Hyrule Warriors (Legend of Zelda and the Dynasty Warriors sittin' in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!)

[Red Cap]

I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up fake, but its just so believable. The Palutena "leaks" actually LOOK real, too. But, again, I can't believe that they'd miss the opportunity for bringing back tons of old characters in such a game, ESPECIALLY if it isn't in the normal timeline. That's why I honestly don't believe the leak at this point...

 

...I'm just worried that it IS true and we get an all-new cast. That would absolutely suck. The thing that leans against that notion, though, is that they're already drawing enemies from throughout the series. Why not playable characters, too? I don't mind a couple of new ones... but an all-new cast?

 

I dunno, man. A lot of the characters you mentioned are just background fluff and/or can't really fight. It makes a lot more sense to have a few of the notable fan-favorite characters from the main series and then add in some new ones to balance out the playable roster. Plus, it doesn't seem like they're totally ignoring the main-line games seeing as the rumor mentions that OoT Impa is playable.

[JaidynReiman]

I dunno, man. A lot of the characters you mentioned are just background fluff and/or can't really fight. It makes a lot more sense to have a few of the notable fan-favorite characters from the main series and then add in some new ones to balance out the playable roster. Plus, it doesn't seem like they're totally ignoring the main-line games seeing as the rumor mentions that OoT Impa is playable.

Impa has been in nearly every single game in the series. That's hardly a comparison. Compared to Link and Zelda she varies far more, either looking like an older woman or her younger appearance from OoT/SS (these two are distinctly different, but still very close to one another), but she's still a major recurring character.

 

The notion that the characters I mentioned cannot fight is a misnomer. We haven't SEEN them fighting. And none of them are "background fluff" to the games they originally appeared in. They can easily give a variety of characters movesets, especially the Seven Sages who have powers over the elements. And although the Seven Sages have only physically appeared in one game and its remake (other than Zelda), all of them are referenced in both The Wind Waker and more notably, The Adventure of Link.

 

Groose could have a portable Groosenator if they really feel like it. Kafei was also never seen fighting, but he'd be the perfect fit (especially since he was just an alternate form of Link). Tetra would be cool, but because she basically is Zelda, I can't imagine Tetra unless they make a more realistic design for Tetra and make her an alternate outfit of Zelda.

 

Out of the four characters from Telma's group, all of them except Shad and Telma are clearly warriors, two of them have known weapons. Shad could be a mage, though. All of them play a major role in the storyline of Twilight Princess.

 

Malon's alternate, Romani, IS seen fighting, as well (she uses a bow), plus Malon's IS a recurring character. She doesn't always have the same name, but if you account for all appearances and variations of her, she's appeared it at least four games and I'm positive I've heard mentions of her appearing in other games. The four I can think of are Link's Awakening. where she was called Marin but is basically the same character; Ocarina of Time; Majora's Mask, where she appears as Romani/Cremia; and Four Swords Adventures.

 

The list I brought up left out villains, too. I meant to include Vaati in that list as well. Other villains are questionable because there's so few of them. Skull Kid is the only other one I can think of because he does appear in two games and another Skull Kid appears in

 

Now, I definitely anticipate new characters. However, this rumor states that the ONLY returning characters are the main cast: Link, Zelda, Ganondorf, and Impa. That's what I find hard to believe.

 

On another note... I really, really dislike Zelda getting a Sheik form. That was a gig she had in one game. I wouldn't mind an alternate costume by any means, but she shouldn't have any reason to change into Sheik. I can see it being an alternate outfit, maybe mixing in some abilities from Sheik to Zelda's default moveset, but that's about it.

[LimeTH]

Yeah, if it turns out to be real, I won't be particularly happy either, and I'm not a big Zelda person.

 

This is the perfect opportunity to bring back old characters. Why not take it? 

[Diogenes]

Personally I'd prefer if the game was mostly built on new characters. I'm not really attached to a lot of the secondary and tertiary characters in the series, and I'd rather the game have something of a coherent story and setting rather than just dumping a bunch of fan favorites in a pile and coming up with a weak excuse for it.

Or at the very least, I'd prefer if they "reincarnated" the characters, like the series already does for Link, Zelda, and some others, rather than drop in Literally OoT Saria/SS Groose/TP Ashei/etc.

[LimeTH]

That was actually what I had in mind. New incarnations of old characters in new roles. They've been doing that in other Zelda games for years.

