Garcian Smith
January 29th, 2008, 12:04 AM
Reviewers Note: There are many new gamers arriving on the scene all the time, so I thought it may be nice to review past games. If there's a positive response, I urge more people to do the same, and I'll chip in as many as possible. Anyway, without further ado:
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64, 1998; GCN (Wind Waker Limited Edition), 2003; Wii Virtual Console, 2006)
http://www.garethrees.org/2004/12/01/ocarina-of-time/ocarina-of-time-logo.jpg
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of TIme (OoT) is respected as perhaps the best game of all time. It frequently makes top spot on many lists, a difficult thing to do, considering the bredth of excellence during and after it's release. As the first of my 'retro' reviews, I'll take a look back at the game, focusing both on how it felt at the time and how it resonates with me now.
OoT concerns the story of a young Kokiri boy named Link (or whatever your chosen name is) and his quest to save the titular Princess Zelda from the clutches of the evil Ganondorf. The main backbone of the story itself is rather flat - though it is the other stories you hear from secondary characters and the script that breath live into the plot. Sure, Nintendo and saving Princesses from cardboard cut-out villains are two-a-penny, but The Legend of Zelda has always managed to push the living world of Hyrule into the forefront, giving it a third dimension in terms of characterisation.
In this day and age, it may unnerve some who are used to fully voice acted videogames. However, if you've played the recent Twilight Princess the text-based dialogue shouldn't come as too much as a surprise. In fact, this reviewer thinks it best that voice acting (apart from the occasional word or grunt) has stayed away from the series, as in more than one occasion it has completely ruined the experience (Sonic, I'm looking at you).
Visually, OoT certainly shows its age, it is a Nintendo 64 game, after all. Yet I can't help but feel that its (now) simplistic visuals lend themselves a beautiful charm, as it envokes all the original feelings I had about the game. While the polygon count may not be high, its art direction is second to none. Each individual race (be they Goron, Hyrulian or Gerudo) has its own design, almost as if Nintendo tried to establish a culutral lineage which fans of the series could hypothesise as to their existence. Every dungeon is designed to be completely unique to the last, and - if one thing could be said about the visuals - it is very colourful.
The characters of the game, much like the level design, all have greatly differing looks. Perhaps most strikingly is the villain of the game, Ganondorf. He was designed specifically to look imposing, evil yet human. It's fascinating to think that not too long before OoT Ganondorf was portrayed rather comically as a pig creature, a monster, yet his human characterisation is the most intimidating of all(though his 'Ganon' form is also rather menacing).
The gameplay in OoT is marvelous. So much so that its basic structure has remained in all of the 3D Zelda games since, albeit redifined. The lock on targetting system (Z-Targetting) is nigh-on perfect, with each and every weapon (ranging from the lowly Kokiri sword to the behemoth Megaton Hammer) fitting in with the system flawlessly. Though one could argue that the system could make the game easier, the player is hampered by the fact that multiple enemies will attack you at once (something Rare messed up on in Starfox Adventures for the Gamecube).
On the subject of enemies, the boss characters are superb. Yes, they are quite easy to beat, they don't take many hits and you can be guaranteed that any new weapon you pocketed during the dungeon is the key to beating them, but the look and epicness of the fights are memorable. Take, for example, the boss of the Shadow Temple, Bongo Bongo, an ethereal phantom made up of a giant eye and massive hands. Though the boss is reletively simple, its a terrific fight and a perfect conclusion to one of the better (and quietly disturbing) dungeons.
OoT is a treat for the ears, even with the console's limited audio capabilites (not having CD music). The score that was written for the game lifts traditional Zelda music, and creates its own all in one mixed, beautiful bag. The standout track (and perhaps my favourite piece of game music of all time) is the final boss fight with Ganon. In conjunction with the actual fight (perfectly lit, epic) sent tingles down my spine, and still does.
If you've read this far, then you can probably guess how I'm going to conclude this. Ocarina of Time still remains one of my favourite games. The tight control mechanics, solid - if dated - visuals and an amazing soundtrack pump the game to almost legendary status. Just got into Zelda with Twilight Princess? Well, give Ocarina of Time a try and see where the Zelda 3D revolution kick-started.
Story: 7/10
Graphics: 8/10
Gameplay: 10/10
Sound: 10/10
Overall: 9.5/10
Bonus Feature: Read my review of Shadow the Hedgehog over at IGN here (http://rr.cube.ign.com/rrview/cube/shadow_the_hedgehog/734824/35880/)!
