Added 06/12/07
The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Back to me ol' N64. Y'know, I grew up on its predecessor, the Super Nintendo, and ITS predecessor, the Nintendo. Neither did I have a Zelda game, but on both a Mario. This was the first Zelda game that I got. As you could probably tell from the number of reviews (That will be FINAL, anyway.), it kinda got me hooked on swordfighting... Alternately, we could blame that on my enjoying The Princess Bride's swordfight between the two protagonists, but I'm just rambling.
The storyline is not quite that unique. Going in, I KNEW that Zelda would be kidnapped. But, surprise! It starts off not with Zelda getting snatched and Link the only one with the wherewithall to even try to save her, but it instead starts off with Link getting waken up by Navi, his new fairy companion. ...After a while, she becomes his ANNOYING fairy companion, but that's just me. ...Or is it?
As it turns out, Link's surrogate father (A talking tree, no less, with an Old English tongue.) has been cursed by some nut from the desert for not giving him a stone. ...What, you want a kidney stone? I got yer kidney stone right here... ............. Anyway, this desert guy's curse happens to be an infestation of bugs. (Heah?) So, Link has to figure out how to eliminate the buggies. Now, his "friend" doesn't let him even meet with the tree, so Link has to locate a Sword and Shield before charging in head-long into danger, as per the norm. ...After all that, Link is then told to go and speak with Zelda. About time she got into the storyline...
That's the plot given in the first few cutscenes in a nutshell. As far as plot delivery, I'd say it's pretty good. There are a couple of plot holes and some twists, but nothing really unusual. ...And, yes, Zelda DOES get kidnapped by Ganondorf, just REALLY, REALLY late in the game. I mean, just-before-the-final-battle late. Sorry, everyone, Nintendo DID go back to the cliched stuff...
Anyway, good ol' Link's got a few new tricks thanks to the 3D enviornment. No longer is the spin attack your bread-and-butter of knocking out things early on. Nope, now, you've got a good ol' Jump Attack that does double damage and leaves you REALLY open to attack. Link also has a few other moves, like stabbing and an overhead slash. He also rolls around on the ground. No, this does no damage, but it's a nice little speed boost, and it busts open the crates you find.
As far as gameplay, this game is not that shabby. The engine is pretty solid, but the problem becomes, even the bosses become simple once you figure out their patterns. Heck, Ganondorf is REALLY easy. Even the fourth boss is harder than him! Each enemy has their own pattern. If you know the pattern, you've already beaten them 99% of the time. The other 1%? You'll get real cocky, real fast, and that often kills you.
Graphic-wise, the game is pretty detailed. I won't say Majesty-detailed, but you can see that they put a lot of effort into things. As far as flimsy graphics? None, really. I'll just note, though, that... Well, Nintendo pushed the envelope with the E rating. The "Great Fairies" will tell all... Oh, and a couple graphics got nixed from the game in version 1.2. The Mirror Shield, in particular. There were a couple Islamic symbols that ticked a few people off enough to complain. Personally, I don't really care much since I can't tell what the heck was on it to begin with. Also, Ganondorf bled red in the first version. Then, he became Vulcan and bled green. ...Okay, THAT I understand. It did get a little gritty near the end...
Musically? When is a Zelda game weak musically? ...Phillips aside. The Zelda theme is, oddly, absent here, but good God almighty, the soundtrack is EXCELLENT. ...I will note, though, that the 1.2 version of the game has one music score removed and replaced. Why? Well, there was a Muslim chant in the Fire Temple that annoyed some people... ...I don't think I'll ever understand what makes people complain about a video game's music. Mute, anyone? ...Ahem.
Where does the game lack? Polish. There is an FAQ with all the glitches and rumors and such about this game, although it's pretty old and missing a few. One... Well, I sent a chicken into space. ...Now, granted, I don't think anyone expected me to try that, but, couldn't a few more lines of code work? "Uh, Houston? We have a... chicken." This one is probably my favorite, if only for the absolute humor in it.
Other glitches? I've managed to escape capture at the Gerudo Fortress, even though I was spotted (Can't catch me, I'm on a horse!), which is really annoying, considering the game doesn't let you leave the area after being spotted. Also, someone forgot to remove something and left Navi glowing green in the kitchen at Gerudo's Fortress. Annoyingly, there's nothing there! Oh, and when Link runs over to a friend to check on him after the poor guy gets flung about twenty feet, Link actually adds insult to injury by stepping on the guy's hand! This never got noticed, but it's quite amusing.
