It doesn't mean that they should be either, but inertia in and of itself is a very weak foundation for an argument against change. If a character has endured for decades, there are some specific qualities that can be attributed to its longevity, and those are what you would argue against changing. Whatever's left that isn't fundamental to the character's success, or which perhaps was once in favor but no longer suits modern tastes, is up for debate.
(Mickey is very little like the character he was originally designed to be, incidentally)
Why is it ok to criticize "faulty" (their vision, remember?) gameplay or a "broken" (their artistic intent) engines, but not criticize their decision to make a character a boy? Or white?
How is one censoring great art and trying to get them to overhaul the entire series and one is perfectly ok. Designing an entirely new engine or fixing broken gameplay is a lot harder than changing the gender of one of your characters.
Also..one thing that confuses me about people saying that hyrulians should be white is....
Don't thousands of years or whatever pass between Link reincarnations? That's definitely enough time for people to settle down in different areas of the world. I don't see why it'd be an issue if the next Link was black. Time passes, things change.
Why is it ok to criticize "faulty" (their vision, remember?) gameplay or a "broken" (their artistic intent) engines, but not criticize their decision to make a character a boy? Or white?
How is one censoring great art and trying to get them to overhaul the entire series and one is perfectly ok. Designing an entirely new engine or fixing broken gameplay is a lot harder than changing the gender of one of your characters.
Also..one thing that confuses me about people saying that hyrulians should be white is....
Don't thousands of years or whatever pass between Link reincarnations? That's definitely enough time for people to settle down in different areas of the world. I don't see why it'd be an issue if the next Link was black. Time passes, things change.
I never said it was censorship. Likewise no, criticising character for their gender or race is dumb it'd be like criticising samus because she turns out to be a girl at the end of metroid as opposed to a dude.
It's strange that Nintendo basically made a way to cater to everyone and keep everyone happy with Mario Bros. 2 (Doki Doki Panic) in the 80s but they don't follow the formula in all of their games with multiple playable characters.
Create a boy, a girl, some cute creature/monster, a fun villain and everyone's happy. It's not rocket science.
It's their game and they can do whatever the fuck they want and I support them fully on this. I'm sure their next couple of games they'll throw a couple female characters in there no worries guys.
I never said it was censorship. Likewise no, criticising character for their gender or race is dumb it'd be like criticising samus because she turns out to be a girl at the end of metroid as opposed to a dude.
Right. Guess Asians are just being dumb when we complain that according to Hollywood, Asian men simply don't exist and Asian women are just exotic fucktoys for white guys.
I certainly do not agree with this. In an era where we have this technology to scan actors and get their performance onto the characters that we see onscreen it would increase costs or lessen characters. Rarely are blackish state characters ever good compared to defined ones like Nathan Drake. Especially in an era where devs are trying my harder to make good stories instead of the tripe we used to get in so many middleware games.
You're right. People should be happy with whatever developers choose to give people. Broken gameplay engine? It was their vision. Sonic Boom was a work of art and anyone who criticizes it or taints a thread with their selfish personal values is trying to censor it.
Aside from some off-screen potential love interests, not too much. It has more to do with the fact Link isn't a "link" between the game and the players any more, those times have long passed. He is now a legitimate character. Give me a mainline Zelda game where we can play as Zelda, I'll be all over that shit, but Link should stay a male.
In Japan, same-sex marriage is not legal so Link and Zelda would be unable to marry. Hopefully that will change soon, but same-sex partners still face substantial discrimination.
And giving into social pressures to do the right thing and have more female role models in games is denying them the ability to ever have male main characters again or jail.
Right. Guess Asians are just being dumb when we complain that according to Hollywood, Asian men simply don't exist and Asian women are just exotic fucktoys for white guys.
The race and gender of something that's drawn is a lot different than actors. In one case you're criticising a artistic choice that has no bearing on anything and is purely a extension of someone's creativity, and the other is criticising a role played by actual people that also functions as a job.
