I still would've liked TP better if it had better/more interesting collectibles and bigger wallets.
You know, this was one of those ideas that seems to have spread through the later Zelda titles like the plague and I can't stand it! Wallets! What's up with the freaking wallets?! It was one of those concepts from Ocarina that I found annoying and kind of pointless but lived with it. Yet, now it seems to have become a staple of the series. I hate it. Stop with the damn wallets already! Ugh!
Sorry. I just always thought it was a really dumb idea to include in a Zelda game.
I agree that it's a really dumb game mechanic, though I get why they do it, since they can tease stronger items earlier in the game without you being capable of grinding for the money you'd need to buy them.
Easily Ocarina of Time. I just can't do it. Tried so many times to get into the game and I can't mentally do it. It's like an instant headache for me. Same with Majora's Mask, but I at least could focus in that game for more than an hour. OoT just loses me minutes into the game.
Have you played through any of the other 3D Zelda games?
I found OOT more tolerable on a PC emulator with better resolution textures. It at least lets you play the game without feeling, continually, like you're being poked in the eye with a sharp stick
My Top 3 in no particular order (it could change daily depending on mood):
Zelda I
Link to the Past
Link's Awakening
Honorable Mentions:
A Link Between Worlds - should probably be Top 3 if I play it again
Zelda II: Adventure of Link - I'll go to bat for this one any time
Least Favorite:
Majora's Mask - not a bad game but it does not resonate with me at all.
I have played Ocarina of Time several times through over the years and I think it is overrated. Just feels tedious at times but I can't really put my finger on it.
I did enjoy Skyward Sword. The controls worked fine for me and made the game more interesting.
Breath of the Wild looks amazing and could possibly crack my Top 3 even though I am almost always close minded to open world gameplay.
I have played Ocarina of Time several times through over the years and I think it is overrated. Just feels tedious at times but I can't really put my finger on it.
I feel like it's because the wide-open view of some of the 3D areas leads to a game world that simply feels "dead" and devoid of life.
With the 2D games, the game is more granularly broken up in a way that lets something continually be happening, but with the early 3D games you just can't get enough far-afield stuff on-screen to complete that same effect.
When you're in the overworld, you practically feel like you're just running around in a tech demo with minimal-to-no enemy interaction.
Makes travel REALLY boring.
(as opposed to later PC-based 3D adventure games like Oblivion, where you have enough visual obstruction to suppress many of the long-distance views, and you're continually finding something new to do and explore anyway, so the overal emptiness is less of a thing)
I have played Ocarina of Time several times through over the years and I think it is overrated. Just feels tedious at times but I can't really put my finger on it.
I feel like it's because the wide-open view of some of the 3D areas leads to a game world that simply feels "dead" and devoid of life.
With the 2D games, the game is more granularly broken up in a way that lets something continually be happening, but with the early 3D games you just can't get enough far-afield stuff on-screen to complete that same effect.
When you're in the overworld, you practically feel like you're just running around in a tech demo with minimal-to-no enemy interaction.
Makes travel REALLY boring.
(as opposed to later PC-based 3D adventure games like Oblivion, where you have enough visual obstruction to suppress many of the long-distance views, and you're continually finding something new to do and explore anyway, so the overal emptiness is less of a thing)
Just getting around in the game is tedious much in the way that you are describing with the lack of interesting things to do in the open spaces and such.
I feel some of the dungeons are a little bit tedious to work through, and not even so much with the much maligned Water Temple. (I mean, that one is tedious but not nearly as unmanageable that most people make it out to be.)
I have played Ocarina of Time several times through over the years and I think it is overrated. Just feels tedious at times but I can't really put my finger on it.
I feel like it's because the wide-open view of some of the 3D areas leads to a game world that simply feels "dead" and devoid of life.
With the 2D games, the game is more granularly broken up in a way that lets something continually be happening, but with the early 3D games you just can't get enough far-afield stuff on-screen to complete that same effect.
When you're in the overworld, you practically feel like you're just running around in a tech demo with minimal-to-no enemy interaction.
Makes travel REALLY boring.
(as opposed to later PC-based 3D adventure games like Oblivion, where you have enough visual obstruction to suppress many of the long-distance views, and you're continually finding something new to do and explore anyway, so the overal emptiness is less of a thing)
I think the game has just been hyped to shit since its release and never cooled. I always felt like it was one of the most overrated games ever. I like the game, but, in my opinion, it's quite a way down the list of Zelda games, let alone games in general. I think the fact that it's 3D was really the big thing. Again, I still think it's a great game, just not quite as amazing as its typically labelled (GOAT lists etc.). Just my 2 cents.
I have played Ocarina of Time several times through over the years and I think it is overrated. Just feels tedious at times but I can't really put my finger on it.
I feel like it's because the wide-open view of some of the 3D areas leads to a game world that simply feels "dead" and devoid of life.
With the 2D games, the game is more granularly broken up in a way that lets something continually be happening, but with the early 3D games you just can't get enough far-afield stuff on-screen to complete that same effect.
When you're in the overworld, you practically feel like you're just running around in a tech demo with minimal-to-no enemy interaction.
Makes travel REALLY boring.
(as opposed to later PC-based 3D adventure games like Oblivion, where you have enough visual obstruction to suppress many of the long-distance views, and you're continually finding something new to do and explore anyway, so the overal emptiness is less of a thing)
I think the game has just been hyped to shit since its release and never cooled. I always felt like it was one of the most overrated games ever. I like the game, but, in my opinion, it's quite a way down the list of Zelda games, let alone games in general. I think the fact that it's 3D was really the big thing. Again, I still think it's a great game, just not quite as amazing as its typically labelled (GOAT lists etc.). Just my 2 cents.
