Comments on: 2141: #NotAllZeldas

By: Pete Davison

Pete Davison — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 14:00:17 +0000

In reply to Chris Caskie. Oddly, I didn't think I was a big fan of Zelda prior to this recent binge, but I might be changing my tune. It may be coming to the series with more mature eyes that's done it, I don't know. Whatever the reason, I'm enjoying them all a lot more than I have done in the past, and I'm excited to try the ones I've never even touched before.

By: Chris Caskie

Chris Caskie — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 13:50:20 +0000

I'm no huge fan of Zelda. I'm sure we've had this discussion before. I don't actively dislike them, I'm just not as gaga over the franchise as many other folks seem to be. I'm usually excited to play the newest iterations, but I burn out on them pretty fast, and I don't actually think I've ever seen one through to the credits. That being said, the Zelda series' approach to narrative has always been one of my favorite things about the games. As you and I have often discussed, the loudest critics of such things are often the least educated about the topic at hand. Those who obsess about the "timeline" and stories of each individual title and/or how they fit together are largely missing the forest for the trees. It's the sameness and the shared elements, and the clever way that each entry plays with those elements, that makes each Zelda tale compelling. It's like games of chess - always the same pieces, but the moves differ each time. Indeed "The Legend of Zelda" is about just that - Legend. Zelda delights in the playing with the characteristics of oral tradition - trading heavily on archetypes and the natural variation that comes from a tale constantly retold as time goes on. It just takes a more mature understanding of the art and structure of storytelling - vs the type of mentality that obsesses with surprise and frets over spoilers - to really grasp what Zelda's approach to narrative is all about.

By: blackice85

blackice85 — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 01:22:48 +0000

In reply to Pete Davison. Unless you don't already own a 3DS, I'd definitely play the 3DS versions of OoT and MM. They're the definitive versions, all others are ports of the original N64 releases. Better colors, better framerate, touch screen for map and fast inventory switching (which is a big deal for these games), and you can even use the gyroscope for aiming too, which makes some of the shooting challenges a lot less stressful. They're very well done ports, not a quick cash in on a game from yesteryear. Check out some comparison videos on youtube also.

By: Pete Davison

Pete Davison — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 00:27:50 +0000

In reply to Roy Welch. Mostly Virtual Console on Wii U and 3DS. Will play the HD remake of Wind Waker when I get there, and haven't decided if I'm going to play the Virtual Console or 3DS native versions of Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask yet. Link to the Past is still genuinely brilliant.

By: Roy Welch

Roy Welch — Mon, 30 Nov 2015 23:50:04 +0000

On what format are you playing these? I'd be really interested in playing A link to the last again, but don't know how I'd go about it.