I just couldn't identify with Link "LJ" Johnson. The Italian mobster from the 1980s riding around speedboats and supercars in Miami in the one before that, sure, but there's just something about LJ that makes Legend of Zelda: A Fault Line to the Past the worst Zelda game, despite the best music, the best game world, the best missions, the most interesting character arc, and the most content and freedom.
I can't quite put my finger on what it was, though.
It's their game and they can do whatever the fuck they want and I support them fully on this. I'm sure they'll come up with other games and throw a couple female characters in there no worries guys.
Interpretation of art is out of the hands of its creators after being presented to the world. There are no worries because Link has always been a girl.
It'd be fun to see a female Link, it makes a lot of sense considering the lore of the series. Vary it up. Doesn't actively bug me too much that they don't, established character... I can live with that even though I think it's a shame to not fiddle around more with the huge avenue of freedom Zelda provides.
However I do find it irksome that they won't at least provide options for the generics in multiplayer games. No more fucking double Toads in NSMB either, please.
And giving into social pressures to do the right thing and have more female role models in games is denying them the ability to ever have male main characters again or jail.
And giving into social pressures to do the right thing and have more female role models in games is denying them the ability to ever have male main characters again or jail.
In Japan, same-sex marriage is not legal so Link and Zelda would be unable to marry. Hopefully that will change soon, but same-sex partners still face substantial discrimination.
Having a cool NPC isn't the same as the main character who you control (with some agency to the character, the link to link) and wander off on an a brave adventure, being powerful and overcoming things etc
People would forget about it (until cutscenes, so hopefully they get some guidance there) with the way he looks and has his hat now anyway. The swinging grunt though...could be nice, who knows.
Interpretation of art is out of the hands of its creators after being presented to the world. There are no worries because Link has always been a girl.
The race and gender of something that's drawn is a lot different than actors. In one case you're criticising a artistic choice that has no bearing on anything and is purely a extension of someone's creativity, and the other is criticising a role played by actual people that also functions as a job.
The creator chooses who to cast, just as the creator chooses how a character is drawn. But please, spin me some magic bullshit to explain how its totes different.
Aside from some off-screen potential love interests, not too much. It has more to do with the fact Link isn't a "link" between the game and the players any more, those times have long passed. He is now a legitimate character. Give me a mainline Zelda game where we can play as Zelda, I'll be all over that shit, but Link should stay a male.
Skyward Sword? Absolutely, and while some people don't want to hear this, Nintendo isn't going to have a gay relationship front and centre in their biggest adventure series anytime soon.
A Link Between Worlds? I wouldn't say it's story-less (in fact I really enjoy the plot and felt it had a genuinely interesting twist), but Link
even with the Ravio reveal
feels like he's back to being a blank-slate in that game again.
Every other 3D game with an elaborate story also has a Link who's character is minuscule to the point where there's nothing really to change if you change what gender he is, much like nothing changes if he's sudden called DIPSHIT. He still works as that weird outsider in TP the local kids look up to cursed to be a wolf if he's suddenly a girl, he still works as an older sibling rescuing their younger sister in WW.
Zelda U's probably going to be what solidifies to me how Nintendo sees this with how the game's plot is handled. If it's like Skyward Sword then yeah, he's less avatar/self-insert and more their own character constantly reincarnating. If it's like the previous games, there's still that idea (moreso than Mario or Samus at any rate) that they're serving as the player's connection to the game world, hence why they're fairly plain personality-wise compared to the rest of the colorful cast.
Agreed about a Zelda spin-off being ultimately preferable to any of this, but it feels like something Nintendo should've attempted a long while ago at this rate. Especially if Peach of all characters was playable since Super Mario Bros. 2. I'd hope they'd go for something unique too, and not a dumb Super Princess Peach set-up where they just reverse everything and make Link the kidnaped one.
Having a cool NPC isn't the same as the main character who you control (with some agency to the character, the link to link) and wander off on an brave adventure, being powerful and overcoming things etc
People would forget about it (until cutscenes, so hopefully they get some guidance there) with the way he looks and has his hat now anyway. The swinging grunt though...could be nice, who knows.
Maybe if Zelda was stolen at birth (and grew up with link, maybe he can come but is more of a bowman special power or something) but she always knew she belonged elsewhere.
