Hazelnut Bastille - Link to the Past influenced

[Tanooki]

Ex I'm with your post from 2 hours ago. ALBW was not good. The amount of praise seems mostly like an adult or younger hipster rose tinted mental orgy over it being a sequel to the SNES game than based on reality to me at least. I went in hoping for the best, ended up being bored then hating it. It wasn't hard, I got fed up going in circles, ended up buying the rentals, then couldn't find a reason to play further. I also was not in love with Skyward Sword either like you. I played it I think 1/2 through or so, then got bored and forgot to keep playing up until I sold the Wii. I'm fed up with not the Zelda formula, but I am fed up with the downward turn in design Nintendo has taken it. Wind Waker, Ocarina, LA-DX, Minish Cap...solid solid stuff as are the earlier titles, but it just got more wacked out, checkered and played out.

Sarge I was never in love with Ocarina either, but I do realize it was pretty good. I finished it once, dabbled to a point in it a few times since including 3DS which improved it a good bit, but it's no love affair as I don't understand that whole 'best rated video game ever' crap about it.

[Exhuminator]

The amount of praise seems mostly like an adult or younger hipster rose tinted mental orgy over it being a sequel to the SNES game

I guess it depends on what someone wants in a sequel. For myself, playing practically the exact same game, except with one (stolen) twist to the old formula, wasn't enough to bowl me over. Now it's possible the ALBW late game becomes more unique and innovative, granted. But the first couple hours bored me into pure apathy.

[marurun]

I really haven't loved any Zelda game since A Link to the Past on SNES. The GB titles and Minish Cap were too collect-a-thon for me. LttP had collecting, but it didn't dominate the game the way it does later. The series became way too much about getting Thing A so you can trade it for Thing B which you need to trade for Thing C, and so on. I tried really hard to love Link's Awakening and the Oracle titles, but I couldn't do it, and I burned out on Minish Cap really early, in part due to the sound design but mostly because of the whole collecting shit thing.

Zelda II is freaking awesome. There was a time I liked it less because it was "different" from the rest of the series (despite it being my first, go figure!), but I realized it's one of the best side-scrolling adventure games on the system. I actually revisit it much more often than I do the original Zelda. No lie.

I don't love Zelda II quite as much as you do, but I do like the game a lot, and it makes me sad how much hate the title gets. When it came out there wasn't really a Zelda style yet, because there had been only 1 Zelda title, so they were in a position to do anything they wanted with the series, so they tried something interesting. Zelda II sold pretty well in Japan despite being less forgiving than the still-difficult US version, so it clearly wasn't a misstep on Nintendo's part. The game was so much more complex than almost any other side-scroller on the NES at the time. You had so many options for combat and enemies required clear and varied strategies to beat. I thought it was just fantastic.

[Gunstar Green]

I guess it depends on what someone wants in a sequel. For myself, playing practically the exact same game, except with one (stolen) twist to the old formula, wasn't enough to bowl me over. Now it's possible the ALBW late game becomes more unique and innovative, granted. But the first couple hours bored me into pure apathy.

I'm a Mega Man fan so that speaks for itself.

I don't feel like a game always has to innovate to entertain, but I fully understand the criticisms leveled at A Link Between Worlds.

[prfsnl_gmr]

You guys are crazy.

First, Okami is awesome. I dumped 70-90 hours into it, and I was sad when it was over. (I loved it so much that I had to get everything.) I also loved Okamiden, and I was shocked by its quality.

Second, A Link Between Worlds is great. I agree that it is not as innovative as Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask, but it ends up playing a lot differently than A Link to the Past once you get into it. I liked that I could take on the mini-dungeons in any order, and my only real complaint is that, since the dungeons are all roughly equivalent from a difficulty perspective, they get easier as you get further into the game. (LoZ games aren't really renowned for their difficulty, however; so, this is a very minor issue.) Most importantly, it was very fun, and I was consistently motivated to keep moving through it.

Third, Beyond Good & Evil was also great, and I loved it too. I really hope we see a sequel one day, and this discussion has made me realize that I need to play more 3D LoZ clones (like the aforementioned Oceanhorn, Sphinx, Starfox Adventures, Majin & The Forsaken Kingdom, etc.).

Fourth, 3D Dot Game Heroes is legit. It is the first game I beat on my PS3.

Fifth, Zelda II is totally, awesome. It is easily one of the best games in the series, and I would love to see Nintendo make another game like it.

[Gunstar Green]

You guys are crazy.

Second, A Link Between Worlds is great. I agree that it is not as innovative as Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask, but it ends up playing a lot differently than A Link to the Past once you get into it. I liked that I could take on the mini-dungeons in any order, and my only real complaint is that, since the dungeons are all roughly equivalent from a difficulty perspective, they get easier as you get further into the game. (LoZ games aren't really renowned for their difficulty, however; so, this is a very minor issue.) Most importantly, it was very fun, and I was consistently motivated to keep moving through it.

No man, we're just rose tinted hipsters.

[BoneSnapDeez]

You know, I never even addressed the game this thread is ostensibly dedicated to.

I'll be getting it. It looks rad. Bring on the pixel-graphic indie homages, I say! Also, my daughter's name is Hazel so that's another perk.

[Sarge]

Oh, yeah, I forgot about Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy. It's a very solid game, and I found it really disappointing when they had to shut it down after just that entry. I'd have loved to play another one!

[Exhuminator]

I don't feel like a game always has to innovate to entertain

A game doesn't, but an umpteenth sequel really ought to.

---

Zelda thoughts...

Zeldas that I loved
A Link to the Past
Oracle of Ages
Twilight Princess

Zeldas that I liked
The Legend of Zelda
The Adventure of Link
Link's Awakening
Ocarina of Time
The Minish Cap

Zeldas I didn't care for
The Wind Waker
Phantom Hourglass
Spirit Tracks
Skyward Sword
A Link Between Worlds

Zeldas I haven't played yet or finished yet
Majora's Mask
Four Swords
Oracle of Seasons
Four Swords Adventures
Tri Force Heroes

---

Beyond Good & Evil - I put about five or six hours into this years ago. I really loved the beginning, the first "dungeon" you go through with the pig guy. But the further I played, the worse the game got. The crappy racing and stealth sections just ruined it for me. If the whole game had been like the beginning was, I would have loved it.

---

I also wouldn't mind seeing Nintendo make another side scrolling Zelda.

[Gunstar Green]

I don't feel like a game always has to innovate to entertain

A game doesn't, but an umpteenth sequel really ought to.

That's why I prefaced the post with Mega Man, (though that's not even being fair to A Link Between Worlds since it's not as much a carbon copy as people diss it for.)

When you have a long running series that's gone in so many different directions you're going to have the people who want more of the same and the people who want radically different. A sequel is destined to not not please everyone.

I've noticed this gets really heated in regards to Zelda for some reason. I suppose because when one game is somebody's near religious experience and another person's pile of crap (hello Ocarina of Time) it makes people a little angry. I'm not referencing the current discussion, just musing about all of the Zelda fights I've seen throughout the years.