The Legend of Zelda

[The Luminaire]

While I type, I cannot contain the energy I have, and feel the urge yet again, to dive into the deep realm that is The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.

Going into it with slighty misgivings about the new style of the game, Im am proud to say that I am a convert. Its like *playing* through a good manga. Quite literally, the art style reminds me less of the crayola stigma everyone keeps putting on it, than it does of anime. And it suits the game quite well.

Already almost 6 hours on the clock, and Im deep into a vast world, and a sultry story that hooks me with each new area I enter. The franchise has never been so good, and Ill stand by that claim. The game is larger, more diverse, and better put together than any previous game.

Im must say, that over all, this is one of the most profound gaming experiences Ive had, in recent memory. It reminds me somewhat of U2 in the early mid 90's. They managed to comepletely change their image and their sound, and still keep the substance that *is* U2. Nintendo has done exactly that, while changing the exterior of one of its most powerful series, keeping, even improving the substance that makes the games all worth while.

Thank you Nintendo, for the gaming experiences Ive been waiting years for. With Metroid Prime, now Zelda, and a Final Fantasy homecoming still in the future, the big N will continue to pump out the titles that make gaming the experience that it is.

Pick this one up guys, for anyone who owns a Gamecube, this is the game to play. And if you dont, well, now there's *two* good reasons to buy one. You'll just have to wait until its actually in stores. Early releases, perks of working the industry :D

[Caesar]

I'd reply if I wasn't so busy playing Wind Waker, myself. :D

[Artega]

I pre-ordered a copy from, er, f**kyouland (aka Funcoland), but won't be able to pick it up until this weekend. Of course, I still have Metroid Prime and Smash Bros. to keep me busy for a bit. I'm about a third of the way through on Hard mode (just got the Artifact of Wild and the Wavebuster), and my mad Fox skillz are always fun to beat the CPs senseless with ^_^

I have one question about Wind Waker, though: are the puzzles any good? I beat Master Quest, and was quite impressed. Parts of the Spirit Temple had me stumped for a good while. As long as they're better than Starfox Adventures' (I got the game solely because I'm a shameless Starfox fanboy, and because it was Rare's final farewell.)

[MonTy]

Hail,

A friend and I have been playing Super Smash Bros on and off for awhile now. Now, my friend is pretty good; infact, very very good. We only know about 20 or so people that play Super Smash, and we basically rip them to shreds. I've been searching the net trying to see how good other people are from around the world. I did manage to get one video of someone beating Event Match 51 with Captain Falcon, without losing a life. Not all that jazzy, and I've been trying to find videos of people dueling. Would you know of a place that has them?

My friend uses Falco and I use Fox. Though we do play a lot with the other characters. I wish they had Super Smash over the net. Such a great competitive game. I'm sure there are lots of very good players out there too.

[The Luminaire]

Its totally like Master Quest!

To be honest, the game is too damn big to be any kind of push over, at the very least. The few dungeons that Ive scraped through were incredibly immersing, and the puzzles did take me a good while to figure out. Sometimes I have to set that game down for a bit to let my brain regen. Then I come back and see something I didnt see before.

Really, you shouldnt see any lack for good puzzles. Probably not quite as mind-boggling as some of the Master quest puzzles, but easily made up for by the scale of the game. It really is pretty non-linear, considering how much of the World is accesable to you within the first hour of play time. :P Ive had no porblems killing 3 or 4 hours just sailing around to differant islands, not even really acopmlishing anything.

Post back when you get a chance to play, Id love to hear some opinions on it ^_^

[Refrigerator]

Well, I don't have it, but this weekend I'm probably going over to my friend's house, and he has it, as of yesterday. He, too, has been raving to me about the game.

I am not sure of my opinion of it yet. At first, I was like "EEWWWW!!! Weird graphics!!!" But now, I'm willing to give it a chance.

It was mostly just Link that set me back. He looked like a gimp, but now I guess I've gotten used to him (or maybe Nintendo changed him a little bit? That's what it seems like sometimes).

Anyway, will reply when I see it.

Hope it's good :)

[Artega]

I'm best with Fox, of course, but I try and learn other characters for fun. I'm pretty good with Marth (Roy is a bit too slow, even though he's stronger, looks a helluva lot cooler <especially in his "blue" skin>, and his cheer is cool :) ), and so-so with Samus. Ganondorf is LOADS of fun, especially with the halfway brain-dead CPs (more on that later), since they can't seem to realize that they're about to run directly into a fully charged smash attack...

