LeaderVladimir

Hello, everyone. I want to talk about my favorite character in The Legend of Zelda.

Link is an amazing character, a great example of the classic heroic archetype that modern games are so obsessed with subverting or deconstructing. I've been fan of Link since the Twilight Princess era and I've done my best to follow any material that features Link in a starring role. The Legend of Zelda benefits from having such a great protagonist in the form of Link, mostly because he is the proverbial everyman, the character players are supposed to relate to the most or the easiest. Link, much like the player behind him, ends up experiencing much of the Legend of Zelda universe for the first time and asks the questions we ourselves would ask if we found ourselves in those exact same situations. Link's story in almost every game is very personal and character-driven and, in my opinion, The Legend of Zelda is less about Hyrule and more about Link and the impact his actions have on Hyrule.

The most powerful aspect of Link's appeal as a protagonist is that he embodies the hero we can all be. Much like Spider-Man and Luke Skywalker, Link is an ordinary person living in extraordinary times and only become a hero because circumstances force him to. He never asks for power and glory, he does not want a reward for his heroic actions, he only wants to do the right thing and set up a good example for the people he cares about. I think that's a very human and relatable aspect about his character.

Although The Legend of Zelda does not really develop Link beyond his initial archetype, an argument can be made that Link does end his adventure with a greater awareness and enlightenment about the world and his place in it. His actions bring an improvement to the land and the people of Hyrule. He might be holder of the Triforce of Courage, but Link shows qualities worthy of the other pieces of the Triforce. He shows power in combative and physical terms and wisdom in the sense that he understands what he must do for the greater good. Although the cosmology and world-building are some of the best aspects of The Legend of Zelda, those things won't matter if the story does not have characters the audience can get behind.

My favorite Link is the Twilight Princess version. He might not have the mythological greatness of Ocarina of Time, the sword skills of Skyward Sword or the cheerfulness of The Wind Waker, but he does well enough in those areas to serve as a reconstruction of everything that makes the character so enduring in the hearts and minds of fans. The Link we see in Twilight Princess is mature, thoughtful, stoic and humble and only fights when he has to. This is a Link that does not need to evolve and instead, he inspires his friends to evolve. The Link from Twilight Princess truly demonstrates that he is more than his powers and weapons and it is his bravery and heroism that truly define him. Those attributes give him the means to right the wrongs done to himself and others, a true hero.

The Legend of Zelda is enormous and can be reimagined in any way you can imagine and the series owes a huge part of its success to the greatness of Link. He is one of Nintendo's best characters and it's good to know that Nintendo never stops trying to find new, creative ways to reinvent the character for new generations of fans.

Well, that's all I have for you this time. Now it's your turn to write about what you love about Link. I'm always looking forward to reading the opinions of others, but I admit I did hijack this particular topic. Even so, I'm just a fan, like all of you. Posting my opinions on this website does not mean my opinions are any greater or more valid than yours and ultimately, I'm just glad I have this privilege and honor to share my opinions with you. Just remember, this is meant to be a friendly conversation, so please be polite and write your opinions on a civilized manner. We are all Legend of Zelda fans here, we just see things differently. Enjoy!

Mario is possibly the character that best embodies optimism, hope and good attitude in the gaming medium, so I thought it would be a good idea if we took the time to remember the best things that happened in his life. They could be accomplishments, random events, meetings with other people or something else, but what matters is that we detail moments that had an overall positive impact on Mario's history.

Mario is constantly described as the greatest of all video game heroes and absolute saint of a human being, and for the most part, he does live up to those reputations. And for my first GiantBomb topic, I thought it would be a good idea if we bring up the best moments where Mario walked the extra mile for his fellow man. These moments can be from any video game or media adaptation but what matters is that Mario acts like the noble and benevolent hero we all know him as.

Despite my personal prejudices with the ending, I agree with your reasoning. If BioWare gives the series a happy ending, it would seem cheap; but if the series has a tragic ending, then it would seem harsh. It has to give the players a sense of ownership. This is BioWare, not Square Enix.

They should make a sequel to Space Marine.

@LordAndrew: Do you really want Nolan North say "Pikachu" over and over again? I don't.

@blueduck: Do you have something against that?

@Video_Game_King: If Final Fantasy can make movies, why can't SSB?

Super Smash Bros. is my favorite fighting game series ever, so I think that making an SSB movie is something fans would like to see. These are the actors I'd choose for the characters. This is a VOICE fancast, okay? No live-action. The characters' designs are too stylized to be realistically portrayed by actors.

Okay, here it goes...

