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LEGEND OF ZELDA: OCARINA OF TIME
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[Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Gallery]
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| GAME STATISTICS |
| A.K.A.: |
Zelda no Densetsu: Toki no Ocarina (Japan) |
| Release Date: |
 November 23, 1998
 November 21, 1998
 December 11, 1998
 December 18, 1998 |
| Publisher: |
Nintendo |
| Developer: |
Nintendo |
| Genre: |
Adventure |
| # of Players: |
1 |
| ESRB Rating: |
E |
| Our Score: |
Ape - 10 out of 10
Patrick - 8.0 out of 10
Overall - 9.0 out of 10 |
| Our Reviews: |
Patrick - Review below.
To submit one, click here! |
| Systems: |
Gamecube
Nintendo 64
Wii - Virtual Console |
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8.0 out of 10
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| The year was 1998 and it has been quite some time since the last Legend of Zelda game was out...That is, if you don't count the CD-i Zelda games, WHICH YOU SHOULDN'T! The age of 3-D games was upon us and the look of a top-down 2-D perspective in the old days were quickly becoming passe. Something had to be done to make the series more relevant to the modern age and Nintendo did not let us down. So without further delay, let's dig into The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
The story begins in Hyrule forest as 10-year old Link is summoned to try save the Great Deku Tree's life; but he fails. Before the Great Deku Tree dies, he gives Link some stone and tells him to go Hyrule Castle to talk to Princess Zelda. Once you arrive, Zelda assigns Link a quest to get some stones, get the Master Sword and the Triforce before the evil Ganondorf, King of Thieves, does. So Link gets the stones but Ganondorf beats him to the Master Sword and Link is trapped for seven years. When he awakens the world has changed for the worst under the iron fist of Ganondorf, so Link must find and awaken the Sages of the world as most of them have forgotten their identities after the change. All the while, this mysterious ninja named Sheik is helping you. |
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So what changes did Ocarina of Time have that made it relevant to the then-modern age? Well obviously the biggest change is the 3-D, and the graphics were really good. Well, they still are good with impressive character models and great cut-scenes. The other major overhaul is the battle system. It really pushed the context-sensitive style of gameplay to the forefront with the "A" button doing a multitude of actions depending on where and what Link is doing at the time. This system was so effective that it basically became the standard for all future Zelda games and then it was stolen for Star Fox Adventures.
For all the good that Ocarina of Time did for the Zelda franchise, it is not without faults. The biggest flaw that this game has is the infamous Water Temple. All it is you wear your blue tunic so you can breathe underwater and Iron boots so you can sink to the bottom of the temple. Then you have to manipulate the water level and take off the boots to float so you can up some levels as well. You do this over and over and over and over and over......and over and over and over again until you stumble your way forward where something much more evil will show up. The Shadow Link where 90% of the battle is perfectly symmetrical violence. If you remember Futurama that's the exact type of violence that never solves anything! I could talk about Navi, the infernal fairy, but enough has been written on her. |
| In short, this game is really good even though it's not the ultra-masterpiece that it's built up to be. The game looks great and plays well. The story is suitably epic and has one of the most badass final boss fights ever created. The collectibles are actually worth collecting so you can be a great warrior. This isn't as good as A Link to the Past but it's better than the rest of Zelda games....especially Wind Waker. - Patrick |
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