No Game Will Ever Top the Legendariness of Ocarina of Time Will It?

[Punktion2]

I was first introduced to Legend of zelda when i saw my brother playing some game on an emulator. It was ocarina of time. I thought it looked like a pretty cool game and decided to buy it for the N64 (which we happened to have in 2009) at some shop where they sell old games. When i started, i had never heard of zelda and how popular it was. It took me 3 years to finish the game (When there was a hard puzzle, i stopped playing and thought about it for a while). No walkthroughs. only advice from brother and friends. Damn, when i finished the game i was sad. I felt like going into the game and living the rest of my life in it. That game was so amazing. It had completely changed the way i thought of what the ideal game could be like. But later in 2012 (Im 16), i found out that there were many different zelda games. I must have spent about 300 dollars on zelda games. i played a good deal of other zelda titles but none have ever surpassed the utter brilliance of ocarina of time. Now i truly understand that graphics dont make a good game. I feel that the only improvements to the more recent zelda games have been better graphics and fancy control styles and such.


Does anyone else feel the same?

 

[Random Person]

Most people feel this way about their first Zelda game. My first one was MM and let me tell you I was in awe at the shear creativity of that game. I honestly didn't feel OoT was even close to being as good when I first played it. (Before I really started analyzing games). I believe OoT has legacy because it brought us into a new realm of Zelda with not just a good start, but an astounding start. OoT was not only good, but considered to this day by many to be one of the best games in existence. If a game like that is wowed now, imagine the first people who played it when there was nothing like it at the time. The funny thing is, OoT was actually supposed to be much better but had a lot of its components cut out because it was limited. Until we can get a game that will both take us to a new realm (like virtual reality) and be a huge stepping stone in just gaming in general, I fear we won't have another Zelda title to call "legendary."

 

[DeletedUser9]

Not at all. I don't even think Ocarina of Time is the best game of the series; I believe Majora's Mask and A Link to the Past are better games overall.

Ocarina of Time earns its (deserved) legendary status as the best game of all time by being a pioneer, and by having such a wide appeal. Many Zelda titles could, arguably, be considered better games, but all of them are far more specific in what appeal they have. More specific artstyles, atmospheres, and gameplay focuses (like Twilight Princess or Skyward Sword's combat focus, Majora's Mask's sidequest focus, or The Wind Waker's travel focus) which, no matter how well done they are, prevent them from being found good by as many people. Ocarina of Time might or might not be as well-made as some other games, but it does manage to be well-made in many areas, and providing a great balance and diversity of different settings, atmospheres, styles, and gameplay types. It's a wide-reaching experience with a lot of appeal.

Combine that with the fact that it built off A Link to the Past's ideas and pioneered the adventure genre further by taking Zelda into 3D and establishing the modern 3D Zelda game engine (not to mention introducing the lock-on function for the first time in any video game), and Ocarina of Time is difficult to dethrone.

It would be naive to say it's not possible, though. What it would take is a new Zelda game that manages to innovate on both the series itself and probably modern gaming, while having a wide appeal. Something truly memorable. The best games are always the ones that stand the test of time or actually define the future itself. Would making a game like this be hard? Yeah, definitely. But not impossible. I think it's an eventuality. It'll happen someday.

 

[Linknerd09]

That thought we can't be sure about. That thought it was meant when you accomplish the Zelda game that favors you the most. That thought was in my mind when I finished Twilight Princess. Twilight Princess is the most authentic, reality, genuine, and most adventurous game ever existed. I really thought that game really top every Zelda game ever existed, but that can't be cleared on everyone's opinion.

 

[Cfrock]

Here are the Zelda games which I personally believe 'top' (i.e., are better than) Ocarina of Time:

• A Link To The Past
• Majora's Mask
• Oracle of Ages/Seasons
• The Wind Waker
• The Minish Cap
• Twilight Princess
• Skyward Sword

On a personal level, I think that while Ocarina of Time is still one of the best games I have ever played, almost every Zelda game since has been better than it.

However, it's not hard to understand why Ocarina stands out as 'the greatest game of all time'. It practically wrote the book on how to do a third-person perspective in 3D. First-person games (extremely common today) were nowhere near as numerous in the mid-90s and so Ocarina's balance as well as excellent camera control and, most significantly, lock-on targeting provided arguably the best gameplay experience of its time.

As for retaining that crown, I think it has a lot to do with nostalgia. Ocarina was the first Zelda for a great many people, probably more so than any other (but I'd have to research that before I present it as fact) and so a huge number of people will always have fonder memories of it and consider it better because of those memories. Notice how most of the time a comic, video, song or image based on Zelda will directly reference Ocarina of Time? That's because it's the one most ingrained into our collective memory. Nostalgia has turned Ocarina into people's 'go-to' game when referencing the franchise.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Having something a lot of us can easily relate to is unifying. But for me personally, the improved story and gameplay of all those games listed above trump any nostalgia at seeing Hyrule in 3D for the first time.

