MAJORA'S MASK

[Bhazor]

The DS Zelda games (Phantom Hourglass, Between Worlds) have all been rock solid. Certainly I've liked them more than the last couple console versions.

[Bored of Canada]

The DS Zelda games (Phantom Hourglass, Between Worlds) have all been rock solid. Certainly I've liked them more than the last couple console versions.

I'm really enjoying Phantom Hourglass so far. The art-style is so good. I realise it's just the sequel to Windwaker and all the character designs are just from that, but I don't have a WiiU yet, and Windwaker is definitely on the list, and so far, this is really good. I also like how they're setting it up as a Buddy Journey movie with the swashbuckling sailor with a chip on his shoulder having to slum it with this dumb kid.



I really like his character design too. This and the Layton Vs Phoenix Wright games (The Layton influences) bring a really refreshing art-style and character design into nintendo games. They're always bright and colourful, but these ones just feel more imaginative than their general choice between Anime or Mario-style Rounded things.

[Eclectic Boogaloo]

For me, if its a "top down" Zelda then I tend to find it very satisfying... If it's the "3D" Zelda, i tend to get very bored, very quickly... EXCEPT for MM which I devoured... (incidentally, I was also writing a guide for it, so had no choice but to play it all)... I am very keen to get knee deep in it again tho - so I will spunk cash I don't have on the collector's edition.

However, I would rather play LttP, 4 Swords, Minish Cap, Link's Awakening (but maybe not so much Oracle or Ages/Seasons) Phantom Hourglass (which has my FAVE ever solution to a puzzle on any portable system - YOU WILL KNOW it when it happens), Spirit Tracks and ALBW over any of the others... I have no idea why, but that's how I like my Link Adventures.

I still prefer Spirit Tracks to Phantom Hourglass but ONLY because PH has ONE MASSIVE flaw that doesn't exactly ruin it, but makes it a chore to play at times... and that's the central 'hub' dungeon that you have to keep on going back to with the Hourglass to beaver your way through the same rooms over and over again... towards the end of the game, its not so bad, but for the first 3 quarters, I call it a slog...

I remember first getting A Link Between Worlds and thinking "Hmmm, it's a bit meh..." but by the end of it I was desperate to play it again.. it was just THAT GOOD... (and I loved the ending and what it implies - twist and all)

At a recent Comic Con i saw the Hyrule Historia on sale for £20... its a FUCKING BARGAIN... if you get the chance to grab it, do so, its a beautifully put together book BUT...

BUT...

I still call bullshit on the "official" time line... but that's for a different thread!

In conclusion: Majora's Mask = Gud

[madhair60]

I was thinking of nabbing Historia as a gift for the missus, it's worth it, then?

[Eclectic Boogaloo]

If she likes Zelda..?

Then definitely - it talks about the complete time line of the world, some stunning artwork from all the games, early map drawings, some quotes, some factiods and its a nice thick heavy book with a wonderful Link Manga comic at the back...

If you can grab it for £20 like i did, its a perfect present. And in that case, it was a present for me, so I can attest that it made me happy!

[madhair60]

She does like Zelda!  She told me the entire storyline in chronological order during one very long walk in Brum.  Fun times.

[Eclectic Boogaloo]

Fun times.

I choose to take that sarcastically!

Winky Smiley Emoticon

When it comes to the whole time line thing, I tend to ignore it - as it has almost NO BEARING on the quality of the games and only ever occasionally matters in terms of story...

Like Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks are sequels to Wind Waker

Oracle of Seasons/Ages COULD be the sequel to Link's Awakening, but could ALSO be the prequels to it too...

A Link Between Worlds is certainly a sequel to A Link to the Past

Majora's Mask is a sequel to ONE of the endings of Ocarina of Time

and get this...  if the time line IS solid then that means the most "modern" adventure Link goes on is Legend of Zelda 2: The adventures of Link!! That's just daft!

... everything else?

PREQUELS!!

prequelsprequelsprequels!!

Minish Cap SHOULD be the FIRST STORY in the universe but now they say Skyward Sword is?

ME NO LIKE!

On a side fantasy fan wank note... I would love to see a modern Hyrule, like a 21st Century City that has a modern Link discover ancient Hyrule under the city. It would make the Legend of Zelda take place in a modern technological setting that slowly unravels to become more magical.

it will never happen.

[Eclectic Boogaloo]

Look what you made me do!

I got talkin' about Zelda!!!

I'M NOT LONELY (i wish I was, but i'm not!)

[Consignia]

I thought all Zelda games where standalone. I'm sure someone at Nintendo has tried to fit the nonsense together like the jigsaw and claim a timeline, but it's bollocks. It's not like there's really any story within the games anyway, dude dressed in green collects yellow triangles and fights pig man thing and small varients there of. It hardly needs to be sown to together into a Narnia-like epic, and indeed in game it is treated like functional wallpaper it is.

[madhair60]

Haha, nah, it was good, man.  I know fuck-all about Zelda (I've only ever beaten a couple of them), so I enjoyed hearing her recount all the plotlines to me.  I just enjoy hearing her talk, to be quite honest!

