down a bit due to the impending release of Pokemon LightSun and DarkMoon, but it's still a hit that exceeds sales expectations, and would see strong sales on both the Sapphire and iTwin for the remainder of the year. The game is seen as a "perfection" of the Quixsters formula and one of the most innovative platformers ever released: one critic wrote "where else can you go from platforming to go-kart driving to vehicular combat all in the span of one 30-second burst of high energy gameplay?" A major factor in the game's critical success is the presence of game designer Kim Swift on the development team. Known IOTL as a lead developer on Portal, she's the main developer for Quixsters Evolution, and a version of the "portal" mechanic actually appears in numerous challenges, though in somewhat of an embryonic form. The "portal" challenges are some of the most highly praised elements of the game, and Quixsters Evolution features numerous gravity-defying levels very reminiscent of OTL's Super Mario Galaxy. The success of Quixsters Evolution revitalizes the series on consoles and firmly establishes it as the dominant Silver Sail IP. In fact, in the eyes of many, including Activision's Bobby Kotick, it's the only Silver Sail IP worth publishing. The success of Quixsters Evolution would not only change the fate of Silver Sail, but would set the company on an inexorable course...
-
June 30, 2009
Inez Delgado stood in a recording booth, waiting patiently as the sound technicians worked to fix a problem with some of the recording equipment. Her mother Sonora watched from outside the booth, and nearby sat the show's voice director, along with the show's creator, Seth MacFarlane. MacFarlane had finished up Larry And Steve on Cartoon Network several years before, and was now doing a much more mature show for Comedy Central, Dave McMaster, Elephant Cop, about a gruff police officer with the body of a human and the head of an elephant. The show had been fairly successful and was now in production for its third season, and it had plenty of vulgar humor and black comedy. Inez was doing just a few lines for a young character, and though Sonora wasn't the biggest fan of the show's humor, she knew Inez was a mature girl who could handle doing voices for such a show. Plus, experience was experience, and working on the show had given Inez the chance to work with more professionals in the industry.
"Okay, while we're waiting for the equipment to get fixed up, you said you can sing, right? Do you know any showtunes?" asked MacFarlane.
"Yeah!" said Inez excitedly, immediately belting out one of her favorites. "Don't cry for me, Argentina... the truth is, I never left you. All through my wild days, my mad existence, I kept my promise, don't keep your distance!"
Inez was no Broadway diva, but she was on pitch and her voice was light and strong, and her singing even surprised Sonora, who wasn't aware just how good her daughter had gotten.
"Whoa!" exclaimed MacFarlane, clapping his hands before turning to Sonora. "Did you teach her to do that?"
"That wasn't me," said Sonora, smiling at her daughter and clapping as well. "That was so amazing, you could be on Broadway!"
Inez giggled.
"Does she even know what Evita is about?" asked MacFarlane.
"She saw the movie with Madonna in it," said Sonora, before her phone started to ring. "Hmm?"
She took it out. It was her husband Carlos.
"He knows we're in a recording session," said Sonora with a sigh. "Doesn't he? He's been so busy lately sometimes he forgets about these things..."
"I think it might be a few more minutes before we get fixed up here," said the technician. "You can go ahead and answer it."
"Yeah, go ahead, Inez can keep singing," said MacFarlane. "Know anything from Little Shop Of Horrors?"
"Suddenly Seymour!" belted Inez before Sonora shushed her.
"Not so loud, not so loud," said Sonora, answering her phone. "Carlos, what's going on? Inez is still in a session."
"Oh, sorry, sorry," Carlos replied, sounding somewhat excited. "Actually this is about her, when can she get on the phone? I need to talk to her real quick."
"Not until she's done," said Sonora.
"I think we've still got some time," said MacFarlane, gesturing to Inez to come out of the recording booth. "Your dad's on the phone I think."
Inez stepped out of the booth and took the phone from her mother.
"Dad?" she said, holding the phone to her ear. "What's up?"
"Honey, I have some exciting news," said Carlos. "You did a really good job voicing Sizl and Suni in Quixsters Evolution, and... well, the lady who was voicing Spin is stepping down from the role. They want someone new to play Spin, and I think they might want to audition you."
"What?" exclaimed Inez, barely able to contain her excitement. "Isn't she one of the main ones?"
"Yes, she is, but don't be too loud, it's still an NDA thing," said Carlos. "The auditions are going to be next week, would you be interested-"
"Yes!" Inez whispered forcefully. "I'd love to, I'd love to...!"
"That's awesome, I'll let them know to schedule you in. I think you're gonna knock 'em dead, they were so impressed with you in the last game and you're doing such a good job. You're our little champion, I know you can do it!"
"Thanks so much daddy," said Inez, still whispering but on the verge of bursting out into yelling, her entire body shaking with how excited she was to have a chance to get her first major role in, well, anything. "Thank you thank you thank you...!"
Inez handed the phone back to Sonora, and Carlos briefly told her what was happening before Sonora exclaimed how proud she was and then ended the call.
"Okay Inez, don't get too excited, you still need to finish up this recording session," said Sonora, kissing her daughter on the cheek.
"Sounds like that was something good," said MacFarlane.
"It was, but I can't say anything, it's an NDA thingy," Inez replied.
"Ah yeah, I know all about those," he said. "I think we're ready for you back in the booth."
"Okay!"
Inez was practically skipping as she went back into the booth to record the rest of her lines. Despite her excitement, she maintained her composure and didn't let it effect her record. She'd have plenty of time to scream in excitement when she got back into the car to go home.
-
Carlos Delgado had been calling from his office at Silver Sail, and soon after he'd finished up, he got a call of his own... from Bobby Kotick, head of Activision. Kotick was calling to report the latest sales figures for Quixsters Evolution... in its first two weeks, it had sold 350,000 copies across both of its systems, the fastest selling game in the series thus far, and on track to easily clear a million by the end of August, and perhaps three million by the end of the year.
Quixsters was certainly a bigger success than Honest Jack had been, and while Carlos wasn't 100 percent thrilled that his company seemed to be destined to produce games for younger players rather than the mature, sprawling epics he'd have liked to keep making, he was glad that his company was still one of the more successful small publishers in the industry. Silver Sail had grown from a company working out of a single-story office to a company renting several floors of space in a downtown Los Angeles highrise, and its value had increased fifty-fold since the release of the original Frederico.
