Hmm... Time to organize my thoughts.
In the videos released for Twilight Princess, I think Link looks more Japanese, in terms of phyical appearance, when he is a sheperd. When he is in his classical green tunic, the change is not noticable. Maybe when ZHQ2 goes back up I'll find some screenshots to compare and contrast.
Zelda 1 didn't really have detailed graphics or plot... I think the lacking allowed us as players to fill in whatever was missing with our own schemas and imaginations.
Zelda 2, 3, and 5 though... absolutely give me a Medieval feel. Swords, shields, arrows. Occassional scorcery. And the towns (and townspeople)! Link, in these games, reminds me of characters like Frodo or Robin Hood.
I started to "fall out" of the series from Majora's Mask. Transformations and Tingles weren't my style. It seems that every Zelda game since Majora's Mask is adding more and more from Japanese culture. In terms of goals, characters, animations, etc. Don't ask me to support this thesis. I haven't really played the games after Majora's Mask. I've only seen screenshots and art. Maybe I'm completely off base.
The change appears to follow a trend; namely, the rise in popularity of Japanese culture in the states. For example, if you looked at some American TV shows from the late 80's/early 90's, you'll see shows like Ducktales and Tiny Toons. Nowadays, if you watch Saturday morning TV shows -- now correct me if I'm wrong because I have not waking up early on a Saturday in years -- you'll see more anime. Yu-Gi-Oh, and the like.
It doesn't surprise me that Nintendo, a Japanese company, would release a game, Zelda, with a white hero. Well, if Nintendo is Japanese, and the game creators are Japanese, how come the hero isn't also? They had to market the game to an American audience. And the American audience was not comfortable with Japanese heroes. I've never compiled a list or anything, but how many games were developed with white heroes as opposed to black or Asian in the 2D era? Men to women? In recent years, has the number of games with non-white main characters in the US increased? If so, I suggest the reason for this is: game developers do not need to create only white game characters to market in America because Japanese culture is now popular in America.
Just for clarity, I'm only making an observation. I'm not trying to alienate anyone or be racist. But whenver race is discussed there is always some tension in the air. Hopefully no one misconstrued what I said as being racist. Personally, I would prefer a Medieval atmosphere, but that's just me. I was asking to see if anyone else noticed this change.
Thoughts?