Wind Waker HD announced for Wii U (Photos)

Nintendo has announced that they plan to bring The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, the cel-shaded entry that last appeared on Gamecube, to the Wii U, complete with upgraded graphics and taking full advantage of the features particular to the Wii U.

In addition to improving graphics, the remake is expected to allow for gameplay straight off of the gamepad, and perhaps incorporate motion control or AR elements, similar to the Ocarina of Time remake on 3DS. Wind Waker was a refreshing entry in the Zelda series, in that it through out many of the cliched elements from the games in favor of a boat-based exploration design. The game was also infamous before its release for switching from a realistic style that Nintendo previewed at Spaceworld 2001, to a cartoony cel-shaded style. After game came out, most people agreed that Nintendo did an excellent job bringing a Looney Tunesesque world to life.

While the original's graphics were exceptional in terms of art design, aging far more gracefully than most games from the Gamecube/PS2 generation, the remake appears to have improved on a number of aspects to bring the game more in-line with modern releases, such as improved lighting, particle systems, textures, recreated environments, and even more beautiful ocean views.

Wind Waker HD will be released in the fall and Nintendo has also announced they are working on a new Zelda title, but said that it won't come out for a while.

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, Portland Video Game Examiner

Pablo Fierro is a freelance writer living in Portland, with a deep lifelong passion for pop culture and entertainment. He has studied techniques for critical analysis and written reviews for College publications as well as independently for personal blogs. Contact Pablo at pabloafierro@gmail.com

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