[JaidynReiman]

Personally I'd prefer if the game was mostly built on new characters. I'm not really attached to a lot of the secondary and tertiary characters in the series, and I'd rather the game have something of a coherent story and setting rather than just dumping a bunch of fan favorites in a pile and coming up with a weak excuse for it.

Or at the very least, I'd prefer if they "reincarnated" the characters, like the series already does for Link, Zelda, and some others, rather than drop in Literally OoT Saria/SS Groose/TP Ashei/etc.

Well, there's different arguments. If its non-canon, why not build it off of existing characters? It can still have a coherent story if its non-canon. If it is canon, yeah, that's the main way to do it. Saria would be one of the few characters that wouldn't need to be reincarnated, though, notably (assuming she stays in the forest the whole time), but for the most characters, they'd be new incarnations of existing characters. Who knows, maybe that's what the article meant?

 

The other assumption is that the game takes place in the same timeline of an existing game; such as just before or just after another game. We don't know yet, but it appears to take elements from multiple games instead of just one. Which is also why I find it hard to believe they'd create an entirely new cast.

 

Oh, yes, another character could be a younger Daphnes. Daphnes is apparently some sort of ghost/spirit in Wind Waker, anyway, as he somehow survived for hundreds of years since the destruction of Hyrule.

[Blitz 'n Burst]

Vaati and Skull Kid would be great characters

[JaidynReiman]

Vaati would be excellent and would have higher chances than other villains. Skull Kid is popular because Majora's Mask is popular. Supposedly the Skull Kid from MM is the same as OOT and a similar Skull Kid appears in TP as well, though its probably not the same one. He may be a nod to the Skull Kid from MM though.

[Blitz 'n Burst]

While it's not explicitly stated it's pretty obvious that the Skull Kid (and probably other Skull Kids as well) is immortal, and the Skull Ki in TP knows Saria's Song, something the other Skull Kids shouldn't know. While it's not explicitly stated, it's safe to assume that the Skull Kid in Twilight princess is the same one from Majora's Mask and Ocarina of Time.

[JaidynReiman]

Its my speculation the TP Skull Kid is the same one, but we don't know for sure.

[Marcello]

Skull Kid is just bizarre. He acts like he recognizes Link MM, yet he's obviously from Termina. In OOT it's said that Skull Kids are children who got lost in the Lost Woods and lost their faces through that.

[JaidynReiman]

I think the implication is that he lives in the forest, so he wanders around and shifts between each world. Its very possible that he was from Hyrule in the first place, then later winds up in Termina.

 

The Skull Kids are basically what happens to children that get lost in the Lost Woods, the "child" version of Stalfos. Granted, this is inconsistent, so perhaps some Stalfos are created that way, but most stalfos are just undead. Either way its never clarified exactly who or what the Skull Kid is. Still, Skull Kid has appeared in three games. Whether its the same Skull Kid or not its up for debate, but other characters do appear in multiple games regardless.

 

EDIT: There is another thing that bugs me about the rumor. "Hyrule Warriors" is just a tentative title for the WESTERN release of the game. The rumor states, though, that the 25 or so playable characters are actually called the "Hyrule Warriors" in-game. That doesn't make any sense; the name Hyrule Warriors isn't even the final title, and its not being called that in Japan either (so far). The name comes from it being a Dynasty Warriors take on Zelda, so the notion that the playable heroes in-game are actually called the "Hyrule Warriors" does not make any sense from any view.

[Blitz 'n Burst]

Skull Kid is just bizarre. He acts like he recognizes Link MM, yet he's obviously from Termina. In OOT it's said that Skull Kids are children who got lost in the Lost Woods and lost their faces through that.

Skull Kid is capable of travelling between the two worlds, as evidenced by the fact that he appeared in the Lost Woods and lured Link to Termina in the first place, so it probably doesn't matter much where he originally comes from.

[JaidynReiman]

That's true, he does originate in the Lost Woods and lures Link to Termina. So yeah, I think that Skull Kid and Vaati would be decent antagonistic recurring characters that could pop up. I'd love to see characters like Ghirahim and Twinrova as well. Not really sure what they're planning, though. I just hope we do get a bunch of existing characters on top of a few new characters, even if they are just new versions of the same characters.

