Support NeoGAF

[iMerc]

this thread is a bunch of nonsense.
it's this stupid politically correctness gone mad, and everyone's just arguing for the sake of arguing. what rubbish.
the 3 heroes in this game are male because they're male. that's it.

there's no hidden meaning in it. nintendo aren't trying to make any political statements with it. they don't have anything against females in their company. there's no hidden agenda here. it's a non-issue.
the 3 characters are simply male, because they are, and nintendo didn't think there would be any issue with it… because really, there is no issue with it.
just a bunch of bored idiots making a mountain out of a molehill.

there are multiple games nintendo has made that feature strong lead female characters.
and the best thing about the scenarios when nintendo creates strong female characters is that it isn't done as some sort of response to real world politics or in order to address some gender equality issue… it's done simply because they wanted to make another lead female character in their game and it suited it.

which imo is a much better ethos than seeing a bunch of studios & publishers stumbling over each other trying to create female 'leads' in order to appear politically correct & appeal to some real-world political movement. imo that's more dishonest & pandering, because the intention to create a female lead isn't from genuine desire to create it, period… it's a 'pop-culture' knee-jerk reaction for the purposes of marketing and being able to be seen as 'progressive'.

 

[Kinsei]

A hero who saved two different worlds, and yet nobody knew about it. He's lived two entire life times, as well. He feels deeply troubled by this, and in a way, a little bitter that he was never considered the hero (which seems uncharacteristic of Link on the surface, but really does make a lot of sense considering the two full lives he's lived). Before he can find rest, he only wishes that he could pass on the knowledge of being a hero.

Majora's Mask developed him further, but Twilight Princess just went above and beyond establishing the Hero of Time as one of the most developed Link's ever. He actually has a personality, we know his life's goals and we know what he's been through and why he can't rest in death.

Nobody can seriously play Ocarina, Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess and then tell me that the Hero of Time was not developed as an actual character.

He wasn't developed as a character in the games where you actually play as him. I wonder why the only time they felt confident enough to give him a personality besides "courageous goody two-shoes" was in the game you don't play as him.

 

[LegendofLex]

The biggest plot twist of Skyward Sword.

And ofc

Their romance is part of the plot.

Spoiler

I knew that if it meant saving Zelda, you would throw yourself headfirst into any danger, without even a moment's doubt... I... I used you.

I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am for pulling you into all of this, [Link]. But you have to understand this is a war, and the fate of the land hangs in the balance. I need your strength to tip the scales in our favor... All that may be well intentioned and true, but it doesn't mean it's right... and it doesn't excuse my actions.

But I'm prepared to pay the price for what I've done. To ensure that the seal holds, I will remain here in this time...deep in sleep for thousands of years.

[Link]...I can't say it enough. I'm so sorry for the way I had to involve you in this. But until my memory of things before our lifetime returned to me, I had no idea we were fated to carry such a heavy destiny. Before all this, I was happy just spending my days hanging around with you in Skyloft. I wanted that feeling to last forever.

While it's true that I am Hylia reborn, I'm still my father's daughter and your friend... I'm still your Zelda.

*shrug* It's not nearly as explicit as you're making it out to be. This scene in particular could have been used with zero script changes with a female character option.

Not to mention that the game advances another explanation for Zelda wanting Link to join her in the ceremony:

I can't wait to see him promoted to full knighthood, but I'm a little worried he might have some trouble winning the race. Lately, [Link] hasn't taken his flight training seriously. Someone needs to make sure he doesn't mess up his chance!

So I've made up my mind. Tomorrow I'll wake him up extra early and make sure he gets in some last-minute practice, whether he likes it or not. He has to win, or we won't be able to perform the closing ceremony together!

You know, [Link], seeing as how you won today... And with the weather being so nice... You think maybe you'd like to, you know, go fly around the clouds together?

Today was amazing. Watching you win the race and performing the ritual together... I'll always remember this. It really was wonderful. You know... [Link]... There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about...

There's obviously intentional romantic undertones, but nothing that couldn't have been written for a non-romantic sisterly affectionate pair of BFFs.

 

[WrenchNinja]

If it hasn't ever been presented as such, then yes, you'd have to do a lot of heavy lifting to justify such a change in an established world.

