Conquered : Legend of Zelda - Ocarina of Time

Ahhhhhh, that felt good. So good. Like when you miss a class, and find out your professor canceled it anyway kind of good. Seeing Ganon fall was, at this point, easily my most triumphant moment in gaming history. OOT is easily a classic, and ranks in most gamers top ten, or even five favorite games. So here goes the review, and I'll do my best to do this masterpiece justice.

The Story:
Pretty simple. Zelda's capture, Ganondorf turns Hyrule into an all inclusive resort for evil, and you are the only one who can save the day.

Sure sure sure. But what's your stance on abortion?

Graphics, Sound, Atmosphere and the Likes :
For it's game era, the graphics are pretty baller. Every scene is still full of sharp edges and pre rendered images but they are still nice to look at and easy on the eye. Personally, I loved the facial expressions. Movement and animation could seem clunky at times, but this is part of what makes the game a classic and is just a result of the technology of the times.

The helps the game achieve to goal of making the gameplay feel epic. The songs and music of the game have earned their own recognition in the gaming community. The music fits the game at all times, and helps the atmosphere consume the player which really adds to the quality of gameplay.

Atmosphere, wow, atmosphere. OOT does not lack in the department at all. The second you set foot on Hyrule Fields, you get that sense of openness and adventure. Not convinced? Take a step into Zora's Domain after that shit gets frozen. The music is eerie, dry and majestic all at the same time, boosting that empty, everyone else is frozen feeling. The lost woods completely boasts a magical fairy - child inhabited play land deal. This game takes the player and puts them in Hyrule, no doubt about it.

Controls and Gameplay :
The controls are easy to get used to even though they utilize the full capacity of the original N64 controller. It's easy to assign and use items, run Link around, etc. Even the annoying fairy helps you target and lock onto enemies making battles that much easier to win.

HEY!HEY!HEY!HEY!HEY!HEY!HEY!HEY!

As far as gameplay goes, it is simply awesome. OOT is chock full of dense side stories, character interaction and challenging puzzles. Beating temples isn't as simple as charging into a dungeon and slaying everything that moves. You need to work your way through puzzles and figure out how to use every item in your inventory to get from room to room. Although the story is pretty straightforward, optional and side missions make OOT feel customizable and unique. You can befriend certain people, like the owners of the Lon Lon Ranch (who look suspiciously like Mario and Luigi), earning you the infamous horse Epona who is as vital to the Zelda franchise as Zelda herself. There's a pretty invovled side journey that can earn you the gigantic Biggoron sword. Although the sword isn't neccassary to beat the game, it certainly helps to have a giant two handed sword that causes loads more damage than anything else. A player can use these side missions to increase their overall health and magic, earn special abilities and other things along those lines that make the game longer, more challenging and more involved.

WTF are you doing here???

Aside from the extra's, the story you pursue is simply epic. You overcome so many obstacles and enemies it is astounding. Players will find themselves jumping around in time, as a child and adult, to progress farther in the game. Each temple is almost like a game in itself. As you progress you will use your building knowledge of the Hyrule world to overcome puzzles and objectives that will leave a player feeling extremely satisfied. By the time you beat OOT, you will feel like you actually saved the world.

Maps (Temples, Dungeons, Hyrule etc.) :
The Hyrule World, as I stated before, is simply amazing. It ranges from big open fields to endless mazes in the woods, an enormous (sometimes empty) lake and the vibrant - soon to be lifeless - courtyard of Hyrule castle. The player easily becomes immersed in the Hyrule world.
As far as the temples go, each one is themed to the sage you are trying to rescue. There's temples full of fire, water (grrr), sand, ghosts and uhhhhh trees. Each temple's theme remains solid throughout, all the way up to the final boss battle. Each temple also offers a unique song to play on the infamous ocarina, and usually a new useful tool for your inventory.
The game also holds several dungeon-y areas that players are usually required to play through to earn items. This includes places like the catacombs of a royal graveyard and dry cavern of an empty well. Although not technically temples, these ares are still fun to fight through and add to the games depth.