"So this game, it's one of our biggest of the year," said Kotick. "Not on the level of Call Of Duty or Thrillseekers, but for the money we spent on publishing and promoting it, it's going to turn a hell of a profit, it might just be one of our five most profitable games of 2009."
"That's good to hear," Carlos replied.
"So have you talked with the rest of the people at your company about a possible merger?" asked Kotick, getting right down to literal business. "We'd love to acquire Silver Sail as a development studio. We could even put you and some of your people to work on other games, maybe games more like Honest Jack."
The prospect of an Activision acquisition of Silver Sail had been on the table for the past several years, but poor performances from some of the company's games had made Activision wary. With console Quixsters a success again, the company's value was going back up... and Activision was looking to buy. It would be a big change in some ways, but in other ways, things would stay the same. Carlos would get to keep making games. He wouldn't be in charge of as many decisions, but it would be a reduction in workload, a reduction in stress, and more time to spend with his wife and daughter, time that had been in short supply since development of Quixsters Evolution began. It was starting to cause a strain on his marriage, and though Carlos and Sonora weren't the type to have big arguments, the two had visibly drifted apart over the past couple of years. Inez could tell, and she also missed her dad during those long work weeks.
"Some people at the company are still skeptical," said Carlos, "and I don't want to make a decision like this without most of my people on board."
"They'd be making a lot of money," said Kotick, "and most of them could keep their jobs."
Most of them, thought Carlos, knowing that a more than a few people would probably get screwed over if this acquisition went down. While he was good friends with Bobby Kotick, who'd taught him a lot about the game industry and had helped him rise to his current prominent position at Silver Sail, he knew how shrewd of a businessman the Activision CEO could be. He didn't want anyone to get screwed over, and Bobby Kotick had screwed over a lot of people.
"I'm not going to sell the company out from under the people that helped make this company what it is today," said Carlos.
"Of course you're not," Kotick replied, though he didn't say what he was thinking. But we may just buy it out from under you anyway.
"Look, can I try to talk with some of the holdouts, get them to see that this company's best future is with Activision?" asked Carlos, pleading with his friend for some more time to make such a major decision.
"Sure you're not just stalling for the price to go up?" said Kotick, only half joking.
"Well, who's the dirty son of a bitch who taught me to do that?" Carlos replied, entirely joking. The two shared a laugh over the phone, and Kotick's tone remained friendly and cordial, despite his impatience.
"Yeah, sure, you take plenty of time," said Kotick. "In the meantime, think we might talk about those Quixsters toys Sega's going to make for us?"
"I saw the prototypes, they look really slick. I think kids will love playing with them."
"What does Inez think of them?"
"She's not really into toys like that, she's more into musical instruments and games. She doesn't even play with Barbies, which is weird because she really liked that Barbie game that came out last year."
The two continued their conversation for nearly an hour, with no more talk of Silver Sail's potential acquisition. But even though Carlos knew that he'd have some time to convince his Silver Sail staff that the acquisition was in their best interests, he knew that no matter what they thought, the acquisition was still going to happen.
He just hoped that he'd be able to convince his friends at the company to feel good about it.
Agreed. For Sonic, while games like Knuckles and Bit, Sonic Revolution, and Amy Rose's Wild Ride does try to do alternate play styles, I still miss them in the mainline games.
For Mega Man, while the classic series has been spared the wrath of Capcom Sequel Stagnation, I can't say the same with Legends, Blast, or Next.
Here's hoping that Kotick's proposal towards SS's mature games works out for the both of them if the acquisition happens. Otherwise, expect a name change to something more cutesy in the 2010's.
Glad that could be said with a clear mind.
As disappointing as those fates are, they're currently only for the spinoffs and reincarnations, meaning that the actual continuity is safe for each franchise. On the other hand, I sincerely hope that we get a hint at them crossing over in the SEGA X Capcom game at the very least.
Hello there! For a while, I've been reading through Player Two Start, along with taking various peeks into this followup work (which I plan to fully read as well). I must say, although I'm someone who was never really interested in alternate history before reading this, what I've read so far has been absolutely outstanding, especially since I'm a huge fan of video games and their history. Alternate history works that mainly focus on pop culture instead of political events don't seem to be all too common from what I've seen, which makes me fully appreciate how detailed and in-depth the writing for these particular works are. I'm very enthusiastic for what's in store for the future!
I do have a lot of questions about this timeline that I want to ask, but I'll keep things simple and only ask two for now.
Firstly, I've been searching around this thread for a small bit, and I am aware that various web cartoons still emerge during the 2000s like they do in OTL. However, I've been wondering about one webseries in particular; does Making Fiends exist in some form ITTL? (For some context if anyone needs it: IOTL, the series started off as a 20-episode web cartoon that ran between 2003 and 2005, being picked up as a full Nickelodeon cartoon soon after. However, its October 2008 premiere as a full cartoon was shortlived; It only appeared on the side Nicktoons channel, and only 6 episodes out of a planned 13-episode season aired, afterwards being nothing but reruns on the channel until they stopped in 2016.)
Secondly, although this is probably a question that's been asked before, I've also been wondering if Vinesauce (or any equivalent to it) will exist ITTL. I'm admittedly a huge fan of Vinny and Joel's streams in particular, and it'd be neat to see if they'd still become Internet popular here in some fashion.
I do have a lot of questions about this timeline that I want to ask, but I'll keep things simple and only ask two for now.
Firstly, I've been searching around this thread for a small bit, and I am aware that various web cartoons still emerge during the 2000s like they do in OTL. However, I've been wondering about one webseries in particular; does Making Fiends exist in some form ITTL? (For some context if anyone needs it: IOTL, the series started off as a 20-episode web cartoon that ran between 2003 and 2005, being picked up as a full Nickelodeon cartoon soon after. However, its October 2008 premiere as a full cartoon was shortlived; It only appeared on the side Nicktoons channel, and only 6 episodes out of a planned 13-episode season aired, afterwards being nothing but reruns on the channel until they stopped in 2016.)
