• 3Jul 08

  A Zelda retrospective: Ocarina of Time

  Before I actually get started, I would like to apolagize for being so inactive lately. I could say that I was busy, or that I forgot about what I promised a long time ago. But the real reason is that I am a lazy bastard. I just didn't feel much like typing down the large chunks of text needed for these articles. Which, in some weirdo way, is also the reason why I am so inactive on your blogs lately: I didn't want to view my own profile so I wouldn't have to be reminded of my incomplete task, so I never checked your update either. I apolagize for being a lazy bastard, and I will make it up somehow. First and formost, by finishing the Zelda retrospective. Enjoy my views on the game that is still considered the greatest game ever by many people: Ocarina of Time!

  My friend: Say, do you know who that green guy is?
  No, but he is really good!
  My friend: Hey, why don't you check data to see which game he is from?
  Me: He is from another game?

  (Me and my friend, while playing my first N64 game, Super Smash Brothers. And you can easily guess what my second game would be)

  Me: JEZUS!!!!!

  (Me, during my first meeting with a wallmaster. God, I hate them, especially when I didn't notice my enlarged shadow)

  This, my friend, is the reason that I bacame a hardcore gamer in the first place. Mario on the SNES and Smash Bros on the N64 is all nice. But this is the first game in my library that could ever be named a core title. And I enjoyed it.

  I was about 9 years old at the time. And I regret that I wasn't born 5 years sooner. I was never able to enjoy the Sega and NES era. And I was unable to see just how awesome Ocarina of Time was. I just saw it as another game with some cool stuff in it, and I just took the content that made this game great for granted. I was still so young. Nowadays, I know how to recognize the greatness, but I will never be able to experience that feeling on my first playthrough. It's a shame really.

  But enough of the nostalgica. Just what is so great about this old game? I played through it just a few months ago, and it really started to show some age. The controls mostly. If you are used to the sleek swordfighting from games like 'The Wind Waker', then you will have some serious problems getting used to this game. But it will reward you like no other old game ever. this is the kind of game that doesn't only rely on it's great gameplay, but also on it's presentation of that great gameplay.

  When talking about 'presentation' on often thinks about graphics. And the graphics of this game are dated, nothing to be said about that. When talking about sheer technological power of detail and polygon count, the game won't score high by todays standards. But it's the little touches that should be doing the job. The small effects that you won't really notice unless you actually start thinking about. One of those effects are visible in the very first place you will visit once you started the game: Kokiri Forest. Despite the low horsepower, the forest looks very vibrant and alive. And I am willing to bet that it wouldn't look half as nice if it wasn't for a single, easy to overlook effect: sparkles. Random sparkles of fairy dust (or something) flying around the screen in random directions. It's there, in plain sight. But because it is so 'in plain sight' it won't get noticed. But it DOES add to the whole presentation of the place. It feels alive. The same goes for other things, like a moving sun and moon, light effects, and shadows. It's the touches that make a game feel alive, not the details.

  The beginning of the story is pretty generic. Very Japanese, to say it like that. An orphaned boy has been chosen by destiny to be it's champion in the battle against darkness.The story isn't the strong point, indeed. It's the way it's presented. The game makes you feel personally involved in everything, by showing likeable characters, sensible dialogue, a nice background, good music and a story that made sense in every way (even though the time line thing got messed up bad when you include other installments of the series). And also not unimportant: your actions did not only made the story progrees, they actually mattered to the in-game people. You will save Gorons from starvation, help out both princesses and farm girls, join bands of thieves, and so on. And they will thank you for it. Many Japanese games (read: JRPGs) fall for the age-old trap of the misknown hero. No matter what the hero does, the people around him wil just go on with their lives. Not even a few thank yous after the initial 'mission complete' cutscenes, if any at all. Just do your job and move on to the next event flag. Won't happen here: you are doing heroic deeds around the land, and you will be noticed. And that is just awesome!