Event Match 51 really isn't all that hard. The CPs are probably LV8 at best (likely LV7), and Giga Bowser is so huge it's not even funny. Anything thrown, slashed, or attacked in his general direction will hit him. He is SLOW, and he's not nearly as heavy as one would think. I've killed him when he was at 85% with Fox. The Event Match I had the most trouble with would be either that Pikapuke and Pichu one (Match 43, I think), or Event Match 50. Event Match 50 is almost too easy with Marth (you will use Counter and you will love it), and only slightly more difficult with Fox.

Unfortunately, all of the idiots down here in GA think that the Xbox and PS2 are better than the GCN. Fools. Hence, I have very little in the way of human players to play against. Of course, it's always more fun to beat them in Halo or beat their high scores in THPS Umpty-um. Nothing better than doing the electronic equivalent of slapping them in the face ^_^

As for Metroid Prime, I am now at 78% through Hard mode, and it IS fairly hard. I've been using a walkthrough this time around (I'm not even past Omega Pirate and I already have a higher percentage than my first, unassisted way through >_< ), so I've been nabbing every single Missile Expansion and Energy Tank in the game. Quite amusing having more than 200 missiles this time. Well, at least I can get some enjoyment out of the Wavebuster this time around (I have 105 missiles in my first game).

Finally, I expect to go and pick up Wind Waker today, so I'll have some feedback to add to the pot. I must admit that I most definitely do NOT like Link's look, but the rest of the world looks just fine to me. Cel-shading looks great when done properly (like in Robotech: Battlecry), but absolutely horrible when overdone. At least it doesn't have the flat, shiny look that far too many 3D games have now. I still think Young Link from Ocarina of Time (and his updated look in Smash Bros.) is the best look for Link. I like the "adult" (which is really teenager; Young Link was at most 10 years old in Ocarina of Time, and he was in stasis for seven years, which means he is between 15 and 17 years old; I'm pretty sure the game says Young Link is 8 at one point) Link better, of course, but it's basically been agreed that the young version of Link is his "true" form.

I eagerly await the chance to go to Screwyouland to go and get my copy of Wind Waker and Ocarina of Time :)

[Mithrandir]

Unfortunately, all of the idiots down here in GA think that the Xbox and PS2 are better than the GCN. Fools. Hence, I have very little in the way of human players to play against. Of course, it's always more fun to beat them in Halo or beat their high scores in THPS Umpty-um.

Anyone who owns an XBox and lets a GC player beat them in Halo should be shot and killed. Repeatedly :) Come up to MI and you can catch one of our get-togethers... we have at least one 16 player (8v8) "Halo party" per week.

Just make sure you know Blood Gulch and Sidewinder well ;)

I love my XBox to death and wouldn't trade it for any other console period, but GC is a definite second in my mind - the less powerful hardware, reluctance to adapt to the future, and lackluster third party support really, really kills it in my mind.

But, since I'm off to college soon and am going to have to buy a new XBox anyways, I might also treat myself to a GC with Metroid, Zelda, and SS Bros as well ;)

[Copadope]

Come up to MI and you can catch one of our get-togethers... we have at least one 16 player (8v8) "Halo party" per week.

Just make sure you know Blood Gulch and Sidewinder well ;)

That's awesome. I wish we could get some 8v8 games going on campus here. I love playing link games over our ethernet, but our biggest games are usually 5v5 or 6v6. And the competition is tough, depending on who you're playing anyway. I like to think I'm among the top 4 or 5 players here :P , but it's a pretty small campus so that isn't really saying much. I can usually find a game to play in the evening if I keep an eye on it.

As for Blood Gulch, don't get me started :angry:. If you have a ton of players, it's a cool level to play but I hate it with teams of 3 or 4, especially if you're outnumbered. My only biggest gripe is that you always spawn at one of the bases, so if one team gets on that hill in the middle with a bunch of sniper rifles, you're pretty screwed. And the guys I play with are all about sniping. Personally, I prefer smaller levels with more close combat opportunities such as Battle Creek and Wizard. And of course Boarding Action is nothing but a battle for the 2 sniper rifles of the level, with a bit of camping the ladders mixed in.

Halo is mad fun. It kinda sucks that Halo 2 isn't coming out until 2004. I can't wait :( .

[Roland]

...Master Quest? Last Zelda game I played was either Seasons, or Ocarina of Time (didn't really take to either; but then, none of the GB ones captured me the way the originals did; how very odd).