Secondly, although this is probably a question that's been asked before, I've also been wondering if Vinesauce (or any equivalent to it) will exist ITTL. I'm admittedly a huge fan of Vinny and Joel's streams in particular, and it'd be neat to see if they'd still become Internet popular here in some fashion.
Thanks for checking out the timeline! Let me see if I can address a couple things...
I'm actually gonna say... yes, Making Fiends exists ITTL. It makes it onto the main Nickelodeon channel, as Nick is hurting for shows after the Dan Schneider scandal. It gets at least one full season.
Vinesauce doesn't exist but I think Vinny and Joel will find their way to streaming something ITTL.
I'm actually gonna say... yes, Making Fiends exists ITTL. It makes it onto the main Nickelodeon channel, as Nick is hurting for shows after the Dan Schneider scandal. It gets at least one full season.
Vinesauce doesn't exist but I think Vinny and Joel will find their way to streaming something ITTL.
You know, if Nickelodeon was hurting for shows after a scandal like that ITTL, then something tells me that explains their deal with shows in OTL 2018. Nevertheless, this seems like as good of a chance as any to reboot Pinwheel. Yes, that sounds absolutely bonkers, but they would most likely do it to cover this mess up.
One question: does Kirsty MacColl live (for those who don't know, she was a singer/songwriter who originally sung the song They Don't Know (1)--made more famous for the cover by Tracey Ullman, which was a top 10 hit in 1984)? IOTL, she died in 2000 after being hit by an out-of-control speedboat in Mexico--she dived into the water and pushed her son out of the path of the speedboat (2), at the sad cost of her own life; that seems like the sort of thing that's butterfly-able ITTL, with the POD being in 1991...
(1) She's more known for "Fairytale in New York" that she sung with the Pogues…
(2) Interestingly, there does appear to have been a coverup around what really happened by the Mexican authorities; look up Justice for Kirsty for more...
(1) She's more known for "Fairytale in New York" that she sung with the Pogues…
(2) Interestingly, there does appear to have been a coverup around what really happened by the Mexican authorities; look up Justice for Kirsty for more...
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That's pretty cool to hear! I actually was wondering if I could PM you some ideas and/or content I had for how the show specifically pans out ITTL, since the original post states that people can make their own contributions/ideas to the timeline via PM, and I'd love to make at least some contribution to this amazing timeline.
With regards to the Netflix Selena series, I've heard rumors that Scarlett Johansson, of all people, is going to play Selena (yes, the Black Widow herself)…
My reaction is this (and I'm not even Hispanic): No, JUST NO!!!
I remember the backlash Zoe Saldana got when she played Nina Simone; if this is true, it will also be controversial...
My own preference for the role of Selena would be either Selena Gomez (keep in mind, she was actually named after Selena) or Victoria Justice (remember, she was the lead in the Nickelodeon show Victorious a few years back with none other than current superstar Ariana Grande). Both are actresses and singers, and both are the right ethnicity (Selena Gomez is Hispanic, and Justice is part-Hispanic)...
My reaction is this (and I'm not even Hispanic): No, JUST NO!!!
I remember the backlash Zoe Saldana got when she played Nina Simone; if this is true, it will also be controversial...
My own preference for the role of Selena would be either Selena Gomez (keep in mind, she was actually named after Selena) or Victoria Justice (remember, she was the lead in the Nickelodeon show Victorious a few years back with none other than current superstar Ariana Grande). Both are actresses and singers, and both are the right ethnicity (Selena Gomez is Hispanic, and Justice is part-Hispanic)...
I'm pretty sure that's a joke, based on the Ghost In The Shell casting controversy.
Selena Gomez would make a good Selena. Isabela Moner might also, but I think she's a bit too young unless the series is planned to go on for a few seasons (coincidentally, Isabela Moner is what I imagine Inez Delgado looking like when she's 16/17).
Spring 2009 (Part 15) - The Legend Of Zelda: Spirit Of The Woods
The Legend Of Zelda: Spirit Of The Woods
The Legend Of Zelda: Spirit Of The Woods is the first console Zelda title since 2004's Hero Eternal. Like previous Zelda games, it's an adventure title starring a boy named Link, who goes ventures forth on a grand quest to save the realm. The game takes place much further back in the timeline than Hero Eternal, returning the series to its fantasy roots and telling the story of the origins of the Master Sword. The game takes place almost entirely within the confines of the Lost Woods, which is far bigger in this game than it is in previous Zeldas, spanning almost an entire continent. The game features a somewhat more open-ended structure than recent Zelda games, and is designed around the confusing nature of the Lost Woods, encouraging the player to explore and get lost. It's not an "open world" game like OTL's Breath Of The Wild, but is more of a Metroidvania-style Zelda game, involving treasure hunting and back tracking, and rewarding exploration. It features more puzzles than nearly any other Zelda game, with puzzles even appearing in "overworld" areas. It continues the tradition established by Hero Eternal of a somewhat "immersive" Zelda, with areas blending into one another rather than appearing more separated. This contributes to the game's tendency to allow the player to get lost somewhere, and also contributes to the game's sense of discovery. It features less dungeons than most previous Zelda games: there are a total of five, including four major dungeons (required to be explored in a set order, but not entirely immune to glitched sequence breaking), and then one "final" dungeon. Every item required to complete the game is contained within these dungeons (and a couple on the required exploratory paths), which contain one major item in a big chest and then at least one other quest item that performs a more ancillary role. There are also 12 (technically) optional "treasure" dungeons. These dungeons, which can be compared in size to the "midboss" dungeons in a typical 3-D Zelda game (like the ice caverns in Ocarina), each contain one treasure that makes it easier to explore the world or defeat certain enemies. The game only subtly guides players toward them, though the average player will probably encounter 4-6 in a typical playthrough. While it's possible to go the entire game without exploring and completing treasure dungeons, the treasures contained within make the game significantly easier, and it's quite tough to beat the game without certain treasures obtained in them. There are also a few dozen "microdungeons", which can be compared to, for example, a typical puzzle room in a regular 2-D or 3-D Zelda, a small challenge that can be beaten to earn Rupees, a Piece of Heart, an item upgrade, or a unique but minor treasure. These are mostly there to reward players for exploring, and, again, not mandatory to complete the game. The combat gameplay represents more of a "back to basics" type of feel, both from a control