Experience the legend that defined them all once again
Zelda: Ocarina of Time has perfected everything about the Zelda formula back in 1998. It was hailed (and still is) as the best videogame ever created. Even today, this game is admired by many to have shaped 3D gaming and Zelda gaming alike. Every gamer who played the game back then can recall one of the best experience he/she ever had in video gaming or in some cases; in their entire life! This marked a new era back in 1998, but not every gamer had the chance to experience such a gem which is why Nintendo re-released this game as a part of a special pre-order bonus CD for Zelda: Wind Waker which contained both Zelda OOT and Zelda OOT: Masterquest. Now Nintendo is giving yet another chance to gamers to experience this game on the Wii’s virtual console.
The gameplay in Zelda games has never lost its touch and Zelda OOT brings the gameplay found in A Link To The Past perfectly to 3D. If you play this game now you’d be surprised at how much it resembles the gameplay of tons of games today since, like I said earlier, it defined a new standard for 3D gaming. Even after nearly ten years, the gameplay in Zelda OOT is simply fantastic. The only downside is that we don’t have a N64 controller which was what the game was designed around, so this may feel awkward for some people. The 2 control schemes (CIassic controller and GCN controller) work greatly with this game; the GCN controller just feels more natural for 3D gaming and the CIassic controller’s control stick is much more comfortable then the GCN controller’s. I would honestly recommend both since they both work fine.
You would pretty much have guessed it, this game features the classic scenario of a young boy named Link who lives in a quiet little village when he his called to help someone in trouble. Afterwards he finds himself in a much bigger story and before you know it, you’re set to save the whole world from Ganondorf’s dark magic. The story has many memorable twists with a cast of crazy characters who will also get mimicked in future Zelda games.
The graphics will also look very weird to those who were not used to N64 gaming. Sure the game looks slightly better then it’s N64 counterpart, but still it’s polygonal look will make you feel somewhat weird but be aware that this was top-notch N64 graphics. Still this does not change much so it shouldn’t be much of a big deal. The framerate of this game also runs much more smoothly then the original version since you’re running it on a much more powerful hardware. This is actually a big plus since now I’m not experiencing framerate issues where I usually did in the N64 version.
Since the VC games lack rumble (not to mention the CIassic controller too), one particular item called the Stone of Agony has been rendered completely obsolete since it won’t vibrate when you’re near a treasure chest. I personally find this very pathetic that we’re restricted from using an item in the game because of the lack or rumble.
Every Zelda gamer knows how much music plays an important role to help make any Zelda game more immersive. Zelda OOT’s music is pretty much the definition of the word immersive. You will always remember such tracks as Hyrule Field’s, Gerudo Valley’s etc…. Those tracks are so good that many of them have been remixed in many Zelda games including the latest hits; Zelda: Twilight Princess and Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. Those tracks are a real masterpiece especially when you consider the N64 era’s limitations.
In overall, Zelda OOT for the Virtual Console hasn’t lost its touch in most parts, it stood up pretty well to the test of time and still delivers one of the best videogame experience you could ever get. While not perfect like in 1998, it still stands up as one of the best games available on the Wii. This is an absolute recommendation and I really encourage you to not ignore such a fantastic title if you own a Wii. I would personally recommend using the CIassic Controller since I’ve used it to play the game and liked it a lot, but if you don’t own one but own a GCN Controller, you’re fine. This game is well worth 1000 Wii points (10$) and I recommend this to any Wii owner out there. If you haven’t played this game before then you’re in for a good treat.
