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[zeldablue]

How is Link representing me as a female player? Last I remember half the freaking cast of Ocarina of Time gives him "do me eyes" at some point (as I, at the same time, rolled my own mine).

I feel like saying that Link is supposed to "represent the player" a big misnomer then when it really, really matters to people that he stays a fella.

For brand purposes, I think it would be best they make Zelda less useless and playable* than give us the option to change Link... for one, I think that decision would provide less fandom headaches than the alternative of a Fem-Link.

*

Spoiler

Yes, more than in Spirit Tracks... a roll that anyone could have similarly fulfilled as Casper the Friendly Ghost. And more than in non-canon titles like Smash Bros and Hyrule Warriors... Shit, i think her magic-oriented attacks would make a great adjunct to a somewhat stale series

In OoT everyone is sexist and ageist. That's the point. (Both men and women are very sexist) The carpenter's boss complains about men being "not real men." He yells at useless effeminate men and even his son, calling them worthless. Mido bullies Link because he's not a "real man." Darunia does the same. Ruto didn't want you're help because she was capable on her own. You have to force her to let you help her which causes her to suddenly expect you to carry her because that's how chivalry works right? The whole game is about a boy in a society that is stuck in a very stupidly sexist, ageist and racist world. And it rubs off on him and the player. That's the point. All the girls don't care about Link until he proves he's "cool" or his worth. And guys won't accept him until he does something "cool." As the player you're suppose to innocently witness the world like Link does and think about it without Link talking for you. You're suppose to take in how people and society are...weird and judge mental from a childlike perspective.

The only character who breaks the mold is the wisest person of them all. Adult Zelda. She's the only one who bases things on wisdom instead of tradition. She counters the obsession of being a "real man" by pretending to be one herself. This was obviously a way to confuse the crap out of everything you had previously learned on your journey. And at the end she doesn't reward Link or call him cool. They don't make out or live together forever after. She tells him this "male power fantasy" is wrong, and then tells Link to be who he is instead of being what everyone told him to be. She essentially reveals how deceived Link has been by falling in line with a common way of thinking. Stop following "fate" and be free to be yourself. Soooo, the moral of the story is actually very feminine and wise and smart and progressive. Link then goes back in time and lives life without being a hero and instead lives for himself like Zelda advised. Link wasn't mature at all still which causes Majora's Mask to happen.

Silent Hill 2 is also an extremely feminist story despite having a dude. The dude is a witness with the player. They learn together.

I think both Koizumi and Aonuma like the idea of breaking tradition but also feel bound by it...which is kind of what the Zelda series is about. :/

 

[Cipherr]

Does someone actually have to ask that specific question when Aonuma pretty much already answers it?

Yes it absolutely does need to be asked because the statement he said has NOTHING to do with the words you are trying to put into his mouth. I cannot believe I at one point in this discussion considered that maybe I had misread, and that maybe you saw a quote I didn't. You are just flat out trying to make up a question here.

Him saying "I don't want people to focus on the character too much so let me clear up this 'Was that really Link?' confusion real fast"

is not the same as someone asking him

Why aren't you changing the gender to the main character of this franchise:

and him answering "Because he is supposed to represent the white guys playing the game.

This is some BS Roya and you know it. I am genuinely surprised that feel the need to pretend to not see the difference there. Its ridiculous and Im done having this pointless back and forth unless you come off of that. Im not going to argue a hypothetical alternate universe interview that never happened just because you didnt read the interview thoroughly the first time.

It's not a matter of maliciousness. It's possible to do horrible things with no malice intended.

Agreed.

So please stop stop stop basing it all on whether someone is twirling their mustache. (I'm not saying anything done today is horrible, just that stop determining good or bad with malicious intent).

Agreed, that was never my intent, but agreed anyway as long as you recognize that keeping Link male is not a horrible or bad thing. My issue from the start of this has been the demonization of any content creator that may make a game with a non minority or male protagonist as being against the improvement of female and minority representation in games. Thats a ridiculous assumption. Naughtydog does not have to change Drake into a Black male just because I would love if more games represented my culture in gaming. And if they were asked to change his race and declined to, I would rightfully not be offended.