It's not impossible, but it certainly can't be handwaved if you want the change to be acceptable to the fans of the existing continuity.

it can easily be handwaved cause it isn't going destroy the very fabric of the fiction

Like do "fans" get as upset when they introduce new species in these games? Or is skin colour the only thing that upsets them?

 

[balladofwindfishes]

Does that mean what I think it means? Ganondorf has the sole responsibility to continue the Gerudo race?

No. Gerudos go to Castle Town and have one night stands to continue their race. For whatever reason Hylian + Gerudo = Gerudo.

This is actually canon, as weird as it sounds.

 

[DOG3NZAKA]

I would have just said, "I can't give you the answer you want. I don't see the big deal anyway. Next question..."

Trying to make nothing into something and creating unnecessary controversy. Stop.

 

[imBask]

this thread is a bunch of nonsense.
it's this stupid politically correctness gone mad, and everyone's just arguing for the sake of arguing. what rubbish.
the 3 heroes in this game are male because they're male. that's it.

there's no hidden meaning in it. nintendo aren't trying to make any political statements with it. they don't have anything against females in their company. there's no hidden agenda here. it's a non-issue.
the 3 characters are simply male, because they are, and nintendo didn't think there would be any issue with it… because really, there is no issue with it.
just a bunch of bored idiots making a mountain out of a molehill.

there are multiple games nintendo has made that feature strong lead female characters.
and the best thing about the scenarios when nintendo creates strong female characters is that it isn't done as some sort of response to real world politics or in order to address some gender equality issue… it's done simply because they wanted to make another lead female character in their game and it suited it.

which imo is a much better ethos than seeing a bunch of studios & publishers stumbling over each other trying to create female 'leads' in order to appear politically correct & appeal to some real-world political movement. imo that's more dishonest & pandering, because the intention to create a female lead isn't from genuine desire to create it, period… it's a 'pop-culture' knee-jerk reaction for the purposes of marketing and being able to be seen as 'progressive'.

listen to this guy

 

[Mango The Magician]

Well of course, but more than diversity, this was more of an argument for using the inherent flexibility of Link as a mantle kind of character to shape him up.

It's easy to mold Link, like Female link (Windwaker where ganon kidnaps the boys instead of would be zelda girls and as such it's the sister who embarks in an adventure to rescue her brother), Old link (Evil awakens when Link is in his 30s instead of his teens), even customizable link (Link comes from a faraway land where it could be argued people look different), it's more like people are a bit bored with default link when the character is a blank check of possibilities.

Yeah and That's what I fear the most about this argument, I like link for him being a white blue eyed blond hylian boy, not a blank check which he most certainly shouldn't be. Just let us play as other characters, don't change an icon.

 

[Arion]

this thread is a bunch of nonsense.
it's this stupid politically correctness gone mad, and everyone's just arguing for the sake of arguing. what rubbish.
the 3 heroes in this game are male because they're male. that's it.

there's no hidden meaning in it. nintendo aren't trying to make any political statements with it. they don't have anything against females in their company. there's no hidden agenda here. it's a non-issue.
the 3 characters are simply male, because they are, and nintendo didn't think there would be any issue with it… because really, there is no issue with it.
just a bunch of bored idiots making a mountain out of a molehill.

there are multiple games nintendo has made that feature strong lead female characters.
and the best thing about the scenarios when nintendo creates strong female characters is that it isn't done as some sort of response to real world politics or in order to address some gender equality issue… it's done simply because they wanted to make another lead female character in their game and it suited it.

which imo is a much better ethos than seeing a bunch of studios & publishers stumbling over each other trying to create female 'leads' in order to appear politically correct & appeal to some real-world political movement. imo that's more dishonest & pandering, because the intention to create a female lead isn't from genuine desire to create it, period… it's a 'pop-culture' knee-jerk reaction for the purposes of marketing and being able to be seen as 'progressive'.

It's not a matter of political correctness or progressiveness. People just want to play as female link. That's it.

 

[Undubbed]

He usually doesn't get a chance to, considering he's born evil and is all about world domination.

What!? An evil muthafug would LOVE to Ghangis Khan all of Hyrule!

 

[Gotdatmoney]

"Link has always been a boy. Its link ×3. You do the math"

Even theneasiest explanations Nintendo avoids.

