Why all the hate for LOZ: Wind Waker?

[AmrasCalmacil]

I like it.
I think a lot of people on the Escapist do. It looks pretty, the sailing is quite nice when you're doing it for no reason other than to sail, there are lots of Islands to explore. If it wasn't so exceedingly easy it'd possibly be my favourate, as it is I like Majora's Mask, a Link to the Past and Twilight Princess above it.

I like mounted combat, okay?

 

[Scrythe]

I loved Wind Waker. Sadly, it's the only Zelda title I've ever finished.

I have a few friends who are rabid Zelda fans, and they refuse to touch Wind Waker because "ZOMG TEH GRAFFIKZ!! KAWTOOOONNZ!!" Despite my attempts of showing them what a great game it is (and mentioning that Zelda titles were never made to look "pretty" since the beginning).

I guess the people who don't play games just for graphics are a tiny, tiny minority now.

 

[HardRockSamurai]

I liked Wind Waker a lot; the only reason I could possibily find for disliking it (and several other Zelda games) is this guy.

Spoiler

God I FUCKING HATE YOU TINGLE!!!

Seriously, my hate for that green spandex clad bastard runs deep in my veins like fire running through a burning forest.

 

[Smurfy 0151]

I loved Wind Waker. Sadly, it's the only Zelda title I've ever finished.

I have a few friends who are rabid Zelda fans, and they refuse to touch Wind Waker because "ZOMG TEH GRAFFIKZ!! KAWTOOOONNZ!!" Despite my attempts of showing them what a great game it is (and mentioning that Zelda titles were never made to look "pretty" since the beginning).

I guess the people who don't play games just for graphics are a tiny, tiny minority now.

Yeah, it was an excellent game, the only thing was the cartoony graphics, and even that worked with the game. But, don't worry, the people who didn't play it cuz of the graphics have already been punished; they missed one of the best games in the Zelda series.

 

[Smurfy 0151]

People dislike Wind Waker?

I ask myself the same question?
I myself, find it amazing. i think the cell shading graphics works very well for the game. The gameplay, the story and the music is also awesome
The only thing that I found annoying, was the sailing. It was quite fun in the beginning, but then it just got boring.

Surprisingly alot of people would rather play Mirror's Edge *shudder* And I loved the sailing bit, myself. I remember when I was first bored, and sailing across the world, when it started raining, the sky got dark, and BOOM; Giant Squid...thing...I almost poo'd myself...

 

[plastic_window]

I didn't know many people disliked it at all...

I suppose the art style and the boat sections got up people's noses, but beneath that there's a brilliant game - and it's my favourite of the series so far.

 

[Librarian Mike]

There was a good Game Overthinker episode which, while not specifically mentioning this game, touches on why some people don't like this one. The basic point is that some gamers are so obsessed with how others perceive them that they don't want to be seen playing something that has more colours than brown or gray, as colours='gay'.

Sometimes I just don't understand people. People piss and moan that Nintendo regurgitates its franchises, but when they try to change things up a bit people complain because it's not like the game they played and loved.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

The only game I ever abandoned without finishing it.

I loved the first half, right up until you return to Ganon's prison island for the second time.

The forest and volcano temples were amazing.

But goddamn that motherfucking boat.

What were they thinking? How can sitting there for up to 5 or 6 mintues not pressing any button watching one minimal sailing animation be fun??

This thread is making me want to go back and finish it though...

 

[DigitalJedl]

I didn't know many people disliked it at all...

I suppose the art style and the boat sections got up people's noses, but beneath that there's a brilliant game - and it's my favourite of the series so far.

This.

And Oddworld, ftw.

 

[Dommyboy]

People dislike Wind Waker?

First reply counts for practically everyone else.

What about why all the hate on why all the hate threads?

Wind Waker was a great game though of course it was too short and the sailing was too repetitive but apart from that, twas an awesome game. The Redeads scream was incredibly annoying too, in a sense that it was quite well done. Damn you Redeads, scaring me in my younger years. What was the pit of 100 fights or something in Wind Waker and as you got further down it was filled with Redeads.

 

[Frankydee]

Back before it was released I did jump on the speculative bandwagon that the game's visual approach was going to be childish and annoying.

