Poll of the Day > Join me as I 100% a few Zelda games. Most likely will contain spoilers.

(+) Yeah! (+)

Legend of Zelda (can't find original game cart, using the eshop version)

Link to the Past (same as above)

Oracle of Ages/Seasons (I finally have both and can combine the playthrough for the secret boss. Which should I start with?)

Four Swords Adventure

Skyward Sword (beat it once and unlocked Hard Mode, will play that)

Minish Cap

A Link Between Worlds

Phantom Hourglass (only Zelda I started and never finished. Gotta change that)



I've played and 100%ed Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask so many times, I'd rather not do it again. Same with Wind Waker. The figurine hunting is too much. I even have the Tingle Statues. Twilight Princess was 100%ed twice. I'm happy just having beaten Zelda II. Great game, but not playing it again. Loved Link's Awakening so much, might actually replay it! Don't own Spirit Tracks unfortunately....

I think that's it! Let's do this!
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Much as I love Link's Awakening, it's gotten to the point where it can be 100%'d in an afternoon, and that's just boring.

Start with Ages.
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I can't even begin to tell you guys how amazing I find the first Legend of Zelda. The sense of open-ness and freedom always gets me. I always tend to make myself as OP as possible before even the first dungeon. Three heart containers, all the money caves, the blue candle, the blue ring, the second strongest sword, the magical shield, bomb and burn the whole world just because, then complete the dungeons in order.
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I love Zelda, but I can't be bothered with 100%ing any of them anymore. I think I've 100%ed LoZ, AoL, ALttP, OoT, MM and TP, or gotten close on them, so that's good enough for me. Most of them were conscious efforts to 100% but admittedly LoZ and AoL have so little to do that you practically 100% them just by beating them.

I have never gotten 100% in a Zelda game. They've never really had that great of post game content though.

I've been playing ALBW. Gonna try to 100% that.
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http://retroachievements.org/Game/1454

It only counts if you get all the achievements, too. B]
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But those are just achievements somebody made up, why do they matter? Then again, real achievements are pretty much the same thing, but made up by the developer instead... that's why achievements are stupid.

I can only save by dying and getting a game over, which is kind of lame.

I find the raft and step ladder to be kind of redundant. It would have been cool to just have a raft you can control in any body of water and move in any direction.

Up to dungeon 6, which is where the game starts getting decently hard. I now have the strongest sword and lots of hearts, though. Still the wizrobes can mess me up and a like-like ate my shield, so I had to buy a new one.
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No botw?

Gamechamp3k posted...

http://retroachievements.org/Game/1454

It only counts if you get all the achievements, too. B]

It if means 'get absolutely everything and unlock all things' then I'll do it haha
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There's a trick where you can press some button combination on controller 2 to get the save menu, but IIRC it effectively works the same as dying anyway (i.e. adds to your death counter, starts you at three hearts)

Wait... but you said you're using the eShop Version, so why does it matter? You can just save any time

I don't think I'd be able to save scum to keep my death counter at zero, though. Which is the only reason I'd use it, really.
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green dragon posted...

No botw?

Maybe it'll end up there. I have to go out and buy it though.
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I actually did this recently. I haven't done Triforce Heroes and BotW since I don't own them yet, but I'll get there. I also am not totally done with Hyrule Warriors since it takes so freakin long to get 100% in that game, though I AM pretty far into it.

It was a ton of fun to do all of them, but the Oracles games were a real slog. They're great games, but getting 100% in them is incredibly annoying and actually made the experience worse, which is not something I say often. Oh, also, big cucco in LBW and finishing all Roll Goal on the Wii version of TP. Those were also bad experiences. Everything else was great though.
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supergamer19 posted...

I don't think I'd be able to save scum to keep my death counter at zero, though. Which is the only reason I'd use it, really.

How so? That's pretty much the definition of save scumming.

supergamer19 posted...

green dragon posted...

No botw?

Maybe it'll end up there. I have to go out and buy it though.

Play it for sure, but don't bother with 100%. There's just way too much stuff to do.

I remember using Game Genie to become immortal in LoZ....then realizing I could never save b/c I could never die, and since there's no way I'd be able to one-shot the game in a single sitting... (-_-)
Pretty amusing "balance" method.

