ZELDA: A Link to the Past vs. Ocarina of Time

[Anarky]

I've always liked A Link to the Past far better, and I think this is a constructive argument. Plus Egoraptor.

[Julius Seeker]

They're two very different games; and I would say the first 4 games of the series are difficult to compare. It really comes down to genre preference. Personally I like Ocarina of Time better just because I find the it more fun, much more satisfying, and far more immersive - there is just so much more to do, and so much more to experience, and so much more life to the game.

Some people might prefer the top down open world action of Zelda 1, I personally hate the original game nowadays. Adventure of Link's 2D platforming and vast world elements really won me over though.

I can understand how people would prefer the more simplistic and straight forward approach to Link to the Past; but, if I were to compare Link to the Past to any other Zelda, it would be A Link Between Worlds - which I find can be best described as Link to the Past reaching its true potential. It's fun, very snappy, and doesn't feel cramped and confining like Link to the Past - and the adventure is overall more grand. I also find it is the game that successfully made Link to the Past feel obsolete.


I probably currently rank my favourite Zeldas as:
1. Majora's Mask or Ocarina of Time
2. See above.
3. Wind Waker (HD)
4. Link Between Worlds
5. Skyword Sword
6. Adventure of Link
7. Link's Awakening
8. Oracle of Ages & Seasons
9. Minish Cap
10. Four Swords


One thing I really like about the Zelda series overall is the games all have very different flavours, despite using the same characters over and over again.

[Eric]

I liked Twilight Princess the most out of all the 3D Zeldas, I thought it was the most polished of that style, and the darkest, which was just a plus for me. After that is Majora's, then TooT & Skyward Sword, because nostalgia doesn't really blind me about Toot that much, and Egoraptor's assessment of Skyward is pretty spot on.

[Julius Seeker]

I should add that I do think the upcoming Wii U Zelda game will be the best of the series. The game is so large in scope that there are many anti-Nintendo people who actually refuse to believe it. I am assuming they're not going to make it full of so much emptiness as was the case with Twilight Princess; even though Zelda U's world is going to be far larger. The main ground portions of Skyward Sword had tons of stuff to do on them, and I feel like Monolithsoft is rubbin off on EAD since they joined Nintendo - Xenoblade/Monado was the first huge world game I had ever played that was done right - lots of interesting things to do all over the place - an adventure that moves forward with lots of stuff to do on the side - including the building of your own city.

Judging by the E3 press event, this is the Zelda game they've wanted to make for decades now. I am really looking forward to it.

[Eric]

Bump! I liked this take on things. :o

[Zeus]

Ocarina was probably my fav, but Majora's and Twilight were probably as good. LttP was amazing too just didn't have the wow factor of Ocarina

[Julius Seeker]

Bump! I liked this take on things. :o

I disagree on this video with the exploration point - largely because the over worlds of the 2D Zelda games are fairly small and easy to get across in short periods of time. The Zelda game that has dealt the most with exploration is Wind Waker. 2D was a limitation on the series, and that's really all there is to it.

In addition, he/she's also wrong about the conveyance of emotion, Nintendo did this a lot within Link to the Past, including the audio and and visual direction of Link to the Past; remember the rain scene from the opening? That was fantastic at the time - but that sort of thing could be done a lot better in 3D.

The move to 3D was an evolution to a more ideal state.

[Eric]

Wind Waker is a terrible example imo, that fucking ocean was awful to navigate. =/

Full Disclosure: I hate Wind Waker.