We all have moments in our gaming experiences that bring about fond memories. Whether it be unwrapping that NES on a bright, Christmas morning and loading up Super Mario Bros. for the first time, getting the bejeezus scared out of you while playing Alone in the Dark or jamming a Sega Genesis cartridge in your SNES (boy, was that eventful). For me, some of the fondest memories have occurred more recently within the last decade or so.
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I didn't play Ocarina of Time until much later after its release in 1998, and hadn't played a Zelda title since A Link to the Past. I had owned a Nintendo 64 and still do, but my collection didn't seem intent on growing very large. It wasn't until about a year later that I finally rented the game and gave it a spin. Well, I was so taken aback by it that I almost immediately returned it so I could go out and buy my own copy. Thus my reassociation with The Legend of Zelda began.
When Majora's Mask was announced in May of '99 for a "holiday 2000" release, I was ecstatic. Ocarina of Time seemed nothing short of perfectiong and with such an anticipatory release relatively close, the days drew longer and longer. What is one to do in such a situation? Play more Zelda! I was perfectly happy to play through most of the series again from the the first title and through Ocarina of Time long before Majora's Mask would hit stores. It was bliss, in a way, and really is something that can't be replicated.
Not long after initial release information, it was reported that Majora's Mask would be getting the gold cartridge, collector's treatment for pre-orders and -- if memory serves correctly -- limited shelf release. Having missed out on the Collector's Edition the first time around with Ocarina of Time, I knew I'd have to take advantage of pre-ordering from Best Buy. It was only a matter of withdrawing funds from the bank and marking the date on my calendar (which I think I still have lying around somewhere, actually). The day was drawing ever closer and my excitement grew.
I remember sitting in my middle school math cIass (joy of joys) yearning to be free of whatever it was the teacher was trying to cram into my skull. This was not the time for learning - least of all math. Yet I would have to sit in cIasses for four more hours... and endure a 30 minute bus ride. Oh, and let me tell you, the ride home was no fun either. I had the pleasure of some overgrown bully (he must've been held back at least a year or two) trying to steal something from me and the eccentricities of a... well, kooky bus driver (the eccentricities themselves weren't so bad, but sometimes she just got mean). And then we passed it: the Best Buy store where I had placed my pre-order. I asked the driver to allow my leave, but she almost immediately growled, "Get back in yer chair!" So, I sat yet again. I couldn't thank my grandfather enough when he eventually drove me to the store.
On basically the same day, the PlayStation 2 was released. I was definitely a Nintendo fanboy back in the day and hated what Sony was doing (heck, even Sega was getting on my nerves a bit). It was evident that with the arrival of the PS2, we were entering a new era for video games. The change in form of narrative or storytelling had come long before in the '70s with Adventure and over the years since, but the PS2 quite simply offered up a platform for better looking games on a console. The days of the PSX and N64 were pretty much over, with the 64's demise falling seemingly months before were it not for the release of Majora's Mask. I'm not a guy who's too big into change -- it comes pretty hard for me sometimes -- but over the years I've learned to embrace it more and more. And being a Nintendo fanboy back then, I guess the major problem I had with the PlayStation 2 was, lo and behold, the Sony fanboy. I could get into debate for at least a few minutes before things got really heated and to the point where fists might go flying, so it just had to stop. Oh, and working, hence money, definitely helps. Yay, Soninten... soft?
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No doubt about it, this was a glorious time for gaming. The next generation had officially arrived and while the world raged on at its frenetic pace I was was wandering the fields of Termina, experiencing one of the greatest adventures I'd ever behold. As was I secretly wishing that I... owned a PlayStation 2.