Ugh just skip SS. Bad game
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I brought my 3DS to work. Let's see if I can smoke Dungeon 6 during lunch break.
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Damn you blue wizrobes! ****!
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Whoooweeee! That dungeon is intense. Beat that, and obtained the magic wand, which is pretty useless at this point since it doesn't hurt either wizzrobes or darknuts. Blew through dungeon 7 cuz Aquamentus sucks balls, and died at the final boss of Dungeon 8. The blue darknuts are freaking intense to fight when there's a roomful of them and hazards in the room messing you up. Really wish I had that red ring. Farmed rupees for potions and will hopefully beat the game tomorrow.
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I don't really mind Darknuts that much. It's the Wizzrobes that drive me crazy. The magic wand is cool as fuck, don't diss it

Bait doesn't work on them, does it? I never ever use it, cuz it seems to not do anything to help.
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There's no pattern to Darknuts, they can turn at any time and in any direction, messing you up bad.
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supergamer19 posted...

Bait doesn't work on them, does it? I never ever use it, cuz it seems to not do anything to help.

Grumble Grumble

DorkLink posted...

Grumble Grumble

Well yea, but I'm pretty sure you can throw it in a corner of the room and the monsters are supposed to gravitate to it.

The final dungeon keeps kicking my butt because I want to explore and clear every room. I just need to make it to the red ring!
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I did it! I fought my way to the red ring, figured out some tactics to handle the blue wizrobes, and destroyed Gannon!

Except... I forgot the second quest saves over the original file. Ah well.

Round two, here we go!
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supergamer19 posted...

Round two, here we go!

*steeples fingers*

Let's see how you do when the game takes the gloves off.
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I did it. Let's gooooooo:

https://imgur.com/a/Gpi5M

17 deaths between two playthroughs.

I guess we can make it a review type deal, as well. Well, first off, I love this game. Just thinking that this came out in '87 blows my mind. At the same thing, this game gets incredibly aggravating. Despite being a NES game, it's grand, and there is truly a sense of being in a non-linear, open world adventure. It's amazing. At times, it feels like Legend of Dark Souls, "just go and try not to die". The only thing the world is missing is perhaps a village with people suffering under 'Gannon', to give the player motivation. However, I quite like the sense of isolation.

Then, it becomes apparent. Especially in the Second Quest. This a 'guide game'. Vague, horribly translated clues, secret bomb-able walls, one-way invisible doors all culminate to make a game I don't expect anyone to play without a guide or map by their side. Also, towards the later dungeons, the enemies become very difficult. For example, one room will have strong wizards who shoot spells at you from a distance, behind a wall, while stone statues in the room shoot you with orbs. Or powerful knights chase you relentlessly while orbs try to touch you to permanently steal your sword. The only way to get it back is to touch a single blue orb that randomly travels around the room. Also not enough money is given out, and A LOT of time might be spent grinding for it. This is not a game for people looking for a easy, relaxing experience.

All in all 8/10 for me personally, but without bias/an awareness of the flaws and thinking of the 'average gamer "7/10 I don't expect you to 100%"
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Sorry for any mistakes, typing on my phone.

A Link to the Past is next!
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The second quest is bullshit

Link to the Past started before heading to the gym.

-I never noticed how the king is a skeleton sitting on his throne

-Uncle, I will avenge you!

-busted Zelda out of prison, visited Kakariko village, and saw the village elder in those cliffs to the east. That's enough for today.

It's hard to put the controller down. Also, the fighting is taking some getting used to after only being able to stab forward in the first game.
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Ah, you're already onto the best Zelda game! I just wish I could forget all I know about it and be able to play it again having to figure everything out. I've beaten it over a dozen times, and know where everything is and exactly what to do, and it's just not the same. -_-
One nice thing is there's such a crazy amount of item/weapon variety that you can just fuck around with different options and see if they'll work. Last play through I tried to dash attack as much as possible just for fun ("jousting" -- dash through someone, stop, dash back through them the other way, etc...), and I always mean to use the magic weapons more than I end up doing so...

Re: 2nd Quest -- I never even beat it, not because it was too hard, but I couldn't find half the damn dungeons. I agree, guide's basically required unless you have ungodly amounts of free time to waste aimlessly lost.

streamofthesky posted...

I agree, guide's basically required unless you have ungodly amounts of free time to waste aimlessly lost.

And this is why the very first issue of Nintendo Power Magazine exists. Full-color maps!
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All three stones acquired. Master Sword obtained. Let's go kick Agahnim's butt!

Man that was a good, fun game. I really enjoyed- OH MY GAWD, THERE'S A WHOLE 'NOTHER WORLD?!?

That was my reaction as a kid. I was so dumb. I feel the game really opens up here and gives you more freedom similar to the first game. Let's see if I remember correctly.
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Ah man, should I download Link's Awakening from the eshop? It's like 6 bucks.
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You said you love it, so why not? It's not like you have to play it now or 100% it

supergamer19 posted...

All three stones acquired. Master Sword obtained. Let's go kick Agahnim's butt!

