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Zelda Conspiracy

Matt,

I just got finished watching the IGN Roundtable for Game of the Year, and I have to say that I am completely shocked. You and Peer, as always, had the only opinions that I respected. The comments made by the other editors beg the question, "Did anyone else at IGN play Zelda?" I spent my entire winter break absorbed, spending at least eight hours a day in the most beautiful and entertaining video game to date. Okami's stylization and Gears of War's realism are nothing in comparison to the beautifully crafted world of Twilight Princess.

Everything about the newest Zelda game is amazing. The characters and environments are, simply put, inspiring to someone, such as myself, that is currently going to school for computer animation. I could only hope to ever reach such artistic heights. Good design is more than just flashiness. It is about leaving an impression that affects the audience, provokes a reaction, and entertains. Twilight Princess was the only video game this year that accomplished those goals and yet it failed to be recognized by the majority of IGN's editors.

Game of the Year should be a video game that is epic, one that you can imagine replaying ten or twenty years from now and still enjoying. Of all the nominees, I can only imagine Twilight Princess holding up to the tests of time. Gears of War will be replaced by the next graphical powerhouse of a game. Okami will be replaced by next overly stylized game. Twilight Princess, on the other hand, is a game that won't age, that won't be replaced by the next good RPG, or even the next Zelda. I think I should add that Dave's comment about Twilight Princess being more of the same is like saying Lord of the Rings was just more of The Hobbit. I would also like to applaud his commitment to journalistic integrity by so loudly spouting his opinion of a game he obviously hasn't played. What a sad, strange little man.

The thing that bothers me most is how Nintendo can be the Developer of the Year when their flagship title didn't snag a single Overall award? You can't tell me that New Super Mario Bros. and Wii Sports pulled the weight. Then there is the fact that the Reader's choices were almost unanimously for Twilight Princess. Let's face it, IGN's 2006 Game of the Year awards were a complete joke of video game journalism.

I think the strongest shoo-in for Twilight Princess would have been for video game Character of the Year, if that category existed (and why doesn't it). Not only was Midna the tops for 2006, but she ranks as one of the best video game characters of all time. The changes she goes through in Twilight Princess reveal her to be deep and complicated, and by the end of the game you are so emotionally connected to her that you feel sad at the thought she may never return in another Zelda game. Ahhh, the memories.

Now excuse me while I hulk around with the ball and chain, wearing my iron boots, and magic armor, looking like a complete bad a** to intimidate any baddies that may still be lurking around Hyrule.

Pierce

Matt responds: Thanks for the comments, Pierce. I agree completely and hope I made my position clear in the video and written roundtables. It is an unfortunate possibility that the Game of the Year may not always be the best game, but rather the best game played by the majority of editors. I was expecting Zelda to lose for exactly that reason and I was quite confident that Gears of War would win. The Okami win surprised me and, the more I thought about it, pissed me off. Clearly the editors chose a game that felt new, but the truth of the matter is that Okami's stylized presentation is its only pioneering attribute. It does not deliver a new gameplay experience. Twilight Princess, by comparison, is deeper, more intuitive, better balanced, and ultimately much more entertaining by just about any measure. All of that true, I would have preferred that the editors simply selected Gears of War for its mood and atmosphere.

As you pointed out, though, what is far worse is the level of displayed arrogance and ignorance by some of the editors. If you watch the video, you will hear some of these people rip into Zelda as though it was a major disappointment and unworthy of even making the nominations list. The kicker is that these very same commentators clearly never played so much as 10 minutes of the game. In our written roundtable, which I encourage you to read on Insider, Peer and I made the case that - accidentally or on purpose - there is an editorial faction at IGN that does not give Nintendo's games a fair shake. I don't think there is any disputing that point after watching and reading our Game of the Year wrap-ups.

Normally, I would say to you that the best game is a matter of opinion and that is usually true. Do you like Metroid Prime or Halo? Both are worthy Game of the Year contenders in my mind and I would not slight anyone for picking one or the other. But Twilight Princess being better than Okami is a fact. If you're an intelligent human being and can accurately judge the strengths and weaknesses of each game, there is only one clear winner and it's Zelda. Because - visuals aside - the games are so similar, the outcome is only made easier to determine. I like Okami, but to pick it over Nintendo's four-years-in-the-making epic adventure is ludicrous.

You know, I freely admit to overlooking one Game of the Year contender. My Xbox 360 broke, preventing me from ever playing Rainbow Six Vegas, which a lot of people loved and nominated. The difference between me and many of IGN's other editors, though, is that I had nothing negative to say about a game I never played.

But Twilight Princess being better than Okami is a fact.

Okami was nice.
Twilight Pricess was nice.

I haven't played either all the way through.
I do like Okami a bit more though. TP has it's moments, but Okami is proving to be the better stylized game.

That's because cel-shading is cruise control for style.

(See: Viewtiful Joe, Killer7, No More Heroes)

Two of those Three games are my Top 5.
I really want to play No More Heroes. D=

Ironic, because I find it to be exactly the opposite. Twilight Princess did nothing new(which is something that no Zelda game has done since Link's adventure), while Okami used the game's storyline and stylized graphics as a jumping point for a new gameplay mechanic, a brush to control the game's inventory(of sorts).

Then again, eye of the beholder eh?