Really I just wanted a link to this video on my blog. When I think about the new Wii and the new Zelda... I sorta wet my pants.
But seriously, video games have come a long way, but even with the original Legend of Zelda, the architecture, settings, and spatial design are crucial to the game play.
![Dungeon from the first Legend of Zelda](//photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7241/3733/200/zelda-orig.png)
The newest Zelda game, Twilight Princess, is no different. The game designers have created a lush, imaginative 3-D world, and typical for zelda games, the characters are dwarfed by their surroundings.
Grand Theft Auto had similar emphasis on settings, and one mini game featured in GTA: San Andreas, has you running around the GTA version of San Francisco, photographing the notable architecture.
![Image and video hosting by TinyPic](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vX7BLAu4wl6hzIKlKi5NZ7X5DhUTNpZDjUPLI7kngOPqNcRrcMcyUKPLCLVDVM2UI1yKRm48knr_JYbAKiO56eQlQseA=s0-d)
What's my point?
I love SimCity because it's a simulation game that marries several things I love... urban design, social criticism, architecture, etc etc. But the only problem I have with it is it's flatness. Even the latest incarnation, SimCity 4, there are beautifully rendered images with depth and shadows. But it still lacks the viseral qualities of GTA/Zelda.
![](//photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7241/3733/400/simcity4.jpg)
There are parts of GTA that are seedy and dangerous, while there are locations that are breathtaking. Zelda is similar... light and shadow, spatial proportions... all contribute to making a space feel safe or not. I guess this stems back to our earlier conversations about dark alleyways, farms and romantic locations. I just always feel like my simcity is pure AI rather than a rich complex place for people to live.