 

[Byakuya769]

"This fictional legend in this game WE wrote features male heroes only so we couldn't do anything else"

:/

Haha, right.

Reminds me of that Louis C.K. bit about drivers acting like the forces of the universe compel them to drive like assholes and for that they're deeply sorry.

 

[Nerokis]

Shit you can have two playable protags Zelda and a female gerudo, just don't change Zelda or Link, it's not fucking hard or anything.

You've invested so much into this "Link has to stay male!" narrative that you've managed to convince yourself a mainline Zelda game starring a non-Link female character would be meaningfully less controversial. It wouldn't.

 

[DOG3NZAKA]

this thread is a bunch of nonsense.
it's this stupid politically correctness gone mad, and everyone's just arguing for the sake of arguing. what rubbish.
the 3 heroes in this game are male because they're male. that's it.

there's no hidden meaning in it. nintendo aren't trying to make any political statements with it. they don't have anything against females in their company. there's no hidden agenda here. it's a non-issue.
the 3 characters are simply male, because they are, and nintendo didn't think there would be any issue with it… because really, there is no issue with it.
just a bunch of bored idiots making a mountain out of a molehill.

there are multiple games nintendo has made that feature strong lead female characters.
and the best thing about the scenarios when nintendo creates strong female characters is that it isn't done as some sort of response to real world politics or in order to address some gender equality issue… it's done simply because they wanted to make another lead female character in their game and it suited it.

which imo is a much better ethos than seeing a bunch of studios & publishers stumbling over each other trying to create female 'leads' in order to appear politically correct & appeal to some real-world political movement. imo that's more dishonest & pandering, because the intention to create a female lead isn't from genuine desire to create it, period… it's a 'pop-culture' knee-jerk reaction for the purposes of marketing and being able to be seen as 'progressive'.

This guy gets it. Thank you

 

[Lijik]

Why should they have to explain as to why you play as the same main character in the other games of the series?

Because its a multiplayer entry with a light focus on character customization?
Especially with the whole "Two of these dudes arent even Link" thing is it really that hard to figure out why someone might go "Oh... so why do I have to be a guy again?

 

[WrenchNinja]

The hero of Time's life is fascinating and full of emotion and character development across the three games he's appeared in.

too bad none of that is from him and is instead from everyone else

 

[Kinsei]

"Link has always been a boy. Its link ×3. You do the math"

Even theneasiest explanations Nintendo avoids.

But it's not Link x3. You only play as Link in the single player.

 

[Finale Fireworker]

A hero who saved two different worlds, and yet nobody knew about it. He's lived two entire life times, as well. He feels deeply troubled by this, and in a way, a little bitter that he was never considered the hero (which seems uncharacteristic of Link on the surface, but really does make a lot of sense considering the two full lives he's lived). Before he can find rest, he only wishes that he could pass on the knowledge of being a hero.

Majora's Mask developed him further, but Twilight Princess just went above and beyond establishing the Hero of Time as one of the most developed Link's ever. He actually has a personality, we know his life's goals and we know what he's been through and why he can't rest in death.

Nobody can seriously play Ocarina, Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess and then tell me that the Hero of Time was not developed as an actual character.

I think you're connecting a lot of dots with some rather bold lines.

But I will concede that those dots do exist, and I see them myself. I think these dots leave room for interpretation, as you have done, and it not being heavily textual doesn't make it non-existent. I will acknowledge, however, that this character arc is incidental to the plot of OoT, MM, and TP, rather than woven into it. Link doesn't acknowledge or express any of this stuff until Twilight Princess and briefly the opening to Majora's Mask. Stuff might be implied, but Link's character is heavily secondary to the adventure he is having.

But that's bad writing, and a separate issue from the character qualities existing at all. Link obviously feels like an outsider as a child, he obviously wants a fairy like the other Kokiri, and it's obviously traumatic for him when his hard-earned Fairy companion leaves him. This stuff is there. It's just not worked very well into the plot of these games at all. Plot is not happening because of character, character is happening because of plot, and having the character be secondary to the plot is why Link appears so basic and one dimensional most of the time.

But you're right. His bittersweet journey is there. It's just conveyed poorly because they're video games from the turn of the millennium.

(Also, did you see my edit in the post you quoted?)

 

[SkeptiMism]

It's been asked before in the same disgenuine way as it has been here.