[Eclectic Boogaloo]

i had the same chat with my girlfriend!

I talked at her about Zelda because she said "what's that" to the Hyrule Historia book... 3 hours later she was sweating buckets and begging for forgiveness... I knew she was a keeper...

She loves Japanese culture, loves Manga and Anime and because she is a big fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender, for some reason, I thought she would take to Zelda too.

The jury is still out, but i did get her borrow my 3DS and she is currently battling though A Link Between Worlds. She is not a gamer, but she is enjoying giving it the beans.

[Eclectic Boogaloo]

I thought all Zelda games where standalone. I'm sure someone at Nintendo has tried to fit the nonsense together like the jigsaw and claim a timeline, but it's bollocks. It's not like there's really any story within the games anyway, dude dressed in green collects yellow triangles and fights pig man thing and small varients there of. It hardly needs to be sown to together into a Narnia-like epic, and indeed in game it is treated like functional wallpaper it is.

In terms of plot, yes, they are stand alone as they are all basically retelling the same legend.

However, I do think that from ALTTP onwards, they were more than conscious of a time lime (the packaging to ALTTP mentions that its a prequel to the original Zelda) but I don't they really think too much about it... or rather, the more and more they try to tie it all together, the more and more the time line hangs by a thread... The fact that most of the new games are about adventures set before the preceeding game kinda seems like a maddening exercise in storytelling and overblowing their simple story.

nearly ALL the games made since could have easily've been proper sequels to the original NES classic.

To conclude: game zelda am are good yes

[Kelvin]

I thought all Zelda games where standalone. I'm sure someone at Nintendo has tried to fit the nonsense together like the jigsaw and claim a timeline, but it's bollocks. It's not like there's really any story within the games anyway, dude dressed in green collects yellow triangles and fights pig man thing and small varients there of. It hardly needs to be sown to together into a Narnia-like epic, and indeed in game it is treated like functional wallpaper it is.

I know it's hard to believe but the console versions fit together pretty well, and the Hyrule Historia seems pretty open and shut, really. What's good, though, is that Nintendo aren't fanatical about the stories, history and locations being 100% true to previous games. They point out that it's a "Legend", or telling of a story, not an exact depiction of what happened. So some elements match up, but details tend not to.

Twilight Princess clearly shows Ganondorf being "executed" after Young Link dobs him in at the end of Ocarina. That Link - now dead - also shows up in Twilight Princess as a spirit. Skyward Sword explains why Ganondorf and Zelda are recurring characters. Windwaker shows what happened after Link went to a different dimension in Majora's Mask and left Hyrule unprotected[nb]That's not a Spoiler, it happens at the start of the game. The entire thing is set in Termina, not Hyrule.[/nb].

Clearly the timeline is far from essential to your enjoyment. Nintendo wisely choose to eschew that kind fan-service. But I definitely think that it adds to your appreciation of the world of each game if you realise where it fits into the timeline and how it connect with other games. You get nice moments where you go "oh, this character is a descendant of that character", or "that's why such and such is where it is in that other game", or nice, ambiguous stuff, where you wonder if a certain building or secret area is intended to be a re-interpretation of something from a past game. It just adds another layer of depth for the fans, without alienating new players.     

[buntyman]

Thing is, it's a bit of chore for the first couple of hours - I wonder how many people actually got past that part? Not many I'll wager.

Yup this was definitely the point where I gave up on both the N64 and Gamecube. It was the finding the 5 hiding kids that fucked me up - if you don't do that first time you'd be hard pushed to attempt it again within the three days and then do everything else. I'm now trying again on the Wii virtual console (as mentioned in the other thread) and am pleased to say I reached the first save point last night! It was touch and go as I had arranged to meet some friends at the pub at 8:30 and started playing at some point shortly after 6. There's even quite a lengthy lead up to the 72 hours bit too so it definitely took me the best part of 2 hours. If i'd had to abandon then, that would have been me finished with the game forever. I'd advise anyone starting this game for the first time to make sure they've allocated enough time for a long first sitting and don't spend too much time at the start going into shops and talking to random townspeople.

It really does grip you quite early on, it looks and sounds great and the controls feel nice on the wii's classic controller. Can't wait to continue with it tonight!

[Hollow]

Got this on Gamecube.  Will buy the 3DS version and never get around to it.

I've never got as far as the second dungeon in Ocarina of Time.  Own two versions.  Beat first boss, save, get distracted.  Every time.

You should make the effort man!

It's well worth it.

Tell me you've finished A Link to the Past though?

[Hollow]

I'm really enjoying Phantom Hourglass so far. The art-style is so good. I realise it's just the sequel to Windwaker and all the character designs are just from that, but I don't have a WiiU yet, and Windwaker is definitely on the list, and so far, this is really good. I also like how they're setting it up as a Buddy Journey movie with the swashbuckling sailor with a chip on his shoulder having to slum it with this dumb kid.



