25th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

The upcoming Tuesday marks the 25th anniversary of the relase of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. As usual with Zelda, it has been ranked among the greatest video game of all time.

The video game was first released for the Nintendo 64 in Japan on 21 November 1998, and in North America two days later. In Europe, it was released on 11 December the same year and in Australasia on 18 December that year. It meant that in Western countries, many children and teenagers got it as a Christmas gift that holiday season.

Introducing 3D graphics to the Zelda series, Ocarina of Time has link travelling through Hyule and in time. It was later also released for the Nintendo Gamecube and the Ique Player. A 3D version was released in mid 2011.

[Mad Dog McMutt]

It's my 2nd favorite video game of all time. I play it about once every 2 years. I can get every heart piece and upgrade without a guide. I can also beat every dungeon without a guide. As long as I am taking written notes while playing the water temple. I also make sure to never forget about that pesky key hidden underneath of the stone block in the water temple. It is stamped in my brain. Everything about this game is just so fantastic. I have more fun playing this than Breath of the Wild.

[CyberCubed]

The 3DS remake was excellent and gave the game a much needed graphics boost. It's the definitive version.

At least until Nintendo ports it to Switch.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

At least until Nintendo ports it to Switch.

They'll most like do what they did with Mario most recently. A limited edition that collects Ocarina, Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess in 1080p.

[IMJ]

Wow. I was working at a FuncoLand when this was released - for younger people who don't know, FuncoLand was sort of the first video game chain store where you would trade in old games for cash or credit.

My younger cousins were really into gaming at the time, and for Christmas my Aunt asked me if I could find the Gold Special Edition cartridge for them. We actually still had at the store and so "Santa" had a victory that year in my Aunt's household.

It was until later the next year that I played the game myself though. IIRC I only dabbled with it a bit - only an hour or two before I moved on. I love Zelda but the only two games that ever truly grabbed me tightly were the original NES game and then the SNES game. I finished the 2nd one on the NES but I sort of trudged through it.

[CyberCubed]

It's great the world's in OOT are neither too big nor too small I honestly wish games stayed like this rather than going open world. Even replaying this game now you don't notice or care that Zora's Domain is like only a few rooms and a upper hallway, it just works.

Early 3D games really had the right size due to the limitations of consoles back then and the developers made it work. OOT holds up for being one of the earliest 3D adventure games ever made to this day for this reason.

[KROW]

I played this game to death back in the day. Unfortunately, I didn't have as much fun with it as its predecessors and never went back to it as often. The Water and Shadow Temples were a slog, the desert was a bit of a pain, and the Gerudo Valley stealth mission could get aggravating at times. All those things would put me off replaying it. It's still a good game, just not my favorite of the franchise.

[XERO]

Originally Posted by KROW

I played this game to death back in the day. Unfortunately, I didn't have as much fun with it as its predecessors and never went back to it as often. The Water and Shadow Temples were a slog, the desert was a bit of a pain, and the Gerudo Valley stealth mission could get aggravating at times. All those things would put me off replaying it. It's still a good game, just not my favorite of the franchise.

My personal favorite has always been Link to the Past, but I think this one might be my number 2.

[KROW]

Originally Posted by XERO

My personal favorite has always been Link to the Past, but I think this one might be my number 2.

LttP is definitely my favorite but, sadly, Ocarina doesn't even break my Top 5. I had more fun with the original NES games and Wind Waker. Hell, I think I might like Twilight Princess more, though I'd have to play them both again to compare. But I do like it way better than Majora.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by XERO

My personal favorite has always been Link to the Past,

Originally Posted by KROW

LttP is definitely my favorite

LttP is definitely mine as well. For me it's like the last, best polished "classic" Zelda game. The Light and Dark World could be called that to an extent, I suppose, but after that Zelda games mostly started finding "gimmicks." First time travel, then it's Waterworld with a boat, then you can become a wolf, then you can fly on a bird, etc.. You know, just gimme the standard overworld, some caves, dungeons, and a town or two -- no cyber arm, no wolf changing and no post-apocalyse.

[XERO]

Originally Posted by KROW

Hell, I think I might like Twilight Princess more, though I'd have to play them both again to compare.

I will say Twilight Princess has my all time favorite Zelda boss fight with the Stallord. Using the Spinner against that was a blast. That game had fun boss fights in general, and probably my favorite version of the Kakariko Village theme.

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

LttP is definitely mine as well. For me it's like the last, best polished "classic" Zelda game. The Light and Dark World could be called that to an extent, I suppose, but after that Zelda games mostly started finding "gimmicks." First time travel, then it's Waterworld with a boat, then you can become a wolf, then you can fly on a bird, etc.. You know, just gimme the standard overworld, some caves, dungeons, and a town or two -- no cyber arm, no wolf changing and no post-apocalyse.

