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Letters: V3 #002

December 31st, 2009

Ice says: Happy New Year everyone! Today I've got with me Raquel, former staff member of Mario Headquarters and long-time friend of the site.

Allystar writes: Hey Ice, you're back! Woohoooo! :) :) Library, Fans, Music, but no Strategy or Games section? Maybe it's coming later because everything is a little empty right now. What's the plan with the games? Especially the new games?? Twilight Princess, Phantom Hourlgass, Spirit Tracks...

What's your policy?

Welcome back Ice ::)

Ice replies: Thanks Allystar. I don't really have a policy about how much attention the new games will get ... IZC typically hasn't been really news-oriented. I usually cover the games a year or so after they've been out ... sometimes longer. It all just depends. Keep your eyes peeled though ... thanks for writing.

Raquel replies: Woohooo! :) Hi Ally, I love your enthusiasm! You heard it straight from the horse's mouth, we're not too formal around here. Sometimes Ice is the kind of person that moves where the wind takes him. If he gets into the new games, I'm sure you'll see a lot about the new games!You'll probably see a whole lot about the new games, because when the wind lands him someplace he works until it picks up again. :) I'm sure if you send him some thoughts on one of the games that aren't on the site yet, he'll post it.

Ice replies: That's right. At IZC we do community.

Raquel replies: Go team!

Chibi writes: Surprise surprise.......had to check dates once, twice, three times nice. Glorious........it's Ice and Nebula....returned!............How are you........how have you been..........the gang's all here?????

Ice replies: The gang's all here Chibi.

Raquel replies: Your typing style reminds me of someone :)

You didn't wake up in 1999! We're all friends. Pretty much :) After all this time, Ice and his crew are still at large! It was nice of Nebula to give her answers last week. Thank you Ice for letting me chime in this week.

Speaking of 1999, did you know that it was ten years ago today that Ice gave his millenium concert? We partied like it was 1999. :) Ice played "It's the end of the world as we know it" at midnight, and right at the stroke of midnight they flipped out the lights and he played screeching sounds over the PA system! Remember we were all worried about Y2K back then and some of us thought it was the end of the world!!!

Ice replies: Some of us, meaning YOU, haha. Anyway, you're kind of embarassing me, Rocky. Aside from that, it's great to have everyone contributing to the letters column again.

? writes: corn corn jimmi crack corn i don't care haha

Ice you're a tool.

Raquel replies: [censoring bureau has deleted this reply]

Ice replies: Aghgh, corn jokes. I never understood that.

Raquel replies: I can't believe he called you a tool! :) *giggle* Ice, I didn't think you were the type to print negative letters. :)

Ice replies: You know me, I'm full of surprises!

Raquel replies: Full of ssss...surprises! Yeah. :)

Ice replies: *whistles*

Ron writes: I'm glad to see you give credit where credit is due. Wind Waker is the best Zelda game since Link's Awakening, perhaps since the original. It's a masterpiece, with themes are layered on so delicately it has transcended game and become art. The use of music without a theme is not without precedent; look to Ocarina of Time, look to Link's Awakening. The use of wind is completely unique. Time, space, mystery.

Subsequent Zelda games have also made extensive use of theme. It seems almost every Zelda can be pinned down to a certain thematic element.

Another game will be coming on the DS. They'll probably make another game for the Wii. When this happens, what kind of themes do you think they'll draw from? I've given this a lot of thought. Motion, perhaps. Wouldn't it have been great to play the Wind Waker with the motion controls? Some kind of action or kinetic motion. I think that's what the next theme will be.

You've obviously given a lot of thought to the series. Do you have any ideas?

Ice replies: I've had this email in one of my inboxes for a couple years now and I've always wanted to use it (and if I already have and I forgot to mark it, I apologize).

The sky's the limit (sky, there's a theme) as to what the next Zelda game will use. You're right, the more recent ones have a commonality to them. It seems Zelda games are lacking a bit in the originality department these days though, so I think we'll see more time (Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time), music (Link's Awakening, Majora's Mask), wind (Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass), etc. We seem to always have a "Light World" and a "Dark World" (Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, etc). So, while I'm sure there's going to be something new headed our way at some point, I think it's a safe bet to say that future Zelda games may be a bit of a retread.

Raquel replies: Ummm! Aren't people going to get mad at you for saying that the games lack originality? You're in big trouble!

Themes are fun but I don't think a game or a quest needs a theme to be good. Some of the early games didn't have a story to them, and they did just fine.

Ice replies: Some people really enjoy having an overall theme though ... our minds look for things like that. You do a lot of decorating and reading ... you of all people should appreciate a "theme"!

Raquel replies: I do! But when I play a game, even a Zelda game, I'm just looking for things and exploring. The theme has to be subtle or it takes away from the experience!

Ice replies: I'll give you that I suppose. There IS a certain "realism" to the Zelda world, and I don't want anything coming into it that makes it look too "planned" ... I like when the world seems to have a life of its own. Then again, Majora's Mask is just as "thematic" as Wind Waker and it's my favorite, so ...

Raquel replies: You'll give me that, you "suppose"? :) Don't make me smack you!

Ice replies: Ouch!

Sahasrahla writes: Ice, It gives me great joy to see you alive and well. I've been visiting for eight or nine years now. I'm not into Zelda as much anymore but I still visit the sites once a month to see if there's anything worth getting excited about. The return of IZC has made me excited jk. Happy to see everything is going well. Keep up the good work.

Ice replies: That means a lot coming from a sage. Thank you for your letter.

Thus endeth another corny letters edition. Be a part of the next one by sending me an email.

Special thanks to Raquel for joining us today. Happy New Year everyone!

Raquel replies: Thank you so much for having me! :) Happy New Year!