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

Say, I got two questions:

A) Do you guys think this will be a decent place to hop into the Dynasty warriors series? I havent played one before, and this one I am only really interested ind ue to the LOZ angle, but it does look fun, and severely hoping for playable ganon

 

B )  has anybody read/looked up the article on it in the official nintendo magizine yet? I think that was going to have some new info

[JaidynReiman]

Say, I got two questions:

A) Do you guys think this will be a decent place to hop into the Dynasty warriors series? I havent played one before, and this one I am only really interested ind ue to the LOZ angle, but it does look fun, and severely hoping for playable ganon

 

B )  has anybody read/looked up the article on it in the official nintendo magizine yet? I think that was going to have some new info

A.) I don't know much about Dynasty Warriors, but honestly, I've been waiting for Nintendo to try something new with the Zelda series FOREVER. I at the very least wanted some kind of war game spinoff, either an RPG game (and starring the main cast, not crappy Tingle), or something else, and honestly, this looks like a pretty good mashup. As long as they don't completely abandon anything from the Zelda series, and yes, I'm hoping for tons of playable characters from the series, including the main cast (Link, Zelda, Impa, Ganon).

 

B.) I've been looking for it but I can't find it. I don't know how much the magazine would be, or even where its at. I thought it was last month's, but now I'm thinking its actually this month's issue (well, next month's issue technically, but it releases in the middle of the prior month). So I don't think its out yet. Believe me, if it was out, we'd have heard about it by now; Zelda Universe would've at least mentioned it.

[Agie]

I only played a little bit of Dynasty Warriors Gundam 3 with my brother. It wasn't bad, though, so I expect Hyrule Warriors to be at least decent.

[ProfessorZolo]

As far as I'm aware, Mando, the entire Warriors series can be jumped into from any entry. Personally, I started with Warriors Orochi 2.

It really just depends on how much you enjoy the idea of slicing your way through thousands of soldiers with no resistance. I find it quite therapeutic.

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

NEW ARTICLE! from ONM

http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/57569/features/what-the-hell-is-link-doing-in-dynasty-warriors/?page=1

 

What The Hell Is Link Doing In Dynasty Warriors? And why you should care...

Posted by Joe Skrebels on 5th Apr 2014

 

6

It seemed like a joke. Nintendo is famously reluctant to let its characters appear on lunchboxes for fear of having them connected to Twix-related playground violence, so the idea that it might allow one of gaming's most iconic figures to star in a series based around slaughtering tens of thousands of dead-eyed meat sachets was more than far-fetched, it was the stuff of fantasy.

{C}More particularly, for Warriors fans, it was the stuff of dreams. On 18 December, however, we saw Satoru Iwata open his Nintendo Direct presentation with the announcement of a game that combined "the action of Tecmo Koei's Warriors series with the world of Zelda". We saw a short trailer depicting Link slice-dancing through a toddling throng of Moblins. Then we saw a near-blank title card - proof of just how new the collaboration was - revealing that, somehow, Hyrule Warriors (the final name is still to be confirmed) is a real thing.

 

Inevitably, people were confused. Some were unhappy. While it was clear to most that this was in no way the promised Wii U-exclusive Zelda game Eiji Aonuma and his gang had been working on, the very idea that Nintendo would lend its premier sword-swiper to a series so different to its own could seem like a mistake, never mind a turnaround in licensing philosophy. If you consider the building blocks of Zelda - the skillful skirmishes, the puzzle-like bosses, the boss-like puzzles and its wide-open worlds - then the idea of transplanting Link into a franchise that views combat as a one-versus-1,000 variant of piñata-smashing, the toughest puzzle of which generally amounts to 'how do I make this fictional Chinese hero explode most expediently?', at first seems counter-intuitive.

 

To understand what Nintendo's thinking is here, you need to look at the history of a series that's remained largely distanced from the company's consoles in its 18-year lifespan. Warriors is a huge franchise, almost unmatched for the sheer number of titles it encompasses, from the central spine of Dynasty Warriors (based on a hugely popular, 14th century book about Chinese history, The Romance Of The Three Kingdoms) to an entire series, Samurai Warriors, set against the backdrop of feudal Japan, and spin-off titles, such as the turn-based Dynasty Tactics, or even themed pachinko and mahjong entries. It all began with a single question, though: how do you combine history and action?

"The first Dynasty Warriors was a one-on-one fighting game," says Akihiro Suzuki, director or producer on almost every Dynasty Warriors title to date, "but at the time our company was a leader in creating history-based simulation games. Our president instructed us to 'challenge new areas,' so it was a project that began as our entry point into the action genre. We selected Romance Of The Three Kingdoms, since it is particularly memorable for having individual officers each playing very active roles."

