Well... one of those is a perfect, genre defining game, and the other is a failed piece of shit

Yes, play play OoT first. It's one of the best games ever and Majora borrows from Ocarina heavily. In order to have proper context for a spinoff/expansion pack, it's important the play the original first.

I'm playing MM3D right now without having actually played OoT, and I think I'd appreciate it in ways I'm currently not, if I played OoT first. That said, I'm still liking it a lot, so I don't think it detracts the quality very much.

I'm in the same boat as you, I wasn't willing to look around or pay loads for OoT first, or I would have gotten it.

Gah! Ebay is crazy with those prices right now. I'm from Canada so its still in stock for us. Is there no used game store thats more reasonable for you? Or Craigslist?

Try and play Ocarina before if you can. It helps get you accustomed to that era of Zelda. But all you need to know is that Skull Kid was in Ocarina and Majoras with the mask. Majoras is very self contained.

You don't have to, but whichever one you play first will definitely impact your opinion of the second.

You should play OOT first anyway since it's a much better game and should also be cheaper than MM at this point.

Not really, they're both great. Only difference really is that Majora's world is really good, but has the time mechanic, and Ocarina is like a more flat Link to the Past.

It does suck that Ocarina 3D is out of print, but I'm sure a Gamestop has a good used copy, it is a must play game and that is the best version. Just use the Amazon credit on Majora's Mask and worry about Ocarina of Time later. There is no need for the context of Ocarina of Time with Majora, as there is no need for Ocarina and Majora for The Wind Waker. They're sequels but barely. Even less context than what you needed for Link to the Past to Link Between Worlds. It's not a big deal.

Yes as the story continues from OoT to MM and could get confusing.

You don't have to, but it's difficult to appreciate one without the other. Plus, although I prefer Majora's mask, ocarina is a much better game.

@dan_citi: I just got OoT 3D off the eshop a few weeks ago. If he can't get a used copy that would be a viable.

I had finished OoT before but decided to get it again for 3DS because its been ages since I've beaten it and I wanted to get a better perspective to the differences in the game and the context of how they made MM in its shorter development cycle. Its not required to play OoT before but if you are interested in those kinds of things I would recommend it....also OoT is a fucking awesome game!

The connection between the two (aside from shared assets) is very sparse. Play either first- they're both fantastic games. OoT is better, but Majoras' Mask is a true classic as well.

Ocarina is one of the best games ever made and it somehow still stands up. Playing that first could set you up for disappointment with Majora's or it could enhance your enjoyment of it. It is hard to say, but I think that you should play Ocarina first. Majora's is more enjoyable because you are seeing the same character models in similar situations but they are different people. So it really does feel like a sequel.

Check a Gamestop or similar store to find a copy of Ocarina if you can, otherwise just use your Amazon credit on Majora. Unless you can buy eShop cards on Amazon with that money?

You don't need to have played Ocarina to enjoy Majora, but it will add to your experience. They're about as different as similar games can possibly be.

There's very little narrative connection between the two, that part won't be an issue.

I'll say play Majora's first, then Ocarina if you want.

The reason being the Asset borrowing from OoT is so obvious in some ways it lessened MM to me in a way I think that made it harder to appreciate for what it did do well.

Majora's really is a unique Zelda title, but it did feel "cheap" compared to the zelda fare fans got before it. Playing it first would remove that potential impression from your MM experience and I think Ocarina will hold up no matter what order you play them in.

Speaking as someone who considers Majora's Mask his favourite Zelda game, you can only truly appreciate it if you've played Ocarina prior to it. MM, in its reuse of assets, music, and weird game design, makes it feel like some forgotten, corrupted cartridge of OoT you discovered in some flea market bin. The whole game has a pervasive feeling of "not right," the uncanny at its purest, and it feeds off of and subverts your familiarity with the previous game.

@lozz: I dunno, what you're asking is like "Should I play Brood War before I played Starcraft 1?" I mean, Brood War/Majora's Mask is just objectively more interesting on a mechanical level, but you should probably play Starcraft 1/Ocarina of Time so you can appreciate why.

@belegorm said:

Hahahaha, ok buddy. Ocarina of Time gave the world lock-on targeting, but other than that, the only genre it defined is "3D Zeldas on Nintendo platforms". Zelda game design is still basically just remaking Ocarina of Time, in terms of it controlling and feeling exactly the same and having really the exact same amount of complexity as OoT did. Most other developers making action adventure games have moved on from Ocarina of Time.

Don't get me wrong, it was a revelation when it launched. Then Nintendo basically didn't build on it at all. Then non-Nintendo devs took the good ideas from OoT, continued to evolve the genre, and left Ocarina of Time behind. It's frankly kind of embarrassing how much Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword still feel like Ocarina of Time just in an engine with better graphics.

Majora's Mask tries a crazy amount of new game design ideas given how limited its budget and dev time appear to have been. It's honestly way more innovative compared to Ocarina of Time which basically just translated Link to the Past into 3D space and did a decent job of it.

@lozz: It wouldnt hurt, but most Zelda games have very little to do with any of the others. There isnt a real over arching story that "links" all the games into a one single timeline. They typically reinvent the world with each game. Zelda games have very little story to begin with, so you likely will not be missing much.

MM is a direct sequel to OoT, so I would recommend it, but it isn't necessary at all. I like both games, though I prefer OoT, but you don't need to play any of them to enjoy the other. Might make it a little more enjoyable, but both games are great by themselves.

Given how Majora's Mask is a deliberate subversion of a lot of what OOT puts down, you're probably better off playing it second.

Majora's Mask is one of the very few direct sequels in the entire Zelda series, taking place directly after the end of Ocarina of TIme. So yes, you should play OoT first.

Yeah basically. Twilight Princess is basically Super Ocarina of Time.

Majora's is not a bad place to start, the connection between the two games exist, but really isn't that substantial. Honestly Ocarina & Majora mean more in realtion to The Wind Waker than Ocarina to Majora. The only real connection is that it is the same Link leaving after his work is done in OOT to go to experience the events of Majora's Mask. All you'd get really is in the beginning you'd be all like "oh yeah that's the horse from the last game".

@belegorm: Hey, Ocarina of Time is a great game not a failed piece of shit!

Uh, I can't imagine why anyone would call either Ocarina or Majora a "failed piece of shit"........so don't listen to that noise.

Anyway, I think you'd appreciate Majora more if you play Ocarina first. So do that.

You probably should, but it doesn't really matter.

Rad, don't forget to do the sidequests too and explore. It's a fun game.

Doesn't really matter. Most Zelda games are largely independent. Majora's Mask technically comes after one of the timelines at the end of Ocarina but there's only a small amount shared between them.