Zelda man obsessed with besting Ocarina

By Robert Purchese Published 26 November, 2008

Eiji Aonuma won't stop till he's done it.

Eiji Aonuma has said he won't stop making Zelda games until he's done one that surpasses the renowned Ocarina of Time. He's obsessed. But in a good way.

"I'm happy that a title I worked on some time ago remains highly praised to this day, but that also shows how none of the subsequent games in the series have surpassed it," Aonuma told Nintendo Everything.

"As someone who is still working on the series, I have mixed feelings about that. Because I haven't yet surpassed it, I can't quit. Surprisingly, that simple motivation may be the reason I continue to work on the Zelda series."

Ocarina of Time was the first game Eiji Aonuma worked on in the Zelda series, which he now co-oversees with legendary Nintendo inventor Shigeru Miyamoto.

"Ocarina of Time was the first title I worked on, and I was continuously tackling challenges every day during its development, so I think this is the title I feel I impacted the most," said Aonuma.

"I believe that experience made me what I am now. I always think about what we couldn't do and what didn't work well in the previous game when we start a new title, but there's no game that I would want to actually change as such.

"I have to say though, the first Zelda game that I played and felt potential in was Link to the Past," he added. "I'm actually very interested in what it would be like if we remade that title as a 3D game."

Ocarina of Time is the most highly rated game of all time on both Metacritic and GameRankings. But what did anyone know back then?

You can relive those 1998 glory days by downloading Ocarina of Time from the Wii Virtual Console.

Nintendo, incidentally, has made no secret of new Zelda and Mario games being in development for Wii. When we'll hear anything more than that, though, is unknown.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (74) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Banksy #1 3 years ago

    I think he actually told this to Official Nintendo Magazine, not directly to that Nintendo Everything blog...

    Just saying.

  • Tomo #2 3 years ago

    But Twilight Princess is the best Zelda, everyone knows that! ;]

  • Ceatlan #3 3 years ago

    I've never really understood what's so brilliant about OOT, I played it thought it was OK but never got very far before boredom overtook desire to play. I've found Wind Waker and Twilight Princess both kept me hooked for much much longer.
    Edited by 1 at 26/11/08 @ 14:11

  • Vice.Destroyer #4 3 years ago

    Ceatlan, you Sir, are on drugs.

  • Ceatlan #5 3 years ago

    Vice.Destroyer - Maybe I am, I certainly know I'm in the minority as far as OOT goes anyway. I don't know what is was, perhaps it was the fact that everything looked like it had been smudged all over with mud that put me off. I mean all the graphics had a sort of slushiness and brown hue to them.

  • penhalion #6 3 years ago

    Part of the appeal of Ocarina was that it was fresh. The first 3D zelda and the puzzles and dungeons were just the right length. The side missions were fun (race the postie anyone) and you always felt like you were making progress.

    Subsequent Zelda games have all simply copied Ocarina almost lock, stock and barrel. Wind waker introduced a more interesting travel mechanic (the ship) but, left the sea as a barren blue wasteland. There were precious few side quest islands to find and when you did, they didn't give you anything you needed. No special weapons or super upgrades. Just rupies that you could find simply by walking about a bit.

    If Eiji Aonuma really wants to progress Zelda, then I would encourage him to take a look at the old Ultima series. The later ones (the guardian trilogy) introduced tragedy, betrayal and sacrifice ina story that I still look back on with feeling, even today. Such concepts would be a welcome addition to the series and if you could see your way to killing off Zelda herself, that would be most welcome. Let's face it, she seems to be the single source of the kingdoms woes in every game. It's her so called wisdom led choices that starts the calamities to begin with! Anyone remember the idiotic quest that started Ocarina "Link go get the master sword". You even get an option to say no!I don't know about the rest of you guys but, I knew the first time I played the game and got the choice that "No" was the correct response. Pity she had an infinite beg loop until you said yes!

  • Carpathian #7 3 years ago

    Have to agree - any time a new Zelda comes out the first thing I think of is OOT.

    It's just what my brain consider to be Zelda and is always what I return back to.

  • kiroquai #8 3 years ago

    I personally thought Ocarina was the weaker of the two N64 Zelda games, but then again I appreciate I am probably in the minority.