It's becoming politically correct quota grasping by now instead of respecting the vision of game developers.

Nintendo already has strong female characters in games and will in all likelihood put them into games where they see fit.

Has it really been asked before? About this game?

Nintendo having strong female characters in other games is irrelevant.

Asking questions is not a bad thing.

this thread is a bunch of nonsense.
it's this stupid politically correctness gone mad, and everyone's just arguing for the sake of arguing. what rubbish.
the 3 heroes in this game are male because they're male. that's it.

there's no hidden meaning in it. nintendo aren't trying to make any political statements with it. they don't have anything against females in their company. there's no hidden agenda here. it's a non-issue.
the 3 characters are simply male, because they are, and nintendo didn't think there would be any issue with it… because really, there is no issue with it.
just a bunch of bored idiots making a mountain out of a molehill.

there are multiple games nintendo has made that feature strong lead female characters.
and the best thing about the scenarios when nintendo creates strong female characters is that it isn't done as some sort of response to real world politics or in order to address some gender equality issue… it's done simply because they wanted to make another lead female character in their game and it suited it.

which imo is a much better ethos than seeing a bunch of studios & publishers stumbling over each other trying to create female 'leads' in order to appear politically correct & appeal to some real-world political movement. imo that's more dishonest & pandering, because the intention to create a female lead isn't from genuine desire to create it, period… it's a 'pop-culture' knee-jerk reaction for the purposes of marketing and being able to be seen as 'progressive'.

Yeah anyone asking these questions is most definitely a bored idiot making a big thing out of nothing.

 

[bobito]

Nintendo are a backwards company, they deserve all the misfortune they are experiencing. Thats it

 

[Mango The Magician]

You've invested so much into this "Link has to stay male!" narrative that you've managed to convince yourself a mainline Zelda game starring a non-Link female character would be meaningfully less controversial. It wouldn't.

I'd imagine changing an icon wouldn't exactly be the least controversial thing ever either. At least with my option though nothing is being changed.

 

[QueenOfThorns]

All this people complaining about female representation in a zelda game... is like hyrule warriors never happened...

In b4 it doesn't count because of reasons.

here's the reason: it's a spinoff game. Being able to select women in something like Smash Bros is great too but that doesn't mean shit when it comes to the main series.

 

[Miroku129]

This is some A-class bullshit, nintendo...

 

[RagnarokX]

What thoughts? "I must be the hero" is not a thought. Emotions like :'( . That's not deep.

Relationships like every girl calling you cute or everyone else calling you a punk kid? But hey the Groose is loose! He went from asshole to hero and it was all thanks to the relationship with Link! Zelda and Ilia are doe eyed for him, because reasons! Fi understands what it means to be human at the very end, some how!

If Link is supposed to be a fairly strong character, then other games that have your character actually express their thoughts and opinions and undergo a character arc must blow your damn mind

Link does go through character arcs and you can tell what they are thinking based on how they react to situations.

Take Wind Waker for example. Link starts as a lazy islander who reluctantly sets out with pirates to rescue his kidnapped sister. He's not very courageous and shows a lot of fear; moving forward because of family love. Over a long journey he builds up his courage and finally rescues his sister; and in a turning point for his character he continues onward beyond his personal quest and decides to be the hero of the world. He fails. This Link has no connection to the Hero of Time. He isn't born with the triforce or a mark of destiny. Unlike other heroes he has to earn his status as the hero and become acknowledged by the gods. The Link that defeats Ganon is very different from the lazy islander he started as.

 

[Entryhazard]

Nintendo are a backwards company, they deserve all the misfortune they are experiencing. Thats it

So backwards that they made Samus Aran in 1987

 

[Gsnap]

Playable Zelda >>>>>>>>>> Female Link

Come at me

100% true.

Throw in impa as well.

It would have been cool if this game had multiple characters like hyrule warriors did, but whatever.

 

[kamorra]

Nintendo are a backwards company, they deserve all the misfortune they are experiencing. Thats it

Let's start a Cancel Nintendo petition!

 

[plagiarize]

Given that we know Nintendo usually come up with gameplay before plot, I bet this started off as a four swords game (games in which the four sword splits link into four). Then at some point they decided three players worked better and so dropped any four swords plot elements and came up with the idea of, oh, the king is looking for a hero that fits Link's description idea to match a game they were already making with multiple Links.

