Is Ocarina of Time (N64) Overrated?

[bluejay]

37 minutes ago, Steven Pendleton said:

Challenge accepted. My Nt mini will be getting here in a few days and I've never played it beyond the first few minutes before getting bored, so...

 

It will take me a while (somewhere between a month and a year or 2. It's pretty low priority~) to get around to it, as there are other games that I want to play first. I will also be playing the FDS version because of the FDS audio, so yay, Japanese text! I can read Japanese, but it's going to be in kana only, most likely, as I don't think the FC can do kanji in most cases. No kanji actually makes it harder to read, unfortunately.

Good luck.

 

In other news, I played a bit of Wind Waker out of curiousity, and the graphics were far better than expected. A massive improvement over OoT, wouldn't be surprised if someone told me it was released yesterday. Playing on a Wiimote+nunchuck isn't ideal but it works for now.

Wish I could read Japanese as well. I mean, I technically can read kana, it's just that I can't interpret anything. Just the sounds.

[NE146]

I was vacationing in japan the summer Link's Awakening came out, so I played and finished it in the hotel in japanese. After finishing it, much later on when I eventually played through the english version I realized that because I couldn't understand it in jap, I probably found that first playthrough much more enjoyable precisely because I had to figure things out! Everything then had a little bit of mystery and more of a puzzle element to it, just like Zelda 1.  e.g. I had no clue what the heck the phone was for.  When I could finally read it in english, all the hints just spelled out so much for the player and seemed a little too much hand-holding that it seemed a little more lacking. Of course the japanese version did that too, but (thankfully) little good that did me.

 

On another note, since we're talking about Zeldas. I'm obviously a fan of the classic Zelda formula with overworlds and dungeons, etc.  So I always shied away from Breath of the Wild because it just seemed so radically different. I bought the game at launch and only barely touched it. I didn't like the weapons breaking constantly, the lack of dungeons, etc., the 'food' mechanic, Link's odd magic, etc.  Well only this summer, 3+ years after release I finally said I would give it a solid go and attempted to immerse myself in it. Well I'm really glad I did and became obsessed with it for the past couple months.  It's not classic Zelda but it also is in many ways. If you've ignored it (like I did) for whatever reason, give it another try. 100% Nintendo magic.

 

 

 

[CatPix]

It's interesting because BOTW was created in being a pure "classic" Zelda, that is, being a vast overworld where you explore at your leisure. They could'nt do that as well with the NES limitations, but that was the idea all along.

So in a way, BOWT is more classic than the Zelda we grew to love and play.

Though, yeah, I really missed the classic temples. They could had easily made, with the tabled thing, a "temporary" weapon that only activate in temples. Maybe for BOTW II?

Anyay, it was a fresh breath after the clumsy and awkward Skyward Sword.

At for OOT reading about it made me pull the N64 and play it again... I mean I played it on the 3DS when it "came out" but even on the XL version, it's still a big screen game squished on a tiny screen.

And what can I say, the magic is working again.

The game does have issues, yes... but it's fair for it's time ?

[bluejay]

Skyward Sword is only ruined by motion controls that don't work very well. I'd really love to see a remake on the Switch or any next generation console that features motion controls that works accurately more than 90% of the time. But motion control is such a big part of Skyward Sword that it would be awkward to remove it altogether.

I would imagine people 15 years from now would look at SS the way some of us look at OoT today. Both were games that were remarkable at the time featuring "ground breaking" technology, with OoT's being 3D and SS being motion controls, and it's clear neither aged very well. They're good games at heart but not as enjoyable to the player due to their flaws.

That being said, I'd much rather play with clumsy motion controls than ass-y 3D implementation. 

[CatPix]

Personnally I'm the opposite.

 

You can work out with cluncky 3D.. and frankly OOT works rather well on that part, but broken motion controls get in your way every time.

Do you wanna know how I fought and won the last fight with SS boss? the one where you must have precise moves?

I took the controller in my left hand (because I hurt my right wrist trying to do that battle for 10 minutes) and I just pounded it on the floor, like I was grinding flour.

