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

(+) Yeah! (+)

The Gameboy Zelda games are awesome. Link's Awakening, the Oracles, Minish Cap. Love 'em.
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I recently played a lot of the 2D Zelda games for the first time and I still think ALttP is the best, though I first played ALttP years ago. The rest, while they might have aspects that are better than ALttP, all just feel too derivative of it overall. It's one of those formula-perfecting games, so the others have a good foundation on which to make small improvements, but they never really take big risks with the formula. Even the riskiest ones, the DS games, still felt a little derivative to me, and regardless, they're still weak entries for other reasons.


The 3D games have more room to work with mixing things up in the formula, which is one of the many reasons I vastly prefer them to the 2D games.

Halfway through the game. Still just as great as I remember it. This game just makes me grin.
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NOOOOOOOOO!!!!

I completely forgot about the photo album and have passed on some missable photos.

Time to start all over lol completionist problems.
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I hate that feeling man. It seems like it'll happen every once in a while regardless of how careful you are and how much preparation you put into it. The worst is when it happens in a super long RPG.

Also, in LADX, I could never decide if getting the photo for stealing is required or not since you lose your file name. I actually just copied my file at the end and have two files, one with stealing and one without.
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This is why 100%ing games is stupid. There's rarely even a tangible reward within the game, and in the end it's doubtful anybody is going to care (or remember) but you. It's not like you're making a 100% walkthrough video out of your playthrough, in which case I could see why you'd want to do it correctly.

But which Zelda is the hottest?

It's Mipha.

avatarmight posted...

I could never decide if getting the photo for stealing is required or not since you lose your file name

Yea, it's kind of a douchey move to make one of the photos be you stealing, and then having your file name and everybody saying your name changed to THIEF.

Douchey but hilarious.
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Already caught up to dungeon 4, which is pretty much where I left off last time. Except,I now have everything I could possibly get up until this point. All missables accounted for!
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How are you ensuring you don't miss stuff? I suggest perhaps you copy a save file and keep it a dungeon or so back, updating it every time you run through and check you didn't miss anything

A 100% item checklist that's ordered with when you can get things.
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supergamer19 posted...

Douchey but hilarious.

... a good summary of Nintendo as a company in the late '80s and early '90s ...
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Sorry for the delay guys. Let's go beat this game today!
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https://imgur.com/a/4cc8D

I didn't die so I got the 'secret' ending where it's hinted that Marin got her wish and became a seagull.

All hearts, chests opened, seashells collected, all items upgraded, all photos taken. The works.

Review time:

This game is great. Amazing even. My favorite so far of the 3 I've played. That's right, in my opinion, this game is better than A Link to the Past. Music is nice. Probably the weakest thing about it, but still nice. Animations are solid, combat is super tight (much better to me than ALTTP), npcs are charming as heck, and although it doesn't reach its full potential, one of the best stories in the series. Link gets shipwrecked on an island. He finds out that the only way to get off the island is to wake up a being known as the WindFish who sleeps atop a mountain. No one is able to leave the island without waking him. As Link travels around the island collecting instruments to wake the WindFish, he comes to realize that the entire island and it's inhabitants are but a dream of the WindFish. Waking it up will destroy all the lovely people Link has met along the way. Even the dungeon bosses just want to live. It's pretty touching stuff. It almost feels like the team behind ALttP were allowed to make another Zelda and we're given free reign. As if they didn't have to play it so safe and we're allowed to take some chances.

There are two pretty bad things, however. One is due to the limitations of the Gameboy. It only has two buttons and there are a lot of items constantly being used. So you are CONSTANTLY looking at the pause menu changing items. Items that worked automatically in previous games like the shield and power bracelet are treated as items you have to equip to use. Luckily you can unequip your sword and replace it with another item, but still, get ready to see that item screen a lot. The shield being a item relegated to a button didn't bother me so much because it's really powerful, but the bracelet was unnecessary. The second thing that irked me to no end is that if you touch something on the game world that requires a item to bypass it (mostly stones) you get the same message about something being able to move it EVERY SINGLE TIME. UNTIL THE END OF THE GAME!!! ARRRRGGGH!

All in all, a beautiful and heartfelt Zelda game. To me it's a 10/10, but those last two points I made can unnerve most people till no end. It really breaks the pace a lot.