I really like his character design too. This and the Layton Vs Phoenix Wright games (The Layton influences) bring a really refreshing art-style and character design into nintendo games. They're always bright and colourful, but these ones just feel more imaginative than their general choice between Anime or Mario-style Rounded things.

Phantom Hourglass would be amazing if not for those damnable levels that repeat...all stealthy and shit...put me right the fuck off.

[madhair60]

You should make the effort man!

It's well worth it.

Tell me you've finished A Link to the Past though?

Nope.  Got a fair way in.  Not too keen on it.  Quite samey.  Map is bloated.

[Hollow]

That's one of the games I would consider to be perfect in every way...you didn't play it in 50hz did you? Cause that ruins it...obvious I suppose but our collective gaming childhoods were sort of pissed on and ruined a bit...I played it in shitovision the first five times.

That first 60hz playthrough was a revelation to me...'that's what Link looks like'...in shrunken, bordered, pixel destroying 50hz he looked like a squashed pig.

The Dreamcast stopped all that shittery...and for that SEGA are gods to me...even in the sad sad state they are in. (Even though Nintendo seem to want to continue pissing into our open mouths...love em...but they surely hate us)

Mario looked totally shit too...seeing the pure beauty of his eight bit sprite was an eye opener too...you could really get the 'living art' thing Nintendo do so well...truly consummate videogames...in a league of their own.

[madhair60]

I played Link's Awakening first, which is basically the same but more charming and concise.

[Hollow]

I'd actually go along with that...but I'd say they were on a par...but the SNES game looked amazing (still does), the gameboy color version was nearly there but my memory of it was B&W.

Well B&G really...loved the gameboy.

[Kishi the Bad Lampshade]

I hope this means we'll also be getting a remake of the 'BEN DIED' creepypasta.

[DJ Solid Snail]

<VERY MINOR SPOILERS>

Well, I've just this second finished it, my first reaction being: booo, that final boss was the easiest in the game - or any Zelda game - by a million miles. Can't believe I got Link 100% powered-up for that (although maybe that's why). Similarly I was hoping the final section would be a bit more substantial, almost its own dungeon, like Ganon's Castle in Ocarina. As it was, it was a bit anticlimactic. No puzzles, no sub-bosses, no major obstacles to overcome to reach the climax.

</VERY MINOR SPOILERS>

These are fairly minor gripes, however, of what was a terrific game, a nightmarish vision of a typical Zelda tale, and the sinister stylistic choices as well as the time-travel concept and emphasis on side-quests really stands it out as one of the most interesting entries in the series. As I'm fifteen years late to the party, I can't imagine I can come up with anything new to say about it, but needless to say I thought it was fantastic. I'm off to watch some lore theory YouTube videos which I'm sure must exist, then listen to the soundtrack on a loop.

[Kelvin]

Spoiler alert

that final boss was the easiest in the game - or any Zelda game - by a million miles. Can't believe I got Link 100% powered-up for that

[close]

When you say you got 100% powered up, do you mean you got the

Spoiler alert

Fierce Deity

[close]

Mask, because if so, the final battle literally takes about 10 seconds. If not, the battle should be easy, but still good fun.

Spoiler alert

Similarly I was hoping the final section would be a bit more substantial, almost its own dungeon, like Ganon's Castle in Ocarina. As it was, it was a bit anticlimactic. No puzzles, no sub-bosses, no major obstacles to overcome to reach the climax.

[close]

Assuming this part of the game hasn't been changed since the original release, there actually are 4 hidden mini dungeons in that final

Spoiler alert

moon

[close]

location. You need to

Spoiler alert

give each of the four boss mask children a selection of your masks

[close]

, with each sending you to a different challenge, if you do. If you have all the masks in the game, you can unlock and compete all four challenges and earn the final mask.

[DJ Solid Snail]

^ Probably should have clarified that; yes I did do the

Spoiler alert

moon kids' mini-dungeons

[close]

but they were still a bit too brief for my liking. Ah, so it was the

Spoiler alert

Fierce Deity mask

[close]

that made things so easy? The

Spoiler alert

fairy sword

[close]

probably didn't hurt, either.

I'm loath to moan about any of it, to be honest. A cracking experience all-round and only losing out to Ocarina of Time as my favourite Zelda because of the climax.

[Kelvin]

Ah, so it was the

Spoiler alert

Fierce Deity mask

[close]

that made things so easy?

Yeah, the FD Mask is basically a cheat code to

Spoiler alert

be a badass that can't die and kills everything in ten seconds

[close]

. I very much doubt the majority of people have it when they first complete the game, so the final battle would be longer, trickier and more memorable. I certainly remember the final stage,

Spoiler alert

with Majora's Wrath

[close]

being a bit of a cunt.

I actually really like that final battle (I didn't have FD mask initially).

Spoiler alert

It's nice seeing the battle get more and more unhinged, and although the moon isn't a proper dungeon, I actually really like it for that reason. It's just this totally unexpected, surreal twist, with lots of wonderful ambiguous dialogue ripe for fan theories and interpretations.   

[close]