  • Vice.Destroyer #9 3 years ago

    Ceatlan, I think that you have been spoiled by HD graphics. Either now or at the time. The N64 was not the most powerful machine available at the time, but the game itself was incredible. I think the reason it stands out more than any of the others is because it has the distinction of being the first 3D Zelda title. The subsequent ones may have a few othe tricks up their sleeves, but OOT was first. And in my mind, the best Zelda in the last 10 years.

  • Mudo #10 3 years ago

    He's already bested OoT. With Majora's Mask. And it didn't take him that long either.

  • peterfll #11 3 years ago

    It was as close to a perfect game at the time i.e. a sign of the time.

    Imagine if Twlight Princess had been released in 1998? In the same manner you can't look at OOT in 2008 and judge it the same way.

  • Zanuah #12 3 years ago

    I still liked Zelda: A Link to the Past more :p

  • Canyarion #13 3 years ago

    He's talking about a 3D LttP AGAIN?

    OoT revolutionized. The next Zelda needs to do that again. WiiMotion+ might help with that.
    (Oh and I also think MM might have been better than OoT...)

  • Cid #14 3 years ago

    I thought Majora's Mask was better in some respects, but ultimately there just weren't enough dungeons (even though the amount of out-of-dungeon content somewhat compensated for that) and it lacked an epic final battle. In fact, every Zelda game where Ganondorf isn't the antagonist lacks an epic final battle.

    If they want to best Ocarina then they should build on some of the themes and ideas introduced in Majora. It was definitely the darkest and most atmospheric Zelda as far as I'm concerned. They should hurry up and put it on the feckin' virtual console already.

  • mcbi4kh2 #15 3 years ago

    Im glad GTA4 didnt knock it off the top spot, what a complete travesty that would have been.

  • DugBriderider #16 3 years ago

    Wow that is a can of worms, although OOT was the 1st Zelda I played,
    Majoras Mask was better for Story, Wind Waker was better for Art and Music & Mechanics.
    TP was evidence that you shouldn't listen to you fans (it was a bit bland).

  • Evolution #17 3 years ago

    I can't say I like Zelda... *runs*

  • sifujames #18 3 years ago

    I preferred OoT to Majora's Mask (actually never finished MM because I got fed up with keeping track of the days). Would have to say my fav 3D Zelda is Windwaker though, with Twilight Princess joint second with OoT. Although it was shorter and easier (and had far too much sailing and object collecting), I'm just completely in love with the cel shaded style. Zelda games are about a little elf boy who travels with a fairy (sometimes) fighting monsters to rescue a princess from a villain trying to take over the world. Hardly realistic stuff, yet people complain that WW was too cartoony? For me it was the most well thought out and complete Zelda world yet, and the characters were far more expressive (Link especially) then in any other 3D Zelda. Was actually disappointed that TP went with a more "realistic" approach, I felt it was a step backwards, that Nintendo caved in to those who complained, rather then staying strong and going with more cel style. You only have to look at the beautiful Okami to see that "realistic" graphics aren't needed when you have a great story and game mechanics.

    I'd love the next Zelda to go back to the cel style, but the game to be much longer, with less running around finding fragments of objects just to pad it out. Mix OoT's story telling and length to WW's graphics and TP's use of the Wii Remote and I'll be happy with that.

  • sifujames #19 3 years ago

    @ DugBriderider: "TP was evidence that you shouldn't listen to you fans"

    Very well said

  • BadBoyBonner #20 3 years ago

    12 year old gameplay, 12 year old graphics, terrible slowdown and super blurry textures, horrible camera system 5 out of...

    BadBoyBonner removes The Mask of K-Reed-iness...

    Awesome game, was a true wonder of it's time that easily stands the test of time - just like a few other N64 games...

  • Cid #21 3 years ago

    I don't think they should go back to cel-shaded graphics. They should opt for a new style instead.

  • Thornhillboy #22 3 years ago

    Need more side quests! It is those that keep me playing after finishing the game, and the lack of them was why I really wasn't impressed by Twilight Princess. Majora's mask was excellent for that though.

