Why Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Holds Up Well Today

About a month ago, Matt, the co-writer for this blog, posted his thoughts on why Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is the worst game ever. And while it's not a perfect game, OOT shows many great gameplay elements as well as a riveting story. In this post, I'll analyze the game and show why OOT still stands up as a good game even years after its release.

However, let's start off with what OOT does wrong. The camera isn't the best in the world, I'll admit. During combat, even if you Z-target, the camera sometimes points towards walls and floors. The only way to adjust this camera is by centering it behind you, which isn't always optimal in some cases. Moreover, the combat in OOT is lacking in several ways. Many enemies either consist of consistently slashing them over and over, or waiting for several seconds until they are vulnerable over and over. Stalfos, Wolfos, the Gerudo thieves, and the Iron Knuckles are prime examples of this linearity of combat.

Even though this fight goes fast, it demonstrates the poor fighting mechanics.

There are also a couple of things that OOT does that are not good or bad. The game doesn't really tell you the specifics on where to go. Although Navi and Saria are available for you to ask for help, their messages are not really useful. However, if a younger me could get through the game with no problem, maybe it really isn't a problem. Also, the inventory system is a bit clunky, but that can be attributed to the console that it was played on. Lastly, the game not saving your exact location when you restart the game is a minor issue, but this issue can also be attributed to the power of the N64. These minor issues don't really affect the quality of the game.

Everybody knows the terror of putting the iron boots on and off.

But OOT really shines in other places. The story of this game is great and keeps me addicted to the game no matter how many times I play it. At the end of the game, you feel that the long, hard journey that you traveled was well worth it. Furthermore, the music is fantastic. Who doesn't fondly remember the Gerudo's Valley music or the Lon Lon Ranch music? When you're not blindly swinging at enemies, combat feels amazing. With Z-targeting, one on one combat feels fast and exciting. The game's dungeons are difficult, but not too difficult. Even the water temple is not extremely difficult, even though most of the community says that it is. Moreover, there are plenty of things to do even if you're not progressing the main story. From the bombchu alley, to getting all of the pieces of hearts, to fishing, there's always something to do in the game.

While OOT does have it's share of flaws, it's not "the worst game ever" as my co-writer would say. It's actually pretty good. If you have the time, you should definitely take a look at one of gaming's finest classic. Trust me, you're in for a good time.

Don't like what I said? Like what I said? Please, leave a comment in the section below. Also, if you want to see someone bad at OOT, take a look at the video shown below for our series on OOT.

Why Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is the Worst Game Ever

For the past few nights after getting back to school with my friends I have been playing Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, a game released on the N64 in 1998. After playing about 4 hours worth of game time and only making it to the first adult Link temple I have reached a conclusion about the game. 

For those who don't actively play video games, the change in controls, graphics, and story lines between 1998 and now has been immense. These three changes were drastic from playing the remastered version of Halo CE to playing OOT. Ocarina of Time is a game designed so badly that it is near impossible for a casual gamer such as myself to even come close to ever understanding the controls for the game.

The video clip above is a recording of me attempting to play the game during my second sit down. 

The first flaw in the game's design is with the controls, although this is more the fault of the N64 than it is of the game developers. For some reason Nintendo figured that a controller for a game system should look like this:

That's right, a controller with three hand grips, a misplaced joystick, and a poorly implemented secondary D-pad/button arrangement for the C stick. 

I don't know how any console developer expected players to use these controls for supposedly next generation (at the time 3-dimensional games were all the rage) games such as Super Mario 64 and OOT. 

The game design stems from the poorly designed controller to affect the overall button system for the game, having to use the C buttons to equip weapons is simply too difficult compared to relatively modern weapon switching mechanics present in games such as Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, and GTA V. 

The next huge pain that presents itself in OOT is the camera system, which also happens to plague other games also released on the N64 around the same time. The camera most of the time will follow the player forcing the user to control Link while watching his actions at completely odd angles. There is a fix for the system that requires the player to repeatedly press the Z button to re-focus the camera behind the player. There are however other bugs present in this camera system including the targeting system, and also when entering certain parts of the maps where the camera is static and simply pans to wherever the player is located. 

The final gripe that I have for this game is the lack of concrete storyline for the player to follow, this would be understandable if OOT were a completely open world game. However, since the game play revolves around the plot too closely there is no excuse for not providing in depth side-quest information for the player.

Ultimately the only reason I will end up finishing this game is to laugh about these flaws and make jokes along the way with my friends. if you are considering picking up this game and trying to play it I highly suggest that you step back and look into a more modern game that has at least better controls and graphics.

As always feel free to sound off in the comments with your opinions, and make sure to follow us on Twitter @SageDiscussions and like our page on Facebook.