Survey of Ocarina of Time 3D Reviews from Around the Web

While I and many of my companions here at Zelda Informer aren’t big fans of review aggregates such as Metacritic as a source of information for consumers looking for more details on upcoming games, we can’t deny that reviews do play a huge role in the sales reception of a title and that they are excellent sources for browsing the more high-profile reviews out there. Now that the embargo for website reviews has been lifted, I decided to take a look at some of the ones that have already surfaced.

Not surprisingly, I’m seeing a lot of perfect scores: nine have cropped up so far, and I’m sure more will follow. There are a number of middle A grades as well coming from places like Nintendo Power and IGN – again, pretty much what you’d expect for an enhanced remake of one of the most-acclaimed games of all time.

What really intrigues me, though, are some of the lower scores – particularly the 83 from 1up. I’m not interested in questioning the points made there – they’re perfectly valid – but I was curious what you all have to say. Reviewer Jeremy Parish is perfectly willing to look past the game’s pedigree and see all the flaws – the clunky camera controls, extremely limited combat system, and ancient puzzle design – noting that while the graphics and menu interface have been overhauled, this still isn’t a “modern” game.

But do you think this is a fair assessment? Honestly, while I find the combat mechanics from the later games like Wind Waker and Twilight Princess to have been more fun in terms of the wide variety of moves you could perform, the enemies in Ocarina of Time in my opinion are much better expressions of the game’s combat system. It’s for that reason that many people find Wind Waker and Twilight Princess to be much easier by comparison. Now, it’s no Skyward Sword, but it doesn’t try to be – it’s very much a classic 3D adventure.

At the same time, though, I still totally get it – just because it’s a remake doesn’t make the gameplay any better. If someone prefers the more fast-paced combat in the more recent titles, Ocarina of Time may seem unwieldy, and that’s a legitimate flaw. And I myself have complained about the lack of true “new content,” something that Parish echoes in his review. But, again – what do you think? I’d like to extend this question mostly to those of you who have played the new version, as your opinions are the most informed, but this is really an issue that concerns everyone. To what standard should we hold remakes like Ocarina of Time 3D?

And if you’ve already picked up your copy of Ocarina of Time 3D, check out our Ocarina of Time 3D walkthrough for a complete game guide that will lead you through all of the dungeons and sidequests. It also comes with a Heart Piece Guide and a Skulltula Token Guide so you can make sure you grab all the secrets and extras. Nate will also have his own review of the game ready for your reading pleasure sometime soon, so check back here for thoughts from a core Zelda fan!

Source: Metacritic, 1up