I bet they were working on this for ages before that King idea even came up.

But that said, I don't see why Nintendo couldn't put in a little extra effort to make their game more appealing to women and to make sure young girls know you can be a clever hero in the Zelda universe even if you were born female.

Using their silly (no doubt after the fact) plot to justify it, when the plot is just an excuse to bundle together a bunch of three player co-op puzzling dungeons, is transparently *lame*.

Link does go through character arcs and you can tell what they are thinking based on how they react to situations.

Take Wind Waker for example. Link starts as a lazy islander who reluctantly sets out with pirates to rescue his kidnapped sister. He's not very courageous and shows a lot of fear; moving forward because of family love. Over a long journey he builds up his courage and finally rescues his sister; and in a turning point for his character he continues onward beyond his personal quest and decides to be the hero of the world. He fails. This Link has no connection to the Hero of Time. He isn't born with the triforce or a mark of destiny. Unlike other heroes he has to earn his status as the hero and become acknowledged by the gods. The Link that defeats Ganon is very different from the lazy islander he started as.

The hero of winds is the best Link for so many reasons. He's a tiny little badass. As true a hero as we've seen in the series. A giant bird took my sister? I'm going to chase it off a goddamn cliff. You need to shoot me out of cannon to get into the fortress where they kept her? Okay. There's a bigger game at stake here with some ancient evil dude who is the reincarnation of the guy who *in this timeline* ended the hero of time's bloodline? Let me at him. <3 him.

 

[jimi_dini]

this thread is a bunch of nonsense.
it's this stupid politically correctness gone mad, and everyone's just arguing for the sake of arguing. what rubbish.
the 3 heroes in this game are male because they're male. that's it.

there's no hidden meaning in it. nintendo aren't trying to make any political statements with it. they don't have anything against females in their company. there's no hidden agenda here. it's a non-issue.
the 3 characters are simply male, because they are, and nintendo didn't think there would be any issue with it&#8230; because really, there is no issue with it.
just a bunch of bored idiots making a mountain out of a molehill.

I wouldn't call a thread of a mod nonsense, but other than that I agree.

there are multiple games nintendo has made that feature strong lead female characters.
and the best thing about the scenarios when nintendo creates strong female characters is that it isn't done as some sort of response to real world politics or in order to address some gender equality issue&#8230; it's done simply because they wanted to make another lead female character in their game and it suited it.

And that's how it should be. Always.

It's somewhat like complaining that you can't choose your gender in Bayonetta. It's fine as it is. The developers chose it to be that way. If they created an RPG a la Dark Souls, then sure it would be nice in those cases to have the ability to choose. And that's the standard nowadays most of the time anyway. Because in those games the player character is not defined by the developers or the game itself. The hero in those games is defined by the player him/herself. But Legend Of Zelda is not such a game.

Hyrule Warriors for example offers more playable female characters than male characters. And the female characters in that game are well defined ones on top. Not some simple gender switcharoo.

 

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

Has it really been asked before? About this game?

Nintendo having strong female characters in other games is irrelevant.

Asking questions is not a bad thing.

Yeah anyone asking these questions is most definitely a bored idiot making a big thing out of nothing.

Asking contrived questions just to ask them is a transparent and really bad thing.

No, not for this game but when does it end???

 

[Crossing Eden]

What!? An evil muthafug would LOVE to Ghangis Khan all of Hyrule!

Yea but he seemingly always wants to do the actual conquering part first.

too bad none of that is from him and is instead from everyone else

Uhhhhh

The dude turns into a ghost because he never got the chance to pass down his teachings. But again, we've been steadily moving towards making Link a full protagonist who happens to not talk. Wind Waker Link was extremely expressive, and then Skyward Sword Link's entire character arc was based on his feelings for Zelda. Which is good, he's such an iconic character that it's no wonder that they'd want him to be more expressive and have more personality.

 

[Nanashrew]

Nintendo are a backwards company, they deserve all the misfortune they are experiencing. Thats it

I have my disappointments with this but no. Nintendo has a lot of female characters and more than half their featured games at E3 all have playable women or genderless characters.