    And in my opinion, the game that comes closes to matching OoT (with the exception of Majora's Mask which is probably as good) is Okami. Okami just felt a lot better to me than Twilight Princess ever managed.

  • kiroquai #23 3 years ago

    Wind Waker kind of lost me around the time you start having to sail around collecting things. I had got to that point within three or so days of the game being released, but it then took me another four months to complete it. Still not got round to Twilight, but probably should.

    Majora's did have less dungeons, but for me the atmosphere, the ability to change into different species and the Groundhog Day time thing really worked. I never found it to constrain your exploration all that much either; all I did was made sure I played the little ditty on the ocarina before I was due to head off somewhere and that gave me more than enough time.

  • Zoro #24 3 years ago

    Easy way to do it: get Okami and mod it so it looks like Zelda.

  • Cid #25 3 years ago

    Okami is overrated.

  • konniehuqfan #26 3 years ago

    didn't like ocarina much, a link to the past is my fave.

  • SteveB #27 3 years ago

    It's my favourite game of all time.

    It was the 1st Zelda that I had played so everything about it felt fresh. After finishing it, it tainted my subsequent gaming experiences for a long time afterwards because nothing could match it. For me, it probably took until Resident Evil 4 for anything to come close.

  • peterfll #28 3 years ago

    My Zelda history:

    LTTP: Completed. Twice.
    OOT: Completed. Twice.
    MM: 85% completed. Gave up on a hard dungeon. Wish I'd finished it.
    WW: 85% complete. Gave up when I realised it wanted me to visit every island again.
    TP: ??% complete. I think I'm roughly half way through it. Funny, my other half completed it - his first ever Zelda game.

  • BadBoyBonner #29 3 years ago

    Wouldn't mind if the new Zelda game used the same shading technique as Valkyria - unsure if the Wii could manage it though.

  • Ceatlan #30 3 years ago

    Vice.Destroyer - Perhaps the problem was then that at the point I first played OOT on the N64, I'd never played any of the previous 2D Zelda games, so I didn't have the history to go with the game. I've subsequently tried to play the 2D Zelda games and found them all tedious in the extreme.

  • BadBoyBonner #31 3 years ago

    Didn't Robin Williams name his kid Zelda as he was such a fan?

  • Toadie48 #32 3 years ago

    @ Vice.Destroyer "The N64 was not the most powerful machine available at the time, but the game itself was incredible. I think the reason it stands out more than any of the others is because it has the distinction of being the first 3D Zelda title. The subsequent ones may have a few othe tricks up their sleeves, but OOT was first. And in my mind, the best Zelda in the last 10 years."

    /High five. Ocarina of Time is the best Zelda in the past 10 years!

  • wanderingkid #33 3 years ago

    LOL @ penhalion
    It doesn't matter who causes the chaos to begin with!
    Whether it's Zelda or the civilisation of Links' world,
    without a problem there's no adventure! If you really didn't want to get the master sword then you should have ejected the game and played something else!

  • Joco84 #34 3 years ago

    OOT Rocks.... FACT!!!

  • Toadie48 #35 3 years ago

    @ Interfector "they should make the next Zelda game *radically* different to the previous one so it will stick out in everyone's minds like zelda 64."

    So very true. I wonder how Nintendo will make the next game radically diffrent part from altering the story or just adding motion plus controls. My mind is blowned!

  • illusiondance #36 3 years ago

    hmm, who ever said the comment about 'the right time and place' seems to be onto the real reason for the massive fanbase of Zocarina.
    As with a few other people here i played it well past its first release and could only appreciate the design of the beast and none of its technical accomplishments. Therefore the freshness of windwaker appealed more to me (plus - the sailing is still really relaxing).
    I have yet to properly sit down to Twighlight Princess but look forward to it....if i Wii ever gets back in stock that is.
    So basically im glad that whatshisface behind the projects keeps trying new stuff in the series. this is a good ethos for a developer. Gambatte

  • Galvanizer #37 3 years ago

    Im glad GTA4 didnt knock it off the top spot, what a complete travesty that would have been.

    Best statement I've read on Eurogamer. Ever.