Link to the Past is special for me, considering it has (in my opinion) one of the happiest and most beautiful endings in the franchise. Not to mention you actually GET the TriForce. I can praise that game all day. Haha.

[sdp]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

It's great the world's in OOT are neither too big nor too small I honestly wish games stayed like this rather than going open world. Even replaying this game now you don't notice or care that Zora's Domain is like only a few rooms and a upper hallway, it just works.

Early 3D games really had the right size due to the limitations of consoles back then and the developers made it work. OOT holds up for being one of the earliest 3D adventure games ever made to this day for this reason.

this is so true, by making things more 'realistic', it has made games more boring. If I was a kid with all the time in the world perhaps I wouldn't mind as much but having to traverse through basically copy/paste "areas" to go to a the next location gets tiring that no amount of sidequests or gimmicks can change.

[CyberCubed]

Honestly if videogame worlds stayed the size they were in say the PS2/Gamecube generation, I would totally be fine with it. Back then you could explore every inch of a game world because each individual area was not that big, and it felt rewarding.

Now games are way too huge, especially open world games, and everything is just barren land or copy/paste areas over and over. Even Zelda Breath of Wild/Tears suffers from this.

Videogame worlds peaked in say 2005, when we were at the end of the PS2/Gamecube days. They should of stayed like that.

[Mad Dog McMutt]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

Honestly if videogame worlds stayed the size they were in say the PS2/Gamecube generation, I would totally be fine with it. Back then you could explore every inch of a game world because each individual area was not that big, and it felt rewarding.

Now games are way too huge, especially open world games, and everything is just barren land or copy/paste areas over and over. Even Zelda Breath of Wild/Tears suffers from this.

Videogame worlds peaked in say 2005, when we were at the end of the PS2/Gamecube days. They should of stayed like that.

I actually agree with this. I prefer the size of the game worlds back then. Modern game worlds are just too overwhelming and time consuming.

[Prowler]

I'm pretty sure I already made a somewhat long post about Ocarina but here goes...

Ocarina of Time was my 2nd Zelda game. Going right from NES Zelda to Ocarina was quite a difference.

I was 8 years old when my older brother bought Ocarina. Most likely was a 1998 Christmas gift for him.

Until then, I had only really played games like Mario, Mega Man, Donkey Kong Country, Tetris, Zelda 1, Tiny Toons games, Street Fighter, Mario Paint, F-Zero, Mario Kart, etc. OOT was the first game with an actual plot and developed NPC characters that I played. So it was a big deal for me and left a huge impact in my mind at the time. It seemed like the most epic and legendary game of all-time. As in gaming had peaked and there'd never be anything like it again. Never had I felt such a sense of adventure and connection to the game characters like I did in Ocarina. It really felt like I was saving the world and the friends I made a long the way. I was more or less the same age as Link in the beginning of the game and I could relate and imagine myself as him going on the adventure and making friends and fighting enemies. ´

One thing that I never forgot was Link's friendship with Saria. There was something very wholesome and magical about it when I was a kid. Maybe because I never had a best friend and, deep down, wished I had a best friend who also happened to be a girl? I dunno.

I don't think I need to go on about how influential Ocarina was and how cutting edge it was for its time. That has been covered to death.

For years, I swore OOT was the GOAT game. Then I finally replayed it on the GameCube around 2013 or so... and I no longer thought that, even though it was still a good game overall. But, from then on, I considered A Link to the Past the GOAT Zelda.

Then, in 2017, I bought the 3DS remake and my love for the game sort of rekindled. It's, by far, the best version of the game available. Updated graphics and QOL features that make parts such as the Water Temple feel like way less of a slog. Inside Lord Jabu-Jabu still sucks, though.

It will always hold a special place in my heart and I'll always see it as the blueprint in how to make a 3D action adventure game. The fact it's dated nowadays isn't necessarily the game's fault but more like the natural evolution of technology. Being a somewhat early 3D game it was bound to happen no matter how good it was at the time. Name one 3D game from the Saturn/PS1/N64 era that does not feel dated. Ocarina has aged better than some of the top games from that era, that's for sure.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by Prowler

I don't think I need to go on about how influential Ocarina was and how cutting edge it was for its time.

For... game consoles, yes.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

For... game consoles, yes.

I've played very few PC games back when I was a kid/teenager, so I can't comment on those.

Anyway, I'm mostly talking about the genre Zelda falls into. The Z-targeting in particular was a great invention. Just like the joystick for 3D platformers was with Super Mario 64 two years before.