standpoint and a combat standpoint, but does feature a few small innovations, most of them quality of life improvements that aid the player's movement as Link. Swordplay starts off somewhat basic, but as Link enhances his sword by conquering the game's four major dungeons, he'll gain special abilities that make combat easier but also more complex. Spirit Of The Woods is the first Zelda game on an HD system, and as such, the game's graphics are easily the best of any Zelda game yet made. The game is designed with a somewhat realistic 3-D style, not incorporating the cel shading of OTL's Skyward Sword or Breath Of The Wild, and instead somewhat resembling OTL's Twilight Princess HD with slightly more graphical detail and resolution. The game uses a contrast of light and darkness to convey both the beauty of the Lost Woods and its inherent danger, allowing the player's mood to run the gamut from awestruck to terrified and anywhere inbetween, depending on the setting and situation. Voice acting also returns, but is used more sparingly than in Hero Eternal and Sage's Knight, in order to convey Link's solitude and to give spoken lines an air of importance. Crowded areas like towns and palaces will still feature more talking, but Link can go a lot of time in Spirit Of The Woods without ever encountering another sentient being. Because the Zelda that appears in this game is younger than she was in Hero Eternal, she has a different voice actress than she did in that game, with Alyson Stoner taking on the role. She's probably the only truly notable voice actor to voice a major character in the game, though a lot of minor characters are voiced by well known voiceover artists. The game's soundtrack is more subdued than that of Hero Eternal, with a lot more ambient noises. In fact, many critics consider the sound effects in Spirit Of The Woods to be some of the best to ever appear in a video game, with one of the biggest points of praise for the game being its sound effects and editing. Koji Kondo produces most of the game's soundtrack, with Toru Minegishi contributing.
The game features a notably younger Link than in other recent titles, featuring a hero who's just barely 12 years old, only slightly younger than the Link from the beginning of Temple Of Time. He has grown up in Kokiri Village, but it's noticeably less lively and active than it was in previous appearances. Link lives with an elderly man and woman and he's sort of their caretaker, using a wooden sword to hunt for food and defend the village from any monsters that encroach. Most of the people in the village have died off due to what the man calls an "encroaching darkness" that is one day destined to be fought off by a legendary hero wielding a powerful sword. One day, both the man and woman fall ill, and Link ventures out to find a cure. Instead, he finds the edge of the Lost Woods, and is beckoned by a mysterious spirit, but he becomes lost and is unable to return home. When he finally finds his way back, he returns to find the man and woman dead from the illness, and a note left behind telling Link to seek out the Hero of Spirits. Link goes back into the woods and finds the same spirit from before, as well as a sword. The sword doesn't look very impressive, but Link is told that it's the Spirit Sword and that it can absorb the essences of powerful spirits to become stronger. Link then finds a village of nymphs, and this village is sort of Link's "base" for the first part of the game, with some basic shops and activities. During this time, Link also encounters a mysterious girl who claims to have run away from home but has become lost in the woods, and asks Link to help her find her way home. He also meets Durgan, a trickster and treasure hunter, who tells Link to go home, but also tells him about a great treasure in the woods. Link also learns of an ancient dark legend, about a great evil once sealed within the woods, and that this evil might be responsible for the disease that killed Link's caretakers and has also threatened many other creatures in the woods, both person and animal alike. Link eventually decides to follow the girl, but the two become separated, and in Link's search for her, he learns of a great city amongst the treetops, where an ancient power can be found. This city is in fact the first of the four major dungeons.
Treetopolis: A grand treetop city within the Lost Woods, Treetopolis is inhabited by treefolk but is still a dangerous dungeon teeming with monsters. While exploring the dungeon, Link must not only solve classic Zelda puzzles, but must also solve "social" puzzles to gain the favor of certain townspeople. There are numerous shops and mini-games between various bouts of dungeon exploration and combat, and ultimately Treetopolis is quite a unique dungeon within the series in general, it's not only one of the largest cities to be found in a Zelda game, but one of the most memorable dungeons as well. The main treasure of Treetopolis is the bow, which allows Link to trip switches and also to defeat certain enemies that block access to certain areas. The boss monster is a slithering, reptilian creature known as Pythonlis, who is encountered on a double rope bridge suspended between four trees. Pythonlis is fairly easy, but must be shot with the bow before he can be brought into sword range. Defeating Pythonlis allows Link to use the spin attack with his sword, and this spin attack has a ranged component to it that can be quite effective for crowd control.
After conquering Treetopolis (which, after it's pacified, becomes the main "hub" city for the remainder of the game), Link reunites with the mysterious girl from before, who finally trusts Link enough to reveal that she is Princess Zelda, who ran away from Hyrule after her father announced a plan to cut down part of the Lost Woods to build a new town. Zelda has always felt great spiritual energy from the Lost Woods, and fears that disturbing it will cause evil to overtake Hyrule. She can sense the power within Link and believes him to be the Hero of Spirits, but Link does not believe that he is and that he is merely searching for the hero. Discouraged by Link's reluctance, Zelda eventually leaves his side, and Link becomes lost again. Link learns that Zelda has gotten lost as well, and after a few small adventures, he eventually stumbles upon a massive underground insect hive, where he believes Zelda has gone.
Cave Of The Swarm: Known as the "bug dungeon" by Zelda fans, this is one of the scariest dungeons yet seen in a Zelda game: a massive cave complex crawling with all kinds of bugs, including spiders, wasps, moths, and millipedes. There's a miniboss that's an homage to Mothra from Link To The Past, and a butterfly net is among the items found in the dungeon (though it's not the dungeon's main item, which is the Hookshot). The game's sound ambience is used to GREAT effect in this dungeon, which really gives the player the feel of being in a dark cave surrounded by bugs. The boss is Vespidia, a massive hornet that charges with a fierce sting. Link must use the Hookshot to latch onto the stinger, and then climb up onto the big bug and slash at its belly. Once Link conquers the dungeon, he can swing his sword a lot faster, allowing him to damage enemies more effectively and also to trip special switches found in the world that require a fast sword swing.
