The only Zelda I have ever finished is Phantom Hourglass for the DS. You could say I have finished Link's Crossbow Training, but I don't think anyone would count that as a proper Link adventure, and I don't remember if I actually 'beat' the last boss. Previously I had played Link To The Past on a friends SNES many years ago. I have downloaded the original NES Zelda and LTTP from Virtual Console. So I figure it is time to do something I've mentioned a while ago; a Zelda marathon and play all of the games... well, almost. I'll play every game that is available on Wii Virtual Console as well as Wind Waker which I own for Gamecube but have never played, and Twilight Princess. Of course, I've already hit a stumbling block.

Downloading the original Zelda probably a couple of years ago, I printed myself a map and played it for a while. I think I got to the fourth dungeon, maybe I completed it. But it really didn't keep me going. I think I was trying to like it, and it wasn't that it was particularly bad. Sure it was great for its time and perhaps even revolutionary, but it has aged. So knowing I was unlikely to last, for the purpose of the marathon I decided I would pick it up and gave it another shot last night. I lasted about 10 minutes. For one, I had no idea where I was going, and I was not interested in restarting the game. More importantly is that I just wasn't that interested in the gameplay. Being only able to move in 4 directions feels quite stiff. So while not strictly bad, I knew I already had a far superior game in my collection; Link To The Past.

So after my 10 minute foray, I loaded up Link To The Past. Given that it has been over a year since I tried to game (several hours of gameplay), I restarted my adventure. I've played it for a few hours now, and I've beaten my first boss, the set of knights. I ran out of time, but I think I might be at a stuck point, I can't remember where to go from here. The last thing I was told was to go to East of the lake, but I can't seem to make it. Where did I get those flippers last time I played so I could swim? I probably looked that up in a FAQ last time too. I'll try and refrain, but I did find myself checking a FAQ on several occassions on my last attempted play. The game is much better than its predecessor. 8 way movement makes a huge difference, even if you can still only attack in 4. The animation is smoother and the combat flows really well. While some areas are blocked until you have the right equipment It still has the open-endedness of the original, but has a map that highlights points of interest so it's harder to get lost. Even if I have to turn to a FAQ every now and again, I'm pretty certain I'll see this playthrough... errr... through.

Within my first hour of playing Link To The Past I realised I'd missed one and hadn't played Legend of Zelda 2. What do you reckon, skip or play for the sake of completeness? If memory serves, after Link To The Past that will leave me with Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. It will probably take me a while to complete this marathon; I will most likely play some other games in between to break them up.