It's conceivable though that one day we will have a Zelda take Ocarina's mantle, but that game would have to define how gameplay in a whole new format worked, virtual reality perhaps. Once Zelda does to something else what it did for 3D, then Ocarina may be replaced as 'the greatest game of all time'.

 

[Punktion2]

I have never played Majora's mask and probably never will. I never liked time limit games (even if you could rewind time). Oot gives a powerful sense of adventure that i feel majoras mask lacks. Also, Link to the past is also pretty epic in my opinion. I feel that the adventure/journey atmosphere is more important than more realistic characters when it comes to a zelda game.

 

[Sinharvest]

Oot is definitely one of the top games of the series and a masterpiece. That game is polished to near flawlessness. Its personally in my top 5 Zelda games, but not #1 for me. Just let me tell you a little story from and old fogy like me:

When I was younger I grew up with the Zelda franchise. I had played the first 3 games up to ALttp. I was a big SNES fanboy, still to this day the SNES is probably my favorite game system. I went from SNES > PS1(probably my second favorite system). I am sure your asking yourself, "Papa Sinharvest, why did you skip N64". At that point in time I chose to buy the PS1 over N64 because I hated the direction Nintendo was going in with their main franchises. I could not stand the 3d games, I never even gave them a chance. In my mind the 2d art style was prettier, the 3D to me looked ugly and blocky. I figure they could of made even better prettier sprites with a new system. also I felt that if it ain't broke don't fix it. Why did they have to change Mario and Zelda to 3d, the game engines were totally different! What is this targeting combat system, why can't I just run around and smack dudes. I don't need no dang horse, I got speed boots! I shunned the N64 for many years, not even giving those games a try. I admit, I was ignorant, stupid, and hard headed. I did finally play OoT after everyone was talking bout how great it was. So yes I am partial to the 2D games, but I gave it a chance. After playing Oot, I felt it truly was an example of a perfect game, it was insanely fun simply amazing.

 

[Seth]

I have never played Majora's mask and probably never will. I never liked time limit games (even if you could rewind time). Oot gives a powerful sense of adventure that i feel majoras mask lacks. Also, Link to the past is also pretty epic in my opinion. I feel that the adventure/journey atmosphere is more important than more realistic characters when it comes to a zelda game.

By refusing to play MM, you are only doing yourself a huge disservice. MM had the unenvious task of following up one of the most praised and lauded titles of all time, and exceeded any expectations. The time system may seem jarring at first, but keep playing, the game at least deserves a try before you judge it.

 

[TheBlueReptile]

There are lots of games out there I view as far better than OoT. But to stick to Zelda games both WW and SS are far better games in my eyes. However there are very few Zelda games I don't prefer to it. LA is perhaps the only one that springs to mind.

Good game, not great to me. It was my first Zelda game and if I hadn't of got WW bundled free with my first gamecube I would never have touched the series again.

 

[Ventus]

Ocarina of Time isn't surpassed on a personal level because, like Axle the Beast stated, the game is a pioneer. It didn't reinvent just Zelda, it also ushered in a slew of new concepts for video gaming as a whole. The targeting system, the (somewhat decent at the time) cutscenes, I believe the game also brought context-sensitive actions to the fray [but I could be wrong]...the game really is a Legend.

The game along with its sister Super Mario 64 cemented the world in the realm of 3D video gaming, and many games of today (including Resident Evil 4 and the Gears of War series) took a few grand ideas from OoT and SM64. If OoT wasn't so important to gaming, people probably wouldn't think highly of it. There are Zelda games and just plain video games that are technically bigger and better (well, actually bigger...better? up to a player), it's just that these newer games aren't innovative and people come to think "oh, I've been there and done that ages ago with that game Ocarina of Time, this isn't anything really groundbreaking or spectacular".

I suppose the next game to even come close to OoT would be the game that puts us into the fourth dimension, because games of late just seem to be building upon previous games rather than being complete innovative "wild cards" that companies throw out in an attempt to make something new. OoT is a legend; it's heralded as the best Zelda game ever, the highest rated video game ever (consistent 10 out of 10s across the board, a 99/100 on Metacritic to this day), and simply a gift unto gaming. But beyond its status as a legend, it's a pioneer.

