Paper Pokémon

Screw Paper Mario. Thanks to that series' last two entries, I've lost a lot of interest in the IP. (That said, if Nintendo can return it to its former brilliance--say, with a Wii U-based sequel that picks up where The Thousand Year Door left off--I probably could be swayed to give it another chance.)

I've far from lost interest in the idea of Nintendo games that feature a paper-y aesthetic, though. I'd love to see a The Legend of Zelda spin-off that stars characters and locales that look as though they're pieces of origami, for instance.

Would I like to play a Pokémon game that uses some sort of Paper Mario-esque art style? Until fairly recently, I would've responded to that question with a resounding, "Hell no!" Now that I've seen this deviantart gallery, though, I'm not so sure.

After all, artist Paprik-a's creations are as awesome as they are unique--or at least that's my opinion of them. Case in point: his take on Pokémon X/Y's Chesnaught.

His Delphox is pretty sweet, too:

As is his Greninja:

To see more of Paprik-a's inventive Pokémon portraits, check out paprik-a.deviantart.com or paprik--a.tumblr.com.

Speaking of Pokémon X and Y, by the way: which starter are those of you who are picking up one or both of these titles this weekend (or at some point in the future) planning to select?

Ever since I decided to buy a copy of Pokémon X, I've been leaning toward Fennekin as my starter (and Bulbasaur as my Red/Green/Blue starter).

A few days ago, though, I changed my mind and decided Froakie and Bulbasaur may be better picks--what with a special version of Torchic being made available to early-ish adopters.

Will any of you be taking a similar route, or will you be going with a different duo of starters?

Hey Nintendo, where's my 'New Legend of Zelda'?

You know what I find strange? I find it strange that the folks at Nintendo have yet to release a back-to-its-roots Zelda game (à la New Super Mario Bros. and New Super Mario Bros. Wii).

Instead, they seem to be obsessed with either recreating Ocarina of Time (see: Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword) or re-imagining Wind Waker (see: Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks).

Personally, I'd prefer it if the company's designers and programmers took the series back to its 16-bit glory days and produced a game that brought to mind A Link to the Past. It wouldn't have to be sprite-based, of course--although I certainly wouldn't complain if it were--but I do think it should use a top-down perspective similar to the one seen in the above-mentioned SNES (or Super Famicom, if that's your thing) classic.

"Watch Out for the Octopus 2" by folkfiddle

Going back to this so-called New Legend of Zelda's graphics for a second: Sure, the game could ape the New Super Mario Bros. titles and feature acceptably-crafted-yet-somewhat-boring polygonal characters and environments, but I'd much rather see Nintendo's developers push the envelope a bit. For example, they could make it appear as though everything in the game were created using clay or fabric (à la Kirby's Epic Yarn). Or they could turn to the Paper Mario series--or the image above--for inspiration and make it look like a pop-up book.

That said, I'll gladly accept slightly uninspired visuals if it means I'll get to play a "modern" Zelda game that feels and plays like A Link to the Past.

What do you think? Would you like the folks at Nintendo to release New Legend of Zelda for the 3DS, Wii U or both? If so, how would you want the game to look and feel?