Recently I got out my copy of Ocarina ot Time for a little trip through memory lane.  I was curious with how well I would still like it and to my surprise it holds up really well.  Outside of the graphics looking like ass and the N64 controller being stupid I still had a great time.  Walking into Hyrule field still felt just as impressive as it did the first time I played it.  The combat was still really fun and the puzzles were no different.  Has anyone else played this lately and what did you think?  Can you remember any other games that you think have stood the test of time?

I played Master Quest recently and enjoyed it. But I got to say every now and then I'll be in a room in a dungeon and not know what to do in order to progress. So I think the level design has aged the worst (but it's still good), and man having to check that one room two floors up, that you passed up earlier in order to find one more DAMNED silver key to get to the dungeon boss key is just enfuriating.

Also regardless of time the WATER TEMPLE HAS AND ALWAYS WILL BE TERRIBLE!!!!

A good game always ages well.

I think the fact that Ocarina of Time still holds up so well is problematic! It means that the Zelda formula has really gone NOWHERE since the release of the Progenitor.  If modern Zelda games can't obliterate this 10 year N64 game(which was, for a good portion of my life, the game I considered to be the greatest game of all time) than that formula needs serious changes.
Not that I mean to shit on Ocarina of Time. There are still parts of that game that I STILL think are beautiful(some of the animation and graphical effects fill me with delight). And, of course it's damn fun. It should be. We've been playing this formula since the early 90's.

"A good game always ages well."

I still play Ocarina at least 4 or 5 times a year. It's aged like wine. The charm of that game can not be undone, even after 10+ years.

It still is a fantastic game, I still have lots of fun playing it and the visuals and soundtrack still have a charm to them.

"Bullet_Jr said:

"A good game always ages well."

Except Resident Evil 1."

OoT is still alright yeah, but I can't continue to play through it again and again to this day. I think that may well be because I don't have an N64 any more to play it on, the only real access to the game I have is on the GameCube and that feeling of nostalgia just really doesn't translate across at all.

One game I do believe stands up even to today's standards is Suikoden II, simply put one of the most well-crafted JRPGs to date in my opinion.

I played through it a couple months ago, and I was surprised how well it stood up.

I enjoyed twilight princess better from the more adult themed storyline ocarina was too kiddy now that i look back.

"I enjoyed twilight princess better from the more adult themed storyline ocarina was too kiddy now that i look back."

Er, hold on a minute. If you played the game in it's time, how the heck would you be able to estimate whether it still "holds up today"? Your judgment is clouded by nostalgia.

How well has Ocarina of Time aged? I played a bit of it when I was young, but I never had a N64, thus never had the chance to play it more than an hour or so.

I was very delighted to have the chance to play it via the VC, and with wavebird control on top of that. p

Know what? The game has aged horribly. It's a chore to play. Not even visually - sure we're not used to such framerates anymore, but the game's art direction is still nice to look at - but in almost every other aspect. The controls are horrible - And how could they not be? Thinking of the state 3D adventures were at the time of it's release, OoT did many things right that have since become standard, but that doesn't change the fact that they're really, really bad for someone who plays it now. The saving system is frustrating, making the dungeons frustrating, and they're not even that great to begin with. The pacing is awful. The ocarina system would get negative marks for hindering slow gimmickyness today. I stopped about two thirds into the game and don't feel like coming back.

Ocarina of Time has aged about as well as Final Fantasy VII. If you played it then, you will most likely be able to go back. If you haven't, you cannot enjoy it even remotely as much as the folks at the time of it's release.

Ocarina of Time must have blown your minds in '97, and it's not hard to see why. But aged well? Still playable today when no nostalgia is involved? Sorry to rain on your parade, but no. Most certainly not.

with your nostalgia goggles on it would still be great. but from me its just an okay action adventure game.

Banjo Kazooie on the XBLA does

Ocarina is still just as great as it was when I first played it. Most Nintendo games age beautifully!

"WilliamRLBaker said:

"I enjoyed twilight princess better from the more adult themed storyline ocarina was too kiddy now that i look back."

I disagree. I felt like the "dark" edge to TP felt forced and bland, whereas OoT's darker side was more subtle and believable. The Bottom of the Well and Shadow Temple from OoT both stand out in my mind as having captured the mature and dark atmosphere that TP tries (and, IMO, fails) to create."

"Ocarina is still just as great as it was when I first played it. Most Nintendo games age beautifully!"

