This collection boasts some of the best games, not just in the Zelda series but in the history of Video Gaming.
Ocarina of Time was an instant classic and is still as playable now as it was when it was released, the fact that the collector’s addition sports it alone means it couldn’t get a score below seven. Not only is it ported with clarity, decent controls and with good music the game. The Gamecube’s controller isn’t perfect but more than capable of giving the player instant control. Besides a short loading time when the game is first opened it then plays smoothly and with barely any hitches.
Less well handled is Majora’s Mask. Although it’s to the collection’s credit that it boasts both 3D Nintendo 64 games Majora’s Mask for some reason didn’t translate well to the Gamecube’s superior hardware. The sound is occasionally muted, fuzzy or out of synch and the frame rate occasionally lags. The game even supports a warning as it loads, informing players that this is due to the conversion from N64 coding to Gameube. Although, someone like me who knows nothing about programming finds it odd the superior system can’t cope it is a problem I’ve heard of before and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. Those problems aside, most of the time Majora’s Mask is just as playable as Ocarina, providing a slightly more in depth quirky experience with less of an adventure feel. The two games have remarkably different themes and despite using approximately the same engine have a massive variation in Gameplay, especially once you unlock all the masks in Majora. That niggling problem aside in Majora both ports are excellently handled and present the games to a new audience in full form, showing exactly how good both games on the old system were.
To show how new Zelda works there is a short demo of the Wind Waker, put up next to Ocarina of Time it’s easy to see the subtle changes and massively improved graphics face to face. Unfortunately the demo’s are short and not very interesting, any true Zelda fan should of already played the Wind Waker anyway.
More important is to port of the first two Zelda games, the original coloured nightmares that show exactly how old the franchise is. To some gamers these might perfect the collection, but I’ve been unable to play either of them because their just too old for me. Despite that, since there are no unlockables on this disc players won’t be forced to go through them and there are definitely people out there singing Nintendo’s praise for their inclusion on the disc.
Just to finish off the collection there is a short history of Zelda movie, informing you of the various games not included on the collection. Although, now Twilight Princess is almost ready for release, the list is out of date it helps but the entire series in perspective. Sadly the gaps in the collection are the ones most interesting, A Link to The Past being as much as a classic as Ocarina of Time and the various Game Boy games are all referenced but hardly revered.
That said, the collection is full enough with four almost perfect ports of some of Nintendo’s best games from its best series. Any true Zelda fan, or someone who missed out on Ocarina of Time should snap this up immediately, even if it’s just for the two 3D games or for the entire collection.
Some companies get lambasted for being lazy by the fans when they release ports of their old games on new consoles but for some reason Nintendo seems to have not just pulled it off; they’ve produced an almost perfect product. You have instant classic from the original Zelda, a weird experimental second game, the one-of the best games ever Ocarina and the creepy daunting Majora’s Mask, all extremely different but linked by a special premise.
Hunt this collection down, NOW!