 

[bobito]

So backwards that they made Samus Aran in 1987

Metroid is exhibit A for nintendo's regression

 

[.Anema]

this thread is a bunch of nonsense.
it's this stupid politically correctness gone mad, and everyone's just arguing for the sake of arguing. what rubbish.
the 3 heroes in this game are male because they're male. that's it.

there's no hidden meaning in it. nintendo aren't trying to make any political statements with it. they don't have anything against females in their company. there's no hidden agenda here. it's a non-issue.
the 3 characters are simply male, because they are, and nintendo didn't think there would be any issue with it… because really, there is no issue with it.
just a bunch of bored idiots making a mountain out of a molehill.

there are multiple games nintendo has made that feature strong lead female characters.
and the best thing about the scenarios when nintendo creates strong female characters is that it isn't done as some sort of response to real world politics or in order to address some gender equality issue… it's done simply because they wanted to make another lead female character in their game and it suited it.

which imo is a much better ethos than seeing a bunch of studios & publishers stumbling over each other trying to create female 'leads' in order to appear politically correct & appeal to some real-world political movement. imo that's more dishonest & pandering, because the intention to create a female lead isn't from genuine desire to create it, period… it's a 'pop-culture' knee-jerk reaction for the purposes of marketing and being able to be seen as 'progressive'.

My man.
If Nintendo don't want female Link it's ok, it's their vision. And I'm ok with that, personally I don't want to play as a female Link.

 

[imBask]

I have my disappointments with this but no. Nintendo has a lot of female characters and more than half their featured games at E3 all have playable women or genderless characters.

mor than half of their featured game, so like... 2 of them?

Spoiler

i'm obviously kidding

Spoiler

kinda, Nintendo blew it at e3

 

[Kinsei]

I wouldn't call a thread of a mod nonsense, but other than that I agree.



And that's how it should be. Always.

It's somewhat like complaining that you can't choose your gender in Bayonetta. It's fine as it is. The developers chose it to be that way. If they created an RPG a la Dark Souls, then sure it would be nice in those cases to have the ability to choose. And that's the standard nowadays most of the time anyway. Because in those games the player character is not defined by the developers or the game itself. The hero in those games is defined by the player him/herself. But Legend Of Zelda is not such a game.

Bayonetta isn't the player though, Link is. A better comparison would be something like Persona (which should also let you customize your character).

My man.
If Nintendo don't want female Link it's ok, it's their vision. And I'm ok with that, personally I don't want to play as a female Link.

You wouldn't have to. The majority of people that want to play as a female character in Zelda games want a choice, not a forced selection.

 

[Ganzlinger]

lmao this is the most bullshit excuse ever

 

[Lijik]

It's somewhat like complaining that you can't choose your gender in Bayonetta. It's fine as it is. The developers chose it to be that way. If they created an RPG a la Dark Souls, then sure it would be nice in those cases to have the ability to choose. And that's the standard nowadays most of the time anyway. Because in those games the player character is not defined by the developers or the game itself. The hero in those games is defined by the player him/herself. But Legend Of Zelda is not such a game.

You can name him BUTTMAN if you want to, come on. Zelda has always straddled the line between a vaguely established character and light player customization.

 

[Kriken]

Metroid is exhibit A for nintendo's regression

What does that make Hyrule Warriors? Invalid because it doesn't fit your petty narrative?

 

[balladofwindfishes]

(Also, did you see my edit in the post you quoted?)

I mostly just argue against a female Link because I find Link to be a good character and I consider the concept of him re-incarnating to be the same character over and over, and all the Link's except the Wind Waker Link are fundamentally the same character, and making a change to that concept for the sake of adding a female Link when other established female characters could carry a game on their own to be pointless and worse than just ignoring a female protagonist all together. I don't like the idea of a female Link because female Link is just... female Link and there's nothing there but Link being a woman for the sake of it.

I also don't like throwing random races into fictional worlds for the sake of having races in a fictional world. I wasn't really a fan of the races in Skyward Sword, for example, except the robots because they actually had development and an interesting story. It's not really any sort of racism, just I don't like pointless new species or races in games. I don't really like how Nintendo adds a bunch of clone enemies to Mario either when old enemies do the exact same thing (Nintendo does this a lot), for example, so it's not really even limited to Zelda.

 

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

I wouldn't call a thread of a mod nonsense, but other than that I agree.