I think today in retrospect perhaps it's somewhat overhyped depending on your view. It was the first 3D Zelda game and the overall scale at the time seemed very "OMG!" in the same vein that Super Mario 64 did when I first played it in 1996. I can clearly recall Christmas time of 1998 into New Years of '99 where almost all my friends were either playing Zelda Ocarina of Time, still playing Final Fantasy VII, or working on Tomb Raider 1-3.
OOT is probably perceived a little bit different to those who weren't old enough to remember 1998 or not born yet. I still think it's a wonderful game with a great combination of story, music, gameplay, and challenge but it's not my favorite game of all time.
I think today in retrospect perhaps it's somewhat overhyped depending on your view. It was the first 3D Zelda game and the overall scale at the time seemed very "OMG!" in the same vein that Super Mario 64 did when I first played it in 1996. I can clearly recall Christmas time of 1998 into New Years of '99 where almost all my friends were either playing Zelda Ocarina of Time, still playing Final Fantasy VII, or working on Tomb Raider 1-3.
OOT is probably perceived a little bit different to those who weren't old enough to remember 1998 or not born yet. I still think it's a wonderful game with a great combination of story, music, gameplay, and challenge but it's not my favorite game of all time.
I'm in the camp that's felt like it's been overhyped since its inception...
I thought it wasn't that great when I tried my friend's copy in the 90's.
(I skipped the N64, myself, in favor of PC games, at that time)
I finally decided to revisit it about a year ago, and give it a chance, and I was able to enjoy it enough to finish it, but was definitely left with the impression of "I can't believe people promote this as the best game of all time...". Whenever I see that opinion, I have to wonder how broad a person's tastes and experiences are that they think OOT is "the best" of anything.
I think today in retrospect perhaps it's somewhat overhyped depending on your view. It was the first 3D Zelda game and the overall scale at the time seemed very "OMG!" in the same vein that Super Mario 64 did when I first played it in 1996. I can clearly recall Christmas time of 1998 into New Years of '99 where almost all my friends were either playing Zelda Ocarina of Time, still playing Final Fantasy VII, or working on Tomb Raider 1-3.
OOT is probably perceived a little bit different to those who weren't old enough to remember 1998 or not born yet. I still think it's a wonderful game with a great combination of story, music, gameplay, and challenge but it's not my favorite game of all time.
I think this was part of it. I remember when EVERYONE was playing it during that Xmas break, just as you explain. I had already completed the game a few days after Xmas by playing it non-stop for two or three days; however, after returning to school and hearing how it was the best game ever from then on out kind of spoiled it a little for me.
Having said that, Mario 64 is one of my favourite games and I know A LOT of people like Super Mario Bros. 3 or even Galaxy a lot more which I personally don't agree with, but respect (especially Mario 3).
To everyone who says it was overhyped when it launched, what made you think that?
I remember 3D was THE thing to do in that era and to hear that a new Zelda was coming out and it was fully 3D was amazing. Everyone loved SM64 right? Why wouldn't Zelda get the same hype? There were no other 3D Zelda titles to compare it to, the music, characters, combat (z-targeting, hello!) and story were great as well.
I can see why some people may not like it or think it's overhyped looking back but at launch I don't see any reason to think that it was overhyped or sub-par.
To everyone who says it was overhyped when it launched, what made you think that?
I remember 3D was THE thing to do in that era and to hear that a new Zelda was coming out and it was fully 3D was amazing. Everyone loved SM64 right? Why wouldn't Zelda get the same hype? There were no other 3D Zelda titles to compare it to, the music, characters, combat (z-targeting, hello!) and story were great as well.
I can see why some people may not like it or think it's overhyped looking back but at launch I don't see any reason to think that it was overhyped or sub-par.
I think it is a matter of perspective whether N64-based 3D was anything special, or not, depending on how old you were and whether you knew people with viable gaming PCs at that time.
By the time OoT came out in 1998, I, and most of my friends, had moved on to PC gaming, and those that werent were generally content with what Playstation had on tap.
Quake came out in 1996, for instance, and had a dramatically higher polygon count than anything on the N64.
Turok Dinosaur Hunter even had a Windows release in 1997 that was specialized for a particular 3D accelerator and had much higher resolution textures than the N64 version. (so did Shadows of the Empire, as well)
So if you were old enough to be into PC gaming (and fortunate enough to have access to a semi-up-to-date PC), there wasn't much wow-factor from N64 by the time that OoT was rolling around.
(and not everybody loved SM64 While I find the game fun, the camera angles are often terrible...)
EDIT: and by "overhyped" in the beginning, I mean it was from the era of games that were promoted in magazines with 3D renders that were worlds different from the actual game graphics. (same sort of thing with Killer Instinct, or any of the RARE games, for instance)
I don't blame them for hyping the hell out of the game, since it's a flagship franchise and they were probably sweating not having it ready for the N64's initial release, but I think it fell short of what was possible, and the long-dull stretches of overworld really rip you out of the Legend of Zelda mindset of meaningful exploration and discovery.
Having said that, Mario 64 is one of my favourite games and I know A LOT of people like Super Mario Bros. 3 or even Galaxy a lot more which I personally don't agree with, but respect (especially Mario 3).
I'd definitely say I prefer Galaxy or Galaxy 2 to Mario 64, since it is basically the same game with more evolved controls, better graphics, and much more intelligent camera following.
I feel the same way about Twilight Princess vs OoT -- more-or-less similar gameplay experience, but updated, and without the nuissances of early 3D games before developers knew how to control a camera well.
To everyone who says it was overhyped when it launched, what made you think that?
I remember 3D was THE thing to do in that era and to hear that a new Zelda was coming out and it was fully 3D was amazing. Everyone loved SM64 right? Why wouldn't Zelda get the same hype? There were no other 3D Zelda titles to compare it to, the music, characters, combat (z-targeting, hello!) and story were great as well.