We wont ever get progress on these things if we let excitement and extremism get the best of us. The idea of modifying what is considered 'default' is IMO however much better served when looking at new IP and new character introductions in existing franchises. Getting uppity about them not making Drake black might be a bit over the top, but it wouldnt be unreasonable to expect them to add some variety in the supporting cast of their future games in that IP in order to help progress variation and inclusion in the industry.

 

[Hakai]

I have a couple questions about this whole stuff, but first let me say this, I don't mind if Link was turned in a girl, actually I would congrats Nintendo on the bold statment it would be doing with that.

But why for so many people it seems that if Link was a girl it would make the game better?

And also what is the need to change a character that have been always male into female? Wouldn't it better to ask for NEW characters that are female in leading roles? Why change the old ones? Not that this is wrong, but isn't it the harder route?

Even if Aonuma says that Link isn't a real character and just an avatar, that is not true at all for so many people, otherwise why would so many complain about calling him Zelda? After all you can give him the name you want, so you can in fact call him Zelda as well!

It is just a curiosity of mine, hope I haven't offended anyone, and if I did, I'm sorry!

 

[Nintentoast]

I hope Aonuna doesn't change the design because of all this...

It's a good design.

 

[LegendX48]

After all the female speculation I think they are going to make Link a bit more masculine before the game ships lol

But s/he looks so good as is D:

 

[SDBurton]

After all the female speculation I think they are going to make Link a bit more masculine before the game ships lol

I hope not!

 

[Black-Wind]

To me, people being against CC Link is like people being against Gay marriage ...

Like, how on this earth does someone having the option to have something different from you effect you in anyway? When I see that I just imagine someone going on Youtube to rage at a "lets play!" for Zelda because seeing a Mexican Link with boobs and black hair somehow boils their blood.

And I love how people in these threads go "Link is a DEFINED CHARACTER like Mario and Samus!" when in the OP and pretty much everything Miyamoto has had to say about Link in the past says "ultimately Link represents the player in the game".

Maybe Nintendo will evolve like GameFreak and embrace CC. Maybe this will start them on a dialog to start thinking about living up to that line they like to shoot off about Link being the Player. Hell, maybe all of this fuckery is just a sign that they already have CC on this game and that Default Link is what we saw in the trailer.

But why for so many people it seems that if Link was a girl it would make the game better?

Who said it would make the game "better"?

And also what is the need to change a character that have been always male into female? Wouldn't it better to ask for NEW characters that are female in leading roles?

Link is not a character. Every Link is a new Person with new adventures and families and stories.

So yeah, by the fact that this is a new game you're making a "New" Link to play as regardless of gender or looks.

 

[royalan]

Yes it absolutely does need to be asked because the statement he said has NOTHING to do with the words you are trying to put into his mouth. I cannot believe I at one point in this discussion considered that maybe I had misread, and that maybe you saw a quote I didn't. You are just flat out trying to make up a question here.

Him saying "I don't want people to focus on the character too much so let me clear up this 'Was that really Link?' confusion real fast"

is not the same as someone asking him

Why aren't you changing the gender to the main character of this franchise:

and him answering "Because he is supposed to represent the white guys playing the game.

This is some BS Roya and you know it. I am genuinely surprised that feel the need to pretend to not see the difference there. Its ridiculous and Im done having this pointless back and forth unless you come off of that. Im not going to argue a hypothetical alternate universe interview that never happened just because you didnt read the interview thoroughly the first time.

.

For crying out loud, you're worried about what I've read but did you actually read beyond that sentence that you quoted? Because I address the exact point you're making here. I've addressed it several times, and you've yet to respond to that point: how does asking the more specific question about Link's appearance change the end result?

Link can look the way he does for malicious reasons, or because Aunoma truly feels this is the best way to represent him, or because they just don't really care either way and are too lazy to change the aesthetic. None of this matters because, again, the end result is the same. You have a main character that looks the same each game despite the lore making it possible for him to be completely different each time.