I give it a 9/10. If you loved the world and characters in Majora's Mask and it was one of your favorite Zelda's, try this game out. Especially if you want to get an idea of how the original Zelda's played. It seems to me that Link's Awakening was the rough draft to Majora's Mask.

Sorry for any typos and what-not.
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supergamer19 posted...

That's right, in my opinion, this game is better than A Link to the Past.

I've always held this opinion as well, mostly for the reasons you stated. In fact, the only thing I would change from your review is that I actually love the music. We seem to have very similar tastes.

Also, it doesn't really matter either way since you can't verify it in any way, but just out of curiosity did you collect every seashell before getting the sword or did you skip some?
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Makes me wonder how a Link's Awakening remake would do on a system like the 3DS. Might play a lot like A Link Between Worlds (which is a good thing, IMO).

supergamer19 posted...

It seems to me that Link's Awakening was the rough draft to Majora's Mask.

... and then somebody thought, "Hey! Let's add Tingle!" And the universe wept.
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avatarmight posted...

but just out of curiosity did you collect every seashell before getting the sword or did you skip some?

I collected all 26 seashells. I thought it would leave me with 6 left over, but the shrine took them all.
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The Oracle games are up next! I've only ever played Seasons with my cousin when we were kids, and I don't remember much about it. A nifty ring system and changing the seasons to progress is about all I can remember. And an animal companion as well, or something.

However, I've heard these two games are a bit of a nuisance to 100% and will take over 50 hours, considering you have to beat both Oracle games twice.

Someone suggested starting with Ages, so I'll be doing the ASSA order heeheehee ASS...A.

Wish me luck.
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The biggest nuisance with 100%ing the Oracle games is the RNG related heart pieces. I'm pretty sure some of the rings are the same way. There might be some way to manipulate it, but I'm not sure of it myself. Personally, they're my favorite of the 2D games, with Link's Awakening right behind them.

I almost always go Seasons > Ages, but if your going both ways I guess it doesn't particularly matter.
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Are you playing it on a GBA? I think you technically would have to do that to get 100%, though I'm not sure if the VC version includes the Advance shop.

I remember getting 100% with the 3DS VC versions, but I don't remember if the advance shop was open or if there was a workaround.

Yeah, the Oracles take forever to get 100% and are a pain, but maybe you'll enjoy it more than I did. They're good games, just not good games for being a completionist. Good luck!
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Nope, through the 3DS. Doing some research, I found out you can't actually access the secret shop since it's not being played on a Gameboy Advance. Which means I'll be missing two exclusive rings. After more research, I found out that you can change two characters on your password so that the game gives you those rings.

It sucks, but I'm going to need those rings!
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supergamer19 posted...

After more research, I found out that you can change two characters on your password so that the game gives you those rings.

Yeah that's right, that's what I ended up doing. It wasn't as hard as it seemed at first.
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I'm feeling a little intimidated 100%ing these two. Hopefully I don't burn out.
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I wanna see the booty

Hey guys, just posting so that the topic doesn't purge.

For those following, what's a better format to do this? Constant updates of where I'm at with my gripes and praises, or just a standard review at the end?

Since I basically have to play two games two times through, the review is still a ways off.
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More consistent updates would be nice. Maybe just a summary review at the end.
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I agree with avatar. more consistent updates then a summary after you beat the game
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IDK maybe try playing more interesting games.


I'm kidding. Well, sort of. I do like the Oracle games, but I don't feel like I really have much I'd like to say about them. Skyward Sword will be an interesting one to discuss if you do post more about it than just light updates or ending reviews.

Ages didn't hit me at first. It was just a less charming Link's Awakening. It's won me over now, though. Puzzles. Puzzles everywhere. They're good. Dungeons are big puzzles, and getting to the dungeon is a puzzle in itself. It's fun. There's so much to do in between the dungeons, though. I haven't been able to complete a dungeon per day. I'm going to try to marathon a bit this weekend.

What business does the boss of THE SECOND DUNGEON have being so hard?!


Let's go! Gonna wrap up dungeon 4 now.
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I really love the Tokay meat game and the Goron dance mini-game....

They're the best.....


The best....

