Where Do We Go From Here?

So apparently, this is now officially Zelda week here on "4Player Podcast" so I shall go ahead and add my 2 cents. Let me start by saying that Ocarina of Time remains my number one game of all time for a number of reasons. The games that came after Ocarina were equally as polished and brilliant but Ocarina did something special. It is a game that has taken a great leap from 2D to 3D and benefited from that leap the most. Other games have made big jumps like Metroid and Metal Gear but many of these franchises have not been received nearly as well as Zelda has. Twilight Princess was a system seller for the Wii and was equally as polished and detailed as Ocarina, if not more so. Despite the improvements that were made, people still consider Ocarina the better game, including myself. It is hard to figure out why because Twilight Princess was a longer game with more weapons, epic battles, and better controls but somehow, Ocarina still trumps it. I think it comes down to this: Ocarina of Time was an incredible change for Zelda and we won't see it surpassed until they make another huge change. I think they were going in the right direction with Wind Waker and it's a shame that they almost immediately shied away from innovation with Twilight Princess. So here is the question: Where do we go from here?

In the news this week, Eiji Aonuma, the producer of Ocarina of Time, stated that he would continue to make Zelda games until he surpassed Ocarina of Time. This is great news for the franchise because it means that the next Zelda could really blow my socks off by doing something totally outside of the box. Wind Waker demonstrated that Zelda does not have to be a game that is limited to a strict formula.

Things I learned from Wind Waker:
1.) Hyrule Field is not necessary
2.) Ocarina's are not necessary
3.) Epona is not necessary
4.) Zelda does not have to be limited to a single art style

Things I learned from Majora's Mask:
1.) Zelda is not necessary.
2.) Hyrule field is definitely not necessary... hell... Hyrule isn't necessary
3.) Ganondorf is not necessary

As you can see, a lot of the Zelda staples are simply not necessary. I think that Nintendo is holding the series back by insisting on sticking to a formula that has been proven to work. Take risks Nintendo! I want the next Zelda to think way outside the box (without making it feel like something entirely different of course; like I said, it still needs to feel like Zelda) and add some new elements that could have a chance to become staples of the Zelda series. This is why I feel that voice acting would be a huge step forward for the series if it were done right. What do you think should be changed in the next Zelda?

-Nick