And it worked.

REALISTIC MOTION CONTROL HERE.

That being said, IMO Skyward  Sword still pales compared to previous opus.

The main area feel small, the other areas feel small as well, travelling between them takes so much "void" time (because let's be honest, flying doesn't feel like sailing and even less like horse-riding, or wolf-running...)

That being said I liked SS, the graphics are very nice (sadly without enough drawing distance IMO) and a absolutely LOVED the mechanism that reverted time locally, I was brilliant and very easy to use in game.

But really, Skyward Sword feels more like an early GameCube title, compared to the larger scope of Twilight Princess or the Wind Waker. As if it was a late N64/early Gamecube title they shelved, and dusted out years later, making it feel much "smaller".

[bluejay]

By "clunky 3D implementation" I mean not just the graphics and controls, but how much more difficult it is to search figure puzzles out because 3D. I don't know about you, but I prefer a ridiculously easy puzzle over one that makes your brain turn into a play doh.

3D isn't even the biggest flaw of OoT, it's the old Zelda formula itself. Cryptic and complicated. Wind Waker isn't much better but it definitely is an improvement over OoT. And combined with the ass 3D implementation makes it a flawed and outdated game.

[CatPix]

Well, that's the opposite for me, and the reason why BOTW didn't pleased me as much as it should... gone were the puzzles in the temples. Though, honestly, the puzzles in OOT aren't so complex and between Saria and Navi, the game just lead you by the hand, all the time.

I can understand it's not for everyone but for me it's part of the experience.

[bluejay]

By the looks of it I'm probably going to finish the Wind Waker first, Skyward Sword second, and Twilight Princess third. If I get sick of one some point in the future I can switch to another and play that for a while.

Meanwhile, trying to play Gamecube games without a Gamecube controller is a complete pain in the ass. I'm using Nintendont so I can use a nunchuck and a Wiimote since I don't have any other compatible controller, and since I only have one analog stick the C stick of the GC controller is mapped to the C button on the nunchuck plus nunchuck tilt. It's not accurate nor controllable so trying to conduct using it is next to impossible. I really need to find a better solution.

But other than that, Wind Waker is proving to be fun. I needed some hints a couple times (i.e. I couldn't find the kid in Windfall Island that was hiding in the tree) but other than that it's much more playable and enjoyable than Ocarina of Time.

[Steven Pendleton]

On 12/6/2020 at 12:47 PM, bluejay said:

Good luck.

 

In other news, I played a bit of Wind Waker out of curiousity, and the graphics were far better than expected. A massive improvement over OoT, wouldn't be surprised if someone told me it was released yesterday. Playing on a Wiimote+nunchuck isn't ideal but it works for now.

Wish I could read Japanese as well. I mean, I technically can read kana, it's just that I can't interpret anything. Just the sounds.

Wind Waker's a very nice game. Some people might not like all of the sailing and stuff, but I found it enjoyable even as a kid since there is so much stuff to find, which is unusual for me since normally I don't care for that sort of thing. The game really has a set order in which it basically forces you to do stuff. Some people may hate that. Some might not. It's quite linear from what I remember. You talking about Wind Waker makes me want to set up the Wii U and play it again.

 

Keep practicing Japanese and you'll get there eventually. I only have about 2 years of formal study at university level, but I'm sure that living here for 9~10 years now has helped at least a little bit. I do struggle to understand things that are not written with kanji, though, since it can be difficult to figure out the meaning when the meaning isn't conveyed visually and you have to figure out what is going on. That's why I generally avoid playing games that are only in kana. With kanji, even if I can't actually "read" it, I can still maybe figure out the meaning since I was taught in school how to do so, which really helps my reading comprehension. Japanese people do the same when they find kanji that they do not know. Like I said, keep practicing and you'll get there. I don't want to hijack your topic, though, so yeah.

[Bod2019]

In answer to the original question.  No.