 

That single decision to create a game based on history, and, in particular, historical characters helped shape every entry in a series that has defined its genre. Dynasty Warriors 2 cut its way out of the crowded realm of fighters to become an action brawler set across the historical battlefields of ancient China. It kept the focus on characters (and the style set forth by the book they're from - some characters kept specific animations from Dynasty Warriors 1 to 6, a decade-long span) but added light tactical elements, asking you to lead armies by example and kickstarting set pieces familiar to anyone well versed in the source text, from setting fire to the Wei kingdom fleet at the Battle of Chi Bi, to going up against perennial villain, traitor and seemingly invincible badass, Lu Bu.

 

At its best it feels like playing a real-time strategy from the perspective of a single, tiny unit, albeit a unit lent the godlike power of the RTS mouse cursor, changing things with every touch. Although, in this case, it's the touch of a rapier, snake spear or sometimes (and we're not joking) a gigantic, enchanted paintbrush.

However, many would say that, at its worst, the action becomes mindless. With such a huge cast of characters (the last main DW title had a roster 77-strong) each given an entirely different moveset based on their weaponry, movelists are forced to be short by necessity. Combos are few and actions repetitive, particularly for a series with roots as an out-and-out fighter.

 

Suzuki, however, sees the fighting as a piece of a bigger picture. "Some gamers criticise the game as being a 'button masher'," he says. "To resolve this and have players experience a sense of accomplishment, we created situations in which you couldn't simply fight without thinking."

 

Between the game's tactical elements - working out where an enemy attack on your general might come from and intercepting it, or systematically killing officers to rout an army's rank-and-file - and its set attack types (stunning a single unit or opting to bat away tens at a time), combat is simply part of how you navigate the battlefield. On harder settings, which Suzuki recommends more advanced players start with, Warriors is more of a bullet-hell shooter than brawler, tasking you with tough fights against a single boss, while avoiding being hit even once by their swarming minions. As he puts it, Dynasty Warriors can be seen as "a game genre in itself".

That genre's never clearer than when you take a look at what it's spawned as a result of that singular view. Including Hyrule Warriors, Tecmo Koei's now spun-off eight separate series along this template. Some simply take other historical events as a setting, like the aforementioned Samurai Warriors, or Bladestorm: The Hundred Years War (which took the classic England/France medieval dust-up - Joan of Arc and all - and, in typically over-the-top fashion, added elephant cavalry to the mix), but most have been in the form of licensed crossovers.

"I think our success comes from considering what is best for every title, and from never giving up on advancing," says Hisashi Koinuma, vice president of Tecmo Koei, and the man behind every Warriors mash-up. "There are parts of the source material and also of the Warriors franchise to which we have to remain faithful. We think about the parts that are valuable to each. What is important is that the end result is very good for both properties."

 

In essence, Dynasty Warriors' respect for what it draws upon has made it the ideal series - and developer, Omega Force, the perfect studio - to use as a foundation for games about entirely different subjects. It gives them a solid framework to work from, but preserves their style. As Suzuki explains, "The appeal of the characters is largely due to the historical episodes, or tales they are in, which make them fascinating. When creating the characters we're careful not to lose this primary appeal."

 

On that level, it's been a consistent success. While a series like (the occasionally woeful) Fist Of The North Star might not come close to the finesse or scope of Dynasty Warriors, there's no doubting their commitment to the source material. As leading man, Kenshiro, bursts skulls by hitting pressure points and post-apocalyptic goons stomp about in a way that only bereaved punk morons can, this is clearly a careful homage to the bloodied manga. The very best crossovers, however, often add something to the Warriors formula. Many consider the mecha-obsessed Gundam offshoot, with its bigger emphasis on speed and ranged combat, plus a beautiful cel-shaded style, to be the best Warriors games ever made (although this writer would argue that they sorely lack for the removal of Dynasty Warriors' equippable tiger bodyguards/pets).

Koinuma explains that to develop one of the crossovers, the ability to see what works on both sides - Warriors and the license in question - is key to making a successful game in the franchise. "You have to understand Warriors thoroughly, to love it. If that is a pre-existing base then we can come up with a lot of new ideas."

 

It seems that love is the problem from the perspective of the western market. While Warriors, particularly the Dynasty series, is incredibly popular in Japan ("Some people send chocolate addressed to their favourite character on Valentine's Day," says Suzuki), it's a far more niche prospect over here.