What platform? When did it come out?

[The Luminaire]

The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Master Quest(Damn thats long...)was what you could call an expansion pack for OoT, released for the failed 64DD, a Disk Drive for N64.

Im not really positive when it came out, but it was sometime in between OoT and Majora's Mask. :P IMO, its really the hardest Zelda to date, save maybe the first one. It basicly follows the same path as OoT, but every dungeon is changed, and then some. All the puzzles are differant, ect. And there's no such thing as a strategy guide, save something off GameFAQs. Really awesome. :)

The only way it was released in the US recently, was if you pre-reserved a copy of Wind Waker, you probably would get a Bonus Disk to go with it, containing both OoT and Master Quest. It maybe be possible to pick one up just by itesltf, if you dont have one reserved, but e-bay seems like your only option.

[Artega]

So I got Wind Waker this weekend. I am thoroughly in love with the game. I'm on my way back to Outset Island to nab the third pearl (presumably Nayru's Pearl, since I've gotten Din's and Farore's; I'm also assuming a water motif, since the last one was a forest/earth motif and a fire motif before that), and I love the game. Sure, the graphical style is a bit odd, but you get used to it in time, and it eventually stops looking weird. It really IS like playing a particularly good manga. The characters' faces are very expressive, and the animation is both smooth and beautiful. Once you're out to sea and see a thunder storm while cruising around, the atmosphere and detail in this game just hits you outright. Sure, Link looks like he has some kind of crazy disorder causing his legs to be half the length of his arms, but that's just the artistic style. I, for one, applaud Nintendo for being courageous and trying something new.

The puzzles so far are satisfactory, and make good use of the new features (sliding along a wall, creeping along a ledge, picking up enemy weapons, etc). Boss battles are also a great deal more fun, since figuring out how to defeat them is half the battle in itself (that first boss pissed me off until I figured out that... well, I'll leave figuring out how to defeat it to yourself :P ). Of course, once you figure out their little trick, it's really too easy, but it's still highly entertaining. Unlike the other Zelda games, Zelda has yet to make an appearance, and I'm beginning to wonder if she's even in this game. I'm assuming the girl in the commerical was supposed to be Zelda, but it could also be Arryl. Of course, what is a Zelda game without Zelda? She must be in here somewhere. I imagine Ganon has her or something. Ganon has yet to do anything at all so far, so I know little about his personality. I say Ganondorf is the coolest Zelda villain so far, but I think that's just because he looks totally badass (especially in Smash Bros. ^_^ ).

Well, I need to install D2C and then play some more Wind Waker. I'll post again when I get further into the game.

[Refrigerator]

Well, I went to my friends house, saw the game, played the game, and saw that it was good, and I liked it.

It is really great! Graphics ARE a bit odd, but you get used to them. Some things though, just look stupid:
(SPOILER)
Ganondorf, for one, but that's about it :)
(/SPOILER)

Pretty sweet. Lots of great stuff, kinda got hooked on playing it: got to the forest dungeon in one night....

I helped my friend with finding the 'Killer Bumblebees' on that island, he was eternally grateful(all it was, was just a bit of dumb luck though.)

Yeah.....

[Refrigerator]

Yeah! I'm a big fan of SSBM too! I prefer Marth, although for a little while I was dabbling in Young Link (BEST taunt, wall jump, and cool last-minute-save-hookshot thing) but his reach leaves me very frustrated. So I tried Link, who is very nice, but I think Marth is still my favorite (the only way I can come mediumly close to beating my friend, who is a Sheik-speed maniac. Counter is THE way to go.).

And about that Pikachu/Pichu thing, I found that rather easy, less than 5 tries! The one that is really a pain is... 49, if I'm not wrong. Roy gets me with his darn incredibly long throw/reach (I think it counts my SWORD as a grabbable part of me?) and I usually die on Ganondorf, who IS really cool. Ganondorf and Mewtwo are probably my second/third favorites, just cause they're so da....rn cool!

I rented the game for a week, and me and my (other) friend got everything except a bunch of the trophies(of course) and event matches 49 50 and 51, just because we couldn't beat them. That Majora's mask match was a toughie, too.

Oh yeah, one last thing: Mr Game and Watch is annoying. Just the way he moves and stuff. Kinda funny, though. That's about it, and happy playing!

[Refrigerator]

Oh yeah, weird things have been happening with my avatar lately, so can you tell me:
Does it show up, or just leave a blank "broken" picture box thing?

Thanks

[Chaerophon]

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