Is Aonuma/Nintendo wrong or eeeevvviiiillll for keeping Link male? Not at all. Aunoma has every right to make Link what he wants Link to be. However is their given reasoning a bit silly at this point? Yes. And, just for clarification, here's the quote I'm taking his reasoning from:

"I don't want people to get hung up on the way Link looks because ultimately Link represents the player in the game," he said.

Frankly, I don't see how I'm putting words in his mouth or misinterpreting him here. He flat out stated that the appearance of Link isn't viewed as important because Link represents the player. His words. Just because I'm taking his words and applying them to what Link ultimately ends up being in every game (a white male), doesn't mean I'm being dishonest because he didn't explicitly state that here.


Also, I feel the need to state again that I don't really care whether or not Link is ever made female. The idea that Link might be female was the most exciting/refreshing thing to me about that trailer, it's true; but I ultimately don't give a shit whether or not Link is ever female. My central point, the thing that made enter into this discussion in the first place, is that people weren't bonkers to question it--because this Link is the most androgynous Link Nintendo has EVER created, and there's room in the lore for it to be possible. I've only been in here to refute the idea (the "feeling" rather) that Link "could never" be female (and, frankly, your argument that Nintendo "will never" do it is completely meaningless).

 

[Mango The Magician]

To me, people being against CC Link is like people being against Gay marriage ...

Like, how on this earth does someone having the option to have something different from you effect you in anyway? When I see that I just imagine someone going on Youtube to rage at a "lets play!" for Zelda because seeing a Mexican Link with boobs and black hair somehow boils their blood.

And I love how people in these threads go "Link is a DEFINED CHARACTER like Mario and Samus!" when in the OP and pretty much everything Miyamoto has had to say about Link in the past says "ultimately Link represents the player in the game".

Maybe Nintendo will evolve like GameFreak and embrace CC. Maybe this will start them on a dialog to start thinking about living up to that line they like to shoot off about Link being the Player. Hell, maybe all of this fuckery is just a sign that they already have CC on this game and that Default Link is what we saw in the trailer.

Here's the thing Link isn't an avatar. He isn't. Link is a bridge between you and the game, he's a character within the world that you inhabit but he's not intended to be you. Furthermore I see no reason to believe that any type of personality or virtue is exclusive to any gender or race and see no reason why people who don't look like Link can't just imagine him as having similar traits as whoever is playing. Link is a character, and I see no reason to change him or allow CC, just like I see no reason to allow CC in a Mario game or a metroid game.

 

[WrenchNinja]

Here's the thing Link isn't an avatar. He isn't. Link is a bridge between you and the game, he's a character within the world that you inhabit but he's not intended to be you. Furthermore I see no reason to believe that any type of personality or virtue is exclusive to any gender or race and see no reason why people who don't look like Link can't just imagine him as having similar traits as whoever is playing. Link is a character, and I see no reason to change him or allow CC, just like I see no reason to allow CC in a Mario game or a metroid game.

Characters have personality, thoughts, dreams and goals. They have the illusion of humanity. It's a real stretch to say that Link has ever had any of that outside of Wind Waker.

 

[ElectricKaibutsu]

Characters have personality, thoughts, dreams and goals. They have the illusion of humanity. It's a real stretch to say that Link has ever had any of that outside of Wind Waker.

I completely disagree with this. How were the goals of Link in Wind Waker any stronger than the goals of Link in Skyward Sword?

 

[activatethesmile]

Zelda Wii U's Link hasn't provided any indication so far as being male nor of being female. People say they can't decide what Link is. Aonuma said that Link is... Link, that link represents the player, reflects them.

There's no visibly male or female characteristics that could exclude anyone. This new Link could be either depending on how you view the design.

That doesn't seem like not treating Link as a reflection.

This is mind-blowing for me.

One look at the reveal and it's very obvious that the character is a guy.

I guess I just can't understand how anyone viewing the reveal could consider that Link as a girl, especially in a forum like GAF where Japan's penchant for feminine-looking leads and familiarity with Zelda history is not something that only a select few know of.

I am chalking it up to "you see things that you want to see."

