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Link vs. Link
Published: 2011-07-27 22:48:57 +0000 UTC; Views: 86846; Favourites: 4249; Downloads: 1514
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Description
While graphics have improved over the years, Link's design has taken some definite steps backward. At least when I looked at those chunky pixels, I imagined a cool scrappy kid elf, and not the androgenous pretty boy that Nintendo's designers want him to be now.This was done for the Avalanche blog "Legend of Zelda" tribute for the 25-year anniversary of the first game.
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Comments: 504
Heh, this reminds me of that Disney movie Tangled.
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MAAAAAAN This is amazing! I just love it!!!! This brings me some nice memories and also a fresh air on them!! U have an amazing talent!!! How much to make a wallpaper and other scenes of this???
AMAZING!! Congratulations!!!!
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I feel where you're coming from.
The chunky pixels of what mario was to me use to be like a dirty grimy plumber. Now he's a fresh clean looking mario.
Not that it changes me liking him, just what I have noticed.
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25 years, wow. This drawing illustrates how far the Zelda series has come!
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Hee-hee! I shared this picture with a friend using the Facebook sharing button found on this page--and was delighted to see that after typing my description the next step was clicking on a button with the following label: "Share Link".
Great picture and beautiful artwork.
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I'm sure you've heard no end to it, but I'm positive that the fans and test audiences have more to do with his current look than what the game directors would probably want. Final Fantasy 12 infamously added an androgynous character (Vaan) after Japanese focus groups bemoaned the lack of one.
That said, I've always enjoyed the original's, Link to the Past's, and Windwaker's designs over the Ocarina styled one.
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I always thought that Vaan was a parody of the last useless androgynous protagonist Tidus.
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Nope. [link]
"Q: There seems to be a trend of FF games towards younger looking, more effeminate male leads. Did you ever consider making a more rugged looking hero?
Lot's of laughter as the super translater person tries to figure out how to describe Vaan as "effeminate."
Yoshida: In the early stages of development the hero character was more rugged -- big and tough. As we started shaping up the scenario and taking into consideration the target demographic, the character became what you see today. There were other ideas tossed around."
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Windwaker was/is the bane of the franchise.
Besides, in the manuals that came with 'Link to the Past' and such, he was originally the androgynous anime character that he is today, which couldn't be expressed at all in a 12x8 16bit and 8x4 8bit sprites.
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Naw, CDi is the bane of the franchise, Windwaker was fucking glorious.
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"Windwaker is NOT what all true warriors strive for!"
~The King
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Reminds me of Link if he was in the Shrek Universe
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'dem hips!
Very unquie way of blending the two links together. Love it!
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"modern" Link does not have a figure NEARLY as girly as that which you have given him here. It looks like you put a green tunic on a brunette barbie. I fart in your general direction.
& "old" link looks like a sadistic, chubby five-year old.
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As of Twilight Princess, Link finally got some proper legwear, how is that not a huge step in the right direction? I have progressively more and more problems with the character designs and overall style of Zelda games ever since things first started going downhill in the N64 entries, but Link isn't one of them. Or at least, he usually looks significantly less bad than the rest of the cast of any given Zelda game. So yeah, I would agree the series' designs have taken steps backwards as technology went forwards, but not with Link himself. Then again, I don't mind pretty boy heroes in general, so different strokes for different folks.
Aesthetic differences aside though, amazing digital coloring as usual.
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All the ranting in other people's comments aside, I freaking love this, agree with it wholeheartedly, and screw anyone who disagrees with a personal opinion. And I know it's been said over 9000 times, but that sword is nothing short of incredible. Not only a great technique, but what attention to detail!!!
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PS Congrats on the DD
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HAHA, I love it and feel the same way. Chunkster Link looks like Stewie from Family Guy! So awesome!
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I saw this and started laughing. This is sooo great!
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Meh, I don't mind the "pretty boy" design, it's just the bj lips they've been giving him lately seem really jarring and weird.
Anyway, lovely pic, little Link is adorable.