 

[JuicieJ]

In terms of which games are truly better in the Zelda series, it's tough to say if Ocarina of Time takes the cake. I personally believe it to be at a tie with A Link to the Past, Majora's Mask, and Skyward Sword. However, no game has ever come close to being as much of a breakthrough in gaming as Ocarina of Time. Skyward Sword's may have set the groundwork for the future of motion gaming with its (currently) untouchable use of the Wii MotionPlus, but OoT set the groundwork for gaming as we know it today, even more than ALttP did. It also has a much wider appeal to the gaming community, as Axle pointed out. OoT is one of the most balanced games I've ever played. It excels at nearly everything it does -- which is a ridiculous amount of variety in ideas -- and that's just virtually unheard of. Ocarina is worthy of its title of the greatest game of all time as a result, and it's a title that's extremely difficult to beat.

However...

It would be naive to say it's not possible, though. What it would take is a new Zelda game that manages to innovate on both the series itself and probably modern gaming, while having a wide appeal. Something truly memorable. The best games are always the ones that stand the test of time or actually define the future itself. Would making a game like this be hard? Yeah, definitely. But not impossible. I think it's an eventuality. It'll happen someday.

Pretty much my thoughts exactly. I'm sure it'll happen in the future, but when it will happen is a complete mystery. It could be Zelda 3DS. It could be Zelda Wii U. It could also be neither of these and wind up being decades from now. I don't know when it'll happen, but I'm certain it will.

 

[MsNerrrrd]

It depends. In my opinion OoT wasn't even the best Zelda game ever. Sure, it was good, REALLY good infact, but it's popularity is most likely, that it attracted the most of the players during the time of it's release. Different games draw different people. I, for an example, enjoyed MM far more than OoT. It's really just about what people are into, and OoT managed to gain most of the people, so by being a good game in general, was what made it popular.

 

[r2d93]

I'm not sure it will happen, but i think it definitely could happen.

OoT was revolutionary in gaming and is also the highest rated videogame of all time. As long as a Zelda title comes out that pleases many, gets extremely high ratings, is popular, and has something in it to change gaming forever, it could happen. Then again, me simply saying what needs to be in it doesn't recognize how insanely hard it would be to produce a game of that calibur in this day and age.
Also, OoT recieves a lot of praise because it was a lot of Zelda fans' first game. A zelda fan will always hold a special place in their heart for their first Zelda game <3
If you were lucky enough to have a game as amazing and revolutionary as OoT to be your first Zelda game, it's no wonder why that person would think it's the best

 

[The Wanderer]

There's a lot I could say about Ocarina of Time's legendary status, but I think most of the people here have said enough of it.

Skyward Sword is currently my favorite Zelda game for a number of reasons - amazing soundtrack, touching story, innovative (if occasionally overdone) motion controls, refined control through an athletic Link. However, I have to admit that even through the tests of time, Ocarina of Time remains the best Zelda game I've played. In other words, it made the best use of Zelda's components to churn out fewer flaws than most other games in the series, if not all. Skyward Sword had a lot of absolutely shining moments, but also a sizable number of dull ones or missed potential.

Yes, Ocarina of Time was a pioneer in more ways than one, but its general design (in my eyes at least) is better than most other games in the series. Puzzles were cleverly difficult but not stupidly so, combat was simpler and yet more challenging than most other 3D games in the series have made it, the overworld was filled with interesting characters and a fair (not overwhelming) number of sidequests...and that story. Skyward Sword had the best cinematic direction, but Ocarina of Time's story was probably the most original in the series and capitalized on it in a touching way. You're not just saving the princess again - actually, for most of the game, Zelda's in safe hands somewhere in the world. Your real motivation is to save a ruined future you never should have gone to, a future you helped create by opening the Door of Time. It's pretty unique and it's very personal.

I haven't beaten the first three Zelda games (yet), so I can't comment on if games like A Link to the Past are better-made as a whole. Ocarina of Time was my first Zelda game, but in retrospect, it still gives me fewer issues and wanting more than any other game in the series. Can it be beaten? Yes, I believe so. Despite what many professional reviews claim, The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and Skyward Sword have not universally been accepted as surpassing the pioneering and ingenuity of Ocarina of Time - if they had, we would not still be comparing the latest Zelda game to Ocarina of Time. We'd be comparing it to one of them. But I believe there's hope for the future, and most Zelda games released since have still been legendary in their own rights.

 

[Spirit]

For Me OoT was topped by WW by a pretty big margin, but Zelda is like James bond and Doctor Who, everyone has their favourites. Its pretty cool you played OoT in 2009 and loved it so much considering how far games have come since then. Maybe OoT will remain your favourite maybe not, play the other and find out.

The 'legendariness' is subjective to the person playing it but really, for me, OoT is still awesome when compared to the others and still stands tall as an event rather than just a game.