  • superdelphinus #38 3 years ago

    "A game that can't be called anything other than flawless...This is the masterpiece that people will still be talking about ten years down the road."

    the contemporaneous review from Gamespot

  • Vanmunt #39 3 years ago

    Zelda needs a total revamp... go to dungeon get boomerang, go to dungeon get bow and arrow, go to dungeon get heavy boots and so on.. Link to the Past was the best, OOT was amazing as it was in 3D, been a downward spiral since. Twilight Princess was a really poor Zelda game.

  • Doctor_What #40 3 years ago

    This would explain why it feels like they're making the same game again and again and again. I've never once been grabbed by a Zelda game despite having tried with every one from the last 15-ish years. I always fell for all the hype 'these are the best games ever, everyone should experience their genius', bought them, then felt disappointed by the same weak feeling of contact with the world, the plodding pace, the limited combat, and the reused plot.

    It's very refreshing to see that there are other people replying here that also were somehow passed over by the Zelda-is-awesome fairy.

  • BiscuitBase #41 3 years ago

    Majora's Mask was much better than OOT. All the good stuff from OOT but much more polished and with much more to do. Unfortunately most people just didn't get the whole time control aspect of it.

  • Nikanoru #42 3 years ago

    I've subsequently tried to play the 2D Zelda games and found them all tedious in the extreme.


    So what you're saying is, traversing a world where every inch is covered with interactivity is more tedious than hours of trekking through a vast, empty flat wasteland?

    God, 3D sucks.

  • sneetch #43 3 years ago

    @BadBoyBonner
    "12 year old gameplay, 12 year old graphics, terrible slowdown and super blurry textures, horrible camera system 5 out of...

    BadBoyBonner removes The Mask of K-Reed-iness...

    Awesome game, was a true wonder of it's time that easily stands the test of time - just like a few other N64 games... "

    I was just thinking that exact same thing myself. :)

    It's my favourite Zelda as well, it just seemed so fresh and new (because it was fresh and new I suppose) Majoras Mask is a close second for me though the 72 hours mechanism was great. They've followed the pattern a bit too much I think, although Wind Waker was a fresher breath of air (no pun intended) that Twilight Princess was.

    (I started on the SNES with LTTP, which is awesome as well, first game I bought for the Wii although I already have it on SNES somewhere that's why it seemed fresh and new).

    @Vanmunt
    Zelda needs a total revamp... go to dungeon get boomerang, go to dungeon get bow and arrow, go to dungeon get heavy boots and so on.. Link to the Past was the best, OOT was amazing as it was in 3D, been a downward spiral since. Twilight Princess was a really poor Zelda game.

    I wouldn't say it was really poor, I would say it was really standard though. They just ticked the boxes and that's pretty much it. I think you can consider the wolf bit to be pretty much ticking the "New shtick" box; the Ocarina in OOT, the Masks in MM, the Baton in Wind Waker, the Wolf in TP.

    I do think the series could do with a kick up the arse though, but how much change is too much change? It's a tricky one.

  • Nikanoru #44 3 years ago

    then felt disappointed by the same weak feeling of contact with the world,

    You must not like a lot of modern games. Despite the fact that the Zelda series suffered from the jump to 3D in terms of world interactivity, it's still head and shoulders above almost anything coming out these days where the world is basically just a pretty background to the ever increasing focus on battle, battle, battle.

  • smelly #45 3 years ago

    OOT was a "proper" "hardcore" (hate that term) game...

    MM and TP were both cut down simplistic games to appeal to the mainstream fps fan... Too easy, too short.. too obvious what to do next.. no need to do side quests, etc etc etc.

    OOT had me playing for weeks maybe months.. TP i completed in a few evenings.

  • knocker #46 3 years ago

    @sifujames

    Summed up perfectly ...

  • wizbob #47 3 years ago

    OOT got me back into gaming after a 10 year break. I picked up a secondhand N64 with OOT, MM and GoldenEye for 150 quid as a present for my younger brother just before Christmas. When I got home I thought I'd better check to make sure everything worked. Two months later I finished OOT. I'm not sure if I replaced present, or even turned up for Christmas day for that matter .

  • Cid #48 3 years ago

    Zelda doesn't need a complete overhaul. All of the games feel different from one another, and what's wrong with a bit of familiarity anyway? Finding [insert weapon or tool here] and using it to progress further both in and out of dungeon is a huge part of Zelda.