The gameplay is timeless but the graphics are a bit worse for wear.

"The gameplay is timeless but the graphics are a bit worse for wear."

Ocarina of Time <3
KotOR <3
My two timeless games.

"I think the fact that Ocarina of Time still holds up so well is problematic! It means that the Zelda formula has really gone NOWHERE since the release of the Progenitor.  If modern Zelda games can't obliterate this 10 year N64 game(which was, for a good portion of my life, the game I considered to be the greatest game of all time) than that formula needs serious changes.Not that I mean to shit on Ocarina of Time. There are still parts of that game that I STILL think are beautiful(some of the animation and graphical effects fill me with delight). And, of course it's damn fun. It should be. We've been playing this formula since the early 90's."

"Er, hold on a minute. If you played the game in it's time, how the heck would you be able to estimate whether it still "holds up today"? Your judgment is clouded by nostalgia.

How well has Ocarina of Time aged? I played a bit of it when I was young, but I never had a N64, thus never had the chance to play it more than an hour or so.

I was very delighted to have the chance to play it via the VC, and with wavebird control on top of that. p

Know what? The game has aged horribly. It's a chore to play. Not even visually - sure we're not used to such framerates anymore, but the game's art direction is still nice to look at - but in almost every other aspect. The controls are horrible - And how could they not be? Thinking of the state 3D adventures were at the time of it's release, OoT did many things right that have since become standard, but that doesn't change the fact that they're really, really bad for someone who plays it now. The saving system is frustrating, making the dungeons frustrating, and they're not even that great to begin with. The pacing is awful. The ocarina system would get negative marks for hindering slow gimmickyness today. I stopped about two thirds into the game and don't feel like coming back.Ocarina of Time has aged about as well as Final Fantasy VII. If you played it then, you will most likely be able to go back. If you haven't, you cannot enjoy it even remotely as much as the folks at the time of it's release. Ocarina of Time must have blown your minds in '97, and it's not hard to see why. But aged well? Still playable today when no nostalgia is involved? Sorry to rain on your parade, but no. Most certainly not."

"mracoon said:

"The gameplay is timeless but the graphics are a bit worse for wear."

It's the other way round.OoT's graphics fare very well today, compared to other late nineties games. Incredibly well. It's the gameplay that will impress not a single modern gamer."

Ocarina Of Time may be dated technically but I can't see how newcomers could be disappointed with the playability. The game is, and always will be, a classic because it's yet another example of Nintendo's magical art, plot and level design.

Simply, the best game ever created.

"Meowayne said:

"Er, hold on a minute. If you played the game in it's time, how the heck would you be able to estimate whether it still "holds up today"? Your judgment is clouded by nostalgia.

How well has Ocarina of Time aged? I played a bit of it when I was young, but I never had a N64, thus never had the chance to play it more than an hour or so.

I was very delighted to have the chance to play it via the VC, and with wavebird control on top of that. p

Know what? The game has aged horribly. It's a chore to play. Not even visually - sure we're not used to such framerates anymore, but the game's art direction is still nice to look at - but in almost every other aspect. The controls are horrible - And how could they not be? Thinking of the state 3D adventures were at the time of it's release, OoT did many things right that have since become standard, but that doesn't change the fact that they're really, really bad for someone who plays it now. The saving system is frustrating, making the dungeons frustrating, and they're not even that great to begin with. The pacing is awful. The ocarina system would get negative marks for hindering slow gimmickyness today. I stopped about two thirds into the game and don't feel like coming back.Ocarina of Time has aged about as well as Final Fantasy VII. If you played it then, you will most likely be able to go back. If you haven't, you cannot enjoy it even remotely as much as the folks at the time of it's release. Ocarina of Time must have blown your minds in '97, and it's not hard to see why. But aged well? Still playable today when no nostalgia is involved? Sorry to rain on your parade, but no. Most certainly not."

