StarTopic Nintendo General Discussion |ST20 May 2023| Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall

[Irene]

Hey all. It is time for the first weekly poll!
This is my very first time creating a forum poll and I picked strawpoll because it showed up first as I looked for alternatives. Hope it works - apologies if it doesn't.

So, let's ask ourselves, pre-Tears of the Kingdom: Which Zelda game is the best direct sequel? The game that is an outstanding game on its own, while also doing an excellent job in building upon what came before it - either by taking the best of its predecessor and making it better, or by using the foundations to build a truly unique experience.

Which Zelda game is the best direct sequel? - Online Poll - StrawPoll

What's your opinion? Vote now: A Link Between Worlds, Majora's Mask, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, Link's Awakening, Phantom Hourglass...

strawpoll.com

Is it Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, which was a sequel to the very first game, albeit something that dared to experiment, and came out as its very own thing, while still retaining the adventurous feel of the original Legend of Zelda? Is it Link's Awakening, who sees our hero from A Link to the Past stranded on a foreign island, a game that takes its predecessor's framework and condenses it into a charming micro-experience, perfect for the Game Boy? Is it Majora's Mask, a direct parallel world to Ocarina of Time - even reusing its assets - but one that otherwise couldn't be more different in tone and mood? Is it Phantom Hourglass, the sequel to The Wind Waker that once again uses the wide ocean as a setting, where new perils and challenges awaits the Hero of Winds? Or is it A Link Between Worlds, another sequel to A Link to the Past, this time using its overworld as a foundation to build new, exciting challenges and stories? Let's vote!

 

[Irene]

Hello everyone, another Friday, and oh dear did I have to forcefully tear myself away from my Switch to make this, the second weekly poll!

Last week, I asked you which the best direct sequel to a Zelda game was. Here are the results:

1. Majora's Mask: 15 votes
2. A Link Between Worlds: 10 votes
3. Link's Awakening: 6 votes
4. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link: 2 votes
5. Phantom Hourglass: 1 vote

With Tears of the Kingdom out, many have wondered and hoped whether or not the game will feature more and better dungeons, some wanting more "traditional" dungeons. This week, lets ask ourselves - what's your favourite kind of Zelda dungeon?

This poll is grounded in Mark Brown's reasoning that there are three different kinds, or templates, of Zelda dungeons, which I will now relay for you all as a groundwork for this poll. Mark Brown runs the YouTube channel Game Maker's Toolkit, in which he analyzes and researches games and game design, and he has done a lot of work analyzing Zelda dungeons. Keep in mind that this is his personal reasoning that I've chosen to base the poll on.
For the three different kinds of dungeons that he has analyzed, here are the following:

There are dungeons that are combat-focused "gauntlets". These dungeons places emphasis on combat, packing the rooms of the dungeon full with deadly enemies for Link to conquer and defeat. The puzzle aspect of these dungeons are usually light, instead, the dungeons mostly serve as massive, dangerous tests of combat and endurance. The Shadow Temple in Ocarina of Time is an example of such a dungeon.

Then there's the "puzzle box" dungeons. These are the most puzzle-rich dungeons where the puzzles doesn't only contain themselves to individual rooms. Instead, the entire dungeon is the puzzle, where actions in one room affects other rooms as well, and where advanced thinking is needed to properly get a grasp of the entire map in order to progress. With so much emphasis on puzzle solving, these dungeons are usually lighter on enemies. The Water Temple in Ocarina of Time is an example of such a dungeon.

Then, there's the "lock-and-key" dungeons. These dungeons are an even blend of combat and puzzles, where puzzles are often confined to individual rooms that sometimes yields keys that are needed in order to progress, while some rooms are filled with enemies to defeat, to progress further in other areas. The lock-and-key dungeons are the most common ones in the series. The Forest Temple in Ocarina of Time is an example of such a dungeon.

What's your favourite Zelda dungeon type? - Online Poll - StrawPoll

What's your opinion? Vote now: Lock-and-key, Puzzle box, Gauntlet...

strawpoll.com

Which type of dungeon do you feel clicks with you the most?

 

[Irene]

Hello everyone, another Friday, and time for the third weekly poll!

Last week, I asked you which was your favourite Zelda dungeon type. Here are the results:

1. Lock-and-Key (5 votes)
1. Puzzle Box (5 votes)
2. Gauntlet (0 votes)

And now, another preference-based poll - What's your favourite arm ability from Tears of the Kingdom?

After the gameplay demonstration back in March, I did a thread called "coolest arm ability?". That poll was based on what we saw in the presentation. Now, however, I figured that we could ask the same question again, one week after the game's release, now that we have had the chance to try them out ourselves.

Favourite arm ability - Online Poll - StrawPoll.com

What's your opinion? Vote now: Fuse, Ultrahand, Ascend, Recall...

strawpoll.com

Is it Fuse, the ability to stick sick stuff together to make even more sick stuff, the ability that let us glue fans to shields and diamonds to weapons? Is it Ascend, the ability that let us almost completely break the game's verticality, mostly by ascending out of caves right into the top of a mountain? Is it Ultrahand, when we just say to hell with it and glue stuff together for shits and giggles? Or is it Recall, the ability to rewind momentum on an object?

 

[Irene]

Hey all, time to post the final weekly poll - 2 days late, because of course TotK made me forget about it last Friday. Too busy exploring the depths!

Last week, I asked you which was your favourite arm ability. Here are the results:

1. Ultrahand (2 votes)
2. Ascend (2 votes)
3. Recall (1 vote)
4. Fuse (0 votes)

And now, a very straightforward final poll - based on what you like the most, what you prefer and gravitate towards, or what has meant the most to you over the years: 2D or 3D Zelda?

2D or 3D Zelda? - Online Poll - StrawPoll.com

What's your opinion? Vote now: 2D, 3D...

strawpoll.com