I can see why some people may not like it or think it's overhyped looking back but at launch I don't see any reason to think that it was overhyped or sub-par.
I think it is a matter of perspective whether N64-based 3D was anything special, or not, depending on how old you were and whether you knew people with viable gaming PCs at that time.
By the time OoT came out in 1998, I, and most of my friends, had moved on to PC gaming, and those that werent were generally content with what Playstation had on tap.
Quake came out in 1996, for instance, and had a dramatically higher polygon count than anything on the N64.
Turok Dinosaur Hunter even had a Windows release in 1997 that was specialized for a particular 3D accelerator and had much higher resolution textures than the N64 version. (so did Shadows of the Empire, as well)
So if you were old enough to be into PC gaming (and fortunate enough to have access to a semi-up-to-date PC), there wasn't much wow-factor from N64 by the time that OoT was rolling around.
(and not everybody loved SM64 While I find the game fun, the camera angles are often terrible...)
EDIT: and by "overhyped" in the beginning, I mean it was from the era of games that were promoted in magazines with 3D renders that were worlds different from the actual game graphics. (same sort of thing with Killer Instinct, or any of the RARE games, for instance)
I don't blame them for hyping the hell out of the game, since it's a flagship franchise and they were probably sweating not having it ready for the N64's initial release, but I think it fell short of what was possible, and the long-dull stretches of overworld really rip you out of the Legend of Zelda mindset of meaningful exploration and discovery.
I mean I see the point comparing to PC games, but that's not quite a fair judging point, especially at the time. How much did a good gaming PC cost back then? I swear we had a Compaq Presario that was like almost 1k and it was a piece of shit.
Anyways, I don't think you're wrong, just wondering why when Zelda threads come up, OoT gets slammed every time.
I mean I see the point comparing to PC games, but that's not quite a fair judging point, especially at the time. How much did a good gaming PC cost back then? I swear we had a Compaq Presario that was like almost 1k and it was a piece of shit.
Anyways, I don't think you're wrong, just wondering why when Zelda threads come up, OoT gets slammed every time.
Surprisingly, a practical gaming PC back then was a lot less expensive, relatively speaking, than it is nowadays.
(I think the video card I had that ran SoTE and Turok was only $100, or so, and I think my buddies and I had cobbled together barebones PCs for only a few hundred bucks each -- not top end stuff by any means, but it functioned well for the era -- the markup on pre-built back then was SUBSTANTIAL)
It wasn't long after that time, though, that the price divide got pretty nutty.
OOT gets slammed because it's an easy target when people claim it's "the best game ever" and it somehow consistently makes the top ranking in compiled lists online, seemingly nonsensically, in my opinion.
I don't fault anybody for having it has a childhood favorite, because I know nostalgia is a strong force, but then those same people offer up a lot of vehemence toward other 3D zeldas like TP, which I find sort of funny, when I thought that was an objectively superior game to OOT.
To everyone who says it was overhyped when it launched, what made you think that?
I remember 3D was THE thing to do in that era and to hear that a new Zelda was coming out and it was fully 3D was amazing. Everyone loved SM64 right? Why wouldn't Zelda get the same hype? There were no other 3D Zelda titles to compare it to, the music, characters, combat (z-targeting, hello!) and story were great as well.
I can see why some people may not like it or think it's overhyped looking back but at launch I don't see any reason to think that it was overhyped or sub-par.
It's really the first half of the game that I didn't really enojy. Too much talking and the dungeons were ridiculously easy (even the 1st time). Once you get some good items and are on your way to the Fire Temple it gets more enjoyable. Again, I'm not saying it wasn't a good game or hype at the time, but everyone and their dog was running around toting it as the greatest game ever... even then I like Lttp quite a bit more.
Also, nostalgia does play a huge part. Although I have some for OoT, I openly admit that it's probably one of the main factors why I love Mario 64.... that and the long jump...mmmmmmm
I still would've liked TP better if it had better/more interesting collectibles and bigger wallets.
You know, this was one of those ideas that seems to have spread through the later Zelda titles like the plague and I can't stand it! Wallets! What's up with the freaking wallets?! It was one of those concepts from Ocarina that I found annoying and kind of pointless but lived with it. Yet, now it seems to have become a staple of the series. I hate it. Stop with the damn wallets already! Ugh!
Sorry. I just always thought it was a really dumb idea to include in a Zelda game.
I agree that it's a really dumb game mechanic, though I get why they do it, since they can tease stronger items earlier in the game without you being capable of grinding for the money you'd need to buy them.
The wallets were done just fine in the other Zelda games, it's just a 600 rupee wallet in TP (you have to get all the pairs of buggies to get the 1000 one which means that's not happening until you're almost done) is rather tight, and I also didn't like how the game didn't have nearly as interesting collectibles as most of the other Zeldas since OoT. I only wish the bank had extra bonuses added in the 3DS version of Majora's Mask. It's far too easy to max it out (5000-5499) if you know where the nearby silver/gold rupees are so it would've been neat if the 3DS remake had some sort of added bonuses if you saved say, 10K, 20K... Hey, it worked for that coin obsessive Super Mario Land 3D, right?
To everyone who says it was overhyped when it launched, what made you think that?
I remember 3D was THE thing to do in that era and to hear that a new Zelda was coming out and it was fully 3D was amazing. Everyone loved SM64 right? Why wouldn't Zelda get the same hype? There were no other 3D Zelda titles to compare it to, the music, characters, combat (z-targeting, hello!) and story were great as well.
I can see why some people may not like it or think it's overhyped looking back but at launch I don't see any reason to think that it was overhyped or sub-par.
I think it is a matter of perspective whether N64-based 3D was anything special, or not, depending on how old you were and whether you knew people with viable gaming PCs at that time.
