Why do you think (or don't) that Ocarina of Time is one of the best games ever?

Hi there,

First off, I would like to say that yes, I'm a brand new member. I've never felt the need to make accounts on gaming forums, but I created one here because it has a large userbase and can likely answer my question.

I'm writing a paper on my own time on the subject of Ocarina of Time, and I would like to hear directly from the fans of the game why they think it's is one of the best ever.

If you don't think it's one of the best, you can still help out by telling me what aspects of the game you think are overrated, or what aspects still stand up to games today.

Thanks!

Haven't played it for many years, but I'm a fan. Part of it is obviously that when OOT came there just had never been an adventure like it. It was magic :)! Compared to modern open world games OOT is structured very differently. Modern games are typically simulations (GTA for example). The space in OOT, on the other hand, is as big as Nintendo needed for the game they wanted to make. The NPCs and buildings are representations of a "real" world and it's up to the player's imagination to make it work. Every area is unique with handcrafted puzzles. There's very little bloat. Compare to something like Assassin's Creed where the world has been created firs and then they filled with "stuff to do". It's the opposite order.

Gameplay wise OOT holds up reasonably well. If you disect Dark Souls' combat it's clearly an offspring of what Nintendo did back in 98. The camera, the lock-on, the heavy attack, the shield, the two handed sword, the way the bow works, it's all there.. The horse in Red Dead Redemption works the same as the horse in OOT.

OOT also has a lot of Nintendo charm. Music is great. Werid characters like the marathon runner, the gravekeeper Dampé the various sages and so on. It really is a classic :)!

It was absolute magic in 6th grade. Toughing your way through the water temple, finding all the skulltulas with a brady games guide. Brilliant game, always will be IMHO.

First of all, let me say welcome to Gamespot, I hope you enjoy you're stay :P Now that we got the introductions out of the way, let me discuss why The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on N64 is the best of the best.

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of time release November 23, 1998. I was only 13 years old at the time. Ocarina of Time, The legendary Shigeru Miyamoto brought Hyrule to life during the golden age of N64 era, it was totally new to see Legend of Zelda in a 3D world with rich life, no more of the top view and a day/night cycle that was revolutionary to the Zelda series. Is it the best of the best series? I think it is for the matter of speaking, like I said, OoT took it to the very next level as to what the N64 can do but Majora's Mask push the N64 hardware to the limits at that though. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past was my first ever Zelda game but OoT will always be my favorite cause it was the first Zelda to set in an open world and love it to this day and I also own the 3DS version.

Link to the Past will always be the best one to me.

Orcarina of Time was amazing, don't get me wrong, but I could never get used to the 3D transition, and the combat and camera controls always felt awkward. In Link to the Past, you didn't have to mess around or worry with any of that. It was just you and Link as you looked down from above. The combat was simple and pure, and the graphics and everything else still holds up 25 years later, unlike Orcarina, which is starting to become a little painful to look at, as it reminds us of the early days of 3D rendering.

No doubt an astounding game. A few elements like the steath section at the castle, the hedge maze and the climax tower escape sequence feel weak.

For me personally I'd put a game like Doom or Quake over it with a few other titles the games are too incomparable to declare what is "best".

In 1998, the presentation, gameplay, music, bosses, level design, variety, scope, graphics, pacing, and storytelling were unparalleled and revolutionary

Played it the other day and the graphics and gameplay are really outdated. 2/10.

Newer Zeldas all have better controls, more intuitive user interfaces, and much more polished presentation than OoT. That said, the game was so top notch at the time it was released, I don't think it will ever become so dated that it's unplayable. There are certain aspects that time does not diminish, namely dungeon layout and puzzle design. Always satisfying come through a door and realize you are standing on that ledge you could see but not access in the first area of the structure, and that you've now unlocked a shortcut should you want to run to town for supplies before continuing. They were all just geniusly put together.

I played OOT for the first time a couple of years ago on the 3DS. Never got to finish it. For one it seems boring to me. That is something I could weather through till I start getting the magic everyone is talking about. I don't doubt there is something great there, after all so many people sing its praises. Maybe it's nostalgia but maybe if I stuck with the game I would feel it too.

However that brings me to my second complain, controls and mostly camera. This isn't a problem with OOT in particular. Almost every third person action game that doesn't work with twin sticks has awful camera and OOT is not an exception. Frankly I'm really dissapointed that Nintendo didn't add the option to use their second stick accessory for the 3DS (or the build in second stick in the new 3DS) to control the camera.

I found myself struggling more with the controls than with the dangers in game.

I don't think it's even one of the best Zelda games. It's an important game, but it isn't very fun to me. It has choppy controls, an empty world, the worst map and mission continuity in the series, it downplays exploration, and the whole game feels a bit dead because of these things.

to me it is the vision of Zelda as the creator said at first he wanted a game more focused on combat just like Zelda II but since this one didn't have any puzzle it was discarded for the other style.

So in a way it is A Link to the Past but in 3D and it was impressive at the time, just like Mario 64 was a revelation. Many games have improved the gameplay in 3D environnement quite a lot and so it makes OOT quite dated now unlike Mario 64 that can be still enjoyable event though the camera is a pain in both games.

This is the fate of 3D games. At first they are impressive with the graphics and control etc but soon there will be a game with better control, better visual. In that regard NES and SNES games feel just as good as they were in the past. So with that in mind A Link to the Past is still better to me.

No jump button kills all zelda games for me. I hate auto-jumping.

I honestly never understood the hype for this game. I got it back in 1998 and I thought it was a 7/10 game at best. I thought it was okay/good but nothing more.

Then years later when the internet exploded I learned nintendo fanboys were obsessed with this game and I didn't understand why. It is overrated.

I recently played it a year or 2 ago and I still felt it was not higher than a 7/10. I can see how people would like it and think it is a "good" game, but I don't understand why people praise it as the second coming of christ giving it perfect 10/10 scores.

I feel the same way with all the zelda games. I am just not into the series despite giving them all a fair chance with an open mind.

Couldn't agree more. The game was addicting as hell too.