 

Great game, I had it at launch on my N64, couldn't stop playing it, made sure my son picked it up on his 2DS XL when I knew it was available.  It'll be nostalgia, but I still love the game.

[SiLic0ne t0aD]

No way! It's a masterpiece! One of my favorite games of all time, ever! Definitely my favorite Zelda game.

[bluejay]

I've nearly completed the Fire Temple at this point(fricking like like ate my red mail and hylian shield; so I died attempting to fight Volvagia with my green tunic and no shield.) and the game's growing on me. However, I still think it hasn't aged very well and everyone's looking at it through rose tinted glasses, and children these days will not have a very fun time playing OoT(N64) if it's their first time playing an "old school" Zelda game. At this point my brain is trained to look for what I need to look for to solve those puzzles, so I can get through at least 80% of a dungeon without getting some kind of help.

Again, I totally understand people who love OoT because they played it back when it was a groundbreaking game. But from a millennial's perspective it's just an old game that's moderately fun.

[Corridor]

The fact that you actually have to explore to figure out what to do is what makes this game great. It sounds like you're too used to open world games like Skyrim/Assassin's Creed that have quest markers on literally every single thing you have to do. I honestly could never get into those games because they're mostly boiled down to mindlessly following a quest marker instead of actually figuring things out for yourself. There are games that are way more cryptic than Ocarina of Time, like the original Legend of Zelda on NES. Now that is a game that I would call "too cryptic". IMO games like A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and Wind Waker have the perfect amount of cryptic for an adventure game. And yes, I would rather have a game with puzzles that are "too hard" and resort to a guide a few times over a game being mindlessly boringly easy. And by the way, I'm 17, so there's no nostalgia blindness going on.

[Steven Pendleton]

That ^ is absolutely reminiscent of the Colonel in Metal Gear Solid 2. Speaking of the MGS2 Colonel...

 

I was a North American Fall Webworm in my past life. Those were the good old days... What were you in your former life?

 

Oh, and in case someone is curious, no, I still have not played the original Zelda yet. I've been lazy, but I did also say it's pretty low priority.

Edited April 1, 2022 by Steven Pendleton

[GameGirl420]

On 11/30/2020 at 10:57 AM, bluejay said:

The original Zelda is definitely overrated. It's just a slightly above average NES game that was great at the time but aged poorly. A Link to the Past is much better than the original, but it's very noticeable that it's an outdated game. Same goes for OoT. I think I'll have to change the way I think about these games; I think I expected too much from them. Maybe I should take the "search every square inch of the map" approach, but I mean, it's not very exciting to zigzag across Hyrule looking for odd looking walls and rocks to blow up.

Again, the flaws of Ocarina of Time is mostly due to hardware limitations. The 3DS remake was much better than the N64 original, improving upon the flaws that couldn't be fixed because Nintendo 64. Give me a few weeks to beat the game. Maybe I'll change my mind once I do.

My Wii's probably gonna arrive today, so I'll give Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword a shot as well, and see if I like them. I'll try the Wind Waker once I get the Gamecube bits I need. That is, after I beat OoT.

Again, I'm not saying they're bad games. I can't deny that they were amazing games back in its day. But the older games have simply aged poorly and to my eyes not as good as they must have been back when they were new.

Interesting. I always thought Zelda 1 was a bit of a Gauntlet ripoff imo. 

 

I like OoT but never had the patience to beat it. What about Zelda 2? 

[+jgkspsx]

17 hours ago, Steven Pendleton said:

I was a North American Fall Webworm in my past life. Those were the good old days... What were you in your former life?

A giant isopod. Gotta say, I miss the pressure.

[Steven Pendleton]

11 hours ago, lushgirl_80 said:

Interesting. I always thought Zelda 1 was a bit of a Gauntlet ripoff imo. 

Zelda 1 is a complete Hydlide ripoff.

 

Well, it seems that the weird post from before mine got deleted. I'm not really sure what was supposed to be conveyed in that post, but it was definitely something. Something that made little sense, but still something.

Edited April 2, 2022 by Steven Pendleton