Twilight Princess: Revo controller support or not?

In what is quickly becoming a saga of operatic proportions, the issue regarding whether or not The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess will use the Revolution's controller has now managed to go through several phases: It's been rumored, discussed, explored, rejected, embraced, confirmed, resolved, denied, counter-denied, buried under a mango tree somewhere in the Dominican Republic and finally, posted on a myriad of Nintendo-themed blogs. Just like this one.

For those who have been unable to keep track of the whole thing either due to a lack of attention span or basic literacy (and we can certainly identify with that one), here's a short summary:

NGC Magazine: Holy yes! You can use the Revolution's controller with The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess!

Nintendo: What? Uh, that's totally not true. You guys are a bunch of liars.

NGC Magazine: It's true! Stop denying it! Jerks.

Well, that's a rather crude compression of events, but it should be enough motivation to get you thinking about what would prompt a magazine to risk its reputation and go up against the word of the actual creators of the game. Have they lost their minds? Is Nintendo trying to keep a brilliant idea under wraps? A more detailed version of the story and my own vaguely coherent thoughts on this situation follows.

It all started with European magazine NGC splashing a huge Twilight Princess preview across the pages of their January 2006 issue. It's arguably the most anticipated Gamecube game of all time, so it came as little surprise when they revealed as much information as they possibly could about the darker and more mature Link adventure. The real surprise came when the game's backwards compatibility with the Revolution was mentioned. We already knew that Gamecube games would work on Nintendo's next-gen console (it being backwards compatible with everything ever), but what we didn't know was that Twilight Princess would make full use of the Revolution's unique controller.

This, of course, set Zelda fans on fire (quite literally--several of them spontaneously erupted in flames upon reading this) and had them fervently speculating about fishing mini-games, grappling hooks and arm-waving sword 'n shield combat. What better way to get the Revolution on its feet with what is sure to be one of the Gamecube's most popular games? It made a lot of sense.

Or maybe it didn't. Nintendo was quick to dismiss the whole idea, stating that it was mere speculation.

"The article in the January edition of NGC Magazine is pure speculation. Nintendo have made no new announcements regarding The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. We can however confirm that the game is still in development and that it will launch on Nintendo GameCube in 2006."

Strangely enough, that denial didn't mark the end of the story. NGC Magazine's editor, Martin Kitts, responded with a denial of his own, stating that the "news came from somebody senior at Nintendo who, admittedly, probably shouldn't have let it slip before E3." He insisted that the magazine's content wasn't speculation but the truth, straight from Nintendo.

Had Nintendo revealed a little too much, a little too soon? That may have very well been the case. It seems increasingly unlikely that a Zelda game designed exclusively for the Revolution will be ready in time for launch, so why not have that rather noticeable gap covered up by a game that will already be completed by then? It's essentially a free launch title.

Does it really seem unthinkable that the game's initial and unfathomably painful delay had something to do with implementing true Revolution functionality? The game has since been labeled as a 100-hour epic, and I'd be willing to bet that plenty of those hours will be wiled away with all manner of mini-game, precisely the kind of thing you might envision yourself using a wacky controller for. I'd be more than willing to entertain the idea of using my controller as a fishing rod...and even more willing to use it as a fishing rod in a game.

But all this talk of Revolution fishing games is unhealthy (though we can expect the market to be flooded with them anyway). How about using it to aim the grappling hook? Or swinging it horizontally to mimic the motion of throwing a boomerang / PS3 controller? The big one would be to engage in full combat by flailing your arm wildly, swinging a sword and using the "nunchaku" analog stick add-on to guide Link about. Heck, even the 'ole Ganondorf tennis segments would be given a whole new spin with the Revolution's controller.

Dreaming about potential applications for the controller is something we've gotten used to over the last few months, but can we expect this particular case to become reality, even when Nintendo has made sure to stomp it to bits? As a strategic move behind a console launch, it would be silly to think that Nintendo had not at least considered this plan of attack. The Legend of Zelda is one of their most prominent franchises, the one that's sure to draw in the legions of fans. Twilight Princess in particular looks to be Nintendo's most epic effort yet, with a more mature art direction, a darker storyline and, in case you hadn't noticed, plenty of violent equine combat. Lest there be some sort of planetary catastrophe before it's released, this game is going to be big - and you want big games for a console launch.

But then, it's not really a launch title in the strictest terms, is it? Running on Gamecube technology and built from an existing engine (taken from The Wind Waker), this "launch" title would almost automatically be one of the most polished and least expensive to develop games out of the bunch, at least judging by the quality of launch titles in general. It'll be done by the time the Revolution launches (any alternate possiblity is too terrible to comprehend), so why not stretch it to be a flagship title for both consoles? A swansong and a triumphant opening number.

It would be a great method of transition between the consoles, as gamers will have a familiar set of characters and an established brand of gameplay to assist them in getting to know their new controller and the potential it taps into. Nintendo must be aware of this, and so must NGC magazine. After all, they're risking their reputation by denying Nintendo's own denial. That either says "they got it right" or "they're just plain crazy".

In the end, the lazy answer to all of this is that we'll just have to wait and see. Personally, I'd be willing to bet my vast supply of Rupees on Nintendo revealing full Revolution functionality for Twilight Princess at this year's E3.

Am I spot-on or should I kiss my Rupees goodbye?