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[VIDEO GAME
FAVORITES]
=>AMIGA =>ATARI
=>COMMODORE =>NINTENDO
=>PLAYSTATION =>SEGA
=>SNK =>TURBO =>XBOX |
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THE LEGEND
OF ZELDA BY: NINTENDO
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::RATING::
Graphics: 5
Sound: 5
Control: 5
Depth: 5
Overall: 5 |
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When Nintendo had its heyday in the late 80s, I was still playing Commodore and Atari. I would play NES at friends' houses, enjoying games of Super Mario Bros, Excitebike and R.C. Pro-Am, but then return home and happily go back to playing Space Taxi or River Raid. But there was one NES game I was obsessed with—The Legend of Zelda.
Zelda had great graphics and catchy music, but what grabbed me was how much exploring you could do. While the "save the princess" plot was paper thin, you could go explore dungeons out of order and go almost anywhere on the world map (if you didn't die first).
But let's back up a sec. As Link, your quest is to save Princess Zelda from the evil Ganon, but first you must gather the eight pieces of the Triforce—each located in a separate dungeon and guarded by a large monster. But first you'll need to find the dungeons. You'll kill monsters, collect Rupees and buy or find better weapons and armor along the way (some of which are well hidden). Finding all the secrets in Zelda is just as much fun as conquering the dungeons; from discovering secret shops with rare items, to figuring out the pattern in the Lost Woods to receiving the last Heart Container. Here's a hint: bombs and fire are your friends.
After playing through The Legend of Zelda again on Wii Virtual Console, I noticed just how open-ended it is compared to later games in the Zelda series. It always kind of bothered me that the later games got more structured—particularly the requirement of certain items to explore different areas. However, I also noticed how short this Zelda is, and how there were a couple times I really wanted to look up a hint on GameFAQs, even though I've beaten the game several times over the years. So as the sequels got larger and more complex, maybe a little structure wasn't so bad.
So, to sum up: The Legend of Zelda is a childhood favorite of mine. Like many childhood memories, it's a little smaller and simpler than I remembered. However, it's just as fun as the day it came out. If for some reason you haven't played it, I highly recommend tracking it down. It's a textbook example of a great game.
-Ben Langberg
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2008 ben langberg, all rights reserved.