Wind Waker missing dungeons

[Incognito D]

It's quite well publicised that 2 dungeons were removed from Wind Waker during its development.

[Spoilers below]

I'm re-playing it right now, and it's painfully obvious where one of the dungeons would have been; Instead of there being a third dungeon to compliment Dragon Roost Island and the Forest Haven, you receive the third pearl from Jabun, who basically just gives it to you after you go on a tedious fetch quest across the ocean.
I can't believe how blatantly there should be a third dungeon here, and it really leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
This is Nintendo we're talking about - since when do they rush games and release them too early? I don't know why they didn't delay it til Christmas 2003 and properly finish it.

Anyway, it's a real shame because I was enjoying it a lot up until that point. I think the reason I can't get over it is because I'm so used to Nintendo taking their time over games in development and releasing a quality, finished and polished product.

I also can't help but wonder what it would have been like if they'd seen it through. Probably a water themed dungeon based around Greatfish Island, which in the final version has already been destroyed by Ganon by the time you reach it.

Still enjoying it anyway, as it's still a quality game. I'll be looking out for any more areas where it seems a dungeon should be. Probably the triforce-hunting quest which comes later...

[Flake]

Personally, I am glad they left it out.

I tend to get dungeon fatigue about at the 60% mark on most Zelda games. The quicker pace of Wind Waker made it my favorite 3D entry.

[Xeogred]

Maybe I would've liked it more if these made it in, lol. I personally like the old Zelda's up to OoT the most, because they're a bit simpler and were more about the dungeon crawling which I loved. OoT still had loads of stuff cut itself, but that was maybe a different case (it was definitely one of those titles that got delayed again and again), and they still managed to get in like ~10 dungeons and other stuff.

[CFFJR]

Personally, I am glad they left it out.

I tend to get dungeon fatigue about at the 60% mark on most Zelda games. The quicker pace of Wind Waker made it my favorite 3D entry.

I dunno man, I loved Wand Whacker, its a great game, but the triforce hunt really slowed things down to a crawl.

I understand dungeon fatigue, but the triforce thing wasn't a good substitute.

[msimplay]

Lol the Triforce hunt I remember that man if I didn't have a guide I'd have stopped playing the game by then.

Was the most annoying bit of the whole game that stupid Triforce hunt

[Curlypaul]

I read Miyamoto saying that they left them out on purpose to shorten the game because they thought that too many people didnt finish RGPs because they can be too long.

This thread reminds me that I need to get playing Wind Waker again. I might bust it out tonight, although Viewtiful Joe is calling me as well.

[CFFJR]

I read Miyamoto saying that they left them out on purpose to shorten the game because they thought that too many people didnt finish RGPs because they can be too long.

If that was his intention then he screwed up big time.

Again, triforce hunt.

[fastbilly1]

This is kinda like how the Ice Cavern in OOT is obviously a dungeon that they had trim down

[Incognito D]

I read Miyamoto saying that they left them out on purpose to shorten the game because they thought that too many people didnt finish RGPs because they can be too long.

If that was his intention then he screwed up big time.

Again, triforce hunt.

I agree.

Surely that can't be true though - as they didn't just remove the dungeons - they removed them and then replaced them with time-filling crap anyway. So it took just as long, but wasn't as fun.

The problem I have isn't the number of dungeons, because Majora's Mask only has 4 - but it's only meant to have 4 so it feels complete. The problem I have is that whole parts of the game have been hastily covered up.
It's like going for your third badge in Pokemon only to find the Gym Leader and his minions don't want to battle you, and just hand you the badge anyway.

Edit - The one thing I just can't get over is; the Dragon Roost and Forest Haven dungeons are not long or hard. Are Nintendo seriously implying that programming one more dungeon of a similar size for the water pearl would have been too much to ask!?

[noiseredux]

Wind Waker rules.