There's still plenty of critically acclaimed games out there I have yet to play, but put me in the camp that considers The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time to be the best game ever made. I didn't get to play it as a kid (no N64!) but eventually got to play through a significant chunk of it when I was at school, only for the game to remain unfinished as schoolwork piled up. Finally at the ripe old age of 26 have I been able to experience the whole game, and I really loved every minute of it, thanks to Webber, who let me borrow his copy of the 3DS version. Where to start? The levels? They're fantastic. From the Great Deku Tree to Ganon's Castle, I wouldn't change a thing. The decision to make the levels fit into the world around them rather than be a random series of underground rooms made for some interesting objective-based temples- destroy the viruses plaguing Jabbu Jabbu's belly! Climb to the top of a hollowed-out mountain in search of the legendary hammer, then whack down the platform you needed at ground level! I also have to address one complaint Marissa had in her post- yes, just one. She hated this game almost entirely for the reasons I loved it, but one thing felt factually wrong. In the Shadow Temple (where Bongo Bongo is indeed a major pain to beat), you can totally make a shortcut by moving a block out of the way just before you get on the boat. It's not quite as big a time-saver as you'll find in other temples, but it's there, with easy access to fairies and everything. Webber also posted about the 3DS version of this game, and seemed to be a big fan, but Kyle made a bit of guest commentary in his comment and didn't seem too pleased with the game. What gives? This seems to be the go-to 'greatest game' for lots of people and hardly makes waves when it's addressed as such, yet here on the Back-Blog we've had two very positive reviews as well as two very negative ones. Marissa called it frustrating while Kyle called it boring and easy; to me, only the last complaint of its ease holds any water. But when you're backlogging, you're rarely looking for a challenge, merely a game that can keep you excited and interested throughout its run. Ocarina of Time 3D handled this perfectly for me. Before I finish off this post, I just have to address how iconic the music in this game is. I'm a person who barely pays attention to the background music in games and sometimes just mutes it to use my own instead, but it's striking how many memorable tunes there are in the game. It certainly helps that most of them can be played on the ocarina (Zelda's Lullaby? Saria's Song? Prelude of Light?) But the adventure music of running around Hyrule and Hyrule Field is very easy to recall. My personal favorite is the southwern-flavored Gerudo Desert music- who would have thought mariachi music could work so well in a basic fantasy setting? If anyone on the Blog hasn't played through Ocarina of Time yet, do so. It is awesome.
This is the best version of the best game ever made.
ReplyDeleteThis game is the only real pull for me to get a 3DS. It was a huge part of my childhood - I still have the collector's edition box and game sitting on my shelf at home! I've replayed it time and time again. First on N64 (who knows how many times I've beaten it there). Then again when it was re-released for GameCube with alternate versions of all the dungeons. Then one final time with digitally downloaded on my Wii (that was probably around three years ago). Although the game is dear to me, is this new version truly worth purchasing along with the new handheld system? Is the 3D that stunning? Does the game offer any new innovations? Or, in the end, will it just be another stroll down memory lane? I not necessarily complaining that that would be a bad thing, just something that's not worth all that money and time at this point.
ReplyDeleteInnovations? Not really. The graphics are noticeably better (the background is barely improved, but the characters are far more detailed). The colors are much more vibrant as well. Those improvements alone made this game an amazing experience to play through once again. Another thing that I enjoyed a lot more than I expected was the ability to move your 3DS to aim with weapons like the slingshot. I always found aiming in this game a bit of a challenge and this aiming option works very well. Granted, you cannot do that sort of aiming easily with 3D mode on, but I found myself going back and forth with the 3D mode anyway. The 3D itself is pretty cool, but I find that it hinders gameplay more than I would like. If I were to guess, you would play with it on in the beginning, but would mostly have it off after the first few dungeons.
ReplyDeleteAs far as buying a 3DS for this one game, I cannot say. That's the reason I bought my own 3DS and did not regret the decision. However, games like Mario Kart 7 (my favorite Mario Kart) and Mario 3D Land (the best use of 3D I have ever seen in a video game and my favorite Mario platformer of all time) made that decision one of the better ones I have made.
The best thing I can say is that when I get the urge to play Ocarina of Time again, this will be the version I play.
To clarify, I found aiming in previous versions of Ocarina a challenge and that is why I enjoyed this version's option of moving the 3DS to aim your weapons. However, you can also use the tried and true method of moving the joystick to aim.
DeleteThe 3DS also helps a ton in the Water level because you can tap a button on the touch screen to equip/remove the iron boots, instead of going into the menu a whole bunch of times.
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