  But it's the dungeons that really matter in a Zelda game, right? I kindoff disagree with that statement, but it's still a big part of it. And it has been done well, I can tell you that. Even though some of the temples might seem a bit unlogical (or even biological incorrect, in the case of a certain whale) they will keep you on your toes with some nice puzzles that work well. There are only a few 'insert key here' puzzles that only require you to drop a bomb or hit a switch somewhere without any real thinking to come with it. Every puzzle is there to make you think. It might seem obvious what to do at first, but HOW to do it is always something to find out. I can honetly tell you, that this game has some of the best dungeons I have ever seen. No frustration, but no cakewalk either. Just the way I like it.

  Fighting is good. If you walk into an enemy, then you are in for a fight. The monsters in this game pose a threat, even if it isn't a big one. Anything that has a name ending with 'os' (stalfos, lizardfos) will put up a big fight, and every other generic enemy can at least hurt you. No filler enemies around here. When they come at you, it makes sense, and it adds to the experience. But nothing beats the bosses or the sub-bosses. Every bossfight, from the Queen Gohma to the Evil King himself is epic to the max. If you liked the first, you will love the second. If you loved the second, you will adore the third. If you adored the third, then you will need to come up with a new word to express your love for the fourth boss. These are some of the best boss fighs one could ever find lying around in the world. I dare to say that even 'No More Heroes' had less awesome bosses. And that says something!

  The world that binds those dungeons together is pretty primitive, however. Only a few sidequests to be found here. Minigames are there, though. Practising archery in the shooting range works, even though it's a bit easy. Horse back archery is even better. But once again, the fan favourite just has to be fishing. Compared to the fishing game in 'Twilight Princess', this is very simplistic. But it works. It works very well. I remember back then, that I could spend hours on catching that one fish that 'doesn't even fit on the screen!'. It's addictive, it works. And it won't come back for some time on a console. For the rest, the overworld feels alive, but does little more. Something that 'Majora's Mask' did better. More on that on a blog later.

  Well, then I guess that I touched on most aspects on the game, eh? Then I guess it is time for a witty conlcusion. If I forgot something, feel free to speak out.

  GabuEx once said that Ocarina of Time was not the greatest game ever. I cannot agree, nor disagree. It is all a matter of opinion. But there is no possible way that someone can look at this game with an objective eye, and say that he/she thinks that this is not a great game. It is possible not to like it, because you just don't like the genre or something. But if I can recognize that a real-time strategy game can be good (god, I hate those) then everyone else can recognize that this game was, is, and will always be sitting lonely on the top, with very few companions.

  Majura out for now, be back soon. Promise!

  • Posted Jul 3, 2008 4:43 am PT
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• 31Dec 07

  A Zelda Retrospective: Link's Awakening (DX)

  (Before I get started, I would like to note that I haven't played either Four Swords games either, because of a lack of interested friends. So these will not get highlighted either. I will also make several references to A Link to the Past, and several other games that were listed in the ther blog. This is because I HAVE played most of them, I just never finished or spend all too much time with it.)

  Link's Awakening 1993 (DX version: 199

  'Why was it so cheap?'
  'Because it is a cIassic everyone allready played.'
  'Yeah, or it might be that it is simply aged'
  (me and my dad, when I told him how I spend my allowance)

  'You know, mom, there is one thing I do't get about this game: you fight monster using a sword and shield, yet you can always find yourself a phoneboot and call for help when you are stuck. Don't you think a people who has mastered electricity would have invented a bit more...effective weaponry?'
  (me, the occasion speaks for itself )

  Link's Awakening DX; The second Zelda game I ever played. And by no means a bad game. I was about 10-11 years old, and I certainly could appreciate it.

  The game starts out as a direct sequel to either Link's Adventure or A Link to the past, Link's Awakening does everything he can to bring an experience just as good as his console brothers, using the limited hardware the Gameboy had to offer.

  It begins when Link sails out to find better ways to defend his homeland, after Ganon's defeat. He finds himself in a great storm, sinking his boat, and drifting into Koholint Island. Here, he is found unconsious by a girl named Marin. After gaining some strength, Link sets out to awake the Wind Fish, who might or might not have to power to get him back home.

  Although the setting is completely new, LA had little room to innovate, and will play mostly the same as ALTTP, using the most of the controls and puzzleschemes. As ALTTP was a great game, no one would ever complain about LA. Only a few games on the system offered an adventure as big as here. The puzzles andaction were very limited in complexity, but never a real problem.

