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psettle's Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)
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| [February 20, 2008 05:55:45 PM]
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Gameplay:
So I got really into the game and what do you know almost 5 hours later I am three dungeons down and about to race to the temple of time to get access to the Master Sword. Well, I actually did get the Master Sword and from there on, I found out that being an adult isn't all that's cracked up to be. The next two dungeons that I went through were good if not much better designed than the first dungeon. My favorite one so far though has been the dungeon inside of Lord Jabu Jabu's stomach. It was kind of annoying dealing with Princess Ruto and trying to help her escape and find that damn stone of hers(not knowing it was actualy one of the crystals I needed to open the Temple of Time, but besides her constant nagging and the occasional weird attacks inside, that was pretty fun to play through. The second dungeon was alright, except it just seemed to be pretty repetative and the puzzles weren't as great as the other two dungeons that I faced off in. Plus the boss fight was way too simple in the second dungeon. I actually found more of a challenge with the boss in the other two.
When I finally reached the adult stage of the game, I was kind of mad that I lost some of my equipment, but then learned that it was possible to gain new and better equipment along the way. The world so far that I witnessed has gone from a very bright, peaceful place to this dark and gloomy hell hole. But of course, you can thank Ganondorf for that, according to the story line so far. One thing that I did notice was that there were some cool things that I could do with my Ocarina that I never could before. The Ocarina was a good addition to the the game, because it allowed for some cool abilities, especially the one where you can communicate to your friend and ask for advice. I can't count the many times where this came in handy when I had beaten an area and needed to go to where next. The transition between dungeons was sort of cumbersome because it seemed like I had to kind of guess where to go next. But this session was interesting and can't await another run through.
Design:
So like I said before, the change to 3D makes this Zelda game a notch above the previous games that were two-dimensional. Of course this game doesn't even hold a candle to Twilight Princess, but at the time they came out with Ocarina of Time, this had to be revolutionary for die hard fans of the Zelda series. The storyline of the game is somewhat similar to the other games, in the sense that this time also you have to fight Ganondorf/Ganon and save the princess, but the designers encapsulated this basic storyline into a much more developed background story than the previous games. But basically this story is very much similar to the one from Link to The Past. There is nothing wrong with this, except that most of the games follow the same basic princess/evil wizard trying to capture Princess, but it is a essential part of the Zelda games and as long as the designers figure out new people and puzzles to include with this plot line, Zelda games like this one and future Zelda games will continue to be successful.
In general, Ocarina of Time gave designers the flexibility of a large environment compared to older, 2D games but it seems that this was met with outstanding results. As you move through these areas, you feel like you are in the Kingdom of Hyrule. This is done through the use of very basic elements that we think of with old kingdoms, such as castles, horses, villages, and the basic weapon of Link, the sword and shield. One way that this game could have got it wrong was if they had left out the basics that made the Zelda series the success it already it. The reward systems are basically the same, you have to find new items to help you progress through the dungeons, find keys, such as the master key, to unlock doors in the dungeons, and kill the boss to get the crystal/stone and like always a piece of heart to increase your total life.
It may seem like the designers just got lazy and used the same old stuff and just made the game 3D, but the removal of these basic building blocks in all Zelda games would have left the player with something that has the Legend of Zelda logo, but nothing like they ever witnessed before. I think that if you have something that works and has continued to work before the next generation comes up, you shouldn't have to redo the entire game mechanic. Keep what works for you and has proven to work in the past, and just figure out how to incorporate new, small additional elements that make the game better than the last, which is exactly what Ocarina of Time has done and what makes this game a great addtion to the Zelda library.
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| [February 20, 2008 05:16:58 PM]
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Summary:
In The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, you take control
of our hero Link as he sets out on a quest through Hyrule,
trying to save the Hyrulian Kingdom from ultimate destruction
by the hand of the evil Ganondorf. Throughout the game, you must aquire
new weapons and skills to overcome the evil that is bound to destroy
the peaceful kingdom of Hyrule and ultimately save Princess Zelda from the evil wizard/thief Ganondorf.
Gameplay:
After playing most of the 2D Zelda games, it was kind of weird getting
used to the 3D version of the game, but I have to say this is quite an
improvement over the previous ones. Don't get me wrong, A Link to The Past was by far one of the best Zelda games ever created, but this one seemed to have some new concepts behind it that I thought were pretty cool. Right off the bat, you are thrown into this storyline that is quite compelling and interesting. The story behind the creation of Hyrule and the three Golden Goddesses is very intriguing because you build a back story into how you character must try and discover how the three parts of the Triforce became unknown to the world. One thing I found interesting was how this story began compared to the other Zelda games, In Link to the Past, you just know that you are some kid living with your uncle. In Ocarina of Time, you are a fairy child living in the Deku Forest, under the protection of the mighty Deku Tree.
During this play through, I was able to beat the first dungeon and leave the forest heading for Hyrule Castle. I have to say that this dungeon fight was much better then the other games because you actually felt like you were in some sort of underground area where you had to find some treasure and beat the main boss of the area. It had the same idea like previous Zelda games, but with the addition of 3D, the gameplay value goes way up as you progress through the areas of the world. As I entered the new and large map, I immediately understood why most of my friends claimed that this was one of the best Zelda's to this date. The area was full of wonderful artwork and details such as rivers flowing and the transition from day to night. Can't say that I witnessed much of this from a 2D perspective. In just one dungeon and completing a small portion of the story line, I am already hooked on this game and await another session sometime real soon.
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psettle's Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)
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Current Status: Playing
GameLog started on: Wednesday 20 February, 2008
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