By the time OoT came out in 1998, I, and most of my friends, had moved on to PC gaming, and those that werent were generally content with what Playstation had on tap.
Quake came out in 1996, for instance, and had a dramatically higher polygon count than anything on the N64.
Turok Dinosaur Hunter even had a Windows release in 1997 that was specialized for a particular 3D accelerator and had much higher resolution textures than the N64 version. (so did Shadows of the Empire, as well)
So if you were old enough to be into PC gaming (and fortunate enough to have access to a semi-up-to-date PC), there wasn't much wow-factor from N64 by the time that OoT was rolling around.
(and not everybody loved SM64 While I find the game fun, the camera angles are often terrible...)
EDIT: and by "overhyped" in the beginning, I mean it was from the era of games that were promoted in magazines with 3D renders that were worlds different from the actual game graphics. (same sort of thing with Killer Instinct, or any of the RARE games, for instance)
I don't blame them for hyping the hell out of the game, since it's a flagship franchise and they were probably sweating not having it ready for the N64's initial release, but I think it fell short of what was possible, and the long-dull stretches of overworld really rip you out of the Legend of Zelda mindset of meaningful exploration and discovery.
That's a very interesting analysis. I was only 11 at the time, so I was clueless about PC gaming. I'd say 2 of 5 friends had a PC with internet at their home at this time. We got it a year later (1999-2000). I was so focused on N64 stuff, I never fathomed PC games.
Originally posted by: Andy_Bogomil
Originally posted by: Mad Martigan
I think today in retrospect perhaps it's somewhat overhyped depending on your view. It was the first 3D Zelda game and the overall scale at the time seemed very "OMG!" in the same vein that Super Mario 64 did when I first played it in 1996. I can clearly recall Christmas time of 1998 into New Years of '99 where almost all my friends were either playing Zelda Ocarina of Time, still playing Final Fantasy VII, or working on Tomb Raider 1-3.
OOT is probably perceived a little bit different to those who weren't old enough to remember 1998 or not born yet. I still think it's a wonderful game with a great combination of story, music, gameplay, and challenge but it's not my favorite game of all time.
I think this was part of it. I remember when EVERYONE was playing it during that Xmas break, just as you explain. I had already completed the game a few days after Xmas by playing it non-stop for two or three days; however, after returning to school and hearing how it was the best game ever from then on out kind of spoiled it a little for me.
Having said that, Mario 64 is one of my favourite games and I know A LOT of people like Super Mario Bros. 3 or even Galaxy a lot more which I personally don't agree with, but respect (especially Mario 3).
Christmas '98 into New Year's '99 was perhaps the peak of my N64 career, for games and reasons you've mentioned. EVERYBODY was playing those games simultaneously. Just before the internet really took off, too, so we were all still writing secrets and shit down on spare paper, passing on the bus, out in the neighborhood, etc. Golden era.
I think today in retrospect perhaps it's somewhat overhyped depending on your view. It was the first 3D Zelda game and the overall scale at the time seemed very "OMG!" in the same vein that Super Mario 64 did when I first played it in 1996. I can clearly recall Christmas time of 1998 into New Years of '99 where almost all my friends were either playing Zelda Ocarina of Time, still playing Final Fantasy VII, or working on Tomb Raider 1-3.
OOT is probably perceived a little bit different to those who weren't old enough to remember 1998 or not born yet. I still think it's a wonderful game with a great combination of story, music, gameplay, and challenge but it's not my favorite game of all time.
I think this was part of it. I remember when EVERYONE was playing it during that Xmas break, just as you explain. I had already completed the game a few days after Xmas by playing it non-stop for two or three days; however, after returning to school and hearing how it was the best game ever from then on out kind of spoiled it a little for me.
Having said that, Mario 64 is one of my favourite games and I know A LOT of people like Super Mario Bros. 3 or even Galaxy a lot more which I personally don't agree with, but respect (especially Mario 3).
Christmas '98 into New Year's '99 was perhaps the peak of my N64 career, for games and reasons you've mentioned. EVERYBODY was playing those games simultaneously. Just before the internet really took off, too, so we were all still writing secrets and shit down on spare paper, passing on the bus, out in the neighborhood, etc. Golden era.
Absolutely. I didn't get my N64 until 1999 (I got the Star Wars Racer bundle), but I remember as soon as I saw an ad for Ocarina of Time in the back of a strat guide for Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow that summer, I immediately wanted the game and rented it a few times before I finally got it for Christmas.
I had PC games, and I had played PS1 at my friend's house, but still nothing could come close to the sense of adventure that I got when I first played through Ocarina of Time. If I had to pick the one game that had the most impact on me, it would easily be OOT.
The first Pokemon and N64 Zelda games were really the last games I can remember where secrets and stuff were spread by word of mouth as well. After 2000, I discovered message boards so I tended to get info that way. There's something romantic about trading secrets and codes and tips with people in real life. The internet is great, but I miss the charm that video gaming in the 90s (and I'm sure late 80s) had.
"Top X Zelda Games" lists are always hard for me. LBW is almost my #1 pick, but not quite. While I mostly prefer the 2D games over the 3D ones, I feel like TWW was way ahead of its time and very well polished.
Comments
1. Link's Awakening
2. Link to the Past
3. Zelda II: Adventures of Link
Bottom 3 (Never played those on non Nintenedo systems, or multiplayer focused ones)
3. Phantom Hourglass
2. Sprit Tracks
1. Skyward Sword
I still would've liked TP better if it had better/more interesting collectibles and bigger wallets.
You know, this was one of those ideas that seems to have spread through the later Zelda titles like the plague and I can't stand it! Wallets! What's up with the freaking wallets?! It was one of those concepts from Ocarina that I found annoying and kind of pointless but lived with it. Yet, now it seems to have become a staple of the series. I hate it. Stop with the damn wallets already! Ugh!