To me, people being against CC Link is like people being against Gay marriage ...

Well now, how can anyone possibly argue with you if those that want to are automatically labeled to as bigots?

Can't believe you actually went there.

Characters have personality, thoughts, dreams and goals. They have the illusion of humanity. It's a real stretch to say that Link has ever had any of that outside of Wind Waker.

You must have never played Skyward Sword.

 

[Green Mamba]

To me, people being against CC Link is like people being against Gay marriage ...

This topic, man.

I can't

 

[Heroman]

To me, people being against CC Link is like people being against Gay marriage ...

 

[Admiral Woofington]

This topic, man.

I can't

That deserves to be his new tag. Some mod please get on it, bullshit like thiiiiiiiiiiiiiis some people wait a lifetiiiiiiiiiiime for bullshit like thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis


"Hey Bob I support gay marriage"

Bob: first you support gay marriage, next you'll support marriage between a man and a toaster!

 

[LegendX48]

Here's the thing Link isn't an avatar. He isn't. Link is a bridge between you and the game, he's a character within the world that you inhabit but he's not intended to be you. Furthermore I see no reason to believe that any type of personality or virtue is exclusive to any gender or race and see no reason why people who don't look like Link can't just imagine him as having similar traits as whoever is playing. Link is a character, and I see no reason to change him or allow CC, just like I see no reason to allow CC in a Mario game or a metroid game.

Good points but the thing with Zelda, unlike Nintendo's other franchises, it is never the same Link. It's never the exact same person that you play as iteration to iteration where as in Mario or Metroid it is always the same Samus, always the same Mario, etc. That fact alone is reason enough why at least a light character customization element would work for Zelda. Something simple like what you see in Pokemon X/Y would be perfect and a fun new feature for the series.

 

[WrenchNinja]

I completely disagree with this. How were the goals of Link in Wind Waker any stronger than the goals of Link in Skyward Sword?

Well for one thing, his goal is to rescue his sister. His is stronger because there was no one else that could do it. He lived on an island full of old fogeys and children. Familial bond is a stronger argument than whatever so called one way relationship Link and Zelda had. Plus it's absolutely ridiculous that he lives in an island of knights and he's the only one who can rescue the headmaster's daughter.

You must have never played Skyward Sword.

I have. Beaten it Twice, once on Hero mode. Decent game.

 

[ElectricKaibutsu]

Well for one thing, his goal is to rescue his sister. His is stronger because there was no one else that could do it. He lived on an island full of old fogeys and children. Familial bond is a stronger argument than whatever so called one way relationship Link and Zelda had. Plus it's absolutely ridiculous that he lives in an island of knights and he's the only one who can rescue the headmaster's daughter.

Haha, well that's a good point, but she was his best friend, so I doubt his personal wish to help her would be any less whether or not other knights went with him. I know I'm not supposed to see Link as a character, but I can't help it. I felt for him in Skyward Sword and WW. I can't really remember TP though...

 

[activatethesmile]

Well for one thing, his goal is to rescue his sister. His is stronger because there was no one else that could do it. He lived on an island full of old fogeys and children. Familial bond is a stronger argument than whatever so called one way relationship Link and Zelda had. Plus it's absolutely ridiculous that he lives in an island of knights and he's the only one who can rescue the headmaster's daughter.

This is like complaining in RPGs why only five teenagers or people can save the world when you can call a whole army to bomb the bad guys all the way to stone age.

But eh, it's off-topic.

I severely disagree with you on that full-stretch thing regardless. Also on the "one way relationship" remark above.

 

[Mango The Magician]

Characters have personality, thoughts, dreams and goals. They have the illusion of humanity. It's a real stretch to say that Link has ever had any of that outside of Wind Waker.

This is implying that a lot of silent characters are not characters. Crash/Mario/Samus are all pretty silent and have very little of any of that outside of a few quirky animations and one liners (samus is stretching it though), something Link also has. I mean according to this logic we should change a few names of some of the Zelda games like:

-Adventure in Hyrule instead of AoL
-Magical Hylian Crossbow Adventure instead of LCT
-Hyrule Awakening instead of LA

Furthermore I have hard time believe that Link isn't a character when:

A) He's basically the face of the series and is plasted over everything Zelda and even non-Zelda related things.

