Posts Tagged ‘Zelda’

I admit I had my worries going revisiting such an iconic moment of my past. While it doesn’t sit as my favourite Zelda title The Ocarina of Time was none the less hugely significant to me. It opened up new opportunities of what the new third dimension of gaming could do and, perhaps more importantly, it was a magical adventure. Now, as a jaded adult, I feared that a rehash of the classic title would lose what made it so special.

How could a fifteen year old game remain relevant today?

Truthfully part of me hoped that playing The Ocarina of Time would inspire bile in me, that it would draw from me some hateful vitriol of how Nintendo lazily rehash their old titles, and how this one didn’t even have the decency to pretend to be a new game. I wanted my years of tolerance at re-buying the Kyoto based giant’s classic titles to finally reach breaking point, to snap with an amusing display of anger that this was a shameless cash in on the nostalgia of the weak willed. And I could, I could find all the reasons here to justify the rant, to completely tear this remake asunder but I don’t want to, because it is still wonderful.

It is just the right mix of old and new. Updates to the game’s visuals are clear for anyone to see, and to be clear the system’s 3D capability is the least of these improvements. Graphically the game manages to look almost exactly as I remember it, which is to say it manages the truly remarkable trick of looking like something that never existed. Years have coloured my memories, making the game seem far more than it ever was. I project my emotions on to the characters, stretch and morph their blank faces in my mind in to something that was never there, breathing more life in to them than the N64 ever could. But on the 3DS it exists, the expression and emotions that were in my head (along with details to the environment) bloom in to life, erasing the possible disappointment of reality clashing with memory.

Every second felt as fresh as the first time I experienced it.

Improvements to the controls and the navigation are also present, adding just enough convenience to the old system of constantly switching inventory items to prevent menu navigation feeling clunky. Originally the Zelda The Ocarina of Time achieved a lot with its control, camera and lock-on systems. It is testament to the quality of the games original design that still the camera controls still hold up well and that many titles continue to crib from the games lock-on. If there were to have been any Achilles heel it would be the menu navigation, due to the many advances that have been made in the last fifteen years by so many other titles. Ocarina of Time manages to dodge this issue though by making use of 3DS’s second screen. By adding bindable ‘soft buttons’ to the lower screen short cuts can be created allowing fast access to more items, alleviating limitations that may have existed and allowing the game a contemporary (if not cutting edge) feel.

It was the music that really touched me and caused the memories and emotions to come rushing back.

But it is not really what has improved that plucked at my heartstrings (or I more accurate blew through my heart’s holes) it was the music. My lack of musical aptitude is well noted within the contents of DoFuss, I couldn’t even tell you if changes have been made to Ocarina’s audio, what I do know is that it is how I remember it. Heart warming, evocative and beautiful, just hearing the Bolero of Fire sent me back to the first time I heard it and to the feeling of excitement and joy it inspired. Sound is primitive, instinctive, and in this case perfect.

It is hard for me not to lavish praise and love on Zelda The Ocarina of Time 3DS. It isn’t because of its history or it’s importance to gaming, but because every second I play this game, even now at thirty-one years old, feels as incredible as when I played it at sixteen years old.

It has been a long week, in no way helped by the fact that we had to record this show twice thanks to technical problems. Fortunately the dry run meant that even with my general exhaustion we were able to keep the show mostly on track, and when we didn’t it was at least funny.

We kick off as always with ‘Heaven and Hell’ (featuring the World Cup) before the ever-present ‘What Have You Been Playing?’ For a change this show Darren has been indulging in games that could technically be called current, though while Portal ‘Mac’ has technically just been released it might be pushing it to call it new. I on the other hand have been playing the very current Alan Wake, which I have been gushing about online for some time, so I take this opportunity to redress some of the balance.

After this it is on to news. E3 kicked off the day we recorded with the Microsoft Kinect event (yes, I call it the Kinetic during the show, but I am sure that was their plan) so we do touch on the show a little bit in news, as well as some other headlines that caught my eye.

Finally we rap up with a feature on in game collectables. A topic inspired by Alan Wake, a game that manages to undermine its own narrative by poor implementation of in game pick ups.

I hope you enjoy the show, leave any comments or feedback below or drop us a mail.