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64, 1998; GCN (Wind Waker Limited Edition), 2003; Wii Virtual Console, 2006)
http://www.garethrees.org/2004/12/01/ocarina-of-time/ocarina-of-time-logo.jpg
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of TIme (OoT) is respected as perhaps the best game of all time. It frequently makes top spot on many lists, a difficult thing to do, considering the bredth of excellence during and after it's release. As the first of my 'retro' reviews, I'll take a look back at the game, focusing both on how it felt at the time and how it resonates with me now.
OoT concerns the story of a young Kokiri boy named Link (or whatever your chosen name is) and his quest to save the titular Princess Zelda from the clutches of the evil Ganondorf. The main backbone of the story itself is rather flat - though it is the other stories you hear from secondary characters and the script that breath live into the plot. Sure, Nintendo and saving Princesses from cardboard cut-out villains are two-a-penny, but The Legend of Zelda has always managed to push the living world of Hyrule into the forefront, giving it a third dimension in terms of characterisation.
In this day and age, it may unnerve some who are used to fully voice acted videogames. However, if you've played the recent Twilight Princess the text-based dialogue shouldn't come as too much as a surprise. In fact, this reviewer thinks it best that voice acting (apart from the occasional word or grunt) has stayed away from the series, as in more than one occasion it has completely ruined the experience (Sonic, I'm looking at you).
Visually, OoT certainly shows its age, it is a Nintendo 64 game, after all. Yet I can't help but feel that its (now) simplistic visuals lend themselves a beautiful charm, as it envokes all the original feelings I had about the game. While the polygon count may not be high, its art direction is second to none. Each individual race (be they Goron, Hyrulian or Gerudo) has its own design, almost as if Nintendo tried to establish a culutral lineage which fans of the series could hypothesise as to their existence. Every dungeon is designed to be completely unique to the last, and - if one thing could be said about the visuals - it is very colourful.
The characters of the game, much like the level design, all have greatly differing looks. Perhaps most strikingly is the villain of the game, Ganondorf. He was designed specifically to look imposing, evil yet human. It's fascinating to think that not too long before OoT Ganondorf was portrayed rather comically as a pig creature, a monster, yet his human characterisation is the most intimidating of all(though his 'Ganon' form is also rather menacing).
The gameplay in OoT is marvelous. So much so that its basic structure has remained in all of the 3D Zelda games since, albeit redifined. The lock on targetting system (Z-Targetting) is nigh-on perfect, with each and every weapon (ranging from the lowly Kokiri sword to the behemoth Megaton Hammer) fitting in with the system flawlessly. Though one could argue that the system could make the game easier, the player is hampered by the fact that multiple enemies will attack you at once (something Rare messed up on in Starfox Adventures for the Gamecube).
On the subject of enemies, the boss characters are superb. Yes, they are quite easy to beat, they don't take many hits and you can be guaranteed that any new weapon you pocketed during the dungeon is the key to beating them, but the look and epicness of the fights are memorable. Take, for example, the boss of the Shadow Temple, Bongo Bongo, an ethereal phantom made up of a giant eye and massive hands. Though the boss is reletively simple, its a terrific fight and a perfect conclusion to one of the better (and quietly disturbing) dungeons.
OoT is a treat for the ears, even with the console's limited audio capabilites (not having CD music). The score that was written for the game lifts traditional Zelda music, and creates its own all in one mixed, beautiful bag. The standout track (and perhaps my favourite piece of game music of all time) is the final boss fight with Ganon. In conjunction with the actual fight (perfectly lit, epic) sent tingles down my spine, and still does.
If you've read this far, then you can probably guess how I'm going to conclude this. Ocarina of Time still remains one of my favourite games. The tight control mechanics, solid - if dated - visuals and an amazing soundtrack pump the game to almost legendary status. Just got into Zelda with Twilight Princess? Well, give Ocarina of Time a try and see where the Zelda 3D revolution kick-started.
Story: 7/10
Graphics: 8/10
Gameplay: 10/10
Sound: 10/10
Overall: 9.5/10
Bonus Feature: Read my review of Shadow the Hedgehog over at IGN here (http://rr.cube.ign.com/rrview/cube/shadow_the_hedgehog/734824/35880/)!