Zelda Ocarina of Time 3D, first impressions

[Julius Seeker]

Wow, just fantastic. To best explain it, the game feels just like it did 13 years ago, except with a fresh coat of paint and a new control scheme.

So far I have gone through the Deku Tree segment and entered Hyrule City for the first time.

* The world is very pleasant to be in, much more so than Twilight Princess which sort of had a sparse feel to it. This game feels more like I really want to dwell in this world.
* Graphically, the 3D makes everything much more lifelike, the difference between having the 3D on and the 3D off in this title is striking. The 3D adds a lot to the world, all of those little srites and insects flying around, the floating leaves in the wind, dust in the players tracks, etc... all of that stuff makes everything seem SO alive. Seeing Navi fly out from the screen is an interesting visual experience as well.
* the game has had a lot of extra detail added, but the art style remains absolutely true to the original game. The extra detail adds to the more lifelike environment; when I say lifelike, I don't mean realistic looking to our world, but rather than just being an image on the screen - it does look like the world physically exists; like the player can reach inside of it.
* The gyroscope is used as an option for aiming, it allows for extreme precision, it also makes for for very fast an accurate aiming and firing; a gameplay improvement over the original.
* Touch screen is used for very smooth menu controls, no stylus required, tapping the screen with a finger is very functional. This makes the UI smoother feeling than the original game.
* There are some extra modes of play, including the full Master Quest which becomes available after completing the original quest, and boss mode, which is a challenge against the games bosses only. Neither of which I have played.

[bovine]

Interested.

[M'k'n'zy]

I haven't been able to put it down so far, I'm already through the temple of time and heading to the forest temple. It's incredible how much the improved textures and the 3d really make things pop.

[Zeus]

I haven't been able to put it down so far, I'm already through the temple of time and heading to the forest temple. It's incredible how much the improved textures and the 3d really make things pop.

Mac, don't forget to register your game right away. Once you complete your survey, you get an option to get a free soundtrack mailed to you. 50 songs total (I assume it's 2 discs) with liner notes and everything. Not bad for a freebie

[M'k'n'zy]

I haven't been able to put it down so far, I'm already through the temple of time and heading to the forest temple. It's incredible how much the improved textures and the 3d really make things pop.

Mac, don't forget to register your game right away. Once you complete your survey, you get an option to get a free soundtrack mailed to you. 50 songs total (I assume it's 2 discs) with liner notes and everything. Not bad for a freebie

Already done! I did it the same night!

[Julius Seeker]

It's currently the highest rated handheld game of all time on Gamerankings at 93.5% after 24 reviews. Personally I feel the score average is a little on the low side, particularly given that many reviewers deduct points solely on the fact that it an enhanced Port; and ignore the fact that this game is just a ton of fun and a highly satisfying adventure rolled into one.

Anyway, I think Nintendo should really look hard at this one when making future Zelda games, I would prefer to avoid future Twilight Princesses. Maybe Ocarina of Time is too high of a standard for them to expect to satisfy.

[Eric]

>.>

<.<

Twilight Princess on the Gamecube is my favorite Zelda.

*flees*

[Julius Seeker]

The game shot up to the top of the worldwide charts this week; this is likely due to 3DS selling in excess of 300K two weeks in a row. Fairly good for a game that is on its 10th week of release.

[Kupek]

Personally I feel the score average is a little on the low side, particularly given that many reviewers deduct points solely on the fact that it an enhanced Port; and ignore the fact that this game is just a ton of fun and a highly satisfying adventure rolled into one.

I think you're confusing "This game is a 10, but it's just an enhanced port, so I'm calling it an 8" with "This game was a 10 a decade ago, but times have changed and so have my expectations. It still holds up well, though, so it's an 8."

Of course, obsessing over scores is silly anyway.

[Julius Seeker]

No confusion, if this game was new today, it would probably be the highest rated game today. It does what it does better than any game which came before or after it has done. Of all the games I have played, it is one of the small few games that I would call nearly flawless; Super Mario Galaxy 2 is the only other one that comes immediately to mind; and Ocarina's few flaws are very minor cosmetic things, such as foot position on vines.

Twilight Princess, it has much more content and uses more polygons, but is also filled with design flaws which ultimately led to the most unappealing entry into the franchise, largely because the game's dungeon sequences lacked the thrill of earlier installments due to larger sizes a d slower and less thought provoking puzzles; and the surface world was filled with mandatory fetch quests where the objectives lacked context. Ultimately this is the current trend in games, which is why Ocarina of Time today, especially in this new package, is better than everything else in its genre, and not even by a small amount.

While a remake, it was very refreshing to play that offers such satisfaction and fun while playing.