Sorry. I just always thought it was a really dumb idea to include in a Zelda game.
I agree that it's a really dumb game mechanic, though I get why they do it, since they can tease stronger items earlier in the game without you being capable of grinding for the money you'd need to buy them.
Worst:
Easily Ocarina of Time. I just can't do it. Tried so many times to get into the game and I can't mentally do it. It's like an instant headache for me. Same with Majora's Mask, but I at least could focus in that game for more than an hour. OoT just loses me minutes into the game.
Have you played through any of the other 3D Zelda games?
I found OOT more tolerable on a PC emulator with better resolution textures. It at least lets you play the game without feeling, continually, like you're being poked in the eye with a sharp stick
Zelda I
Link to the Past
Link's Awakening
Honorable Mentions:
A Link Between Worlds - should probably be Top 3 if I play it again
Zelda II: Adventure of Link - I'll go to bat for this one any time
Least Favorite:
Majora's Mask - not a bad game but it does not resonate with me at all.
I have played Ocarina of Time several times through over the years and I think it is overrated. Just feels tedious at times but I can't really put my finger on it.
I did enjoy Skyward Sword. The controls worked fine for me and made the game more interesting.
Breath of the Wild looks amazing and could possibly crack my Top 3 even though I am almost always close minded to open world gameplay.
I have played Ocarina of Time several times through over the years and I think it is overrated. Just feels tedious at times but I can't really put my finger on it.
I feel like it's because the wide-open view of some of the 3D areas leads to a game world that simply feels "dead" and devoid of life.
With the 2D games, the game is more granularly broken up in a way that lets something continually be happening, but with the early 3D games you just can't get enough far-afield stuff on-screen to complete that same effect.
When you're in the overworld, you practically feel like you're just running around in a tech demo with minimal-to-no enemy interaction.
Makes travel REALLY boring.
(as opposed to later PC-based 3D adventure games like Oblivion, where you have enough visual obstruction to suppress many of the long-distance views, and you're continually finding something new to do and explore anyway, so the overal emptiness is less of a thing)
Ocarina of Time
Link to the Past
I have played Ocarina of Time several times through over the years and I think it is overrated. Just feels tedious at times but I can't really put my finger on it.
I feel like it's because the wide-open view of some of the 3D areas leads to a game world that simply feels "dead" and devoid of life.
With the 2D games, the game is more granularly broken up in a way that lets something continually be happening, but with the early 3D games you just can't get enough far-afield stuff on-screen to complete that same effect.
When you're in the overworld, you practically feel like you're just running around in a tech demo with minimal-to-no enemy interaction.
Makes travel REALLY boring.
(as opposed to later PC-based 3D adventure games like Oblivion, where you have enough visual obstruction to suppress many of the long-distance views, and you're continually finding something new to do and explore anyway, so the overal emptiness is less of a thing)
Just getting around in the game is tedious much in the way that you are describing with the lack of interesting things to do in the open spaces and such.
I feel some of the dungeons are a little bit tedious to work through, and not even so much with the much maligned Water Temple. (I mean, that one is tedious but not nearly as unmanageable that most people make it out to be.)
Originally posted by: arch_8ngel
Originally posted by: arnpoly
I have played Ocarina of Time several times through over the years and I think it is overrated. Just feels tedious at times but I can't really put my finger on it.
I feel like it's because the wide-open view of some of the 3D areas leads to a game world that simply feels "dead" and devoid of life.
With the 2D games, the game is more granularly broken up in a way that lets something continually be happening, but with the early 3D games you just can't get enough far-afield stuff on-screen to complete that same effect.
When you're in the overworld, you practically feel like you're just running around in a tech demo with minimal-to-no enemy interaction.
Makes travel REALLY boring.
(as opposed to later PC-based 3D adventure games like Oblivion, where you have enough visual obstruction to suppress many of the long-distance views, and you're continually finding something new to do and explore anyway, so the overal emptiness is less of a thing)
I think the game has just been hyped to shit since its release and never cooled. I always felt like it was one of the most overrated games ever. I like the game, but, in my opinion, it's quite a way down the list of Zelda games, let alone games in general. I think the fact that it's 3D was really the big thing. Again, I still think it's a great game, just not quite as amazing as its typically labelled (GOAT lists etc.). Just my 2 cents.
I have played Ocarina of Time several times through over the years and I think it is overrated. Just feels tedious at times but I can't really put my finger on it.
I feel like it's because the wide-open view of some of the 3D areas leads to a game world that simply feels "dead" and devoid of life.
With the 2D games, the game is more granularly broken up in a way that lets something continually be happening, but with the early 3D games you just can't get enough far-afield stuff on-screen to complete that same effect.
When you're in the overworld, you practically feel like you're just running around in a tech demo with minimal-to-no enemy interaction.
Makes travel REALLY boring.
(as opposed to later PC-based 3D adventure games like Oblivion, where you have enough visual obstruction to suppress many of the long-distance views, and you're continually finding something new to do and explore anyway, so the overal emptiness is less of a thing)
I think the game has just been hyped to shit since its release and never cooled. I always felt like it was one of the most overrated games ever. I like the game, but, in my opinion, it's quite a way down the list of Zelda games, let alone games in general. I think the fact that it's 3D was really the big thing. Again, I still think it's a great game, just not quite as amazing as its typically labelled (GOAT lists etc.). Just my 2 cents.
I think today in retrospect perhaps it's somewhat overhyped depending on your view. It was the first 3D Zelda game and the overall scale at the time seemed very "OMG!" in the same vein that Super Mario 64 did when I first played it in 1996. I can clearly recall Christmas time of 1998 into New Years of '99 where almost all my friends were either playing Zelda Ocarina of Time, still playing Final Fantasy VII, or working on Tomb Raider 1-3.