B) is mentioned by his canonical name in every single manual at least once while giving the plot synopsis. AoL's maunal states "The key to Ganon's return was the blood of Link" if Nintendo wanted me to believe I was Link it'd say something cheesy like "Ganon's minions are after you, seeking your blood to revive the Demon King!" but it doesn't.

C) Every single game has had a new design for Link, with there never really being any attempt at CC.

There's more to being a character than having a personality, Link is a character.

Good points but the thing with Zelda, unlike Nintendo's other franchises, it is never the same Link. It's never the exact same person that you play as iteration to iteration where as in Mario or Metroid it is always the same Samus, always the same Mario, etc. That fact alone is reason enough why at least a light character customization element would work for Zelda. Something simple like what you see in Pokemon X/Y would be perfect and a fun new feature for the series.

I'm gonna be frank, I don't want CC. At all. I don't think Zelda is the right series for this and I frankly don't get why so many people want it. For someone like me, the only way I'd except it is if Nintendo made it abundantly clear within the game and outside the game that the Link they made was the canon Link. Otherwise I may actually not buy it, as petty as that sounds. As for the whole it's a different Link thing, I think that's just splitting hairs at this point. I don't view Link's character on game to game basis, Link's character to me is the accumulation of all the canon Links.

 

[SenorArdilla]

Well for one thing, his goal is to rescue his sister. His is stronger because there was no one else that could do it. He lived on an island full of old fogeys and children. Familial bond is a stronger argument than whatever so called one way relationship Link and Zelda had. Plus it's absolutely ridiculous that he lives in an island of knights and he's the only one who can rescue the headmaster's daughter.

But he still can't fly a Loftwing at night.

 

[t-storm]

To me, people being against CC Link is like people being against Gay marriage ...

Just when you think the absurd can't get any more absurd.

 

[linkboy]

In OoT every one is sexist and ageist. The carpenters son complains about men being "not real men." Mido bullies Link because he's not a "real man." Darunia does the same. Ruto didn't want your help until you forced her to let her help you which caused her to suddenly force you to carry her to prove your worth. The whole game is about a boy in a society that is stuck in a very stupidly sexist/ageist world. That's the point. All the girls don't care about Link until he proves he's "cool." And guys won't accept him until he does something "cool." As the player your suppose to innocently witness the world like Link does.

The only character who breaks the mold is the wisest person of them all. Zelda. She's the only one who bases things on wisdom instead of tradition. She counters the obsession of being a "real man" by pretending to be on. And at the end she doesn't reward Link or call him cool. She tells him this "male power fantasy" is wrong, and then tells Link to be who he is instead of being what everyone told him to be. Soooo, the moral of the story is actually very feminine and wise and smart and progressive. Link then goes back in time and lives life without being a hero and instead lives for himself like Zelda advised.

Silent Hill 2 is also an extremely feminist story despite having a dude. The dude is a witness with the player. They learn together.

I think both Koizumi and Aonuma like the idea of breaking tradition but also feel bound by it...which is kind of what the Zelda series is about. :/

With how many times I've played through that blasted game, I'm surprised I never picked up on any of that, but after reading it and thinking about it, it makes a shit tone of sense.

 

[ElectricKaibutsu]

But he still can't fly a Loftwing at night.

Of course not! That's dangerous! There are flying murderous cats around.

 

[ramyeon]

To me, people being against CC Link is like people being against Gay marriage ...

This is without a doubt the stupidest thing I've read in recent memory.

 

[……forgetit]

Hey how's this thread going?

To me, people being against CC Link is like people being against Gay marriage ....