    Twilight Princess was a little overfamiliar, sure. But that's only because Nintendo were looking to please the whiny little bitches who moaned about Wind Waker. The game has its fair share of original ideas anyway. To suggest that Nintendo are just remaking the same game over and over again is an exaggeration of gigantic proportions.

  • kiroquai #49 3 years ago

    @smelly: I wouldn't necessarily agree that Majora's Mask was cut down. If anything, the time resetting thing along with the ability to change into different characters made it somewhat more complicated than OoT for me.

  • Setaro #50 3 years ago

    Glad to see there's at least a couple of guys with the same opinion as me in here...I really didn't enjoy OOT. Link To The Past is, and forever will be, the best Zelda, nay, best game ever. OOT doesn't even come close.

  • sifujames #51 3 years ago

    @ Cid: I agree. One of the nice things about playing games in a series such as Zelda is that you are immediately familiar with a large part of the mechanics, which allows you to get on with learning the new stuff. But like you say, TP felt too familiar. There wasn't enough risk taking either in terms of style (see WW) or gameplay (MM). The only learning curve was getting to grips with the Wii remote. Other then that, it felt like a remake of OoT. An extremely enjoyable remake, but a remake non the less.

  • Gradius #52 3 years ago

    "Glad to see there's at least a couple of guys with the same opinion as me in here...I really didn't enjoy OOT. Link To The Past is, and forever will be, the best Zelda, nay, best game ever. OOT doesn't even come close."

    I think this all comes down to age and (not in a bad way but) nostalgia. Link to the Past is Zelda to me as well because I was 11 when it came through the post one rainy Saturday morning. I'd been waiting for it for weeks (bloody mail order, didn't have Amazon or Play.com with their fancy pants quick delivery service in Ye Olde England).

    Anyway, after playing that game, it seemed there was nothing better in life at the time, it was even better than a infinite supply of WHAM bars and sherbet Flying Saucers. So yeah LttP was the best imo but I do understand the children among us preferring the N64 game, you see, they think a sprite is a fizzy dwink fwom McDonald's, they do not understand the meaning of "2D" "game", they think that 2D games are something that were designed for budget mobile phones, not consoles and that only spastics could enjoy them on a real TV.

    PS. LttP was the dogs but the best game of all time is Chrono Trigger, FACT.
    Edited by 1 at 26/11/08 @ 17:32

  • Zaltan #53 3 years ago

    Links Awakening was the fist Zelda I played, and I still rate it the highest. Hopefully they can make a new decent one for Handhelds.

  • Agent_Llama #54 3 years ago

    Link's Awakening = best Zelda ever.

  • Cid #55 3 years ago

    See, I don't really think Twilight Princess felt much like Ocarina, myself (and I have the Cube version). I just think it lacked that certain something, and they tried far too hard to make it a dark, gloomy experience. Something which came naturally to Majora's Mask just felt a little forced in TP. The high points were things like using the iron boots to walk on walls, the snowy mansion dungeon, Ball & Chain, Double Clawshot and the Dominion Rod, which were all new ideas. I wasn't too fond of the Spinner.

    I mean don't get me wrong, it's still a great game, but from now on they really should just do what THEY - and not the fans - think is right when it comes to Zelda.

  • Chim_chimma_nee! #56 3 years ago

    M's M had a fantastic dark atmosphere - Right up my street.

    Just making another one with a hint of weirdness would make me happy.

  • easychord #57 3 years ago

    Levels harder than the water temple and guides more annoying than Navi (hey listen). Make it one louder in every area and give web comic writers something to joke about for the next ten years.

  • Setaro #58 3 years ago

    Hmmm Chrono Trigger/LTTP....I only ever played through CT twice, where as LTTP I've probably completed from start to finish about 10 times. I'm gonna give CT another play through when it comes out on the DS, that may sway my judgement.

    But you're right about the age thing. I would have been about 8/9 when LTTP came out, and I played it religiously for years. It's absolutely flawless. LTTP and Resident Evil 1 are the only 2 games I've played enough times to do entire run-thrus in my head.