Upon emerging from the Cave of the Swarm, Link learns several things: Zelda is still missing, the disease is spreading, and Durgan may not be entirely on the level. His trickery causes Link to get blamed for a fake disease cure, and he's trapped and thrown into a cage until Zelda comes to his rescue. She tells Link that an ancient library may have the key to what they're seeking, but that it's in a very misty area of the woods, with a mist so thick that it's barely possible to see. Link and Zelda find the library and learn of an ancient evil known as Abyss, a great evil spirit that consumes the souls of all who become lost in the woods. Soon after, Link and Zelda become separated again, and Link stumbles upon another dungeon, a dungeon at the epicenter of the mist.
Mistborne Landing: A sort of swamp area with marshes broken up by cave structures, Mistborne Landing is all about navigating the mist while solving the puzzles and making one's way to the boss room. It's probably the most confusing dungeon in the game and quite easy to get lost, though it makes up for this by having a very pleasant atmosphere and tying into series lore quite a bit. Its primary treasure is a new one to the series: the Absorption Shield, which can be used to collect various things (enemy projectiles, dropped objects, water, etc.) and then deploy/shoot them when needed. The Shield has a limit to how much it can take in, and is involved in some of the game's trickiest but most fun puzzles. It's also key for fighting the boss, Boblinka, a monkey/mage creature that fires powerful magic and can only be damaged by spells fired from the shield.
Once Mistborne Landing is conquered, the mist is mostly dispelled, and Link's sword gains the ability to fire magic bursts at full health (he can also use them at partial health with reduced power). During this time, Link learns that Durgan has been collecting relics tainted by Abyss' darkness. He's also kidnapped Zelda, and has taken her deep within the Woods, presumably to sacrifice to Abyss. Link makes his way to the fourth and final dungeon to save her.
Temple Of Spring: The ancient Temple Of Spring is a deliberate throwback to the Temple Of Spring from Temple Of Time, which is itself TTL's Forest Temple. It's a temple overgrown with foliage, a somewhat solemn but also quite dark and foreboding place, full of tricky puzzles and creepy enemies. The temple's treasure is the Rod Of Flora, which Link can use to command plants in certain areas (and if he backtracks, opens up a lot of treasure and exploration possibilities). The rod is instrumental in Link's exploration of the dungeon and his fight against the boss, Durgan. This boss fight is in two phases: Link first battles regular Durgan, a fairly simple battle, before Durgan turns into Dullahan, a powerful half-man, half-beast creature that Link will need to use both the sword and the Rod of Flora to defeat. The Dullahan battle is a very difficult one that will take a lot of Link's strength and the player's knowledge. Once Durgan is defeated, he laughs (in a very deep and evil voice showing that he's fully under Abyss' control) telling Link that it's too late and that Zelda's power is already being used to bring Abyss into this world. Link uses the Spirit Sword's power to free Zelda from her possession, and Durgan goes screaming into the underworld. Abyss' plan is seemingly ruined, and Link uses the sword to take up the last power of the sword, the power to protect its wielder from attacks that even the shield can't block or absorb, and then launch a deadly counterattack.
Once the final power is awakened, however, Link and Zelda are caught in a tremendous earthquake, as Abyss rises from the underworld. It tells Link that taking all that power into the sword awoke him, and Abyss takes Zelda away before causing the Underworld itself to rise from the deepest, darkest part of the Lost Woods, creating a twisted castle of evil. Abyss plans to use Zelda's power to awaken the Triforce in order to corrupt it with darkness. Link awakens in a clearing, without the Spirit Sword, and blames himself for causing Abyss to rise. It's then that the benevolent spirit who's been helping Link throughout the game appears before him once more. The spirit says that the awakened Spirit Sword didn't cause Abyss to rise, Abyss rose early because it fears the sword's power. The sword can only be wielded by the Hero of Spirits, which is Link. Taking on the four powers awakened the Spirit Sword, and it is now the Master Sword, which is presented to Link in its true form, twice as powerful as it was before. Link is told to return the sword once he uses it to defeat Abyss, and then goes forth to do just that. After one final maze/puzzle gauntlet, Link is able to reach the final dungeon.
Abyssal Castle: The game's final dungeon is actually a bit shorter than the four previous dungeons, but is much denser with challenges and enemies. There's not any major new treasure to find here, but Link will need most of his items and everything he's learned if he wishes to defeat Abyss. The first fight is against Zelda, corrupted by Abyss into Abyssal Zelda. Link reluctantly fights and defeats her, then the second phase of the fight is sort of a throwback to the final boss fight from Link's Awakening, with Abyss taking on a variety of different forms and Link required to use a different item to defeat each one. Finally, Abyss shapeshifts into a massive dragon and attacks. Link and Zelda both fight Abyss on the roof, defeating it after a cataclysmic battle. Abyss is destroyed, purifying the Lost Woods of the disease and ending the threat of evil upon the land.
The game's ending is somewhat bittersweet. Zelda leaves the Lost Woods and reunites with her family. Link remains behind as the Guardian of the Woods, guiding lost travelers home and helping to protect the Master Sword. King Hyrule does tear down some of the Woods to expand his kingdom, but does so in such a way that the spirits of the woods aren't disturbed. The game ends with an iconic shot of the Master Sword in its pedestal deep in the Lost Woods, awaiting a new hero to pull it out and save the realm.