 

The producer puts it down to the kind of source material the team typically works with."I think the cultural difference plays a huge part in this. With Dynasty Warriors 2, the game system was highly praised in the west, but there was indifference to the story and world setting. In subsequent games, added elements, such as famous officers and historical episodes, get huge reactions in Japan and Asia, but no such reaction is heard from the west.

"I think some players have distanced themselves just because the world setting is based on 'Asian history', so for that reason there are probably many gamers who are missing out on the core elements of the game."

 

A traditional focus on anime and manga licenses for crossovers hasn't helped that perception, but The Legend Of Zelda is different. While many have pointed to the fact that a new Warriors game is always a winning prospect for sales in Japan, Hyrule Warriors could attract gamers in the US and Europe for an entirely new reason - this could well be the first 'western' Warriors.

 

The base template might differ from Zelda games in most respects, but with a combination of Omega Force's love of accuracy and Hyrule's appeal, built from a series that's run even longer than their own (each game ripe for adoption by the Warriors devs), this could offer more to the western gamer than any previous collaboration. The teaser trailer released with the game's announcement already shows a blend of Zelda's idiosyncrasies with frenetic million-man combat, but there are subtler elements that suggest this is as much about fan service as it is a money-spinner for Nintendo.

The teaser shows Omega Force putting the same care into its Zelda effort. It's there in the way that Link's combo slashes translate into the melodic stabs of tune we associate with Wind Waker's combat, and the way the Master Sword blasts arcs of blue energy. Not to mention Koji Kondo's classic theme tune rendered in Dynasty Warriors' ridiculous hair metal soundtrack style.

The Warriors approach to character selection could be of particular interest to Zelda fans. Dynasty Warriors is famous for its roster, which doesn't just include the generals and warriors of Romance Of The Three Kingdoms, but wives, strategists and other non-fighting figures.

If Hyrule Warriors takes a similar route, it could end up as a sort of Hyrule Historia for fighting, bringing to light the long-hidden pugilistic skills of Tingle, the Queen of the Zoras and that Wind Waker guy who says "SPLOOOOSH" when you play his Battleships-alike mini-game.

 

In many ways, Warriors has always been a form of fan fiction. It began as a fantastical take on already fantastical literature, placing players in famous battles and letting them change the outcome with their favourite characters. By this point, it's spawned the Warriors Orochi series - a spin-off of their spin-offs -which brings together characters from Dynasty, Samurai and other Warriors games, not to mention the likes of Ryu Hayabusa for good measure. There's almost no better series for a non-canon Zelda game to become a part of: Omega Force has pedigree.

 

It's a move that also benefits the developer. As Koinuma says, "We need to like the franchise for there to be mutual benefit from collaborating," and there's no doubting the benefit Zelda - and Nintendo - can have on the series.

Quite apart from the boost in profile, Nintendo's notoriously strict quality control should remove the technological stumbling blocks that have plagued many Warriors titles, namely the janky framerate - a gripe of ours with Omega Force's first two Wii U games.

 

In terms of combat itself, equippable sub-weapons and neat dodge mechanics are both brand new elements, while Zelda's monstrous bosses make for more interesting targets than 'another muscled guy in a fancy hat'. Seeing more tactical play unfold around a fight against a fireball-belching, somersault-attacking Dodongo laying waste to Hyrule Castle's guards has us very excited for other historic horrors we could be seeing fill our screens.

 

You can't help feel that Omega Force has struck gold. As Koinuma himself says, he's "been rejected many times" for other licensing ideas, but the sheer appeal of this one, to Warriors and Zelda fans, eastern and western, and the history behind it gives it an incredible amount of material with which to work.

The way it works with it could be the most interesting part of all. There's a huge amount that Omega Force can't talk about yet - whether the game will use Warriors' confined battlefields or Zelda's more open worlds, what the story could centre around and, most importantly, who else we'll be playing as - but you can tell every element is up for consideration.

 

During our interview, Suzuki constantly mentions how he could change Dynasty Warriors' combat, tactical elements or story formula - from in-game strategy commands to the fact he wants his writing team to "make him cry" one day - and one can only imagine the debates that Hyrule Warriors is sparking off. On Koinuma's part, his mind is firmly on the future: "Disney, Star Wars and Mario are just a few of the various franchises we'd like to work with."

