Ok, so first some background. Here is a list of the games in order of release, and the platform on which they were available:
1986 - The Legend of Zelda - NES
1987 - The Adventure of Link - NES
1991 - A Link to the Past - SNES
1993 - Link's Awakening - GameBoy (DX Released 1998)
1998 - Ocarina of Time - N64(3DS version released 2011)
2000 - Majora's Mask - N64
2001 - Oracle of Seasons -GB Advance
2001 - Oracle of Ages - GB Advance
2002 - A Link to the Past & Four Swords - Gamecube
2002 - The Wind Waker - Gamecube
2004 - Four Swords Adventures - GB Advance & Gamecube (Anniversary addition released 2011)
2004 - The Minish Cap - DS
2006 - Twilight Princess - Gamecube and Wii
2007 - Phantom Hourglass - DS
2009 - Spirit Tracks -DS
2011 - Skyward Sword - Wii, Wii-U
So it's really hard to say which one was my favorite, considering all the different platforms. The gameplay varies so much! That being said I will try to condense a few all-around favorites, as well as the ones that I didn't care for as much.
FAVORITES:
1.)The Legend of Zelda - NES
I think this has to go down as the best because it was the first. The music is classic, and the quest was awesome... and I was exactly 7 when it came out. I remember that figuring out the puzzles would take me forever but when I did... awesome. Downsides were the baddies that made you lose your sword usage for a while... and the gameplay was kinda stiff, even with nothing to compare it to. Nevertheless, when that opening music hits I get tingles. Same for going inside the first labyrinth.
2.) Majora's Mask - N64
Beautifully put together, and the mask subquest was the best. Also, being able to transform into other creatures for the first time was rad. Most people say that Ocarina of Time, the direct precedent and sorta parent game to this one, was the best because it came first, but I think MM was where they honed the magic of what they could do on the N64. Story was A++
3.) Oracle of Seasons - GBA
Loved the story - loved the fact that you could change the seasons. Having the landscape of the map change depending on the weather was really fun. Also, the ring collecting sequence added a new element not unlike RPG's where you could hedge your power depending on what you were carrying.
4.) Minish Cap - DS
The new DS platform allowed handheld games to still be beautiful and complex. They got really artsy with this one and I loved it. You could interact with so much and see things from different perspectives. Also continued on the "collectibles" subquests which I like as a way to stretch the game out.
NOT SO FAVORITES:
1.) Link to the Past - SNES
Graphics and music were annoying and disappointing. Gameplay is choppy. Stop with the stupid falling rocks already. Baddies were boring.
2.) Wind Waker - Gamecube
I think I was put off by how cartoonish the graphics were here. I want to lump Phantom Hourglass in with this one as well for the same reason. (Also PH's labyrinths were unnecessarily hard.) Spirit Tracks was the same coding, but that game was more fun. Anywho back to Wind Waker - I feel like it had a lot of potential. The baddies were great here, but the formatting was pretty annoying. Also it was really glitchy, and the conductor method of musically conjuring things was laborious. Pretty labyrinths, I guess. The water one was, at least.
3.) Skyward Sword
WHAAAAT?!?! How could you not LOVE the latest and greatest?!?! It was a work of art!!! Well I'll tell you where they lost me - the stupid sequences where you had to sit back where the characters went blah blah blah blah for hours while you sat there with 5 more seconds before your sleeping toddler was due to awaken and you're just like "I just want to play my stupid game already!! Shut UP!!!" That and the weapons upgrade aspect was very loosely put together. They could have made that great but it was way too arbitrary. Oh, and the main bad guy made me feel check-under-the-bed uncomfortable. OH AND AND the dumb big dark thing you have to spend 20 minutes killing comes back to life every alternate labyrinth. Fucking just DIE when I kill you!!
So there's my report on the LoZ impact on my life.
Final note - if Japan ever deigns to make Freshly Picked: Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland for any of the English speaking nations, I will add that to the list. The Emu/ROM hack I attempted didn't go over well as my katakana is not the best.
[This message edited by Jrazz at 11:47 PM, March 31st (Sunday)]