You need to look at classic video games in context, and if you do that properly you can still enjoy them. The inference that people's opinions are clouded by nostalgia is accurate in some cases (like the Final Fantasy 7 faggots that ever thought that game was anything but a decent mid-nineties Japanese RPG) but not in others. In the case of Ocarina, one would have to be blinded by memories to assert that the game is 100% flawless or that certain things about it (besides graphics) wouldn't be done differently now, eleven years later, but you'd also have to be blinded by skepticism to argue that the game has "aged horribly" and that it has "awful" pacing or that you can't enjoy it if you weren't playing it then. Think about what you're saying. Nintendo took a solid formula they'd nailed down in 1992, and simply transferred it to 3D and into a much more vivid, believable, vast world of adventure, and that is the crux of what makes the game great to this day. No other game has ever quite hit the same chord as Ocarina did when it comes to embarking on, and undergoing an epic quest to save the world... even if it looks ugly compared to modern games. The music, the atmosphere, the sense of growing power and knowledge, and the long build-up to the inevitable final showdown is fantastic in that game. Fantasy has never been done better. In fact, overall, Ocarina of Time could have justifiably been called the greatest console game ever made when it was released. Remember, and this is a fact not just nostalgia, that Nintendo was at the top of their game and the console world in the nineties. No one could touch the brilliance of their best SNES and especially N64 titles. And Ocarina was their last game that was truly amazing in my opinion. To this day they haven't topped that effort, and that is a big reason why so many gamers hold it in high esteem, perhaps more so than a newcomer to the game like yourself could understand. Again, look at the game in context to what was happening with video games. At that time, Nintendo was in no rush to jump into the market of children and old people and women with their flagship consoles, that was all kept on the Gameboy side. Back then, Nintendo had the most talented people in the console world working on the games, and Ocarina was their most crowning achievement.It's like watching Citizen Kane and not understanding the time period it was released in. You'd probably get bored and find it a "chore" to watch. But if you know a thing or two about the process of how it was made, and can comprehend how amazing the technical achievement was and how far ahead of everything else it towered, you can properly enjoy it, you don't have to have seen it on release to derive pleasure from it."

The only JRPGs I've ever been able to get into was FF7 and FF9. They must have done something right.

It's great game, one of the best Nintendo has ever made, certainly a top tier game in the "3 hit boss/pseudo RPG mechanics" action game genre.

However the same complaints I had back then stand out more now.  The game looks open, but it is not open.  It's almost completely linear.  Can't go up there til you move that rock, can't move that rock until you get the power up...

Sushbar: I do enjoy playing classic games. A lot. I am playing through Chrono Trigger at the moment, and it's awesome. I regard the nineties as pinnacle of gaming goodness - The gaming world we are in today sucks so much compared to the Good Old Times™.

But I will not force myself to enjoy a game even if I really don't. If a game stands the test of time, and many of them do (think Tetris!), then alright. If a game doesn't, then it doesn't. I can still appreciate it's quality, mind you. As I said, I totally see where the "OoT is teh best game evar!"-fraction is coming from. I myself am part of the legendary Final-Fantasy-VII-fanboy horde. But there's a difference between seeing why a game was hailed in it's time, and still being able to enjoy it today.

Ocarina of Time was a masterpiece. Playing it today, I can still see why - But that doesn't mean I'm having fun.

"The only JRPGs I've ever been able to get into was FF7 and FF9. They must have done something right. "

"I played Master Quest recently and enjoyed it. But I got to say every now and then I'll be in a room in a dungeon and not know what to do in order to progress. So I think the level design has aged the worst (but it's still good), and man having to check that one room two floors up, that you passed up earlier in order to find one more DAMNED silver key to get to the dungeon boss key is just enfuriating. Also regardless of time the WATER TEMPLE HAS AND ALWAYS WILL BE TERRIBLE!!!!"

It's still better than twillight princess gameplay wise so...yeah

"It's still better than twillight princess gameplay wise"

"Fosssil said:

"WilliamRLBaker said:

"I enjoyed twilight princess better from the more adult themed storyline ocarina was too kiddy now that i look back."

I disagree. I felt like the "dark" edge to TP felt forced and bland, whereas OoT's darker side was more subtle and believable. The Bottom of the Well and Shadow Temple from OoT both stand out in my mind as having captured the mature and dark atmosphere that TP tries (and, IMO, fails) to create."

I disagree.There was next to no dark atmopshere in ocarina of time let alone subtle since what your talking about are just areas of exploration where as im talking about in storyline and theme it self. as for that what you take of adult is dark and brooding thats not what i'm even talking about just because something is adult does not mean it needs be dark or brooding Adult can be happy and cheery as much as kiddy can be, Kiddy i mean in the fact that at no time in ocarina of time did i think i wasn't killing some made up weird monsters or some hogwartish looking bad guy i wasn't ever able to become engrossed in the gameplay or story of Ocarina of time where i was able to do this with twilight princess I had a much more emotional connection with twilight princesses storyline and characters then i ever had with ocarina of time.   Your confusing dark and adult and your confusing simple dark themed structures with actual atmosphere.Even a happy cheery village can be given a spooky and dark atmosphere with the right words, music and events in it.I got emotionally involved with the storyline and the dynamic between midna and link. (and liked the fact for once it wasn't all about princess zelda)"

"WilliamRLBaker said:

"Fosssil said:

"WilliamRLBaker said:

"I enjoyed twilight princess better from the more adult themed storyline ocarina was too kiddy now that i look back."