Spirit Of The Woods is released on June 30, 2009, exclusively for the Nintendo Sapphire. The game receives positive reviews, which praise the graphics, sound design, and unique gameplay style, including the tricky puzzles and exploration. Reviews aren't quite as good as those for Hero Eternal, but still average right around a 9/10, meeting expectations for the game. It's somewhat more polarizing amongst series fans, who criticize the game's vague exploration and also condemn some of the puzzles for being too tough. Some players don't like that the game seems designed to make them get lost, with a few horror stories of players who spend literally 10-20 hours just trying to find the next place to go. However, this aspect of the game is praised by other Zelda fans, who consider the game a throwback to classic Zelda design. It's definitely not as polarizing as OTL's Skyward Sword, though a big part of this is due to the fact that Spirit Of The Woods uses a much more traditional control scheme. The general consensus about the game is that while it doesn't take quite as many risks or come off quite as epic as Hero Eternal, it's still a worthy entry in the Zelda series and a great way to return to classic fantasy game design. One reviewer compares Hero Eternal to a "big budget blockbuster" and Spirit Of The Woods to a "subdued indie film", claiming that both games have their strong points but that it's more a matter of taste which one a player might prefer. Sales for Spirit Of The Woods are excellent, coming in only behind Pokemon LightSun And DarkMoon for new releases in June 2009.
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Eiji Aonuma Reveals That He's "Already Working On" Second Sapphire Zelda Game
Fresh off the successful release of The Legend Of Zelda: Spirit Of The Woods, one wouldn't be able to blame series director Eiji Aonuma for resting on his laurels and taking some time off. The Nintendo Wave only had one major Zelda game, Hero Eternal, and Aonuma would certainly be justified in saying that one big Zelda is enough for the Sapphire. But instead, Aonuma recently revealed in an interview with a Japanese game magazine that he is hoping to release another Zelda game on the Sapphire, stating that his team is "already at work" on a new game for Nintendo's HD machine.
When the interviewer questioned Aonuma on his future plans, he said that while he can't reveal particular details, his team was already working on another Zelda game for the Sapphire. He also said that the game would be "similar" to Spirit Of The Woods in some aspects and "different" in others, but when pressed, said that he had probably already said too much and that he couldn't share anything more.
This news that Nintendo is working on a new Zelda game so soon after their most recent one is surprising, but not without precedent: Majora's Mask came out just two years after Temple Of Time, to rave reviews and strong sales. That Nintendo is planning a new game now shows both their confidence in the Nintendo Sapphire and their confidence in The Legend Of Zelda as a key franchise, both now and in the future.
-from an article posted on Games Over Matter on July 16, 2009
The Legend Of Zelda: Spirit Of The Woods is the first console Zelda title since 2004's Hero Eternal. Like previous Zelda games, it's an adventure title starring a boy named Link, who goes ventures forth on a grand quest to save the realm. The game takes place much further back in the timeline than Hero Eternal, returning the series to its fantasy roots and telling the story of the origins of the Master Sword. The game takes place almost entirely within the confines of the Lost Woods, which is far bigger in this game than it is in previous Zeldas, spanning almost an entire continent. The game features a somewhat more open-ended structure than recent Zelda games, and is designed around the confusing nature of the Lost Woods, encouraging the player to explore and get lost. It's not an "open world" game like OTL's Breath Of The Wild, but is more of a Metroidvania-style Zelda game, involving treasure hunting and back tracking, and rewarding exploration. It features more puzzles than nearly any other Zelda game, with puzzles even appearing in "overworld" areas. It continues the tradition established by Hero Eternal of a somewhat "immersive" Zelda, with areas blending into one another rather than appearing more separated. This contributes to the game's tendency to allow the player to get lost somewhere, and also contributes to the game's sense of discovery. It features less dungeons than most previous Zelda games: there are a total of five, including four major dungeons (required to be explored in a set order, but not entirely immune to glitched sequence breaking), and then one "final" dungeon. Every item required to complete the game is contained within these dungeons (and a couple on the required exploratory paths), which contain one major item in a big chest and then at least one other quest item that performs a more ancillary role. There are also 12 (technically) optional "treasure" dungeons. These dungeons, which can be compared in size to the "midboss" dungeons in a typical 3-D Zelda game (like the ice caverns in Ocarina), each contain one treasure that makes it easier to explore the world or defeat certain enemies. The game only subtly guides players toward them, though the average player will probably encounter 4-6 in a typical playthrough. While it's possible to go the entire game without exploring and completing treasure dungeons, the treasures contained within make the game significantly easier, and it's quite tough to beat the game without certain treasures obtained in them. There are also a few dozen "microdungeons", which can be compared to, for example, a typical puzzle room in a regular 2-D or 3-D Zelda, a small challenge that can be beaten to earn Rupees, a Piece of Heart, an item upgrade, or a unique but minor treasure. These are mostly there to reward players for exploring, and, again, not mandatory to complete the game. The combat gameplay represents more of a "back to basics" type of feel, both from a control standpoint and a combat standpoint, but does feature a few small innovations, most of them quality of life improvements that aid the player's movement as Link. Swordplay starts off somewhat basic, but as Link enhances his sword by conquering the game's four major dungeons, he'll gain special abilities that make combat easier but also more complex. Spirit Of The Woods is the first Zelda game on an HD system, and as such, the game's graphics are easily the best of any Zelda game yet made. The game is designed with a somewhat realistic 3-D style, not incorporating the cel shading of OTL's Skyward Sword or Breath Of The Wild, and instead somewhat resembling OTL's Twilight Princess HD with slightly more graphical detail and resolution. The game uses a contrast of light and darkness to convey both the beauty of the Lost Woods and its inherent danger, allowing the player's mood to run the gamut from awestruck to terrified and anywhere inbetween, depending on the setting and situation. Voice acting also returns, but is used more sparingly than in Hero Eternal and Sage's Knight, in order to convey Link's solitude and to give spoken lines an air of importance. Crowded areas like towns and palaces will still feature more talking, but Link can go a lot of time in Spirit Of The Woods without ever encountering another sentient being. Because the Zelda that appears in this game is younger than she was in Hero Eternal, she has a different voice actress than she did in that game, with Alyson Stoner taking on the role. She's probably the only truly notable voice actor to voice a major character in the game, though a lot of minor characters are voiced by well known voiceover artists. The game's soundtrack is more subdued than that of Hero Eternal, with a lot more ambient noises. In fact, many critics consider the sound effects in Spirit Of The Woods to be some of the best to ever appear in a video game, with one of the biggest points of praise for the game being its sound effects and editing. Koji Kondo produces most of the game's soundtrack, with Toru Minegishi contributing.