Heroes

Charles Martinet as Mario

Were you expecting someone else? Only Charles Martinet can voice Mario, that's a definite fact. I'd ask him to keep his Italian accent to a minimum, though, to avoid offending Italian audiences.

In the movie, Mario has a brief fight with Link. Also, Luigi does not appear, and he seems to get along with Link. To prevent outrage from fans, the fight with Link will end on a draw. Mario will show that he has manners like apologize to Link for fighting him. Mario becomes a mentor to Link throughout the movie. I will also establish a love triangle between him, Samus and Peach.

Josh Keaton as Link

I liked Josh Keaton in The Spectacular Spider-Man and Green Lantern: The Animated Series. He proves that he can voice youthful protagonists, so it fits to him that he voices Link.

In the film, Mario and Link are similar in personality: brave, honest and committed to do the right thing. The only major difference is that Link is a little more unsure of himself, so Mario has to be a mentor of sorts to Link. Link and Mario are the dual protagonists of the movie.

Malin Akerman as Samus

Malin Akerman was great as Silk Spectre in Watchmen, proving that she can play action girls. Other women I considered for the role were Megan Fox, Hayden Panettiere and Jennifer Lawrence.

In the movie, Samus is in the early stages of her career as a bounty hunter. Also, she will be a love interest to Mario, creating a love triangle between her, Mario and Peach.

Ian Harding as Fox

I like Ian Harding in Pretty Little Liars. His voice reflects both youth and maturity I considered bringing Jim Walker, Fox's voice actor from Brawl and Assault, but I decided to get another actor for the role.

Okay, the movie would happen between Star Fox Adventures and Star Fox: Assault, so Fox is still getting the hang of hand-to-hand combat without a staff. He ocassionally uses his blaster to stun opponents.

Roger Craig Smith as Sonic

I decided to keep Roger Craig as Sonic as to keep up with current times. Before keeping RCS, I considered Ryan Drummond and Jason Griffith, Sonic's former voice actors.

In the film, Sonic will flirt a little with Samus and will be friends with Snake, balancing Snake's brooding with his optimism.

David Hayter as Snake

Yeah, I think I'd make the entire Metal Gear fandom a favor if I brought David back to voice Snake.

The movie takes places after Metal Gear Solid and before Sons of Liberty. Snake is still in hiding, so Mario and the others have to call in some favors to help them in their adventure. He gets along with Sonic and Fox.

Villains

Hugo Weaving as Bowser

I liked how Hugo voiced Megatron in the Transformers movies. He was ruthless and savage, and that's the reason he could be Bowser.

Bowser in the primary antagonist in the first movie, but he would be a supporting antagonist in the sequels. He organizes the other villains so that they can destroy the heroes and rule their respective universes with an iron fist. During the final battle, he transforms into Giga Bowser and fights Mario.

Ron Perlman as Ganondorf

Ron Perlman has an awesome voice, and you have heard him in Hellboy, Teen Titans and Halo. He would be a cool Ganondorf.

Ganondorf is Bowser's lieutenant, but, in typical villain fashion, he is planning to betray him and obtain control of the evil alliance. During the final battle, he transforms into Ganon and fights Link.

Clancy Brown as Ridley

I liked how Clancy Brown voiced Parallax in Green Lantern, so I gave him a shot a voicing Ridley.

Ridley does not care at all about the villain collective, and only wants to kill Samus for repeatedly ruining his plans. In the final battle, he transforms into Meta Ridley and fights Samus.

Supporting Characters

Jennifer Lawrence as Peach

I liked Jennifer in X-Men: First Class, so I think she would be better suited for Peach rather than Samus.

In the film, Peach has a crush on Mario, and is jealous how close Mario and Samus are. There will be a love triangle between her, Mario and Samus. She, along with Zelda, with appear at the end of the film.

Keira Knightley as Zelda

I'll be honest with you, I disliked the Pirates of the Caribbean movies but I respect Keira Knightley as an actress. Besides, I wanted a British girl to voice Zelda to give the character a more regal appearance, since Hyrule is based on Medieval Europe.

Zelda's relationship with Link will be that of "close friends since childhood who are actually in love with one another, but are too shy to express it." She, along with Peach, will appear at the end of the movie.

Conclusion

That's all, folks. There will be a second part in the foreseeable future. The sequel will introduce other classic character, like Kirby and Pikachu.

I planned to make a love triangle between Mario, Peach and Samus to develop the characters in a drama setting. It's based on the Betty-Archie-Veronica relationship from the Archie comics. In one side, you have kind-hearted and patient Peach (Betty); on the other you have action girl Samus (Veronica). But let's also remember Samus is a drifter (Betty), while Peach is a princess (Veronica). So, in the end, both girls are blends of the two archetypes.

See you later.