    God, I would make love to LTTP.

    I wouldn't even let Ocarina of Time give me oral sex.

  • sega #59 3 years ago

    I think he already has surpassed Ocarina of Time with Twilight Princess. Twilight Princess is the best Zelda game by far to me - it's the one I enjoyed the most and, for once in a Zelda game, I never got lost wondering what to do next - nice and logical puzzles where you had to figure out the solution rather than hope you stumble accross it.

    I do like Ocarina of Time though, a lot, it's just not my favourite any more.

  • SpeedyThing #60 3 years ago

    Looks like it's been said many times already but for me Majora's Mask far exceeded OOT. The world felt far more alive, and the capital city consisted of more than one screen.

    This is probably blasphemy but for me the worst bit of all Zeldas is the

    - Dungeon
    - Travel to next dungeon
    - Dungeon
    - Travel to next dungeon
    - Goto 10

    Dungeon gameplay is overrated (no matter how well made they are), and it's nice to feel part of the bigger world for more than a brief period. Okami nailed this. And so, to a degree, did Majora's Mask.

  • Blackstone #61 3 years ago

    As someone who played the original in 1986 and every installment on every system up to Phantom Hourglass, I must say I agree that Link to the Past is the crown jewel of the series. Those of us who are old enough to appreciate 16 bit games understand the significance of this title.

    What a lot of younger gamers seem to not understand is how far the Zelda series pushed the enveloped at the time. The original was one of the first games, if not the first game to offer a battery pack save game option. A Link to the Past was simply a breakthrough in video game production values, graphics, sound and game play. I remember reading one review that was particularly impressed with the sound effects, specifically the sound of Link's footsteps as he went up and down staircases. This is the type of thing we take for granted today but at the time processing power and memory was extremely limited. The Zelda team has always had the guts to take risks and the skill to execute a game with a level of polish that is simply unmatched by any developer.

    In my opinion, having played them all, I think they are all wonderfully executed. A Link to the Past remains the crown jewel because it established the classic Zelda formula and game mechanics. It also has the strongest musical compositions of the series. It also introduced one of the most epic mechanics in all of gaming--a mirror universe or "dark world."

    Ocarina deserves all the praise it gets and then some so i won't talk about it, but I just want to add that I think Twilight Princess was an exceptional game. It was an exceptional retelling of the classic Zelda story, with a pretty remarkable visual style and soundtrack. I think Twilight Princess involved the best character development and storytelling in the series. It also managed to have an outlandish and unique theme (Midna, ect) and storyline but also involved some of the more classic elements of the previous games. In the end, the conflict was the classic conflict between Gannon and Link. I'd like to see Gannon in every game in some capacity. The art is in how they get you back to the classic struggle. It wasn't perfect, but it was as good a gaming experience as I have ever had. I am personally impressed that they did such a fine job of conjuring up so much nostalgia in a modern game--considering a lot of fans have been playing the series since they were--6 or 7 years old?

    I think they need to ditch the Ocarina model and go back and take a hard look at a Link to the Past--the visual style, the music, and the format and think about why that game has so much staying power. I think Windwaker was a step back toward Link to the Past in terms of style and presentation but they bungled the game itself with all the sailing. They also need to look at the past games and come up with some sort of official cannon for the game and then develop it so this series can progress. Zelda could use a bit more lore and intrigue at this point.
    Edited by 1 at 26/11/08 @ 20:34

  • Cid #62 3 years ago

    I thought the sailing in Wind Waker was great. ;_; It was just the cack-handed way you had to go about it that was the problem. Having to assign your sail to a button like every other item was utterly pointless. Ironically Phantom Hourglass fucked up sailing good and proper despite trying to improve it.

    I started with the original NES Zelda, but missed out on A Link to the Past for some reason. Played it on the GBA a few years ago and thought it was great, but not on the same level as some of the others. I guess you had to play it at the time.

    As far as I'm concerned Link's Awakening is the best top-down Zelda.

  • dudefella #63 3 years ago

    3D LttP remake? Hold all my calls for an hour please...

  • smelly #64 3 years ago

    @kiroquai: >I wouldn't necessarily agree that Majora's Mask was cut down.