He's not really insulting the mod who himself said he made the thread because it would inevitably be made by someone else.

It's the reason IGN asked the question in the first place.

Not because they really wanted to or cared to.

 

[Strife91]

What's up with all the social justice warriors? What does it matter if you can't play as a girl? It doesn't mean that the creators imply that women can't be heroes. Does Tomb Raider and Metroid imply that only women can be heroes? Don't you think that calling a developer sexist because of one game is extremely shallow? What do you know about those individuals? It's weird really. Why would you look down on people like that?

 

[mclem]

While I'm intrigued by the idea of the Zelda universe seen from another perspective, I don't think a model shift is really sufficient to do so, and given the premise and structure of this, I don't think there's much scope to give a female POV beyond a model shift.

Which isn't to say it shouldn't happen, I think being able to pick a female model would absolutely be a good thing, I just don't think it really offers the 'another perspective' IGN are describing.

 

[Alex_Mexico]

What does that make Hyrule Warriors? Invalid because it doesn't fit your petty narrative?

Hyrule Warriors is

A) not a mainline entry in the Zelda series but a fun little non-canon distraction

And

B) NOT developed by Nintendo.


Are you really trying to argue that Samus in Other M wasn't a noticeable regression of her character? Because I'd love to see you try.

 

[Undubbed]

It's somewhat like complaining that you can't choose your gender in Bayonetta. It's fine as it is. The developers chose it to be that way. If they created an RPG a la Dark Souls, then sure it would be nice in those cases to have the ability to choose. And that's the standard nowadays most of the time anyway. Because in those games the player character is not defined by the developers or the game itself. The hero in those games is defined by the player him/herself. But Legend Of Zelda is not such a game.

I could've really, really sworn that that's exactly what Link is supposed to be. I dunno.

 

[Beelzebufo]

I would have just said, "I can't give you the answer you want. I don't see the big deal anyway. Next question..."

Trying to make nothing into something and creating unnecessary controversy. Stop.

The only person trying to turn nothing into something is the guy offering "Link looks pretty effeminate" as a valid stand in for female characters haha.

But yeah, don't see why they couldn't have made one of the three a girl. Would the hair be too hard to animate?

I could've really, really sworn that that's exactly what Link is supposed to be. I dunno.

Nah, you're wrong. That's why Link is talking all the time, he's not supposed to be representative of the player. But some people have a problem with that. Well excuuuuse me, Princess! The fact that Link is only one of the three characters is irrelevant too. I don't see a problem, so shut up! Now I'm offended!

 

[plagiarize]

And that's how it should be. Always.

It's somewhat like complaining that you can't choose your gender in Bayonetta. It's fine as it is. The developers chose it to be that way. If they created an RPG a la Dark Souls, then sure it would be nice in those cases to have the ability to choose. And that's the standard nowadays most of the time anyway. Because in those games the player character is not defined by the developers or the game itself. The hero in those games is defined by the player him/herself. But Legend Of Zelda is not such a game.

Hyrule Warriors for example offers more playable female characters than male characters. And the female characters in that game are well defined ones on top. Not some simple gender switcharoo.

I'm sorry, I happen to think that *multiplayer* games should allow people to pick their gender and race. Like Splatoon. I also don't see why the hero we get to name in these games, who is only called Link *if we call them Link* should always be a guy. You don't want a female Link? Don't call the female hero Link.

Windwaker Link could very very very easily be a big sister.

Even if you don't want to put in the story work to make it a player choice, why not make a Zelda game where the hero is female and you can name her whatever you want?

 

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

What's up with all the social justice warriors? What does it matter if you can't play as a girl? It doesn't mean that the creators imply that women can't be heroes. Does Tomb Raider and Metroid imply that only women can be heroes? Don't you think that calling a developer sexist because of one game is extremely shallow? What do you know about those individuals? It's weird really. Why would you look down on people like that?

WHY ISN'T IT GODDESS OF WAR GODDESSDAMMIT?????

 

[Kriken]

Hyrule Warriors is

A) not a mainline entry in the Zelda series but a fun little non-canon distraction

And

B) NOT developed by Nintendo.

He didn't state EITHER of those

 

[Lijik]

Why do we keep bringing up single player only games in a thread about a multiplayer spinoff