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Shakyjake's Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)
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| [January 26, 2008 02:59:10 AM]
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Gameplay #2:
My second session was one characterized by anticipation. I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next even though everything seemed vaguely familiar. Deja vu moments aside though I had a blast continuing my adventure throughout Hyrule which included defeating many foes and performing the rolling animation again and again...and ramming into objects again and again to hear that oh so familiar thud as head smacked into wall. The story was completely enveloping and I lost track of time for hours. Even though my first session ended barely having left the starting zone I now found myself having completed the entire Triforce.
I really have to say that I was incredibly impressed by what has always been my favorite boss battle. The fight against the electric jelly fish, for lack of a better name, to obtain the last piece of the Triforce. The environment feels like a living, breathing organism as you walk around it. The entire time I was convinced that I actually was inside of a whale.
Design:
My major gripe with this Zelda game is by far the cutscenes, especially the one that occurs when you first pull out the master sword and you are propelled through time. You literally sit there and read dialog as it slowly appears for what seems to be a good twenty minutes.
Apart from the dialog I didn't find anything that I disliked about the game. The dungeons all seemed very unique and I never felt like I was solving the same puzzle twice. The different themes of all the dungeons also prevent the game from feeling stale as each one is radically different from another ranging from sunken temples to a underground graveyard that is largely invisible.
The tone of the game is perhaps one of its most interesting aspects. when you are the young link the world seems much happier and carefree as things often do when you are in your childhood. However, immediately after you pull out the Master Sword the world has been taken over by Ganondorf and the same people who were once kind and carefree are hateful and unforgiving for the most part.
One aspect of the game that I found particularly relieving is the inclusion of a save anywhere feature that let you quit anytime you needed without losing any progress. This serves two purposes really as it lets the player stop and continue at his or her own pace and makes the game world feel less divided and more congruent.
This entry has been edited 1 time. It was last edited on Jan 26th, 2008 at 03:06:14.
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| [January 25, 2008 05:01:02 AM]
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SUMMARY:
The Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time is the action-adventure and puzzle game that defined a generation of role-playing video games. The game is fully three-dimensional which in 2008 seems rather unimportant but back in 1998 when the game was first released the only other major title to have done this was Mario 64 so being 3D was...kind of a big deal.
GAMEPLAY #1:
The game starts at a respectable pace and is quick to remind you that it is not a platform game via the absence of a jump button. I know, I flipped out also when I found this out and felt like a lost dog trying to find his way home in the dark. But alas! I found the light, or rather it found me and the game's tutorial instructor and personal guide, a fairy named Navi, appeared before me and was there to show me how to once again get acquainted with the still awkward N64 controller, not to mention make me comfortable in this oddly pixelated,I mean beautiful, world. For everything that I can say about the environment there will always be one thing that holds true and that is that it does a phenomenal job at immersing you into the world of Hyrule.
Suddenly the nostalgic feeling which I had been waiting for was awakened and I became even more eager to set out and defeat the evil Ganondorf, the series' antagonist. Rescuing Zelda was simply an afterthought when I was nine and thought that I should keep it that way. Things were more straightforward then. The formula for games to me that far back was simple. Step one was to kill the bad guy. There was no step two if you didn't include my victory dance.
The controls were easy to learn and it wasn't long before I was slashing away gleefully at whatever came my way. The targeting system which works by holding down the Z button to lock onto a target until released is a very nice addition to combat as it prevents problems created by bad camera angles that are often present in 3D games. It also serves to make Link's(the protagonist and poor sap that the player takes control of)hacking and slashing more efficient, which is a definite plus because I really do enjoy my borderline sadistic hacking and slashing...CHOP. The combat was really engaging and amazingly simple to use considering its depth. While locked onto an enemy it allowed Link to perform combat moves much more easily such as blocking or doing a jumping power attack. It also altered Link's movement capabilities. Dodging left, right, or doing a back flip became as easy as holding a direction and pressing a button which is great when you consider the alternative which is to receive a Deku Nut fired straight at you directly in the face.
This entry has been edited 2 times. It was last edited on Jan 25th, 2008 at 05:24:20.
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Shakyjake's Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)
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Current Status: Playing
GameLog started on: Tuesday 22 January, 2008
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