Zelda Delayed, Will Nintendo Pay?

With the current generation coming to a close, there are few titles left to look forward to playing. One of those games, however, is The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. The newest installment of the popular series was to be released this November, most likely to coincide with the rumored November 4th release of the Xbox 360. Yesterday morning (Tuesday), all of that changed as software giant, Nintendo, announced that the game's developers had requested more time to add more features, levels, and heighten the overall quality of the game. The game will now see a release no sooner than next fiscal year, which begins on April 1st, 2006.

Many fanboys have already gone on the offensive claiming this will spell the end of the big N, but most hardcore fans of the series are confident that Nintendo knows what they are doing, and the delay will lead to a better overall game. Not to mention that Nintendo's next-generation console, the Revolution, is said to be backward compatible with Gamecube titles as well as many other past games. This later release could boost sales during the next fiscal year, and could sell many Revolutions as well as Gamecubes.

How do I feel about this? Well, I have always been a fan of the series and have played all of the (Nintendo-console-based) titles. I may not be the biggest Nintendo fan, but the Zelda series always held a place in my heart (insert AWWW here), and as a fan I have faith that Nintendo wouldn't stoop so low as to ruin their only remaining untainted series. I don't believe they will give Link a Hoover or a water cannon and make him clean Hyrule Castle. I DO however believe that they will make a quality game. Though it may not be up to par with the next-generation games being released at the time, it will look and, more importantly, PLAY well. I would rather see the release of a finished title than a rushed one (see Halo 2). This may not convince me to pick up a Revolution, but I might just buy another Gamecube to play it. Who knows for sure though, as the release is over half a year away.