 

That's perhaps as good a reason as we can give you for why Link belongs in a Warriors game. Far from its western image as iterators, this is a team that never stops thinking about how it could improve next and above all else it will want Hyrule Warriors to be its best game yet.

 

 

Joe Skrebels Staff Writer

Joe Skrebels is part-Latvian, part-Australian and all man. He hasn't written for almost every gaming magazine ever made. He's making an exception this time. Read more

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

Hey you guys, what if they put Midna in this(both forms), and revealed her, and several other fan favorites at E3? I mean some fan faves can be replaced by a new member of the same race, but Midna is relatively one of a kind(we never did see another female Twili), and both forms would fit in the warriors style. For that matter there are number of iconic characters that could go in, I mean they put Joan of arc and Achilles in WO3H,why couldnt they do the same in this?

[JaidynReiman]

Hey you guys, what if they put Midna in this(both forms), and revealed her, and several other fan favorites at E3? I mean some fan faves can be replaced by a new member of the same race, but Midna is relatively one of a kind(we never did see another female Twili), and both forms would fit in the warriors style. For that matter there are number of iconic characters that could go in, I mean they put Joan of arc and Achilles in WO3H,why couldnt they do the same in this?

Kinda hard to speculate until we know if they actually will bring back fan favorites rather than create an all-new cast. Personally I don't think they'd create an all-new cast at all, it'd be far better especially sales-wise to bring back characters than create a new cast. But we don't really know what they're going to do at this point.

[Mr Useful]

Hey you guys, what if they put Midna in this(both forms), and revealed her, and several other fan favorites at E3? I mean some fan faves can be replaced by a new member of the same race, but Midna is relatively one of a kind(we never did see another female Twili), and both forms would fit in the warriors style. For that matter there are number of iconic characters that could go in, I mean they put Joan of arc and Achilles in WO3H,why couldnt they do the same in this?

I think that having 2 forms of Ganon would fit too. One could be Ganondorf(Any Humanoid incarnation) and the other be Ganon(Pig form) I think Ganondorf could use a combination of either his fists/feet, sword, dual swords, and/or magic while Ganon uses his trident and magic.

[JaidynReiman]

I think that having 2 forms of Ganon would fit too. One could be Ganondorf(Any Humanoid incarnation) and the other be Ganon(Pig form) I think Ganondorf could use a combination of either his fists/feet, sword, dual swords, and/or magic while Ganon uses his trident and magic.

Definitely agreed on this part, Ganondorf should get both forms. I've heard one feature in Dynasty Warriors games is alternate costumes/skins, so various characters can have different versions of themselves. Their could be different versions of Ganondorf and also different versions of Ganon represented.

[LimeTH]

Zelda is a series where there can be multiple versions of several characters for every new setting. I don't see why they WOULDN'T fill it with fan-favorites.

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

Kinda hard to speculate until we know if they actually will bring back fan favorites rather than create an all-new cast. Personally I don't think they'd create an all-new cast at all, it'd be far better especially sales-wise to bring back characters than create a new cast. But we don't really know what they're going to do at this point.

 

 

I think that having 2 forms of Ganon would fit too. One could be Ganondorf(Any Humanoid incarnation) and the other be Ganon(Pig form) I think Ganondorf could use a combination of either his fists/feet, sword, dual swords, and/or magic while Ganon uses his trident and magic.

 

 

Definitely agreed on this part, Ganondorf should get both forms. I've heard one feature in Dynasty Warriors games is alternate costumes/skins, so various characters can have different versions of themselves. Their could be different versions of Ganondorf and also different versions of Ganon represented.

Yep, in Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper, each character(or least most) has 4 total costumes, though one tends to be a recolor, So Ganon and Ganondorf each having several alternate costumes that represent different incarnations is totaly possible

 

 

And the Fact is that Nintendo has 2 options both in regards to development and marketing, They can use this as the greatest celebration of Legend of Zelda's diverse history including its diverse cast of characters from the first game to the most recent, and a mix of new characters as well, for good variety. This will draw in new and old fans everywhere, and make the game a major draw for the wii-u.

Or they can just keep a handful of the central characters, make expies of existing characters, and have a new cast, but having a much smaller impact advertising wise, and less of a draw, and less iconic-ness

now there is no gaurentee they will go either way, but we will proably know at E3 as we are nearing release

 

 

Personaly I hope they bring on the nostaglia, and tons of classic characters, like both forms of midna, Vaati, Impa, and others