Well, that's as far as I'm typing, as far as the interview itself is concerned. I want to fill you guys in on the actual hands-on stuff:
Hands-On Report - Part One: TOARU VILLAGE
Ah, the tranquil hamlet that kicks off nearly every Zelda game. The one thing that stands out about Toaru Village (Japanese for "unspecified"--the English name is to be determined) is, like everything in this new Zelda, the sense of realism. And we aren't just talking about the graphics: townspeople go about their business, cats and chickens wander here and there (one attacking the other if they get too close), birds scatter out of the tall grass as Link approaches... The sense of scale is impressive; maybe it's just a reaction to Wind Waker's squat characters, but everything seemed taller, bigger, more spread out.
As in the last game, Link starts out without a weapon or his trademark green outfit. "If someone happened to see this scene without knowing what game it is," says Aonuma," they probably wouldn't even guess it was Link in The Legend of Zelda." Upon closer inspection, however, one detail is a dead giveaway: on the back of Link's left hand are three dark triangles--Zelda's Triforce symbol.
"Stick it to 'em"- Eventually Link gets a wooden sword and learns combat in a familiar scarecrow-bashing tutorial. As before, the L trigger locks on targets and B performs different attacks, depending on the direction of the analog stick. But if you don't lock on you can now swipe your sword as you move around, without stopping (handy for clearing tall grass, no doubt), and Link has a special coup de grace: press A for a jumping downward thrust to finish off enemies you've knocked over.
"At home on the Range"-- Another early minigame teaches the player how to ride horseback. As in previous games, you can simply push in the direction you want to go for a slow trot or hit A to apply the whip for a burst of speed. You can also see where "Cowboy Link" (Aonuma's name for our hero before he earns his green duds) gets his name--the goal here is to round up and force all the grazing animals into the barn before time runs out. It's a little tougher than you might think.
"Flying the coup"- Good news: Chicken-gliding is back! Just grab one of your fine-feathered friends, find a tall building or cliff, and jump off--Link floats slowly down, which enables him to reach areas he couldn't otherwise. This technique came in handy during our demo: a pregnant woman asked Link to retrieve a baby basket on the other side of an otherwise unscalable fence. After getting it, he slowly (move too fast and you'll be scolded) escorts her back to her home with it. What a guy!
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Hands-On Report - Part One: TOARU VILLAGE
Ah, the tranquil hamlet that kicks off nearly every Zelda game. The one thing that stands out about Toaru Village (Japanese for "unspecified"--the English name is to be determined) is, like everything in this new Zelda, the sense of realism. And we aren't just talking about the graphics: townspeople go about their business, cats and chickens wander here and there (one attacking the other if they get too close), birds scatter out of the tall grass as Link approaches... The sense of scale is impressive; maybe it's just a reaction to Wind Waker's squat characters, but everything seemed taller, bigger, more spread out.
As in the last game, Link starts out without a weapon or his trademark green outfit. "If someone happened to see this scene without knowing what game it is," says Aonuma," they probably wouldn't even guess it was Link in The Legend of Zelda." Upon closer inspection, however, one detail is a dead giveaway: on the back of Link's left hand are three dark triangles--Zelda's Triforce symbol.
"Stick it to 'em"- Eventually Link gets a wooden sword and learns combat in a familiar scarecrow-bashing tutorial. As before, the L trigger locks on targets and B performs different attacks, depending on the direction of the analog stick. But if you don't lock on you can now swipe your sword as you move around, without stopping (handy for clearing tall grass, no doubt), and Link has a special coup de grace: press A for a jumping downward thrust to finish off enemies you've knocked over.
"At home on the Range"-- Another early minigame teaches the player how to ride horseback. As in previous games, you can simply push in the direction you want to go for a slow trot or hit A to apply the whip for a burst of speed. You can also see where "Cowboy Link" (Aonuma's name for our hero before he earns his green duds) gets his name--the goal here is to round up and force all the grazing animals into the barn before time runs out. It's a little tougher than you might think.
"Flying the coup"- Good news: Chicken-gliding is back! Just grab one of your fine-feathered friends, find a tall building or cliff, and jump off--Link floats slowly down, which enables him to reach areas he couldn't otherwise. This technique came in handy during our demo: a pregnant woman asked Link to retrieve a baby basket on the other side of an otherwise unscalable fence. After getting it, he slowly (move too fast and you'll be scolded) escorts her back to her home with it. What a guy!