Oh God yes.

And people say Miyamoto is losing his touch....

Miyamoto: I've always been into first person shooter (FPS) style games, 3D games in which you can walk around freely and see things from your own point of view.

I'm willing to bet that in his free time, he's playing Halo 3, teabagging everyone he kills.

eh...
no, PLEASE no Shiggy...
the last thing we need is another shadow of the hedgehog

I must find a way to capture the essence of Miyamoto in an easy to use spray...

I approve of a Zelda/Terminator Crossover.

While my first instinct was to scream "BAD IDEA!" but then I realized something. Oh wow, a unique thought in my Zelda? More likely than you think.

Maybe that old LoZ april fool's joke from last year isn't that far off (Zelda in the Future)

I was SO thinking about a zelda game set in the future....
I mean c'mon, Miyamoto DID day that he would need to do something new with Zelda, cuz it's getting old and tired....

Miyamoto:
There are lots of reasons for playing video games; because you want to get to the next level, or because you want to see what the next boss you have to fight looks like. I'm told all the time that these kinds of "rewards" really matter to people. But I don't think that's necessarily true. What I'm always saying, not only regarding Link's Crossbow Training, but in general too, is that it's the process that must be fun for people if they're going to really enjoy the game.

THIS is the reason Nintendo games remain so popular. Sure, the rewards are great, but if the sheer act of playing isn't fun, then what's the point?

I thought this article would be a cactus in a desert after the long Zelda drought lately. Little did I know what I was going to read was not what I expected...

"Well, shall we develop the next Zelda game with Link holding a Wii Zapper, and not a sword (laughs)? It would be easier for us developers as we do not have to let Link change weapons all the time."

No... PLEASE NO... I beg you.

Maybe he could, you know, take that energy with FPS titles and create a new and fresh action IP.

@AjaDL: That's exactly it. Money.

Miyamoto had said that when developing Mario 64, he just wanted to make an environment where moving Mario in a 3D space felt fun by itself. He was resistant at first to the idea of even making it into a game.

When you take a basic mechanic and make THAT fun, everything else is gravy. Moving Mario around is fun, so making him accomplish objectives is automatically fun as well.

@TheManator: Ugh, I personally hate the idea of a "futuristic Zelda." Don't enough things get the Sci-Fi treatment nowadays? It just seems too generic and obvious an idea for Zelda to take that direction.

(crosses fingers) Please be the next step in a Zelda set in a steam punk/future! That would be awesome; great Zelda mechanic execution with new grandiose theme would be to die for.

Iwata: But, even though the original idea for the Wii Zapper came from a Zelda staff member, was there any hesitation on your part about the idea to develop the Wii Zapper in conjunction with Link? Link does not use guns in the first place, does he?

Miyamoto: Yes, that was a bit of a problem initially (smiles). But it didn't really seem right to make the Wii Zapper for use with Animal Crossing...

...The instant I have a copy of Animal Crossing Wii, I'm bringing out the Zapper shell and going on a balloon-shooting spree. If Nintendo won't make a proper (and inevitably awesome) mashup like that themselves, there's no harm in trying to make it work that way myself.

Anyone else ever come up with bizzare peripheral/controller mashups? Personally, I've played a Sonic game or two on the Guitar Hero controller (*Insert linearity joke here*), and once did a full run of Soul Calibur II's arcade mode using the DK bongos.

@Green-clad Gamer Dude: Oh yeah? Well, then you want to hear my idea for an alternate Zelda?

Ancient Zelda. Like, they're building the pyramids using wooly mammoths, and Link has to enlist the help of a saber-tooth tiger and a flaming homosexual to save princess Zelda from the Pharaoh. (Yes, I put tingle in the game in which I ripped the plotline off from 10,000 BC.)

@Mainman: Yep. All the time. My friends and I had a fighting game tournament using the Rock Band Drums and Guitar. We played Tekken 5 and Virtua Fighter using nothing but those peripherals.
I won, but that's because I cheated. Not to win, of course. It just happened. On accident.

@Green-clad Gamer Dude: I know where your coming from. Moderation is the key though. It would be a complete disaster to set Link in like a space station with aliens attacking or some other contrived idea. Something along the lines of a worn down future similar to pre-industrial revolution alternate kind of way. Still being true to the series yet not going over board and adding a jet pack on him with missiles flying.

Disruption, bridge games, lower to top tier transition... It all makes sense now. My poor PS3... If this is all true, Sony and MS don't stand a chance.

@BPMε: My thoughts exactly! I wonder if he plays call of duty 4.

Its strange, FPS's seem to be western thing, I wonder how much amazing stuff we would have if Miyamoto was allowed to do whatever he felt like regardless of what the head honchos thought of his ideas.

@Palladium: Yes, fighting games seem to be the best fit for wacky controller abuse. Relying on your attacks to move around, you adapt by trying to counter your opponent's attacks, which actually improves your gameplay once you switch back!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to dig out two bongo sets and have a Falcon Punch shootout on Final Destination.

