Today I saw some a preview trailer for Zelda Gamecube and I acutally teared up I was so excited. Yea, I know, so I'm a Zelda fanboy but Zelda is far and way the best action game ever made in my opinion. Specifically the SNES and N64 versions and the gamecube version looks to be even better. If you want to see it try this link from gamespot Japan. It's much clearer than the gamespot america clip.
In some ways it looks like more of the same which is fine because it seems like nobody else knows how to reproduce that feeling like Nintendo. Other games try and they always screw up. Nintendo's Zelda stories, as simple as they are, work, they get you involved (or at least me). The music adds to the game vs just being annoying *game* music. Music itsself has been featured in the last few Zeldas. Zelda's cinematic sequences add to the vs take away from it like most games. But on top of all that the new Zelda looks like it adds some of the best animation ever seen in a video game. So much that the game actually looks like a playable Disney movie. Much more so than any of Disney's games or even Square's new Disney game, "Kingdom Hearts".
Nintendo also seems to know that adding a voice can often ruin a game and so it appears they have not added one. Yet Link, the main character, still makes great sounds. Yea, I know, taken on their own most people wouldn't see the big deal but in the context of the game sounds can make or break the entire mood. Mario with all his "Ha!", "Wa", "whoohoo!" stuff really makes him feel fun to play. Link with his grunts etc has fully brings him to life for me. Other games try but often the results just don't work either because the sounds are too long, too annoying, don't really match etc. There was a rumor that Nintendo spent over 1 month just getting the perfect sound for Yoshi the dinosaur in Super Mario World. The point is that Nintendo takes sound very seriously and it shows in their games.
Right now there are 3 main system out there. PS2, XBox and Gamecube and it's still not clear which one will win in my opinion. If you include an entire market then maybe you would have to bet on PS2 but if you were only betting on one companies games (ie, just Sony, just Nintendo, just EA) then it seems to me Nintendo has a pretty strong chance. Gamecube has sold okay with no must by titles out for it but between now and 8 months from now several must buy titles are comming out including the new Mario, Metroid Prime, Zelda and possibly Star Fox Adventures and maybe even a few more. There are lots of game fans that will specifically by a Gamecube just to play those games.