    Whoops.. I meant the cell shaded one... Wind Waker.. NOT Majoras Mask.. Which was ***ing proper hardcore (i needed a faq to finish it)

    To clarify : OOT & MM = great

    WW and TP = good - but too easy
    Edited by 1 at 26/11/08 @ 22:07

  • Indecisive #65 3 years ago

    No one mentioned Minish Cap?
    Innovative in gameplay and art, plus it's brilliant in many ways. Probably my favourite handheld Zelda.

    Capcom (?) did some nice new stuff with the Legend of Zelda : Oracle of... games but they got a bit too complicated for me with all the alternate dimensions / time periods / seasons. I got too lost.

    At least Link's Awakening got a few mentions. The DX version is great, with the camera and extra sidequest. (:

  • ChadSexington #66 3 years ago

    I tried playing Ocarina of Time earlier this year on Gamecube. It really hasn't aged well, and it's certainly not the best game of all time.

  • Gastrian #67 3 years ago

    I'd say that Zelda games need to be more open ended and with more choice. Zelda games feel more like platformers in that there are "stages" and you have to complete these in a certain order to get to the end.

    Seperate the required items from the dungeons, surely if the only thing that could break your armour was a mallet would you keep such a mallet locked away in your dungeon and instead of keeping the key on yourself would you give it to some inept guard?

    Also go down the Bioware route of choice - this special ore will let me upgrade my sword, my bow and my shield but I only have enough ore to upgrade one, which do I chose? and these two villages don't like each other, if I help village A village B won't like me and won't give their side quest and if I help village B village A won't like me and won't give me their side quest.

    Zelda games I'll play through about once, go back to an earlier save to get all the items then never touch them again. Baldur's Gate 2 I played through the unmodded game over ten times playing out the possibilities. Zelda needs to modernise, its using current gen technology with 16-Bit gaming methods. It doesn't have to be as in-depth as Fable, Oblivion, Fallout 3, Mass Effect or KOTOR but at least appreciate branching dialogue, choice and consequence.

  • sifujames #68 3 years ago

    @ Blackstone: "I think they need to ditch the Ocarina model and go back and take a hard look at a Link to the Past--the visual style, the music, and the format and think about why that game has so much staying power. I think Windwaker was a step back toward Link to the Past in terms of style and presentation but they bungled the game itself with all the sailing. They also need to look at the past games and come up with some sort of official cannon for the game and then develop it so this series can progress. Zelda could use a bit more lore and intrigue at this point."

    Well said, I couldn't agree more. OoT was a fabulous game, and was a tremendous way to bring Zelda into 3D. But I think WindWaker actually looked more like a Zelda game. For me it was a much truer representation of the art style of LTTP taken into the 3D then Ocarina (which to be fair wasn't helped by the N64 hardware) or Twilight (which did have the graphics power, but went for that "realistic" look instead). Twilight did have some fantastic storytelling and set pieces (I loved the wild west shootout), and the final boss battle was truly epic (my fav out of all the 3D Zelda boss fights), but Windwaker looked much more like classic SNES era Zelda, and still is to me one of the most beautiful games ever.

    I think really I'm after Windwaker graphics, coupled to the spirit of innovation in Ocarina and the story telling of Twilight Princess. Not asking much really am I?
    Edited by 1 at 27/11/08 @ 00:01

  • gingerlink #69 3 years ago

    @SpeedyThing

    See, this is why I think Twilight Princess started off well, the between dungeon bits started out huge and rather good and then they buggered it up at the end (i.e. a vital part of the game as it's going to be the last bit you remember) by doing 3 in quick succession.

    The spinner boss was extremely fun, but the spinner itself was too much of a specific location item, it didn't require any intelligence to realise when to use it...

    I agree with Indecisive about Minish Cap though, I wouldn't say it's my favourite, but it's certainly overlooked far too much

    Also, smelly mentioned "no need to do side quests". Isn't that, like, the point of side quests?