OOT is probably perceived a little bit different to those who weren't old enough to remember 1998 or not born yet. I still think it's a wonderful game with a great combination of story, music, gameplay, and challenge but it's not my favorite game of all time.
I think today in retrospect perhaps it's somewhat overhyped depending on your view. It was the first 3D Zelda game and the overall scale at the time seemed very "OMG!" in the same vein that Super Mario 64 did when I first played it in 1996. I can clearly recall Christmas time of 1998 into New Years of '99 where almost all my friends were either playing Zelda Ocarina of Time, still playing Final Fantasy VII, or working on Tomb Raider 1-3.
OOT is probably perceived a little bit different to those who weren't old enough to remember 1998 or not born yet. I still think it's a wonderful game with a great combination of story, music, gameplay, and challenge but it's not my favorite game of all time.
I'm in the camp that's felt like it's been overhyped since its inception...
I thought it wasn't that great when I tried my friend's copy in the 90's.
(I skipped the N64, myself, in favor of PC games, at that time)
I finally decided to revisit it about a year ago, and give it a chance, and I was able to enjoy it enough to finish it, but was definitely left with the impression of "I can't believe people promote this as the best game of all time...". Whenever I see that opinion, I have to wonder how broad a person's tastes and experiences are that they think OOT is "the best" of anything.
I think today in retrospect perhaps it's somewhat overhyped depending on your view. It was the first 3D Zelda game and the overall scale at the time seemed very "OMG!" in the same vein that Super Mario 64 did when I first played it in 1996. I can clearly recall Christmas time of 1998 into New Years of '99 where almost all my friends were either playing Zelda Ocarina of Time, still playing Final Fantasy VII, or working on Tomb Raider 1-3.
OOT is probably perceived a little bit different to those who weren't old enough to remember 1998 or not born yet. I still think it's a wonderful game with a great combination of story, music, gameplay, and challenge but it's not my favorite game of all time.
I think this was part of it. I remember when EVERYONE was playing it during that Xmas break, just as you explain. I had already completed the game a few days after Xmas by playing it non-stop for two or three days; however, after returning to school and hearing how it was the best game ever from then on out kind of spoiled it a little for me.
Having said that, Mario 64 is one of my favourite games and I know A LOT of people like Super Mario Bros. 3 or even Galaxy a lot more which I personally don't agree with, but respect (especially Mario 3).
I remember 3D was THE thing to do in that era and to hear that a new Zelda was coming out and it was fully 3D was amazing. Everyone loved SM64 right? Why wouldn't Zelda get the same hype? There were no other 3D Zelda titles to compare it to, the music, characters, combat (z-targeting, hello!) and story were great as well.
I can see why some people may not like it or think it's overhyped looking back but at launch I don't see any reason to think that it was overhyped or sub-par.
To everyone who says it was overhyped when it launched, what made you think that?
I remember 3D was THE thing to do in that era and to hear that a new Zelda was coming out and it was fully 3D was amazing. Everyone loved SM64 right? Why wouldn't Zelda get the same hype? There were no other 3D Zelda titles to compare it to, the music, characters, combat (z-targeting, hello!) and story were great as well.
I can see why some people may not like it or think it's overhyped looking back but at launch I don't see any reason to think that it was overhyped or sub-par.
I think it is a matter of perspective whether N64-based 3D was anything special, or not, depending on how old you were and whether you knew people with viable gaming PCs at that time.
By the time OoT came out in 1998, I, and most of my friends, had moved on to PC gaming, and those that werent were generally content with what Playstation had on tap.
Quake came out in 1996, for instance, and had a dramatically higher polygon count than anything on the N64.
Turok Dinosaur Hunter even had a Windows release in 1997 that was specialized for a particular 3D accelerator and had much higher resolution textures than the N64 version. (so did Shadows of the Empire, as well)
So if you were old enough to be into PC gaming (and fortunate enough to have access to a semi-up-to-date PC), there wasn't much wow-factor from N64 by the time that OoT was rolling around.
(and not everybody loved SM64 While I find the game fun, the camera angles are often terrible...)
EDIT: and by "overhyped" in the beginning, I mean it was from the era of games that were promoted in magazines with 3D renders that were worlds different from the actual game graphics. (same sort of thing with Killer Instinct, or any of the RARE games, for instance)
I don't blame them for hyping the hell out of the game, since it's a flagship franchise and they were probably sweating not having it ready for the N64's initial release, but I think it fell short of what was possible, and the long-dull stretches of overworld really rip you out of the Legend of Zelda mindset of meaningful exploration and discovery.
Having said that, Mario 64 is one of my favourite games and I know A LOT of people like Super Mario Bros. 3 or even Galaxy a lot more which I personally don't agree with, but respect (especially Mario 3).
I'd definitely say I prefer Galaxy or Galaxy 2 to Mario 64, since it is basically the same game with more evolved controls, better graphics, and much more intelligent camera following.
I feel the same way about Twilight Princess vs OoT -- more-or-less similar gameplay experience, but updated, and without the nuissances of early 3D games before developers knew how to control a camera well.
Originally posted by: arch_8ngel
Originally posted by: Silent Hill
To everyone who says it was overhyped when it launched, what made you think that?
I remember 3D was THE thing to do in that era and to hear that a new Zelda was coming out and it was fully 3D was amazing. Everyone loved SM64 right? Why wouldn't Zelda get the same hype? There were no other 3D Zelda titles to compare it to, the music, characters, combat (z-targeting, hello!) and story were great as well.
I can see why some people may not like it or think it's overhyped looking back but at launch I don't see any reason to think that it was overhyped or sub-par.
