The history of Zelda's multiplayer is a history of failure. By now six games in the series already tried to implement a multiplayer mode, but still the Zelda series isn't known for its multiplayer experience. Let's take a closer look, how multiplayer was incorporated into Zelda and what went wrong.
Fourth part:
Link's Crossbow Training
Before talking about the Battle Modes of the Nintendo DS installments, we should take a small look at Link's Crossbow Training, a spin-off title to the Zelda series. After Twilight Princess the Zelda team experimented a lot with the first person perspective and even made a first person demo of Twilight Princess. What later came out of it was Link's Crossbow Training, which was bundled with the Wii Zapper and was supposed to be an introduction this piece of plastic. Much like WiiPlay came bundled with a second Wiimote. It's similar to games like Duck Hunt with the big difference, that it uses most of the environments and enemies from Twilight Princess and really looks good that way. It's surprisingly entertaining and fun, but only lasts for two or three hours and that only if you go for all platinum medals.
But it could have lasted much longer with an appropriate multiplayer mode. There is a multiplayer mode, where players take turns and compete for the highscore. But that's boring, because it's not much fun waiting for the other player(s). It's okay, if you only have one Wiimote, but otherwise it would have been much more fun, if the players could play simultaneously. Much like in the Shooting Gallery in WiiPlay. It would be much more chaotic, of course, but that's the point. Trying to break other players' streaks by shooting targets before they do and so on. It probably would only work with two players, because it would get too much with three or four, but that's still better than just playing alternately. This and a couple more levels (like Forest Temple, Goron Mines and Lakebed Temple) would have worked wonders on this game. It probably could have been a Wii title, which I would play regulary with my friends.
Well, Aonuma said recently, that he wanted to make a "Link's Crossbow Training 2/Plus", that does exactly that. But Nintendo ordered him to focus on Zelda Wii right now and considering, that they want to release the game this year, that's the right thing to do. They can still make a better Crossbow Training in 2011. And to be totally honest, they should have already done a real multiplayer mode in the original and there's no excuse, why they didn't.
Fourth part:
Link's Crossbow Training
Before talking about the Battle Modes of the Nintendo DS installments, we should take a small look at Link's Crossbow Training, a spin-off title to the Zelda series. After Twilight Princess the Zelda team experimented a lot with the first person perspective and even made a first person demo of Twilight Princess. What later came out of it was Link's Crossbow Training, which was bundled with the Wii Zapper and was supposed to be an introduction this piece of plastic. Much like WiiPlay came bundled with a second Wiimote. It's similar to games like Duck Hunt with the big difference, that it uses most of the environments and enemies from Twilight Princess and really looks good that way. It's surprisingly entertaining and fun, but only lasts for two or three hours and that only if you go for all platinum medals.
But it could have lasted much longer with an appropriate multiplayer mode. There is a multiplayer mode, where players take turns and compete for the highscore. But that's boring, because it's not much fun waiting for the other player(s). It's okay, if you only have one Wiimote, but otherwise it would have been much more fun, if the players could play simultaneously. Much like in the Shooting Gallery in WiiPlay. It would be much more chaotic, of course, but that's the point. Trying to break other players' streaks by shooting targets before they do and so on. It probably would only work with two players, because it would get too much with three or four, but that's still better than just playing alternately. This and a couple more levels (like Forest Temple, Goron Mines and Lakebed Temple) would have worked wonders on this game. It probably could have been a Wii title, which I would play regulary with my friends.
Well, Aonuma said recently, that he wanted to make a "Link's Crossbow Training 2/Plus", that does exactly that. But Nintendo ordered him to focus on Zelda Wii right now and considering, that they want to release the game this year, that's the right thing to do. They can still make a better Crossbow Training in 2011. And to be totally honest, they should have already done a real multiplayer mode in the original and there's no excuse, why they didn't.
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