The game features a notably younger Link than in other recent titles, featuring a hero who's just barely 12 years old, only slightly younger than the Link from the beginning of Temple Of Time. He has grown up in Kokiri Village, but it's noticeably less lively and active than it was in previous appearances. Link lives with an elderly man and woman and he's sort of their caretaker, using a wooden sword to hunt for food and defend the village from any monsters that encroach. Most of the people in the village have died off due to what the man calls an "encroaching darkness" that is one day destined to be fought off by a legendary hero wielding a powerful sword. One day, both the man and woman fall ill, and Link ventures out to find a cure. Instead, he finds the edge of the Lost Woods, and is beckoned by a mysterious spirit, but he becomes lost and is unable to return home. When he finally finds his way back, he returns to find the man and woman dead from the illness, and a note left behind telling Link to seek out the Hero of Spirits. Link goes back into the woods and finds the same spirit from before, as well as a sword. The sword doesn't look very impressive, but Link is told that it's the Spirit Sword and that it can absorb the essences of powerful spirits to become stronger. Link then finds a village of nymphs, and this village is sort of Link's "base" for the first part of the game, with some basic shops and activities. During this time, Link also encounters a mysterious girl who claims to have run away from home but has become lost in the woods, and asks Link to help her find her way home. He also meets Durgan, a trickster and treasure hunter, who tells Link to go home, but also tells him about a great treasure in the woods. Link also learns of an ancient dark legend, about a great evil once sealed within the woods, and that this evil might be responsible for the disease that killed Link's caretakers and has also threatened many other creatures in the woods, both person and animal alike. Link eventually decides to follow the girl, but the two become separated, and in Link's search for her, he learns of a great city amongst the treetops, where an ancient power can be found. This city is in fact the first of the four major dungeons.
Treetopolis: A grand treetop city within the Lost Woods, Treetopolis is inhabited by treefolk but is still a dangerous dungeon teeming with monsters. While exploring the dungeon, Link must not only solve classic Zelda puzzles, but must also solve "social" puzzles to gain the favor of certain townspeople. There are numerous shops and mini-games between various bouts of dungeon exploration and combat, and ultimately Treetopolis is quite a unique dungeon within the series in general, it's not only one of the largest cities to be found in a Zelda game, but one of the most memorable dungeons as well. The main treasure of Treetopolis is the bow, which allows Link to trip switches and also to defeat certain enemies that block access to certain areas. The boss monster is a slithering, reptilian creature known as Pythonlis, who is encountered on a double rope bridge suspended between four trees. Pythonlis is fairly easy, but must be shot with the bow before he can be brought into sword range. Defeating Pythonlis allows Link to use the spin attack with his sword, and this spin attack has a ranged component to it that can be quite effective for crowd control.
After conquering Treetopolis (which, after it's pacified, becomes the main "hub" city for the remainder of the game), Link reunites with the mysterious girl from before, who finally trusts Link enough to reveal that she is Princess Zelda, who ran away from Hyrule after her father announced a plan to cut down part of the Lost Woods to build a new town. Zelda has always felt great spiritual energy from the Lost Woods, and fears that disturbing it will cause evil to overtake Hyrule. She can sense the power within Link and believes him to be the Hero of Spirits, but Link does not believe that he is and that he is merely searching for the hero. Discouraged by Link's reluctance, Zelda eventually leaves his side, and Link becomes lost again. Link learns that Zelda has gotten lost as well, and after a few small adventures, he eventually stumbles upon a massive underground insect hive, where he believes Zelda has gone.
Cave Of The Swarm: Known as the "bug dungeon" by Zelda fans, this is one of the scariest dungeons yet seen in a Zelda game: a massive cave complex crawling with all kinds of bugs, including spiders, wasps, moths, and millipedes. There's a miniboss that's an homage to Mothra from Link To The Past, and a butterfly net is among the items found in the dungeon (though it's not the dungeon's main item, which is the Hookshot). The game's sound ambience is used to GREAT effect in this dungeon, which really gives the player the feel of being in a dark cave surrounded by bugs. The boss is Vespidia, a massive hornet that charges with a fierce sting. Link must use the Hookshot to latch onto the stinger, and then climb up onto the big bug and slash at its belly. Once Link conquers the dungeon, he can swing his sword a lot faster, allowing him to damage enemies more effectively and also to trip special switches found in the world that require a fast sword swing.
Upon emerging from the Cave of the Swarm, Link learns several things: Zelda is still missing, the disease is spreading, and Durgan may not be entirely on the level. His trickery causes Link to get blamed for a fake disease cure, and he's trapped and thrown into a cage until Zelda comes to his rescue. She tells Link that an ancient library may have the key to what they're seeking, but that it's in a very misty area of the woods, with a mist so thick that it's barely possible to see. Link and Zelda find the library and learn of an ancient evil known as Abyss, a great evil spirit that consumes the souls of all who become lost in the woods. Soon after, Link and Zelda become separated again, and Link stumbles upon another dungeon, a dungeon at the epicenter of the mist.
Mistborne Landing: A sort of swamp area with marshes broken up by cave structures, Mistborne Landing is all about navigating the mist while solving the puzzles and making one's way to the boss room. It's probably the most confusing dungeon in the game and quite easy to get lost, though it makes up for this by having a very pleasant atmosphere and tying into series lore quite a bit. Its primary treasure is a new one to the series: the Absorption Shield, which can be used to collect various things (enemy projectiles, dropped objects, water, etc.) and then deploy/shoot them when needed. The Shield has a limit to how much it can take in, and is involved in some of the game's trickiest but most fun puzzles. It's also key for fighting the boss, Boblinka, a monkey/mage creature that fires powerful magic and can only be damaged by spells fired from the shield.
Once Mistborne Landing is conquered, the mist is mostly dispelled, and Link's sword gains the ability to fire magic bursts at full health (he can also use them at partial health with reduced power). During this time, Link learns that Durgan has been collecting relics tainted by Abyss' darkness. He's also kidnapped Zelda, and has taken her deep within the Woods, presumably to sacrifice to Abyss. Link makes his way to the fourth and final dungeon to save her.