  However, fans of ALTTP probably complained on the very simple graphics. Most backgrounds were flat-out boring, and the overworld looked hardly interesting. In addition: most characters were extremely lucky to have more then one sprite, instead of only one sprite, and a mirrowed version. Graphics certainly weren't the games strongest points, and little was chenged in the DX version, apart from color.

  What LA did bring to the series, however, are three of the franchises most beloved sidequests / minigames. Starting out with fishing. For a price of ten rupees, you could fish one timein the pond north of Mabe Village. By casting carefully, one could easily hook one of the larger fishes, which are worth twenty rupees (and, the first time you catch one, a piece of heart). Reeling them in however, neede a lot more button mashing. 'Tap A to reel the fish in', he said. Man, sore thumps to the max.

  Also, another personal favourite of mine is the trading quest, where you go around the island, trading seemingly useless items(ribbons, dogfood, sticks)untill something usefull rolls out. This kind of quest made a triumphant return in Ocarina of Time, and has (by my knowledge) not made another appearance. Such a shame, as this was a main reason to find out the needs of the characters, and find out how you can fill it in. It added a bit to depth to exploring.

  Another feature which NEVER came back again, was the possibility of theft. You could steal from the shop, by 'sneaking' behind the man behind the counter, and take the item outside the door. This might seem convenient, but if you were ever to return to the shop, the shopkeeper instantly kills you with magic, and with that, all chances to succesfully finish the game, as you will need the shop multiple times. In addition, you will get reffered to as 'thief' through the rest of the game.

  The dungeons, although simple, were pretty good considering the platform. Enemies wherever you could (or couldn't)see, and hard to reach switches. It won't take long to finish a dungeon, but you will get some fun out of it. Perhaps it is also important to notice, though, that I got stuck somewhere, being so inexperienced as I was. I got so frustrated that I stuffed the game somehwere, and didn't finish it untill 2 years ago.

  And the boss fights are good. Simple as that. Although some were borrowed from ALTTP, and the weakspot was always rather clear. But because of that, the fights were always straigtforwar, and as epic as you can get on a handheld.

  Overall, Link's Awaking is a must-play for every Zelda fan. There is no way you won't get any fun out of it. I won't say it's the best ever, but it is good. Buy/rent/borrow it, and believe it. If you don't agree, feel free to get on a plane so you can kick me.

  Majura out. Probably out of commision for some time, because of New Year, birthdays, and Elite Beat agents. Lots and lots of Elite Beat Agents.

  Happy New Year!

  • Posted Dec 31, 2007 11:31 am PT
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• 27Dec 07

  A Zelda retrospective: tha rules:

  Well, so I finally got myself a DS Lite. With the Legend of Zelda; Phantom Hourglass. I finished it, so now, I am bored again.

  Bad for me, good for you, as you seem to have some interest in my forum. And because I have some time to spare: allow me to do the following: For the coming time, I will do a retrospective/review of every Zelda game I have ever played. But before I get started on that, allow me to put down some rules:

  1. The games will get highlighted in order of appearance.

  2. I am afraid that I missed out The original, Zelda 2, A Link to the past, and both oracle (working on it, perhaps, when I get bored again),and (thank god) the cd-i ones.So these won't be spoken about. Sue me, I was only 6 years old back then, with no knowledge of English or any language but my own. Plus, I am spoiled.

  3. These are my opinions. I invite you to disagree, but I assure you that I had my reason to come towards several conclusions. No flaming or any other stupid behaviour, will ya? I warn you on beforehand: I am a lighthearted guy, and I likemy games to be likewise. (which is why I am with Nintendo, off course)

  4. I am lazy. Therefore, everything that I write down comes from my memory, as I do not intend to play them for a while. I will try to keep nostalgica outside of all, and replay the game in my heads untill I refound every crook, nanny, flaw and accomplishment. Off ocurse, this method is far from perfect.

  Well, those are the rules. I will get to writing as soon as I feel like it. Somewhere this weeked or next week, certainly. Good luck to you all, and be sure to reply.

  Next on program: Link's Awakening DX

  • Posted Dec 27, 2007 1:42 pm PT
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