But it came out, I played it, enjoyed it thoroughly.

I think this thread is a few years too late.

 

[Grampy_bone]

I thought it was better than Twilight Princess.

I didn't understand how everyone complained about the sailing. I though the sailing mechanic was brilliant and incredibly fun.

Wind Waker didn't sell very well wheras Twilight Princess did though so that's where the franchise is moving forward from. Spirit Tracks looks lame. *sigh*

 

[mattttherman3]

Wind waker had a few things different from other Zelda games: sailing, and the King of hyrule, and cartoon graphics. Otherwise it was same old same old, non talking hero, rescue the girl, collect the Triforce, and of course, the same final boss.

 

[SecretTacoNinja]

People foo-foo'd it before it came out because they were expecting an game similar to Ocarina of Time. They were annoyed because they were expecting Twilight Princess style graphics.

I like it a lot but I can name quite a few flaws that stop it becoming one of the best:

-It's too short, needed less sailing and more Temples (I was pissed and confused when the big fish just gave me the water Macguffin)

-The goddamn Floormasters and Miniblins

-The goddamn rope things you have to do in the pirate ship

-The final bosses are annoying

-No night-time sailing music

That's about it. It's a fantastic game otherwise. People who say they didn't like it because of the graphics need a whack in the head.

 

[Radeonx]

I liked Wind Waker a lot; the only reason I could possibily find for disliking it (and several other Zelda games) is this guy.

Spoiler

God I FUCKING HATE YOU TINGLE!!!

Seriously, my hate for that green spandex clad bastard runs deep in my veins like fire running through a burning forest.

You said it all.
However, I think the reason you find that people dislike Wind Waker were for some of these reasons:
"Hardcore" gamers who weren't die-hard Zelda fans brushed off the cell-shading as a childish gimmick that they were too mature for.
Also, the boat scenes are very repetitive, and somewhat annoying, maybe enough to give the game a bad rap.
These are just the best reasons I could think of.

 

[ZeroMachine]

Wind Waker is my favorite Zelda game. A close second would be Link to the Past, and then Majora's Mask. Waaaay at the end is none other than Twilight Princess. That's right- I enjoyed Phantom Hourglass more than Twilight Princess.

I have a few friends that don't like Wind Waker, two of which actively hate it. I don't get it... Wind Waker's story is amazing and original for a Zelda game, the characters break the Zelda mold (even Ganon), the expressions they have are so enjoyable, the dungeons are a ton of fun, the bosses are awesome, and I shouldn't even have to get started on the music. And yet they hate it because it's a fucking cartoon.

It's pissed me off for years -_-'

 

[hagaya]

The Wind Waker was Ocarina of Time on steroids. OoT was good, it certainly made LoZ what it is today. The Wind Waker was a true follow-up to that style of play and did it quite nicely. I honestly always thought Wind Waker was better simply because it improved on OoT in almost every way. I think people see Ocarina of Time as the greatest LoZ game because it revolutionized the series, threw it into 3D, and made it what it is today without screwing it up a la Sonic the Hedgehog.
The plot was different than the standard rigamarole (real word) and gave a few surprising plot twists without having a WTF moment. The gameplay was the same, which is always a good thing. The puzzles got more inventive by adding a few new items. There was enough to say that Wind Waker was the best, but Ocarina of Time stands as the game that got the series where it is.

 

[TotallyFake]

The hunt for the triforce pieces was terrible, and could have buried a lesser game.
Take, for example, the triforce map on the house on the small island. The magic door won't let you in.
So you have to go to another island (with no indication that you even need to LEAVE this island) talk to someone (with no indication of who), perform a seemingly trivial sidequest (with no indication that it is relevant) and then give someone a large number of items that you're supposed to have collected (again, with NO INDICATION. The game even encourages you to SELL them as soon as you find them)

Quite possibly the biggest asshole move in any game, second only to Braid's monumentally "you have no way to know this, but do it anyway" star collection.

 

[Zombie_Fish]

I actually liked the game, along with quite a few other people.

I guess one reason would be the childish art style about, but that was actually one thing I liked about the game, it wasn't meant to be taken as seriously as the other ones.

 

[The Great JT]

The cel-shaded art style.