The DoFuss Show – 29 out of 100. [ 1:09:54 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Reviewers have a tendency to make comparisons with other examples of a medium. There are many reasons for this practice, but for newcomers to a medium it remains exclusionary. Whether the author is using it as lazy shorthand to aid understanding or from a desire to laud an expansive knowledge over the audience, the reader must be informed about the point of reference for it to be of any use.

This use of references is as common a practice in the gaming press as any other, perhaps more so thanks to the era the industry has grown up in allowing for such a rapid dissemination of products and opinion. Audiences are, for the most part, indoctrinated into the culture; aware through blogs and news sites of every major release they have even a passing interest in. Issues only arise when new people try to enter this impenetrable, elitist culture. A Zelda clone, or even a more generic term such ‘platformer’, must surely prove a near impossible barrier to entry for most newcomers.

Big bad guys.

Recently the issue was brought to the fore courtesy of the game Darksiders. Reviews uniformly described the THQ title as Zelda meets God of War, and some people felt this portrayal was lazy. Maybe it was, but it was also descriptive. I instantly comprehended what was meant by this simple comparison. My understanding allowed the reviewer to move on to a deeper opinion of the whole experience rather than a mechanical break down, without exceeding the one thousand-word limit that typically signals the end of my attention span (for reading onscreen text at least).

Asserting that similarities shouldn’t be drawn in reviews and that each game should be judged on its own merits from within a vacuum is ridiculous. Hand my dad a PS2 and he will tell you how real the games all look, and then offer you a whisky and bore you with stories of Ireland. Ignoring what makes our opinion ours is disingenuous. If the reader doesn’t know the foundation of an argument then they cannot truly appreciate it.

Bigger bad guys.

Everything we experience informs our outlook; if we are unable to draw on our well of knowledge to explain our impressions then we are neutering our vocabulary. To state outright that other games shouldn’t be referenced when talking about another title would mean never again mentioning a previous game in a franchise or from the same team. We would have to turn a blind eye to advancements made and explain everything from the basest level in every article, because if a gamer doesn’t know Zelda it is safe to assume that the term ‘action RPG’ would be just as incomprehensible.

I suspect the bigger problem is that now there are so many people covering games. I sit with my RSS feed open and watch every day a new stack of reviews pour in for the latest big release. On occasion I have been known read each and every review of a game I am interested in, and I do begin to see patterns and trends emerge. Occasionally this can annoy, especially when I feel a writer is not addressing the elements of the game I believe are important or when their views differ wildly from my own.

Biggest bad guys.

Certainly if there is no qualification presented for a comparison it is problematic. A review that does nothing to expand on its flimsy comparisons tells the reader nothing. Simply put a bad review is a bad review. A well written piece will utilise accepted touchstones that have made their way into the gaming lexicon, giving context and creating a more concise read. Providing the author of a piece sufficiently communicates their opinion, without the need for extensive outside research, using such comparative examples can be a valuable tool.

Dead Space arrived late and I haven’t yet been able to finish it. So you have to endure another fifteen ten word reviews of old games.

Burnout Paradise (360, PS3) – ‘This is amazing! Faster, faster! Shit! Bollard!’ I said bollard.

Gears of War (PC, 360) – Shallow, visceral fun that integrates a good use of cover.

GTA4 (360, PS3) – It’s just GTA again but polished to a blinding shine.

Halo 3 (360) – All I wanted was a Warthog section to finish. Done.

Hotel Dusk: Room 213 (DS) – An interesting detective game but too undirected to be fun.

Lost Planet (PC, 360, PS3) – Aesthetic and game play compensate for story and last level.

Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops (PSP) – Happily hold a Naked Snake in your hands for hours.

Ninja Gaiden 2 (360) – Masochistic gamers rejoice. Ryu is back in his tight rubber.

No More Heroes (Wii) – Nut-job director Suda 51 makes another acquired taste gaming gem.

Okami (PS2, Wii) – Despite slow some patches, the best recent non-Zelda, Zelda game.

Resident Evil 4 (GC, PS2, Wii) –You kill zombies. It’s fun. Unfortunately it’s showing its age.

Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii) – I love Nintendo but fuck this crappy, unashamed, fan-exploiting game.

Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) – Sublime. Without a doubt the best game on the system.

Zack and Wiki (Wii) – Please ignore the game, a fantastic point and click adventure

Zelda and the Twilight Princess (Wii) – Far from the best Zelda, but that’s hardly a criticism.