The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Reviewed by Adam Massey
Whoa! This game is way to cool to be able to put into words, so I hope
that mine don't degrade the game to any of you. Easily the most anticipated
game ever made by Nintendo, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
(a.k.a. Zelda 64) has proven to be superior to every game currently on the
market, including Super Mario 64 (which had nearly given me a heart
attack hen I first saw it). This game displays many of the possibilities
of the N64 that no other game has yet achieved. First and foremost is
the ability to create a realistic 3-D fantasy world in which you can
literally see for miles, as opposed to the continual "pop-ups" of games
like Super Mario 64, Star Fox 64, and (on certain occasions) even Goldeneye.
The control and camera systems are both a gift by themselves. The controls
are the easiest controls I've ever learned to use in a game with so many
functions. The Z targeting system is an interesting concept that actually
works surprisingly well in the game. The camera angles are quite optimal,
as you never lose view of link, which was a common problem with me in Mario 64.
The way this game's story works is an interesting part in itself. You start
out with Link being only a child of the Kokiri, who has just received his
fairy. He is summoned to see the Great Deku Tree, who explains that he
is cursed, and asks Link to go inside it and break the curse. And so, this
masterpiece of a game begins. As you travel through the land, you come
across an owl, who talks to you in pretty much the same way as the owl
from Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. After traveling through the Deku
Tree, Dodongo Cavern, and Jabu-Jabu's Belly, and acquiring the Kokiri
Emerald, the Goron Ruby, and the Zora's Sapphire (as well as Princess
Ruto's flipper in marriage.... I'll let you find out about this), you can go and
activate the Temple of Time, and from there you'll become an adult. Seven
years has passed, and Ganondorf has gotten the Triforce and ruined the land.
It's now up to adult Link to save Hyrule from Ganon's evil.
Graphics A+
Were there any doubts about the grade this one would get? The graphics
of this game are breath-taking. The rich detail and extreme beauty of
Hyrule are only part of the coolness of the graphics. When you are an
adult, and things have been destroyed, the detail of the destruction and
the ruination are equal to the beauty of the childhood version. On top of
that, the cinematics of this game are completely amazing, especially
those involving the many confrontations between Gannondorf and Link.
The graphics of this game are just impressive.
Music and Sound A
What's there that I can really say? This is probably the worst aspect of
the game because they left out the original theme song of Zelda. Instead,
they had something completely new and, although it was cool, it just
didn't give me that feeling of "Zelda". Besides that, the music is great.
The music sets the perfect mood for where you're at.... or in some cases,
where you are going. An example of this is the Nocturne of Shadow, which
often reminds me of a funeral, and the song warps you to the Sahow
Temple, which is a big tomb. Kinda cool, huh?
Game Challenge A+
This game is quite challenging. Even if you manage to conquer all the
dungeons as a kid, all the temples as an adult, and defeat Ganondorf, there
are still hidden challenges, such as getting all 20 hearts, all 100 gold
skulls, and all four bottles. The game poses many frustrating points at
which the game is most hated and at the same time most fun. The more
secrets you find, the easier it is to finish the game.
Frustration
Depending on where you are in the game, the frustration level can be
very low (Deku Tree, Jabu Jabu, Fire Temple), moderate (Dodongo Cavern,
Forest Temple, Shadow Temple, Spirit Temple, Gannon's Castle), or hard
(Water temple). In the times where it is low, you probably won't spend
more than about ten minutes or so on each puzzle, if even that. Be grateful
for these lower frustration times, because when you reach harder ones,
you will be using lots of Asprin. On moderate frustration levels, it'll take
you maybe an hour or two to figure out the dungeon and finish it. The
highest amount of time I spent of any of the moderate places was 2 hours
and 20 minutes (approximate). For the hard ones (which would be Water
Temple), it will take anywhere from 5 hours to 2 days. I'll let you squirm
over this one :).
Overall A+
In conclusion, I would like to tell you all that I had been waiting for 3
years (which is even before the 64 actually came out) for this game to
be finished, and every night, I'd stay awake and imagine how this game
would look, and it met or exceeded all my expectations, which is very
rare for games to be able to do. I highly recommend this game to any N64
owner. It's a keeper. You GOTTA love this game.