 

[WrenchNinja]

This is implying that a lot of silent characters are not characters. Crash/Mario/Samus are all pretty silent and have very little of any of that outside of a few quirky animations and one liners (samus is stretching it though), something Link also has. I mean according to this logic we should change a few names of some of the Zelda games like:

-Adventure in Hyrule instead of AoL
-Magical Hylian Crossbow Adventure instead of LCT
-Hyrule Awakening instead of LA

Furthermore I have hard time believe that Link isn't a character when:

A) He's basically the face of the series and is plasted over everything Zelda and even non-Zelda related things.

B) is mentioned by his canonical name in every single manual at least once while giving the plot synopsis. AoL's maunal states "The key to Ganon's return was the blood of Link" if Nintendo wanted me to believe I was Link it'd say something cheesy like "Ganon's minions are after you, seeking your blood to revive the Demon King!" but it doesn't.

C) Every single game has had a new design for Link, with there never really being any attempt at CC.

There's more to being a character than having a personality, Link is a character.

I implied no such thing. The implication there is they arent good characters. They have good character designs though!

You'd have a point if there wasn't this huge screen at the beginning of the game to pick a name. Guess the name Link doesn't mean much.

 

[Mango The Magician]

I implied no such thing. The implication there is they arent good characters. They have good character designs though!

You'd have a point if there wasn't this huge screen at the beginning of the game to pick a name. Guess the name Link doesn't mean much.

Again that doesn't change the fact that he is still referred to canonically as Link. There's also the fact that he's not the only character in gaming that can be renamed. I view all the the characters in FF7 as characters even if I change their names to "shit".

Plus as a side-note I'd rather see the ability to change Link's name go before they ever added CC. I don't use it anyways, as his name is Link.

 

[CronoShot]

To me, people being against CC Link is like people being against Gay marriage

 

[Its Quite Toasty]

Man I fucking called it. Woulda been cool though.

 

[Black-Wind]

Here's the thing Link isn't an avatar. He isn't. Link is a bridge between you and the game, he's a character within the world that you inhabit but he's not intended to be you. Furthermore I see no reason to believe that any type of personality or virtue is exclusive to any gender or race and see no reason why people who don't look like Link can't just imagine him as having similar traits as whoever is playing. Link is a character, and I see no reason to change him or allow CC, just like I see no reason to allow CC in a Mario game or a metroid game.

"ultimately Link represents the player in the game" if you wanna argue with that then IDK what to say.
That is an avatar. I mean, there IS a reason people talk about "Female Link/ CC Link" and not "Female Mario/ CC Samus".

And ... at that bolded. This is a visual medium so I'm not exactly sure why one should HAVE to imagine when "ultimately Link represents the player in the game" and we have the tech to make that happen.

GameFreak wised up to this and stopped "making" people "imagine" this dude was a girl in the 2nd gen and in this latest gen did the same for more groups.

Well now, how can anyone possibly argue with you if those that want to are automatically labeled to as bigots?

Can't believe you actually went there.

Hmm? You have to be some homophobic bigot to not agree with gay marriage? I have had talks with people I know don't have anything against gay people who ask me about gay marriage. I say " I couldn't care less, not affecting me or hurting anyone to allow 2 people of the same gender to get married" and they ultimately just come to a "IDK ... :-/ " when I flip it back at em.

Course there are some who ARE raging hateful people but I wouldn't group everyone in as that.

Just to make it CLEAR ..
The way some people defend "no CC" is similar to how people are against gay marriage in that you're basically against someone experiencing something differently than you that in no way effects you.

"Yay, I can play as blond hair blue eyes Elf dude/ shack up with someone of a different gender! Wait, you can be a DIFFERENT looking model in YOUR game?!?/ you can shack up with someone NOT of the opposite gender?!?! This somehow hurts my experience of this game!/ marriage!"

Comes across like you think someone's harming your experience when you could easily just play default Link and nothing changes for you.

 

[ramyeon]

"ultimately Link represents the player in the game" if you wanna argue with that then IDK what to say.
That is an avatar.

No it isn't. Not necessarily. Link is the player's representative in Hyrule because he links them to the world. It's through him we experience and see Hyrule. He isn't an image of them transplanted into Hyrule. Miis are avatars, Link is not.

I'm not going anywhere near your gay marriage analogy.

