Making The Case: An M-Rated "Zelda"

When The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was released, it got massively positive reviews, with critics praising the tried-and-true formula that had worked for so many years. But critics and fans agreed that the new graphics style, which was much more realistic and less-fantasy based than previous games, was absolutely astounding.

In fact, the new graphics brought upon something that, in my eyes, could be seen as a milestone in Nintendo's game development. It was the first Zelda game to receive the "T for Teen" rating, with the ESRB citing "fantasy violence and animated blood" as the reason for the new rating. But why stop there? We already know a new Zelda game is coming (it's been confirmed to include Wii MotionPlus), so why not push it a little farther: a Zelda game rated "M for Mature"?

Nintendo has been repeatedly criticized for not catering to their hardcore audience, and while they have revealed an impressive line-up of games that fit this requirement at this year's E3 (which included the aforementioned Zelda game), this could be a perfect opprotunity for Nintendo to step up to the plate with a truly gory Zelda game.

Link's weapons are famously his Master Sword and bow (the former oddly missing in a recently released image of him), which would easily translate into a game heavy on blood. Sure, there are problems with the idea; potential backlash at Nintendo for straying from being "family-friendly", less of an audience able to buy the game, but could the benefits outweight these risks? Possibly.

Link, seen without his iconic Master Sword

A quick glance at sales figures for the three warring consoles - Wii, PS3, and Xbox 360 - will show that the Wii is dominating, hands-down. But a closer look suggests that the Wii isn't winning anything - in fact, it's not even competing. Games like Wii Play and Wii Fit destroy all competition, even first-party Nintendo franchises such as Super Mario Galaxy.

Which is exactly why an M Rated Zelda would work perfectly with the Wii's upcoming strategy to catch the hardcore gamer. Some could call such violence in the classic series "gratuitious", but would it not be more realistic? As graphics increase exponentially each generation, it may be time to re-tool this classic franchise for the upcoming years.

In other Wii news, many fans are pushing for a price cut for the Wii, despite it still being the cheapest console available. With the recent announcement of the PS3 and Xbox 360 dropping their prices to $299, it's the perfect time for Nintendo to do the same, only at a lower price: $199. Coupled with the release of games such as Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid: Other M, it could strongly increase sales of the Wii and it's games.

Image credit: computerbild.de (here), GCN (here).

Making The Case: A 'Bones' Movie

The reason I chose Bones as opposed to any other crime drama is exactly what sets it apart from the others - characterization. The characters in Bones seem very life-like, making it an ideal candidate for a movie. We've seen Booth and Brennan both go into action several times before, and the "Gormogon" story arc proves the series can handle something more epic than a single episode.

Of course, a movie would have to wait until the next season is complete to work into the story (if you've seen the season finale, you'll know why), but that doesn't mean it couldn't work altogether. Booth and Brennan have already travelled to different locales before, which would seem to be the best idea for a movie - but there is no reason not to get the entire team involved.

One story idea is having a terrorist (or terrorist group) begin a series of murders around the D.C. area. The group could then attack the Jeffersonian, and the whole building would go on a lock-down. Booth and Brennan could chase down the terrorists through the Jeffersonian, and perhaps also chase them through the city.

How would the movie fit into the whole story arc of the show? While it would be terrible to see the series end, I think a full-length, theater-released movie would be a great cinematic ending to the series, with Booth and Bones finally "getting together" - though I would love to see the show progress at least two more seasons before it ended permanently.

Image credit: smh.com.au (here).