Ah Nostalgia…

(Due to various internet connection based issues I've been having, this is a older blog post from another Next Level blog)

I recently was having a very slow and quite boring weekend, so thought it was about time I went back and replayed ‘Legend of Zelda The Ocarina of Time’ for what must be about the 4^th time now. But seeing as it was also a lazy weekend, I didn’t unpack the old N64, but played it off my special edition disc that came with the Wind Waker (not to be confused with the collectors edition disc that had the Majora’s Mask on that’s different, but does have the OoT on it) for the Gamecube. I contemplated having another go at the master quest, an unreleased version of the game with much more confusing puzzles and more difficult enemies. But I wanted the purest version of the game, without getting the cartridge, so went for the original.

I always have a problem with going back and playing games that I loved years ago. Sometimes it’s the feeling of ‘I wish I could feel the same way about it as I did when I first played it’. That feeling of ‘Wow’ and the curiosity that went with playing games for the first time, especially with the LoZ series. Sometimes though, I look back through rose tinted specs and my imagination makes a far better game than the developers did (I swore that the graphics were better etc). I was braced for my latest play through of the game to ruin it for me. I was surprised.

OoT holds up remarkably well, remembering it was released around 1997. The graphics and colours are filled with life and it still has the enchanting musical score that I remember. Sure the text based narrative gets a bit weary at times, especially with the voice acting common in even bargain basement games now, but it doesn’t really matter when the actual story is as well explained as it is.

Recently I have had trouble sticking with story driven games, especially Final Fantasy XII. As good as that game is, I could almost sense every twist and turn that was going to happen and unlike its predecessors, I never felt really encouraged to find out what would happen next. But somehow, I still find OoT has a story that makes me want to keep going. This might be because the series has never focused on developing characters throughout the story, but leaves that side of the story to you. You’re a little lad in a green tunic off to save Hyrule for a Princess and the game encourages you to think of the people as though you really know them, not by forcing a distinctive personality into them. Obviously there’s much more than that, but the story takes a look at the world as a whole, and you never feel like your just trying to get to Link’s personal aims, but to save the world.

So this got me thinking. Why has a game which is highly regarded amongst gamers as one of, if not the, greatest game made so far, stayed so young in character. Maybe, I thought it was because Nintendo has kept the formula rigidly the same in some aspects and different in others. The text for example is still there, and the little yelps made by Link still exist. But many different environments and characters are introduced keeping the general re telling of the same story fresh.

Or it could have been that this was the first game to really capture a sense of scale and adventure, in epic 3D. Sure Super Mario 64 was a great game, but you realised that you were a little Italian plumber in a blue dungarees. OoT simply looses you in all its secrets and curious people to the extent that you can play the games for hours on end and still go back for more (I was hooked for weeks on the fishing mini game). The game also has points of emotion, beautifully conveyed and reflects the almost naivety of the player, including this almost hidden scene (slight spoiler warning and the music isn’t from the game) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6XMKtjtvaM . The dungeons were expansive and challenging and without going on for hours, the game is brilliant.

So I’ve just completed Dodongo’s Cave and will keep picking it up and playing a bit more when I get chance. In the meanwhile I’m still looking for where I can find a copy of LoZ The Twilight Princess for Gamecube. At least now I can go and play some old games without being scared into them being rubbish compared to what I remember…