Temple Of Spring: The ancient Temple Of Spring is a deliberate throwback to the Temple Of Spring from Temple Of Time, which is itself TTL's Forest Temple. It's a temple overgrown with foliage, a somewhat solemn but also quite dark and foreboding place, full of tricky puzzles and creepy enemies. The temple's treasure is the Rod Of Flora, which Link can use to command plants in certain areas (and if he backtracks, opens up a lot of treasure and exploration possibilities). The rod is instrumental in Link's exploration of the dungeon and his fight against the boss, Durgan. This boss fight is in two phases: Link first battles regular Durgan, a fairly simple battle, before Durgan turns into Dullahan, a powerful half-man, half-beast creature that Link will need to use both the sword and the Rod of Flora to defeat. The Dullahan battle is a very difficult one that will take a lot of Link's strength and the player's knowledge. Once Durgan is defeated, he laughs (in a very deep and evil voice showing that he's fully under Abyss' control) telling Link that it's too late and that Zelda's power is already being used to bring Abyss into this world. Link uses the Spirit Sword's power to free Zelda from her possession, and Durgan goes screaming into the underworld. Abyss' plan is seemingly ruined, and Link uses the sword to take up the last power of the sword, the power to protect its wielder from attacks that even the shield can't block or absorb, and then launch a deadly counterattack.
Once the final power is awakened, however, Link and Zelda are caught in a tremendous earthquake, as Abyss rises from the underworld. It tells Link that taking all that power into the sword awoke him, and Abyss takes Zelda away before causing the Underworld itself to rise from the deepest, darkest part of the Lost Woods, creating a twisted castle of evil. Abyss plans to use Zelda's power to awaken the Triforce in order to corrupt it with darkness. Link awakens in a clearing, without the Spirit Sword, and blames himself for causing Abyss to rise. It's then that the benevolent spirit who's been helping Link throughout the game appears before him once more. The spirit says that the awakened Spirit Sword didn't cause Abyss to rise, Abyss rose early because it fears the sword's power. The sword can only be wielded by the Hero of Spirits, which is Link. Taking on the four powers awakened the Spirit Sword, and it is now the Master Sword, which is presented to Link in its true form, twice as powerful as it was before. Link is told to return the sword once he uses it to defeat Abyss, and then goes forth to do just that. After one final maze/puzzle gauntlet, Link is able to reach the final dungeon.
Abyssal Castle: The game's final dungeon is actually a bit shorter than the four previous dungeons, but is much denser with challenges and enemies. There's not any major new treasure to find here, but Link will need most of his items and everything he's learned if he wishes to defeat Abyss. The first fight is against Zelda, corrupted by Abyss into Abyssal Zelda. Link reluctantly fights and defeats her, then the second phase of the fight is sort of a throwback to the final boss fight from Link's Awakening, with Abyss taking on a variety of different forms and Link required to use a different item to defeat each one. Finally, Abyss shapeshifts into a massive dragon and attacks. Link and Zelda both fight Abyss on the roof, defeating it after a cataclysmic battle. Abyss is destroyed, purifying the Lost Woods of the disease and ending the threat of evil upon the land.
The game's ending is somewhat bittersweet. Zelda leaves the Lost Woods and reunites with her family. Link remains behind as the Guardian of the Woods, guiding lost travelers home and helping to protect the Master Sword. King Hyrule does tear down some of the Woods to expand his kingdom, but does so in such a way that the spirits of the woods aren't disturbed. The game ends with an iconic shot of the Master Sword in its pedestal deep in the Lost Woods, awaiting a new hero to pull it out and save the realm.
Spirit Of The Woods is released on June 30, 2009, exclusively for the Nintendo Sapphire. The game receives positive reviews, which praise the graphics, sound design, and unique gameplay style, including the tricky puzzles and exploration. Reviews aren't quite as good as those for Hero Eternal, but still average right around a 9/10, meeting expectations for the game. It's somewhat more polarizing amongst series fans, who criticize the game's vague exploration and also condemn some of the puzzles for being too tough. Some players don't like that the game seems designed to make them get lost, with a few horror stories of players who spend literally 10-20 hours just trying to find the next place to go. However, this aspect of the game is praised by other Zelda fans, who consider the game a throwback to classic Zelda design. It's definitely not as polarizing as OTL's Skyward Sword, though a big part of this is due to the fact that Spirit Of The Woods uses a much more traditional control scheme. The general consensus about the game is that while it doesn't take quite as many risks or come off quite as epic as Hero Eternal, it's still a worthy entry in the Zelda series and a great way to return to classic fantasy game design. One reviewer compares Hero Eternal to a "big budget blockbuster" and Spirit Of The Woods to a "subdued indie film", claiming that both games have their strong points but that it's more a matter of taste which one a player might prefer. Sales for Spirit Of The Woods are excellent, coming in only behind Pokemon LightSun And DarkMoon for new releases in June 2009.
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Eiji Aonuma Reveals That He's "Already Working On" Second Sapphire Zelda Game
Fresh off the successful release of The Legend Of Zelda: Spirit Of The Woods, one wouldn't be able to blame series director Eiji Aonuma for resting on his laurels and taking some time off. The Nintendo Wave only had one major Zelda game, Hero Eternal, and Aonuma would certainly be justified in saying that one big Zelda is enough for the Sapphire. But instead, Aonuma recently revealed in an interview with a Japanese game magazine that he is hoping to release another Zelda game on the Sapphire, stating that his team is "already at work" on a new game for Nintendo's HD machine.
When the interviewer questioned Aonuma on his future plans, he said that while he can't reveal particular details, his team was already working on another Zelda game for the Sapphire. He also said that the game would be "similar" to Spirit Of The Woods in some aspects and "different" in others, but when pressed, said that he had probably already said too much and that he couldn't share anything more.
This news that Nintendo is working on a new Zelda game so soon after their most recent one is surprising, but not without precedent: Majora's Mask came out just two years after Temple Of Time, to rave reviews and strong sales. That Nintendo is planning a new game now shows both their confidence in the Nintendo Sapphire and their confidence in The Legend Of Zelda as a key franchise, both now and in the future.
-from an article posted on Games Over Matter on July 16, 2009
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