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Controlling the Cube 2

by David Trammell - April 4, 2001, 9:25 pm EDT

Today, I'll explore the potential of playing Zelda with the GameCube's controller. The new controller couldn't possibly have a big effect on Zelda... could it?

I received quite a few emails in response to yesterday's piece. I considered the requests and settled on Zelda because the other genres were either handled by IGN already, or they were too far out of my experience (flight sims for example).

So, how will Zelda play using the GameCube controller? The change won't be quite so simple this time, but it will ultimately work much better than the N64 version of Zelda and yet, it will still be intuitive and easy to pick up.

So, lets start with the basics. The context sensitive buttons from Zelda OoT and MM will most certainly appear again. Normally, A would whip out your sword. If you're near a wall, you can jump up and grab the ledge with the A button, you know the drill. However, this time around, the A and B buttons are analog. Just like the L and R buttons and the analog sticks, the buttons can be programmed to react to the amount of pressure you apply to it. So, what could this really be used for in a game? Well, quite a bit actually.

Let's say you pull your bow out and press the button down drawing an arrow back. With a digital button, when you let go, the arrow will go flying. Well, what if you change your mind! I know I have in the past. On the GameCube you might be able to let go of the button slowly so that Link keeps the arrow rather than shooting it. This idea could be applied to the simplest actions as well. Maybe you're thinking about drawing your sword and you begin to press the button. Link moves his hand toward the sword, but you let go before pressing all the way. So, he stops and forgets about the sword. If you press it normally, he draws it fast and begins carving up baddies as usual.

The next issue would be item switching. The C-stick isn't ideal for switching items, and it will most certainly be used to control the camera instead. Could you use the remaining bean shaped buttons (Y and X) to switch items? Sure, but I always wished I had more than two. However, with the D-pad conveniently placed to the right of the analog stick, you could have four items within your grasp! Now, this would prevent you from using items while running causing problems with action items like a hammer or deku stick. However, with the new Y and X buttons, you could select an item with the D-pad, and fight with it using Y. Meanwhile, X would be for your annoying... I mean helpful fairy pal.

Next, we have the L and R buttons. L would likely mimic Z targeting and R would be used for your shield again. Your shield might have an analog response similar to the action buttons. The extra digital Z button on the GameCube controller could be used for many different things. Although the left over function is the map, that could be put almost anywhere. It’s possible that Zelda may get a jump button on GameCube, but I doubt it. The auto-jumping system was a stroke of genius and it’s actually more realistic.

Finally, we have the C-stick. As I mentioned earlier, this would be used for the camera as it was intended. Zelda's smart camera and Z targeting usually prevent camera problems, but it's still not perfect. The analog camera stick ensures that you will always be able to nudge the camera a little bit in any direction, or you can swing it around in circles while zooming in and out if it makes you happy. What about when you're Z targeting or using the bow? You wouldn't be able to touch the camera in this situation. So, why not use it for something else? Maybe in first person view while you're trying to fire an arrow, you could use the C-stick to dodging enemy weapons while you dispatch them. Alternately, while Z-targeting with the bow and arrow, you might adjust the aimer manually with the C-stick so that you can shoot an enemy in the head or fire past a shield.

Some of the things I mentioned may not be used, but you can bet that there are many things I haven't though of. I’m sure that Shigeru Miyamoto will capitalize on the GameCube's controller design to offer a new gaming experience in as many ways as possible.

I'll finish up by reminding you that Dinosaur Planet will have a control scheme like this too. Thus, the game could undergo similar changes on its way to the GameCube.

If you'd like to see a specific genre or game profiled in this way, send your requests to me!

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