I think it is a matter of perspective whether N64-based 3D was anything special, or not, depending on how old you were and whether you knew people with viable gaming PCs at that time.
By the time OoT came out in 1998, I, and most of my friends, had moved on to PC gaming, and those that werent were generally content with what Playstation had on tap.
Quake came out in 1996, for instance, and had a dramatically higher polygon count than anything on the N64.
Turok Dinosaur Hunter even had a Windows release in 1997 that was specialized for a particular 3D accelerator and had much higher resolution textures than the N64 version. (so did Shadows of the Empire, as well)
So if you were old enough to be into PC gaming (and fortunate enough to have access to a semi-up-to-date PC), there wasn't much wow-factor from N64 by the time that OoT was rolling around.
(and not everybody loved SM64 While I find the game fun, the camera angles are often terrible...)
EDIT: and by "overhyped" in the beginning, I mean it was from the era of games that were promoted in magazines with 3D renders that were worlds different from the actual game graphics. (same sort of thing with Killer Instinct, or any of the RARE games, for instance)
I don't blame them for hyping the hell out of the game, since it's a flagship franchise and they were probably sweating not having it ready for the N64's initial release, but I think it fell short of what was possible, and the long-dull stretches of overworld really rip you out of the Legend of Zelda mindset of meaningful exploration and discovery.
I mean I see the point comparing to PC games, but that's not quite a fair judging point, especially at the time. How much did a good gaming PC cost back then? I swear we had a Compaq Presario that was like almost 1k and it was a piece of shit.
Anyways, I don't think you're wrong, just wondering why when Zelda threads come up, OoT gets slammed every time.
Originally posted by: Silent Hill
I mean I see the point comparing to PC games, but that's not quite a fair judging point, especially at the time. How much did a good gaming PC cost back then? I swear we had a Compaq Presario that was like almost 1k and it was a piece of shit.
Anyways, I don't think you're wrong, just wondering why when Zelda threads come up, OoT gets slammed every time.
Surprisingly, a practical gaming PC back then was a lot less expensive, relatively speaking, than it is nowadays.
(I think the video card I had that ran SoTE and Turok was only $100, or so, and I think my buddies and I had cobbled together barebones PCs for only a few hundred bucks each -- not top end stuff by any means, but it functioned well for the era -- the markup on pre-built back then was SUBSTANTIAL)
It wasn't long after that time, though, that the price divide got pretty nutty.
OOT gets slammed because it's an easy target when people claim it's "the best game ever" and it somehow consistently makes the top ranking in compiled lists online, seemingly nonsensically, in my opinion.
I don't fault anybody for having it has a childhood favorite, because I know nostalgia is a strong force, but then those same people offer up a lot of vehemence toward other 3D zeldas like TP, which I find sort of funny, when I thought that was an objectively superior game to OOT.
To everyone who says it was overhyped when it launched, what made you think that?
I remember 3D was THE thing to do in that era and to hear that a new Zelda was coming out and it was fully 3D was amazing. Everyone loved SM64 right? Why wouldn't Zelda get the same hype? There were no other 3D Zelda titles to compare it to, the music, characters, combat (z-targeting, hello!) and story were great as well.
I can see why some people may not like it or think it's overhyped looking back but at launch I don't see any reason to think that it was overhyped or sub-par.
It's really the first half of the game that I didn't really enojy. Too much talking and the dungeons were ridiculously easy (even the 1st time). Once you get some good items and are on your way to the Fire Temple it gets more enjoyable. Again, I'm not saying it wasn't a good game or hype at the time, but everyone and their dog was running around toting it as the greatest game ever... even then I like Lttp quite a bit more.
Also, nostalgia does play a huge part. Although I have some for OoT, I openly admit that it's probably one of the main factors why I love Mario 64.... that and the long jump...mmmmmmm
I still would've liked TP better if it had better/more interesting collectibles and bigger wallets.
You know, this was one of those ideas that seems to have spread through the later Zelda titles like the plague and I can't stand it! Wallets! What's up with the freaking wallets?! It was one of those concepts from Ocarina that I found annoying and kind of pointless but lived with it. Yet, now it seems to have become a staple of the series. I hate it. Stop with the damn wallets already! Ugh!
Sorry. I just always thought it was a really dumb idea to include in a Zelda game.
I agree that it's a really dumb game mechanic, though I get why they do it, since they can tease stronger items earlier in the game without you being capable of grinding for the money you'd need to buy them.
The wallets were done just fine in the other Zelda games, it's just a 600 rupee wallet in TP (you have to get all the pairs of buggies to get the 1000 one which means that's not happening until you're almost done) is rather tight, and I also didn't like how the game didn't have nearly as interesting collectibles as most of the other Zeldas since OoT. I only wish the bank had extra bonuses added in the 3DS version of Majora's Mask. It's far too easy to max it out (5000-5499) if you know where the nearby silver/gold rupees are so it would've been neat if the 3DS remake had some sort of added bonuses if you saved say, 10K, 20K... Hey, it worked for that coin obsessive Super Mario Land 3D, right?
To everyone who says it was overhyped when it launched, what made you think that?
I remember 3D was THE thing to do in that era and to hear that a new Zelda was coming out and it was fully 3D was amazing. Everyone loved SM64 right? Why wouldn't Zelda get the same hype? There were no other 3D Zelda titles to compare it to, the music, characters, combat (z-targeting, hello!) and story were great as well.
I can see why some people may not like it or think it's overhyped looking back but at launch I don't see any reason to think that it was overhyped or sub-par.
I think it is a matter of perspective whether N64-based 3D was anything special, or not, depending on how old you were and whether you knew people with viable gaming PCs at that time.
By the time OoT came out in 1998, I, and most of my friends, had moved on to PC gaming, and those that werent were generally content with what Playstation had on tap.