I disagree. I felt like the "dark" edge to TP felt forced and bland, whereas OoT's darker side was more subtle and believable. The Bottom of the Well and Shadow Temple from OoT both stand out in my mind as having captured the mature and dark atmosphere that TP tries (and, IMO, fails) to create."

I disagree.There was next to no dark atmopshere in ocarina of time let alone subtle since what your talking about are just areas of exploration where as im talking about in storyline and theme it self. as for that what you take of adult is dark and brooding thats not what i'm even talking about just because something is adult does not mean it needs be dark or brooding Adult can be happy and cheery as much as kiddy can be, Kiddy i mean in the fact that at no time in ocarina of time did i think i wasn't killing some made up weird monsters or some hogwartish looking bad guy i wasn't ever able to become engrossed in the gameplay or story of Ocarina of time where i was able to do this with twilight princess I had a much more emotional connection with twilight princesses storyline and characters then i ever had with ocarina of time.   Your confusing dark and adult and your confusing simple dark themed structures with actual atmosphere.Even a happy cheery village can be given a spooky and dark atmosphere with the right words, music and events in it.I got emotionally involved with the storyline and the dynamic between midna and link. (and liked the fact for once it wasn't all about princess zelda)"

"next to no dark atmopshere in ocarina of time let alone subtle since what your talking about are just areas of exploration"

There was plenty of dark atmosphere present in the game, it just happened to be most obviously present in those two dungeons that I mentioned earlier.

"im talking about in storyline and theme it self"

I fail to see how Ocarina of Time was lacking in mature themes or story elements. Ganondorf's betrayal of the Royal Family and his ascendancy to ruler of Hyrule, the pervasive rise of evil and the subsequent corruption of the entire land, the destruction of both Hyrule Castle Town and Kakariko Village, etc...

"your confusing simple dark themed structures with actual atmosphere"

Not really. The Shadow Temple had a dark atmosphere for more than just the theme of its structures -- the music, the ambient sound effects, the overall setting, and the aesthetic design of the enemies all contributed to a legitimately dark atmosphere.

"I got emotionally involved with the storyline and the dynamic between midna and link"To each his own, but that particular element was one of the things that felt "forced" to me. Just to clarify, I in no way mean to imply that I didn't enjoy Twilight Princess, because I actually found it to be a great game; however, in terms of emotional impact, Ocarina of Time is superior in my eyes. I can certainly see how one would prefer the story of TP over OoT, though, so I don't begrudge you at all for having that opinion."

It's probably aged the best out of all the games I've played from that generation. It plays fantastically, looks pretty decent and somehow still a lot fun. Although I can't stand the N64's controller now after playing with controllers that are actually made to fit in my hands.

I may be saying this only because every Zelda to come onto consoles has been the exact same formula and we haven't seen any true innovation to come to the franchise to show OoT's true age.

ROFL@ the XBOT calling OOT kiddy

It definitely holds up well compared to other games that were released around that time.

I was playing it maybe a year and a half ago and found that it still was completely remarkable. Also kind of funny that at the time, it had some of the most breath-taking graphics any of us had ever seen. I recall the cathdral or whatever in Hyrule town looking particularly stunning back then. Today it looks pretty freaking ugly.

This is what I think of Ocarina of Time:

Wind Waker better than the OG Zelda?  NO FUCKING WAI boss.

The correct ranking is

LttP = Best
OOT = 2nd
OG Zelda = 3rd

pick em for the rest

"ROFL@ the XBOT calling OOT kiddy"

"This is what I think of Ocarina of Time:

"

"This is what I think of Ocarina of Time:

"

I have 3 different versions of Ocarina of Time.  It's still one of my favourites.  I prefer the N64 Zelda games to Wind Waker (Never played TP).  I just couldn't get into Wind Waker like I could Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask though I still beat the main game and a few side quests.  I never really have tried the original Zelda though I know my brother has it.