*cries*
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I think I'm done with all these mini games. Thank God. I checked and I've gotten all the prizes you can get at least once from all the games.

Never again.

Until my second playthrough of this game *cries again*
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supergamer19 posted...

Until my second playthrough of this game *cries again*

This is what always kept me from celebrating too much in these games. Having to play through both of them twice.

People complain about the minigames a lot, but I honestly barely even remember them because I had no trouble. The things that sucked for me were things like the RNG from the trees and Maple.
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You don't have to play them twice. I feel like I got a full enough experience just from linking them one time. Yeah, I know it's required for 100%, but as I said before, I think it's ridiculous to put yourself through that. You're going for an accomplishment where the reward doesn't come close to matching the effort. But I doubt I'm going to change the TC's mind at this point, so I guess he can continue killing himself laboring through these games for no reason.

DorkLink posted...

But I doubt I'm going to change the TC's mind at this point

Yea, I'm pretty stubborn as a completionist. I must do everything. Sort of like that bearded completionist on YouTube.

avatarmight posted...

People complain about the minigames a lot, but I honestly barely even remember them because I had no trouble.

They are pretty tough until you pick up the rhythm of them since they often repeat layouts/formation. That's a lot of money spent trying to pick it up unless you save/reload each try.
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supergamer19 posted...

Sort of like that bearded completionist on YouTube.

Eh, that guy makes money out of that gimmick, though

Two more dungeons to go during playthrough 1. I've planted 11 gasha seeds before attempting dungeon 6, so let's go reap the spoils. Totally going to save scum to get rings. Let's hope the RNG gods are on my side regardless.
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Just finished Jabu Jabu's belly, which is this games 'water dungeon'. Zelda fans know the type. I honestly had no idea what I was doing but somehow got every chest despite being lost most of the time. By the time I memorized the general lay out I was at the boss.

I had no idea the Oracle games actually introduced recurring characters like Tingle and Jabu Jabu. It's neat to see.

Just one more dungeon to go!
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supergamer19 posted...

I had no idea the Oracle games actually introduced recurring characters like Tingle and Jabu Jabu.

They didn't...

Jabu Jabu is from OoT and Tingle is from MM

Whoops. Total brain fart/exhaustion. Since I was playing the DX version of Links Awakening, I for some reason just now assumed the Oracle games were on the original Gameboy (because the original Link's Awakening was).

I'm dumb. You're right, this came out right after the N64 games. Like 2000 or something.
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It was kind of weird to me when I played the Oracle games and they had all these OoT and MM characters, since they feel like they'd be the older games. I get why they like to make those references but I almost feel like I'd enjoy it more without them. They work well in major titles, but with the portable games often taking on the role of being almost side stories, I find them a bit out of place.

Only thing left to do before defeating Veran is collect all the rings I'm missing.

Then it's just a hop on over to Holodrum.
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Finally did it. Got all the RNG rings for this game, and obtained the rupee ring. Beat Veran and actually managed to not die the entire game.

Now I continue the playthrough over to Seasons, then beat Seasons on Hero mode, and transfer that playthrough over to Ages.

Ohhhhh booooy.
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Super eventful weekend. I had no time for gaming, unfortunately. Have yet to start Seasons.

Just trying to not let the topic die. Sorry.
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Been managing only little spurts of seasons here and there. Big gaming sesh is due for the weekend.

The ring code hack to give you both GBA rings is super easy. I'm so happy it exists!
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Time to spend a solid 6 hours on this game starting now. Let's goooooooo!
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Any luck, TC? Or have the Oracle games broken you at last?
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Not yet, but I do feel a bit of a burn out.

I'm halfway through Seasons. I completed a rather big part of the item-trading sidequest.

One thing Seasons has over Ages is that the world opens up much faster. You get a lot of items uses to explore and full use of your rod before even hitting the fourth dungeon. It's pretty cool.
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This topic is boring. The Oracle games are about the worst choice possible for doing 100% (besides maybe BotW since it has such a large amount of content, but I don't think it has anything missable or anything overly luck based like the rings)

I have one more dungeon to go before fighting the final boss in Seasons. I can't seem to get a heart peace from both a gasha seed and Maple the Witch in this version. I really lucked out with Ages and got them early on.

Darn RNG.
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