Quake came out in 1996, for instance, and had a dramatically higher polygon count than anything on the N64.
Turok Dinosaur Hunter even had a Windows release in 1997 that was specialized for a particular 3D accelerator and had much higher resolution textures than the N64 version. (so did Shadows of the Empire, as well)
So if you were old enough to be into PC gaming (and fortunate enough to have access to a semi-up-to-date PC), there wasn't much wow-factor from N64 by the time that OoT was rolling around.
(and not everybody loved SM64 While I find the game fun, the camera angles are often terrible...)
EDIT: and by "overhyped" in the beginning, I mean it was from the era of games that were promoted in magazines with 3D renders that were worlds different from the actual game graphics. (same sort of thing with Killer Instinct, or any of the RARE games, for instance)
I don't blame them for hyping the hell out of the game, since it's a flagship franchise and they were probably sweating not having it ready for the N64's initial release, but I think it fell short of what was possible, and the long-dull stretches of overworld really rip you out of the Legend of Zelda mindset of meaningful exploration and discovery.
That's a very interesting analysis. I was only 11 at the time, so I was clueless about PC gaming. I'd say 2 of 5 friends had a PC with internet at their home at this time. We got it a year later (1999-2000). I was so focused on N64 stuff, I never fathomed PC games.
I think today in retrospect perhaps it's somewhat overhyped depending on your view. It was the first 3D Zelda game and the overall scale at the time seemed very "OMG!" in the same vein that Super Mario 64 did when I first played it in 1996. I can clearly recall Christmas time of 1998 into New Years of '99 where almost all my friends were either playing Zelda Ocarina of Time, still playing Final Fantasy VII, or working on Tomb Raider 1-3.
OOT is probably perceived a little bit different to those who weren't old enough to remember 1998 or not born yet. I still think it's a wonderful game with a great combination of story, music, gameplay, and challenge but it's not my favorite game of all time.
I think this was part of it. I remember when EVERYONE was playing it during that Xmas break, just as you explain. I had already completed the game a few days after Xmas by playing it non-stop for two or three days; however, after returning to school and hearing how it was the best game ever from then on out kind of spoiled it a little for me.
Having said that, Mario 64 is one of my favourite games and I know A LOT of people like Super Mario Bros. 3 or even Galaxy a lot more which I personally don't agree with, but respect (especially Mario 3).
Christmas '98 into New Year's '99 was perhaps the peak of my N64 career, for games and reasons you've mentioned. EVERYBODY was playing those games simultaneously. Just before the internet really took off, too, so we were all still writing secrets and shit down on spare paper, passing on the bus, out in the neighborhood, etc. Golden era.
2. Ocarina of Time
3. Majora's Mask
1. Link to the Past
2. Zelda II
3. Zelda I
Least liked:
1.Ocarina of Time
2. Majora's Mask
3. Phantom Hourglass
I've actually never played a GB game believe it or not.
!!!
2. Link to the Past
3. Legend of Zelda
(Impossible to choose. I have played and beat every major release, my favs change daley)
HATED - Skyword Sword. Hated the controls and could not get past that
2. Zelda II
3. Ocarina of Time
I think today in retrospect perhaps it's somewhat overhyped depending on your view. It was the first 3D Zelda game and the overall scale at the time seemed very "OMG!" in the same vein that Super Mario 64 did when I first played it in 1996. I can clearly recall Christmas time of 1998 into New Years of '99 where almost all my friends were either playing Zelda Ocarina of Time, still playing Final Fantasy VII, or working on Tomb Raider 1-3.
OOT is probably perceived a little bit different to those who weren't old enough to remember 1998 or not born yet. I still think it's a wonderful game with a great combination of story, music, gameplay, and challenge but it's not my favorite game of all time.
I think this was part of it. I remember when EVERYONE was playing it during that Xmas break, just as you explain. I had already completed the game a few days after Xmas by playing it non-stop for two or three days; however, after returning to school and hearing how it was the best game ever from then on out kind of spoiled it a little for me.
Having said that, Mario 64 is one of my favourite games and I know A LOT of people like Super Mario Bros. 3 or even Galaxy a lot more which I personally don't agree with, but respect (especially Mario 3).
Christmas '98 into New Year's '99 was perhaps the peak of my N64 career, for games and reasons you've mentioned. EVERYBODY was playing those games simultaneously. Just before the internet really took off, too, so we were all still writing secrets and shit down on spare paper, passing on the bus, out in the neighborhood, etc. Golden era.
Absolutely. I didn't get my N64 until 1999 (I got the Star Wars Racer bundle), but I remember as soon as I saw an ad for Ocarina of Time in the back of a strat guide for Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow that summer, I immediately wanted the game and rented it a few times before I finally got it for Christmas.
I had PC games, and I had played PS1 at my friend's house, but still nothing could come close to the sense of adventure that I got when I first played through Ocarina of Time. If I had to pick the one game that had the most impact on me, it would easily be OOT.
The first Pokemon and N64 Zelda games were really the last games I can remember where secrets and stuff were spread by word of mouth as well. After 2000, I discovered message boards so I tended to get info that way. There's something romantic about trading secrets and codes and tips with people in real life. The internet is great, but I miss the charm that video gaming in the 90s (and I'm sure late 80s) had.
1. Link to the past
2. Links awakening
3. OoT
1. Wand of Gamelon
2. Faces of Evil
3. Zelda's Adventure
Just kidding.
Really though.
1. Ocarina of Time
2. Link's Awakening DX
3. Legend of Zelda
2. Link Between Worlds
3. The Wind Waker
"Top X Zelda Games" lists are always hard for me. LBW is almost my #1 pick, but not quite. While I mostly prefer the 2D games over the 3D ones, I feel like TWW was way ahead of its time and very well polished.