 

[Fatalmephisto]

WOW alot of debates going on in this thread. Now this is just my two cents in all of this but perhaps maybe Nintendo might be trying something new and cool at the same time. Perhaps the link we saw in this gameplay footage, could very well be a teenage link, and as the game progress on, you will see Link evolve into an adult link. I don't just mean like they did in OOT, Link gets older as the game progress on. I think that would be a fantastic feature or maybe not. What do you guys think? This could also explain why he looks the way he looks maybe. Perhaps its just a new link character design.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

I don't think that's enough to save face after that comment mate. The words have been spoken and the leap in assumption has been made.

The same could be said for any two things and your logic would sound the same.

"If you don't like people recreating older films, you're against gay marriage. It doesn't affect you that they've created this film, just like reasons"

 

[Dead Man]

...both of those games seem to be about shooting dudes or beating up dudes. Everything else in those games looked like an after thought. That's not appealing to me. Having a girl in the game doesn't change who the game was made for. It's all about the gameplay.

Zelda isn't about that. Even though Link's not a chick, the gameplay offers more than repetitive masculine, over-violent gameplay. Zelda has more to do with curiosity and...explorative thinking. Which makes it a more inclusive game in my eyes.

I love that if you don't buy every game with a female protagonist you are not genuine, and that they imagine to know what everyone bought. Just priceless.

 

[EulaCapra]

These aren't no-name avatars *cough* AC: Unity *cough* That lore is established already with Link/Zelda/Ganon. You don't have to make Link a girl.

Just make a triple-A game starring Zelda, silly! The Legend of Zelda: It's Me, Zelda! Starring Me! Zelda!

Or Impa and Zelda. Lez be honest, that would work too.

 

[……forgetit]

WOW alot of debates going on in this thread. Now this is just my two cents in all of this but perhaps maybe Nintendo might be trying something new and cool at the same time. Perhaps the link we saw in this gameplay footage, could very well be a teenage link, and as the game progress on, you will see Link evolve into an adult link. I don't just mean like they did in OOT, Link gets older as the game progress on. I think that would be a fantastic feature or maybe not. What do you guys think? This could also explain why he looks the way he looks maybe. Perhaps its just a new link character design.

That was my initial thought before all the arguments about female Link and and it being Zelda and gay marriage happened, he's pretty obviously a teenage boy in the trailer, everyone I've showed it to had the same initial reaction. Also for the record I'm not against Nintendo having a different main character who's female or even having a female Link, but CC is where I have to draw the line, I like having a story with a given character every once and awhile, every game I've played with CC has had a certain disconnect do the the writers trying to make a gender neutral script.

 

[Fatalmephisto]

That was my initial thought before all the arguments about female Link and and it being Zelda and gay marriage happened, he's pretty obviously a teenage boy in the trailer, everyone I've showed it to had the same initial reaction. Also for the record I'm not against Nintendo having a different main character who's female or even having a female Link, but CC is where I have to draw the line, I like having a story with a given character every once and awhile, every game I've played with CC has had a certain disconnect do the the writers trying to make a gender neutral script.

CC for me would have to done in the way of outfits, like previous games have done in the past, but with some more added stuff we could do. I thin that would be fine. Yet I love my idea only for the fact that I would love to see something like that happen in real time.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

Hmmm a growing Link up to adult age would be sweet. But Nintendo hasn't ever done that, outside of Ocarina and Majora's Mask.

I think their way to innovate might be a proper co-op or multiplayer arena.

 

[Black-Wind]

No it isn't. Not necessarily. Link is the player's representative in Hyrule because he links them to the world. He isn't an image of them transplanted into Hyrule. Miis are avatars, Link is not.

Link is as much of a "representative in Hyrule" as a Pokemon trainer is a "representative in [insert region]". You were never able to "transplant" an image onto a Pokemon Main Character until the games allowed it by being 3D.

And I'm not exactly sure how people can't get that connection I'm drawing with the marriage stuff. Wut, should I make it "people act like you letting your child wear [insert color] somehow harms THEIR child"???

Ultimately it's "your against something that in no way hurts you for no real reason".

