Legend Of Zelda Thirtieth Aniverssary.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by snake

Well, you see I never really BEAT Zelda 1 myself. I bought it off the VC around 2008 or 9 and I wasn't too sure what I was supposed to do. I called my uncle over, who grew up with the game, and we spent a 7 hour night just playing it together and eventually he beat it for me. Pretty awesome.

I'd play it occasionally when I was a little kid in the 90s but never figured out what to do and where to go next. I saw my brother beating the game back in 1997 or 1998.

My 2nd Zelda was Ocarina. Boy did that game make my jaw drop.

[Storm Eagle]

Originally Posted by Prowler

My 2nd Zelda was Ocarina. Boy did that game make my jaw drop.

It had the same effect on my friend when he saw Ganon for the first time.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Storm Eagle

It had the same effect on my friend when he saw Ganon for the first time.

I was a bit surprised to see that Ganon now had a humanoidish form, considering he was a mere piggish figure in the original game. But yeah, then eh turned into Ganon and I was like "woah". In fact, the final stretch of the game left quite na impression on my mind. It was pretty dramatic.

[Shiro Kame]

Hey! Good news for 3DS playing Zelda fans! A Link To The Past is finally on the 3DS Nintendo eShop!

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Shiro Kame

Hey! Good news for 3DS playing Zelda fans! A Link To The Past is finally on the 3DS Nintendo eShop!

It's been available there for a while.

I noticed today that Pilotwings (SNES) is the most recent addition to it.

[Storm Eagle]

Originally Posted by Shiro Kame

Hey! Good news for 3DS playing Zelda fans! A Link To The Past is finally on the 3DS Nintendo eShop!

I've got it for my GBA.

[Cipher]

Originally Posted by Shiro Kame

Hey! Good news for 3DS playing Zelda fans! A Link To The Past is finally on the 3DS Nintendo eShop!

It's only available on New 3DS, right? Pretty sure I checked before and was unable to download any of the SNES titles.

[Shiro Kame]

Originally Posted by Cipher

It's only available on New 3DS, right? Pretty sure I checked before and was unable to download any of the SNES titles.

Probably, considering I own a New Nintendo 3DS.

[ssjup81]

A Link to the Past has been on the Japanese e-shop for a good while now. Didn't download it though. I have the SNES version back home anyway stateside.

That aside, I really hope they eventually put Mario RPG on it.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Shiro Kame

Probably, considering I own a New Nintendo 3DS.

I own the new one as well. There's not many SNES titles available yet. There's like 10-12 of them? And I own pretty much all of them except Super Metroid, so I might get that one. I don't own Pilotwings either, but I doubt that game has aged well. I grew up with the N64 game back in the day, which probably means that I'd find the SNES one to be quite barren.

Originally Posted by ssjup81

A Link to the Past has been on the Japanese e-shop for a good while now. Didn't download it though. I have the SNES version back home anyway stateside.

That aside, I really hope they eventually put Mario RPG on it.

I, too, own A Link to the Past. Mario RPG I already have bought it in the Wii Virtual Console several years ago.

[Storm Eagle]

I'd like to be able to play SNES titles like Super Metroid, DKC 1 & 2 (and 3 if it happens) on the go. I'm not able to do that though, since I've got the regular 3DS. I'm not sure if I should get a New 3DS just to be able to do that either. I should probably hold out on a future portable unit that would allow me to download those games.

[ssjup81]

Originally Posted by Prowler

I own the new one as well. There's not many SNES titles available yet. There's like 10-12 of them? And I own pretty much all of them except Super Metroid, so I might get that one. I don't own Pilotwings either, but I doubt that game has aged well. I grew up with the N64 game back in the day, which probably means that I'd find the SNES one to be quite barren.


I, too, own A Link to the Past. Mario RPG I already have bought it in the Wii Virtual Console several years ago.

Ironically, I already own Mario RPG for my SNES stateside and...I have it for the Super Famicom. ^^ I just want a portable version now since I like the game so darn much and it's easy to play in Japanese. lol

I'm also tempted to download DKC 2 as it's my all-time favorite of the Donkey Kong Country games...and ranks high for me out of the SNES games. That would be fun to play on the go.