Even so, those are the glitches I haven't seen reported (Minus the Gerudo Fortress one. That one is hard to miss.). And I'll bet that NO ONE has found the chicken before. To be honest, I was really amused when I found that one out, I was just messin' around with the dang thing.
As far as horse riding, this new feature isn't really used much, but it's enjoyable. It's not that much of a secret, as the title screen has a scene of Link riding Epona, the horse, around Hyrule Field as the sun rises. As far as getting the right to use Epona, you have to win her in a race. Yes, my friends, you must race to get Epona. It's not that bad, actually. Only time you REALLY need Epona is during the Biggoron side quest.
What about Link's fashion? We know he has a green tunic, but what are the other fashions he wears every now and then? Well, like in the other games, he has a red tunic as well, sans the ugly violet hat that he got with it in LttP. It doesn't reduce damage by 3/4, but it DOES allow him to survive in the heat of a volcanic crater. ...No, it doesn't make much sense to me, either. He also wears a blue tunic, also sans the ugly yellow hat in LttP. This allows him to breathe underwater. (Wha?) Of course, it isn't really nessicary unless you locate other fashionable footwear.
Speaking of the footwear, there are three different boots to wear as well. The Iron Boots allow you to sink underwater. While some people are now wondering "Why?" rest assured, you wouldn't do such a dumb thing if you didn't have to. The Hover Boots, meanwhile, are a nice little addition that allow you to float in midair for a few seconds. As a result, you have no traction. At all. You'll get a little irritated after scrambling in place for a few seconds after running.
As far as suitability for that E rating, there are places where that comes into question. The Shadow Temple, for instance. There, about the only thing that would terrify a little kid more would be something out of The Exorcist, or The Shining. To say it's frightening is a little bit of an understatement... Beneath the Well is not any better. You see, after you drain the well in some weird twist of physics, you have to go inside it to get another item. Well, guess what? It's a mini Shadow Temple. ReDeads, Gibdos, and Wallmasters included. ...Don't get me started on those ****ing Wallmasters...
It gets worse with those freaky shriveled hands. You have a new foe, the Floormaster. This shriveled hand turns into three when killed, and if you don't get the three in time, you end up having to kill that dang thing again. And if it grabs you, it drags you to the entrance of the dungeon. After getting grabbed a few times on the GBA remake of the original Zelda, you can tell how irritating those things get, particularly when those things decide to grab you after getting past a nasty part of the area.
On the flip side, things do go in your favor at times. There are plenty of upgrades (provided you earn them first) and plenty of hearts. There's a total of 36 Heart Pieces. If you're as unlucky as I am, you'll end up getting 26. I've yet to figure out why. Also, the enemies, as pointed out before, are not that brilliant. Provided you keep the shield up.
I've got the original version of this game. The problem with verifying it in a picture is, it's a grey cart. I could point out that I got the Deku Nut upgrade only once and I didn't get the second one, but when someone asks for proof, they'll point out that you may have gotten it there. I could point out Ganondorf's blood color, but there, someone may point out that that was also 1.1. I could even point out the Mirror Shield, but again, it may have been there in 1.1.
The polish on version 1.0 is disappointing, but it allows some pretty wacky stuff. Like the Master Sword glitch. This one is rather strange, and I haven't used it yet, but supposedly, you can use C-Items on Epona after exploiting this glitch. Even better, you can use the Ocarina, drop off Epona, and the game STILL reads that you are on Epona. I've yet to figure out what in the programming screwed this up, but suffice it to say, I don't think anyone intended it.
The difficulty of the game is not too happy for me. I enjoy getting my butt kicked, only to dicover a unique way of figuring out how to defeat a foe. I like the feeling of accomplishment that I get when I get past an incredibly difficult portion. I don't like getting Game Overs, though, so that might be a plus.
Overall, I'm pretty pleased I got this game for only $7. The place was going out of business, so we got some games cheap. It's not what we'd call the ultimate 3D platformer, but it's not half-bad.
GRAPHICS: 9.6/10
GAMEPLAY: 9.4/10
SOUND AND MUSIC: 10/10
ORIGINALITY: 8.6/10
REPLAYABILITY: 6.9/10
OVERALL: 44.5/50, 89%
FINAL VERDICT: B+