Indulgence Reigns: Creativity and Limitations

I’m not much for nostalgia. If you know me or have read my writing in the past, you’ve probably figured that out. I value my memories, but I’m perfectly content with leaving them in my head and moving on. I accept change as a positive thing. The gaming landscape shifts, new techniques are discovered, and things, in general, improve. 

Memories are vital. They are to be cherished. Clinging onto them in the foolhardy hope that things stay the same so as to relive those memories instead of embracing the creation of new ones, however, does nothing but harm both the medium of gaming and your enjoyment of it on a personal level.

That said, as glad as I am that we have gotten past some of the unfortunate design trends from the early days of gaming, there was a benefit to the stifling technological limitations that created so many of that era’s annoying quirks. Most creative minds will tell you that restrictions are great for the imagination. They’re annoying, sure, but they force you to be your best and to think outside the box. 

Well, the technology of gaming’s past was nothing if not restrictive. There’s an almost magical simplicity to the best the retro generations have to offer that modern games just can’t match.

The culprit is indulgence.

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Best of the Decade - The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Platforms: GameCube, Wii

Release Date: November 19, 2006 (Wii version)

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: Nintendo EAD

The announcement of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess way back at E3 2004 was one of the most ridiculous game reveals of all time. Geeks everywhere basically lost their shit, screaming their lungs out and crying literal tears of joy.

While that level of emotional reaction may seem silly to some, there was good reason for it. There was something about that more realistic take on the beloved Zelda universe that fans absolutely fell in love with. The anger over Wind Waker’s art style largely subsided once people actually got their hands on it, but there was no denying that most were still aching for a return to the vision of Hyrule shown to us by the classic Ocarina of Time.

In that respect, Twilight Princess was a return to form and then some. It combined the realistic art style introduced by Ocarina with the darker tone of Majora’s Mask. By lifting Majora’s Mask’s shape shifting concept and altering it to suit its story, Twilight Princess also provided a hefty dose of something somewhat different from Zelda norm.

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Best of the Decade: Okami

Okami

Platforms: Playstation 2, Wii

Release Date: September 19, 2006 (PS2 version)

Publisher: Capcom

Developer: Clover Studio

Despite the immense popularity of the Zelda series, there aren’t as many competitors to the franchise as you’d think there might be. Epic adventure games full of dungeons and gadget collecting do show up every once in a while, but the Zelda series is largely left to itself.

This is a shame. The Zelda games are some of the best around, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other compelling ideas that could be injected into its brand of adventure gaming. Wouldn’t it be nice if someone would take the basic framework of Zelda and rethink it, making it into a fresh, modern game that takes exciting liberties that the well-established and stagnant Zelda franchise can’t afford to?

Enter Okami.

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Best of the Decade: Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Platform: Wii

Release Date: March 8, 2008

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: Nintendo, Game Arts, Monolith Soft

Like many gamers of my generation who grew up on the NES, I have a soft spot for Nintendo. I’ve had plenty of criticisms of the company over the years, but no matter how many times they screw up, I can’t help be drawn back in by their charming titles. Nintendo seems to have a knack for delivering pure, unadulterated fun more consistently than just about any other studio.

That fun comes at a cost however, and that hasn’t ever been more evident than this latest generation of consoles. Nintendo has still managed to produce a steady string of quality games, but thanks to the success of the Wii, those games are now buried in minigame collections and cheap third party swill. Not only that, but Nintendo’s increased focus on the casual market means that the games true Nintendo fans crave are farther apart than ever before. 

But, if you’re willing to persevere and hold out for the occasional gem Nintendo throws your way amongst the Wii Sports sequels and crappy party games, they’ve still got some fantastic stuff up their sleeves. 

Super Smash Bros. Brawl is a celebration of all those good things Nintendo has managed to produce over the years. For a gamer like me, there is no other game that can produce the sheer amount of nostalgia and child-hearted glee that a Smash Bros. game can. After Melee I wondered how they could possibly top themselves and do it again. With Brawl I found out. 

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Best of the Decade - The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

Platform: GameCube

Release Date: March 24, 2003

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: Nintendo EAD

The Legend of Zelda series is often accused of being stagnant, of reusing the same tricks over and over again without embracing new ideas. Sure it’s true that most Zelda games feature a similar progression, set of weapons, and basic thematics, but if you look beyond the basics, this is a series that has actually done quite a bit to play around with the formula over the years.

Link’s Awakening brought the series to the portable realm and gave us a rather bizarre little story not at all like the Zelda norm. Majora’s Mask dared to take things in an even darker direction than Ocarina of Time. It featured a more touching storyline and played around with the accepted Zelda mechanics more than perhaps any other game in the series with its time-traveling antics. The handheld pair of Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages saw Nintendo dare to hand the development reigns partially over to an outside studio. Phantom Hourglass showed us how much fun a Zelda game could be when controlled entirely via the touch screen.

The Wind Waker deserves to stand among these series entries that dared to be different. At a time when gamers were clamoring for more Ocarina, for more of that dark, brooding world they had come to love, Nintendo created a vibrant, colorful, and cheerful world that rubbed many the wrong way when it was first announced. Despite the initial skepticism, the world gamers eventually had the opportunity to explore in The Wind Waker is one of the most enthralling and memorable in Zelda history precisely because it was unique.

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