[Cipher]

So, I think because of this thread, I wound up doing a little NES Zelda binge this weekend.

Replayed Zelda II up through the first six palaces, and, not expecting to, completed the original Zelda without a guide in one multi-hour single-sitting playthrough yesterday. Had no idea it would go so quickly--I just kept going, constantly finding stuff.

The last time I played it, I'm certain I used a map for at least Level 9, and for finding some of the heart containers. While I definitely had some residual knowledge, I wound up having to find most of the levels and upgrades this time with no firm idea where they were. I definitely had no idea where the Power Bracelet or the Magic Sword were, which led to a bit of a scavenger hunt, though once

Spoiler:

I stumbled across the Power Bracelet, I put two and two together on the "Meet the Old Man by the grave" clue and pushed every tombstone until I found the sword.

Level 9 was easier without a guide than I thought it would be--I thought it would at least require making a map--but I got through fairly quickly just by remembering my paths, though I wound up finishing without the Red Ring or even the Dungeon Map. I hit Ganon pretty early and had to deliberately die to find the route to the Silver Arrows. I do feel they could at least give you the courtesy of being able to leave if you stumble into the battle prematurely.

I actually kept going on a Second Quest, which I beat once a while ago with a guide, and am going through that guideless as well. I've finished Level 4, and have found 5, 6 and 7. I think I also vaguely remember where 8 is (which is a shame, but I can't do anything about that), so I should be able to find it by carpet-bombing a certain area until it's uncovered. It took me forever to find Level 2, as for some reason I was convinced I'd already checked the spot where it's hidden, and only found it after I was searching the area again and decided to double check. Anyway, Level 4 is the spot where I'd say the game starts to get really devious with its dungeon design. And I still have no idea where the Magic Sword is here, which is ... kind of alarming. Might have to do a big hunt for it before Level 5.

My big takeaways from this little weekend session are:

-I pretty firmly like Zelda II more than the first one. I think the original game better executed its goals, and is unquestionably the more polished and genre-defining of the two, but I have more fun with Zelda II.

-Zelda II is, in fact, harder than the first quest of the original, and that's consistent all the way through (although I still feel like I have a harder time with the more intense moments of the original's top-down combat than I do II's). The original game's Second Quest is the hardest Zelda experience on the NES.

-That's assuming you're playing without a guide, which you should be. You're missing out on a lot of the game's genius if you allow the Internet or a player's guide to point you toward the next directive. I regret I ever used a guide for dungeon locations the first time I played the Second Quest (which, thankfully, and to my enormous frustration as I searched for the second dungeon, I've forgotten 90% of now).

EDIT --

Finished up that Zelda II playthrough. Just wanted to wait until I had enough time to tackle the road to the Great Palace and the dungeon all at once (which is how you'd want to do it on an NES, since getting there is hell, but continuing from a Game Over inside the Great Palace will start you off at its entrance).

Beat it for the first time without a guide as well. Really satisfying, and honestly not that hard. I remember it stressing me the hell out last time, but this time it was pretty fun and chill. (The route there, though, is not at all chill.) Through a little trial and error, you eventually find out the path is:

Spoiler:

Left, Right, Right, Left

And then as long as you know to drop down a certain, really obvious hole, you're golden. (You could be forgiven for thinking it looks like a trap, but you should know by now -- in this game, if it looks like a trap, it's the way forward, and if it looks safe, it's a trap.) The game is nice enough to throw an easy 1-Up and fairy at you along the way as well. The route is easy enough to remember (or jot down) if you boil it down to left and right forks too, so even if you need to finish it at a later session, it's not too bad. Just make sure you don't save after getting any 1-Ups you used to get there.

Totally cheesed Dark Link though. I'd like to beat him without using the corner trick at some point, but I was on my last life by the time I beat Thunderbird this time and didn't want to mess around.

Oh, also, Thunderbird:

Spoiler:

Shield, Reflect, Jump, Thunder -- As long as you're starting the fight at full health, easy-peasy. Don't get too reckless, though, since that doesn't leave you with enough magic to cast Life.