Characters :
OOT has a plethora of different characters. Ranging from the children of kokori forest to the Sages of the Temples, including all the baddies in between. As you play through the game you will develop a relationship with plenty of these characters both good and bad.  The game has a pretty good give and take system going on that helps develop these relationships, meaning you help someone out and they will give you something in return (usually a heart container).
As far as baddies go, they are diverse and unique throughout and most of them offer a moderate challenge to the player. Some are really annoying, like those one eyed laser robots. Some are hilarious. Cue the skulls with bad wings that are usually on fire.
The bosses are a totally different story. They are huge, and some can be a bit challenging. Each one is more different than they last and they blend perfectly with the theme of the temple you they rule. They all have some sort of unique power, and generally the only way to beat them is with a unique new item that you found in their temple. Smart idea boss guys, keep the only thing that can kill you virtually unguarded in your own backyard. My favorite boss? Bongo Bongo, the Phantom Shadow Beast. How sweet is that fight? You fight a huge ghost - eye sporting two hands ON A GIANT DRUM! He's one of the few bosses who took me a couple of tries to get past, but I beat him.

Laying down some beats. Deadly, deadly beats.

I couldn't get over one thing though. All the sages usually fit into one of two models. One, they are either fat, old and wise. Two, they are female, and all of their conversations with Link have the underlying message that they want to bang his brains out. Of course, who wouldn't? He's saving the world.

She's the only one who turns me off....sort of.

Summary :
Ocarina of Time is simply fantastic. It is truely epic in every way and gave the world of video games a new base to work off of. There's a reason every gamer loves OOT, and once you play it you will understand why. By the time you are done, you will have a sense of accomplishment. This game really is a challenging journey, and earns its place as a milestone in gaming history.

Favorite Temple - Water Temple. I hate it so much I love it, and I went absolutely ape-shit when I got through it, as most people claim it is the hardest temple and is the reason I stopped playing this game for a few years.
Favorite Character - All the Gorons. Those guys are the stoners of Hyrule, no doubt about it.
Most Epic Moment - The Final Battle with Ganon. If you read earlier, you no doubt know I had some trouble with this. So what do I do? I turned up my itunes, blasting Rush's Tom Sawyer and fearlessly approached the pile of rubble I knew this demonic bastard would emerge from. After obtaining the Master Sword, I realized I could easily dodge his attacks by worming my way through his legs, and hacking away at his tail. It happened so fast, I froze in a state of shock, the best fell. I didn't cry (maybe a little), but I felt amazing.
Biggest Annoyance - As great as this game is, there were two things that annoyed me, one minor one major. The minor being the camera. It wasn't too bad, but sometimes the angle was off and the last thing I wanted to do was stare straight at a wall while I was on the brink of taking down a baddie.
Now, the major. This topic may be debatle, but I wasn't all too satisfied with the ending. As the credits roll, we see the residents of the Hyrule world celebrating their freedom at some kind of crazy dance on Lon Lon Ranch with the Sages overlooking from Death Mountain's Peak. But (spoiler), Link has been sent back into the past, as a child to regain the past 7 years he lost. I mean, come one. This gave just saved the world, everyone's life(!) and stopped the most evil being known to man from ruling the world. What does he get? Sent back to a time period where he started off as a reject with no fairy. No celebrating for him. The guy won't even get a pat on the back. He gets sent back in time to a place where no evil has reigned. If he goes around telling people what happened, they will all probably think he is crazy (CRAZY!) making him an even greater outcast. The only good that comes out of it is a hinting scene where Link and Young Zelda come to meet. I wonder if she remembers what happens?

Not even a hug? Bitch.

 

I know this review doesn't do this game the justice it deserves. That being said...

Final Say - Wow.