The Legend of Zelda games have been rendered in 2D and 3D. Is one better than the other?
The 2D Zelda games include the original Legend of Zelda as well as those Capcom-developed Zelda games on the Game Boy and the Game Boy Advance. With The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, the games were rendered using 3D character models.
"Until Ocarina of Time, we had only episodes in 2 dimensions," says Zelda series developer Eiji Aonuma in a recent interview. "In this sense, this episode was for us a huge challenge since it was made entirely in 3D."
"The traditional 2D is limited in terms of display and the range of emotions expressed by a character is quite limited," Aonuma continues. "But with the 3D and the many opportunities it offered, it was possible to imagine them tons of expressing feelings."
Until the end of the title's development, Nintendo continually asked themselves whether or not players found it convincing.
But does that mean Aonuma thinks 3D rendering is better than 2D?
"Normally, 3D offers many more possibilities," he adds. "But should that mean we always prefer the 3D over 2D? I do not think like that, quite the opposite. The 2D possesses qualities and a charm that is not found necessarily in 3D."
Both 2D and 3D have their pluses and minuses, Aonuma concludes, and it's up to the developers to pick one depending on what they want to express.
So which do you prefer: 2D Zelda games or 3D Zelda games?
The Legend of Zelda Manga Interview Translated [Zelda Informer via GoNintendo] [Pic]