 

[Mango The Magician]

"ultimately Link represents the player in the game" if you wanna argue with that then IDK what to say.
That is an avatar. I mean, there IS a reason people talk about "Female Link/ CC Link" and not "Female Mario/ CC Samus".

And ... at that bolded. This is a visual medium so I'm not exactly sure why one should HAVE to imagine when "ultimately Link represents the player in the game" and we have the tech to make that happen.

GameFreak wised up to this and stopped "making" people "imagine" this dude was a girl in the 2nd gen and in this latest gen did the same for more groups.

I don't think so, I'm pretty sure Link is a character with a personality that is left up to interpretation. If he were to be an avatar he wouldn't have different appearances or even a canon name, hell he most likely wouldn't be plastered right on the front of the new Smash Bros cover. If Link, was meant to be us there would have been CC a long time ago but there never was and still hasn't been and it's not like Snes games didn't have a basic form of CC (at least I think). Also, it does actually effect me. Like I said I refuse to accept CC unless the Link Nintendo made is confirmed to 100% be the canonical Link. I hate thinking that Link's looks are undefined as at least to me he's a character. Link's looks not being defined highly dampens my immersion and enjoyment. There would need to be a default Link made by Nintendo that is confirmed to be canonical in game and out, In fact I may not even buy it if there wasn't a in-game canonical Link.

What does CC Link mean?

And why is he comparing it to gay marriage?

I have a feeling I'm supposed to be laughing at this statement, but I need to understand it first.

CC means character creation, as in you'd get to decide everything about how Link looks, which I'm against as Link is an established character. The only person who decides how Link looks to me is Nintendo.

 

[……forgetit]

CC for me would have to done in the way of outfits, like previous games have done in the past, but with some more added stuff we could do. I thin that would be fine. Yet I love my idea only for the fact that I would love to see something like that happen in real time.

I don't mind outfits lol, but it's much different than say, the animal crossing villager or miis, those are avatars that can be changed as much as you want, as it stands Nintendo writes specific stories in Zelda that reference Link's gender, appearance, ect. When I play Zelda, I don't think "I" like I do in Mass Effect, I think "Link."

 

[t-storm]

Just stop Black-Wind, just stop. You're in the realm of utter nonsense now. This thread has officially jumped the shark.

 

[DangerMouse]

Given how obviously the new game is influenced by Miyazaki it's almost a shame that they didn't go the whole hog and jack one of his strong female characters.

This. This definitely plays into it even more.

 

[Nintentoast]

Having a customizable Link would be like Nintendo taking one of their most popular and recognizable characters and throwing him out the window.

 

[Kieli]

What does CC Link mean?

And why is he comparing it to gay marriage?

I have a feeling I'm supposed to be laughing at this statement, but I need to understand it first.

 

[……forgetit]

Link is as much of a "representative in Hyrule" as a Pokemon trainer is a "representative in [insert region]". You were never able to "transplant" an image onto a Pokemon Main Character until the games allowed it by being 3D.

And I'm not exactly sure how people can't get that connection I'm drawing with the marriage stuff. Wut, should I make it "people act like you letting your child wear [insert color] somehow harms THEIR child"???

Ultimately it's "your against something that in no way hurts you for no real reason".

Pokemon and Zelda are inherently different games that aren't even in the same genre, this is the same as saying, "I can change the appearance of Commander Shepard, why not Master Chief," Pokemon is an RPG that's always meant to be "your journey," Zelda is an action adventure game with a set protagonist who has a written back story and history. Also Pokemon was always meant to let you choose gender, they just ran out of time in the first game.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

What does CC Link mean?

And why is he comparing it to gay marriage?

I have a feeling I'm supposed to be laughing at this statement, but I need to understand it first.

he's one hundred percent serious. And CC obviously means Credit Card.

 

[Altered Juice]

i knew he was bullshitting, he was just playing with the fans that jumped into conclusions because of his eyelashes

 

[SHAFT MASTER]

he's one hundred percent serious. And CC obviously means Credit Card.

So the new game is going to have micro transactions? Pre order cancelled.