  • Blackstone #70 3 years ago

    Well I am a die hard Zelda fan and for some reason Minish Cap managed to slip past me when it was initially released. I think the real problem with Minish Cap is the GBA platform it was released for. The GBA was always a hard sell for me because it lacked a backlight and it just didn't have the same appeal that DS has. So when it was released I didn't pay much attention because I wasn't about to buy a GBA. I didn't play it until I got a DS. In addition, Capcom's involvement in the game led me to believe it wasn't going to be a true Zelda game. So there were some branding issues there.

    The game itself was actually quite good. I don't think it was as good as LttP but it was good looking, good sounding, and very creative. I think it was a better game than Phantom Hourglass. The magic cap that made you shrink, turning droplets of water into insurmountable lakes and forcing you to look at the environments from a different perspective was very much in the spirit of Zelda.

    I think Nintendo should have two Zelda development teams--a 2D team and a 3D team, and they should both produce games for Wii. I wouldn't be surprised if they go back to top down 2D/3D for the next Wii installment. I am actually sort of hoping they do a full blown old school Zelda game with 3D models like they used in New Super Mario Brothers. They could really make a gorgeous top down game for the Wii.

    One of the things that excited me about the Wii was that because it lacked HD processing power I thought Nintendo would use it as an opportunity to revisit and remake some classic 16-bit games.

    The problem I have with the 3D Zelda games like Twilight Princess is that they don't really stand the test of time with respect to graphics because the hardware is so crippled. A Link to the Past still looks good, subjectively, but OoT, Twilight Princess and to a lesser extent Wind Waker suffer tremendously from a lack of anti-aliasing and low resolution. I think they are great looking games, but it is a real crime that putting those games up on a 50 or 60 inch HDTV only makes them look worse and not better. I'd almost rather Nintendo just holds off on the next 3D Zelda for their next console so they can do it in at least 720P resolution. Sure, the Wii has GPU power that went untapped in Twilight Princess, but even if they used every last drop of the Wii's graphics power in the next installment, it still will be a low resolution game. It will probably not be the fresh new, next generation looking Zelda we want unless they go top down 2D or go back to cell shading.

  • HolyJebus #71 3 years ago

    A few quick points:

    Firstly congratulations to everyone for making this a great thread for a change without the usual bitching and moaning you get on this site. Lots of sensible, varied arguments here.

    I must say, I think there can be a big difference between your favourite ever Zelda and the greatest ever. I believe any of them can be your favourite, just depends what you are looking for in a game and your age will definitely affect your view on these games too. However, I believe that OOT is definitely the greatest zelda game ever, purely down to the amazing achievement of turning what was one of the greatest games ever at the time, LTTP, into a fully realised 3D world and still having the balls to add an awful lot too. The only game IMO that was a greater achievement was Mario 64, purely because it did it first. Without Mario 64 i'm certain OOT wouldn't have turned out as good.

    I have definitely tired of the Zelda formula since OOT and never finished WW and couldn't be bothered with TP. IMO the greatest 3d game since OOT is Shadow of the Colossus because it tried something completely new and different and pulled it off with great success.

    For a new Zelda I would love them to switch the gameplay up quite a bit and give it an artistic direction similar to the new POP, difficult on the Wii I know what the hell, give it a shot.

  • shpadoinkle #72 3 years ago

    @ vice.destroyer

    you sir are the one who's on drugs,
    "I think that you have been spoiled by HD graphics. Either now or at the time. The N64 was not the most powerful machine available at the time"
    uhhhhhh... while the n64's cartridge format did not leave room for higher definition textures (as the saturn and ps1's cds did) it was the n64, not the n32. the ps1 and saturn were 32-bit consoles, the n64 was a 64 bit console, so how the f@#% do you figure it "wasn't the most powerful machine available at the time".
    what are you smoking exactly as i'd like to purchase some?
    do some research next time before spouting off nonsense. the name should have clued you in

  • scouserfuller9 #73 3 years ago

    @Ceatlan: I think the games in 90's must of been to tough for you to tackle and that's what put you off it. OOT is no doubt the best game ever and will take some work to beat. I wish Eiji Aonuma all the best in making a better and more enjoyable Zelda title for us all to play.

  • Benraiben2k #74 3 years ago

    One of the things that makes OoT so great is the simple fact it was the first 3D Zelda - never had we experienced it. Personally though, I think it was already beaten by Majora's Mask which I do prefer to OoT.