The StarSoldier
GAME OF THE MONTH COLLECTION!

LEGEND OF ZELDA
Ocarina of Time

Artist touch: . Cover art rating: 5/10

Month it won: 2007

(Nintendo, November 24, 1998)

Special note: We waited over 3 years for this game here but in the end it was still worth it!

Introduction and Story:

Anybody remember the nasty war between the Nintendo 64 and Playstation in the late 1990's? Although the Sony Playstation was the clear winner, Nintendo didn't give up without a good fight. On November 24, 1998 the Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time was FINALLY released on the N64 (the first 256 meg game for the N64 by the way) and it proved to be one heck of a game. Ocarina of Time won high praise and tons of Game of the Year awards but is it still good today you ask? You better believe it is! If you are looking for or a unique time traveling adventure, stellar fantasy based graphics, and an lengthy journey across a absolutely huge 3D landscape then you came to the right place. I know moving a popular 2D series to 3D can be train wreck (Contra anyone?) but see why Zelda's jump was a successful one.

Here's the low down on the game's plot if you actually care, if you don't just scroll down and I'll keep this short. You play the role of Link, a young boy who lives in the forest with elves. The problem is that Link isn't really a elf like all the others in his community and he still doesn't know his real identity yet. As Link is trying to discover who he really is, a man named Ganondorf is trying to conquer the peaceful land of Hyrule. Only the young princess Zelda knows Ganondorf's true intentions and only you can help her before this mysterious evil man takes over the entire world. It will be no easy task as Link has to worry about several factors on his dangerous and long mission. This Zelda game actually tells you the origins of the land Hyrule and Ganon isn't a giant pigmen yet so this isn't just another retelling of the same old story.

Controls and Game Play:

Like the other Zelda games of the past this is a brilliant action/adventure title where you battle monsters and find secret items on your quest to save the world. Unlike Zelda games of the past though everything is completely 3D and Link has be careful what like the time of day it is. You can only go to the castle during the day and at night there are more monsters roaming the country side for example. The huge land of Hyrule is so big now it can takes nearly hours to run across the entire world (unless you can get a horse) which is amazing for a adventure video game.

I know running around a giant landscape sounds kind of boring but every area of game has it's own little batch of secrets littered all over the place so you don't really mind all the running back and forth. The game even comes with 6 different races so your not just talking to the same old non-playable losers all the time.

If all that wasn't enough this adventure even includes some time traveling. Although you start off the game has a young 10 year old kid, part way through the game you can fast forward to a 17 year old adult Link of the future and you can use different weapons and equipment as well. See now you know this game took forever to come out, eh?

Ocarina of Time is also famous for it's unique controls. The game's innovative new Z targeting system let's players lock on to a certain object so you can keep a direct eye on opponents or if you wish to speak to someone from a distance. I would have liked to have been given more camera options so some scenes were easier to see but despite some minor rants, the game controls fine and after a few hours it all becomes second nature.

Graphics and Sounds:

Nintendo didn't just port over the old series to the N64, they spiced up the old girl to appeal to the newer 3D generation here. The game not only comes with a good amount of detail in the environments and creatures, I never saw any of that nasty fog that seems to plaque other N64 games. There are even has a few photo realistic scenes here to show off the big chip inside the cart. Sadly, the game runs on kind of a weak frame rate and there some pop up problems as well but overall the game looks still great especially for a N64 title. Although Nintendo updated the graphics over the last SNES game, I barely noticed any improvements with the music (if there really is any). Some of the tracks can be solid (like the cool Mexican style track in the desert) but a lot the music tracks sound a little muffled during certain situations and most of the music found in the Super Nintendo's Zelda is way superior to what's on here so don't expect to hear this stuff at a all night dance party. It's a shame but you can't win them all. The sound effects and some random voices here and there are sure a saving grace for some second rate music.

The Bottomline:

The Ocarina of Time is definitely a epic game with great graphics and sounds but there are still a few little things that bugged me. Some parts of the game are either just way too hard (like that damn Water Temple) or way too easy (too many areas of the game have either little to no enemies) plus there is little to do after the game is fully completed. Despite a few nick picks these are the only things that kept me from giving this game a perfect score of 100 here and the game still easily gets the five star. The game is so big and so interactive that it should take about a good month to finish everything. If you are searching for a long and engaging adventure Legend of Zelda 64 is a awesome choice in a sea of N64 junk out there (by the way every play a game made from Titus before?).