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This is pretty awesome. My only big peeve is that the Link on the right totally has a woman's torso. I know it's stylized, but good golly, dem hips! Other than that, very cool. Great work with the textures and face details.
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Woman's torso was intentional. I hate the new Link.
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Man ever since Sonic Generations was announced EVERYONES been doing this bringin the classic and modern forms of a VG character and having them interact but besides that this is clever
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No, Pretty Link Thats My Master Sword! NO, PRETTY LINK THATS A BAD PRETTY LINK!
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Agreed ... even when they made ocarina of time I thought of him that way, in OOT he actually kind of seemed ... manly? badass? not sure quite how to put it in one word 
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I was also a little disappointed in Link's "new, hip" look as well, but at least the game is still fun to play. I love the artwork!
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SUPER SWEET! LOL dats how I pretty much imagined Link back when playing A Link to the Past. Ah... Good times! I think Link was still pretty MANLY in Oot...
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Awesome art
OoT was the first Zelda game Iβve ever played but I totally agree with you. If they want to make a character handsome, fine, but they should at least give them a design to match what they do. Link is always fighting monsters so he should have battle scars and a bit more muscle (but not too much because the last thing we need is for him to turn into one of those clichΓ©, overly-buffed βmachoβ characters).
But what they did to Link doesnβt compare to what they did to Samus. Once, she was one of the most badass characters ever and now sheβs practically a porn star according to her fans. They couldnβt just make an updated version of her keep her old look, no; they had to make her a blue-eyed blond with big boobs and giant butt. And that means a lot coming from me since Iβve never played ANY of the Metroid games (but Iβve watched enough fanart of her to know of what they did to her). Personally, I would have left her with green hair since it helped differentiate her form other βprettyβ blond characters and make her more unique and since this videogame is about a woman who fights evil life forms in space using a high-tech suit, the whole βthey-canβt-give-her-green-hair-because-itβs-unrealisticβ excuse is useless.
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"but not too much because the last thing we need is for him to turn into one of those cliche, overly-buffed "macho" characters"
you mean like in resident evil? I hadn't really played many of the games after 2. But not to long ago I played four for just a bit and noticed Leon suddenly had bulging muscles of steel. And then borrowed five and noticed Chris Redfield looked like he was on steroids ...
so yeah I have to agree there ... and that Samus thing. I've always been a pretty big fan of the whole series; and it wasn't too bad in Metroid Prime but then in Super Smash Bros. Brawl they OF COURSE introduced the Zero-Suit version ... they couldn't just leave that to be one of those easter eggs for a "perfect completion"
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Iβve never played RE games but I think I might have seen some characters. The whole overly-buff thing is ridiculous. Big muscles make you slower so they actually make the characters weaker and less flexible.
Yup. Fanservice is nice and all but sometimes they just take it a little too far and make it disturbing.
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well I'll admit I hate posting links on DA but
redfield from the FIRST game [link]
and then the fifth one ... [link]
a HUGE jump ... and I don't believe he even changed until number five. Which my very first thought when seeing him on the cover of number five was "why?" although really didn't mind that too much until I found they also butchered the story line. I have to wonder why companies seem to always take their best games and change them into something that usually only sells for the title, one review and you find out how bad they are
lol this has gotten so off topic
anyways great art
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Now thats just rediculise. if i spelled that right lols.
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Hilarious, I love this Picture HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
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Great sense of humor + incredible artistic skill = incredibly well-deserved DD.
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As much as I love the focal point, I can't get enough of the details in the background! Truly a wonderful piece 
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Personally, I like them both. Growing up I saw "pretty" Link moreso than the other, but they're ALL still Link. Granted he looks a tad different, but I've grown to love all of them. Still, seeing them side by side like this is quite humorous. I think it's the expressions. They both have so much life in them it's near impossible not to giggle a tad at them both.
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Reminds me of something you would see in a Dreamworks movie xD
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Ahhhhahahaha this is great
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Congratulations! My favorite games of all time. THis painting is hilarious. I love it.
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