Nintendo WILL NOT BUDGE

So I've been playing the new Zelda.   And I'm thinking 2 things:

1)  This is INCREDIBLE.
2)  The Call of Duty generation is gonna hate it.  

My only gripe is that the dialogue is tedious and annoying.   But the rest is so creative, innovative, and cinematic that I think this might just be the most fun I've ever had playing one of these games.    It's paced really well and other than a (kind of) slow start, I haven't seen one boring spot.    

Zelda skeleton

But again, we live in a time where people are obsessed with graphics, have shorter attention spans than ever, have zero tolerance for main characters who aren't mysterious badasses, and who want the ability to ignore the story and kill the quest giver if they really want to.   So, I'm torn between thinking Zelda should change a little to appease that crowd and meet somewhere in the middle... and with thinking "Damn right, Nintendo.   Do not budge for these people."  Part of me is annoyed at how childish Nintendo can be.   The other part is so happy Nintendo isn't jaded, excessive, and cynical like every other entertainment company is lately.  

So, I'm writing about a video game right now because in a way, it relates to the theme of everything I write about lately.   Case in point:  I played a bunch of Skyrim and enjoyed it but felt empty and as though not one character had a hint of personality and not one thing I did had a single effect on anything.    I played Zelda and missed the freedom of Skyrim and the ability to do whatever whenever, but felt like I'd actually been given a pretty cool storyline with creative environments that I'd be thinking about forever.  

Skyrim skeleton

And there it is.   Once again.    Douchery vs. Integrity.   Excess vs. Control.   Explosions vs. Heart.    The balance is often somewhere in between.  

 But like Ben Baker in "The Long, Slow Death of a Twenty-Something", I'm glad Nintendo knows that sometimes, being a man means... "you stay".   Even when it's not a popular thing to do.