Man that was a good, fun game. I really enjoyed- OH MY GAWD, THERE'S A WHOLE 'NOTHER WORLD?!?

That was my reaction as a kid. I was so dumb. I feel the game really opens up here and gives you more freedom similar to the first game. Let's see if I remember correctly.

I always go back to the Sanctuary just to see off the priest.

You doing the dark world dungeons in order? I only ever did that the first time I played, now I immediately go to the 4th dungeon after the 1st. Fighting mummies w/ wall masters lurking is so much easier w/ the tempered sword...

Nobody in their right mind would 100% BotW.
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Zareth posted...

Nobody in their right mind would 100% BotW.

A lot of people on the BotW boards claimed to have gotten all the shrines, all 900 seeds, and filled the compendium. I'm always tired from work, so I only get to play on weekends and I'm still really far from 100%, but I wanna get there eventually. It's a long road, good luck when you get there TC!

He never said he was gonna 100% BotW

SilentSeph posted...

Zareth posted...

Nobody in their right mind would 100% BotW.

A lot of people on the BotW boards claimed to have gotten all the shrines, all 900 seeds, and filled the compendium. I'm always tired from work, so I only get to play on weekends and I'm still really far from 100%, but I wanna get there eventually. It's a long road, good luck when you get there TC!

The most I could see my self doing in botw , besides the main storyline, is doing all the shrines. Fun game, but damn, I've never even got all the stars in Sm64 and that's one of my favorite games ever. Couldn't imagine doing every single little thing in botw.

The first reported case of getting all 900 seeds was 11 days into release, which seems insane to me. I've been playing it pretty frequently for a month and I only have like 150. I don't even think I could get to 900 from where I'm at now in 11 days with a guide.

For those of you very familiar with A Link to the Past, how do you feel about the spacing of enemies and hit detection of your weapons?

I haven't played the game in over half a decade and don't remember being this bad or (occasionally) frustrated with the combat.
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I've really only played the gba version, and I don't recall any problems there

I don't remember many problems except enemies with shields being a nuisance, but spamming the attack button usually results in getting a few hits in haha

I remember finding it to be a blessing that Link swings his sword in ALttP rather than thrusting it like in the original.

I thought the hit detection is fine, and enjoy the fighting. You want to approach most enemies from slightly to the side, not straight-on, due to the arc of the swing. Against knights it means not getting the sword blocked, against most enemies it can mean hitting them w/o their attacks hitting you. Use those angled approaches to your advantage. The movement is also on point, I can often "dance" / shuffle dodge projectiles.

You might just be rusty, I played it for the first time in ~4 years recently and I certainly didn't have the moves I used to. I blame it on the PS-style controller I was using that has detached directional buttons instead of a true D-pad :p

A Link to the Past has been conquered!

https://imgur.com/a/r6Yjc

All items, upgrades, secrets, and Easter eggs obtained. All secret caves as well, I think. Even saw the Chris Houlihan room. Weird stuff.

There's a few trees one can 'pull' in the Light World that give you a few rupees when you pull on them. I didn't pull on all of them because all they give you is money, and that doesn't count towards anything. Plus, as soon as you enter the Dark World, it stops allowing you to get money from pulling on those trees. Lame.

Review

Fighting got much better for me as I went on, but there is still something off about it. Depending on the placement of both the player and the enemy, sometimes the sword will clearly pass over the enemy sprite, but it won't count as a hit or a clash. It's as if the sword hit nothing and then I get damaged. Playing with the gamecube controller was great because Link can now move in 8 directions. Moving diagonally with a analog stick is AMAZING. However, I feel there was a missed opportunity by the original developers to let you swing your sword and items diagonally as well. That would have made battles much smoother and fluid. Perhaps it wasn't possible on the hardware. As is, items like the hammer are hard to land a hit with, and even landing a clean hit with the bow and rods from a distance can be tricky. When the issues compound themselves in one fight, it can get very aggravating because the enemys hit hard before you're able to bolster your defenses.

The story is standard but nice. The gameplay is fantastic. The sense of adventure is palpable. The progression is addictive. Boss fights are a joy to figure out. The dungeons are simple (easy, really) but incredibly fun. Except for Ganon's tower. That one was a doozy. Turtle Rock was my favorite.

This game really set the standard for the rest of the series. When someone wants to see where the Legend of Zelda started, this is the game that I'll point them to.

9 out of 10, recommend you play if you're a new fan of the series and want to see how it started.
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I've decided to download Link's Awakening DX and start that one. I'm going for the no death run to get the 'secret ending'. Wish me luck.
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Link's Awakening booted up and ready to go. Let's do this!
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