Miyamoto is a G

I want a new zelda game where i can fight massive hordes of enemies in a huge hyrule battlefield against the army of gannodorf, with lots of blood and a new dark mature link with anger and thirsty for payback, i think is time for that...

steam punk maybe, but nothing like the Zleda april fools day joke from last year.

I have to say that I don't have a good feeling about this...

Hero of time!
In the year 20xx...

@juliopalio: I think with the many accomplishments Miyamoto has had in Nintendo because of his creations, Im pretty sure he is not hindered by any "head honchos". The only thing I can think of that would be holding him back is his perfectionist nature, out of the box thinking and attention to detail but I would consider that a great plus if you look at his grand resume.

@TOCATL: And I want a Zelda game with more mature subject matter that doesn't devolve into the typical generic themes of anger, senseless violence, and hackneyed plots of good versus evil with a thin layer of angst and sexual imagery. Those trappings usually make a game seem childish, not more mature.

I think a lot of people need to realize that the story of Zelda, by and large, is about a small boy saving his home. While I would welcome a Nintendo game that dealt with serious issues and portrayed a Zelda game aimed specifically at an older audience, I would also welcome a game that embraced the forgotten wonders of childhood, such as wonder, exploring and meeting color characters, and finding your place in the world, ala Wind Waker.

@Mainman:
On the PS2 my friends and I used to play Soul Calibur 2 with the Guitar Hero controllers. The characters would always move left, though, so we had to stay in walled arenas. It was fun, though.

@Thorax: While I agree with what you say (regarding saving your home, etc) I don't think that premise and a more mature subject matter have to be mutually exclusive. I think making Link older or placing him in a different setting will enchance the feel of the game, while still staying true to the series' roots (get Master Sword, save Zelda, etc). I must admit that I'm wary anytime someone mentions a "reimagining" of a storied movie/book/game, because most of them are so horrendously bad, but this is Shiggy. I have faith :). Also, a half-cyborg terminator Link is unbelievably awesome, IMO.

Next Zelda...
FPS confirmed with new realm and engine.

Hmm, I think OOT would have been pretty cool in first person (worked around a little to accomodate it, of course)...

Mmm though the terminator/link crossover sounds just right I think steampunk is the style Zelda needs if it wants some future revamp.

Then again I want Miyamoto to create a new FPS IP just to see what he can do.

I think that if Miyamoto loves Spaghetti Westerns he should just make a super badass spaghetti western shooter. It doesn't have to have Link! I'm not saying that it would be a bad thing to have a LoZ shooter, it actually sounds very interesting...but I think it would be amazing to make a new character to really drive home the controller, if that's what they're truly focused on.

@juliopalio:

That's a good point.

I mean, people always criticize Miyamoto for more or less using his same franchises over and over.

But maybe it's not him.

Makes you wonder how many times he went to whoever approves game ideas and said "So, it starts with a gun wielding chicken. His name is Master Cheep" only to be immediately shot down.

Guys, you do realize Miyamoto is pretty high up in Nintendo? Not many outrank him... Like Iwata, and maybe some other execs we don't hear much about?
Point is: Pretty much what Miyamto says, goes.

@Fierfaerie:
A Zapper-enabled spaghetti western FPS? I'm all for it.

@Mact: Ok, that sounds pretty much freaking awesome...of course, I thought the same when I first heard of Ninjabread Man. But honestly, did that not sound like potential for an absolutely hilarious romp through crumb-and-icing spattered halls, the sound of an oven in the far-off distance, the smell of burned cookies in the air? Oh...guess I was the only one. :-)

@BPMε: That makes two of us! I would love for some more original styling that doesn't depend on the existing characters. I'm already putting together Clint Eastwood-esque types in my head. Maybe even if Rockstar did a Red Dead Revolver sequel for the Wii?

Imagine a Zelda in an Elder Scrolls: Oblivion fashion. That would be interesting.

Of course the option to buy saddles/armor online for Epona would have to be in the game, otherwise it would be worthless.

I would not be surprised to hear that the next zelda game is going to be an fps. I remember reading an article about how twilight princess was going to be the last of the current style of zelda game and that the next one would be significantly different. I also would not be surprised if it is the only attempt at a first-person zelda game and they immediately return to the third-person approach for future games.

"Well, shall we develop the next Zelda game with Link holding a Wii Zapper, and not a sword (laughs)? It would be easier for us developers as we do not have to let Link change weapons all the time."

*weeps* Please say it ain't so!

My Zappers are held together by rubber bands. Those Nyko charge station controller covers don't fit into it, so I had to rubberband it in place. I've done a bit of modding in my time with various bits of hardware, but this mod is probably my favourite since it's the easiest to do and probably the most effective.

Every "Iwata Asks" has been good reading so far.