29th November 2011, 6:56 PM
Right now I own one game, Ocarina of Time 3D. (I also downloaded the DSi Four Sword port.)
My first impressions? Well, the system is a bit hefty, and the positioning of the left stick and d-pad strain my wrist a bit. The 3D slider is simply an amazing addition, considering the limitations of the current 3D screen. That is, the 3D screen really does require a VERY specific angle to be visible at all in 3D mode. Considering how much they are pushing the motion sensing, this really is a problem. The good news is they took a page from Apple and really streamlined the interface. I can zoom out the icons into huge pages of applications. The store is far more usable too. All in all, the software side is much better done, though there is still room for growth. So far, there is one Super Gameboy game on the store, Donkey Kong. Considering that was the flag ship Super Gameboy compatible game, it's very disappointing that the game (from the previews in the store) only plays in black and white mode.
Ocarina of Time 3D is Ocarina of Time. The textures are all much sharper, and some ( but not all) of the character models have been updated. The sound is exactly the same. The gameplay is also identical, right down to little glitches like back flipping onto the Dodongo cavern as a kid to get that piece of heart early. The graphical additions are minor. Aside from a few updated models, better textures, and a few new model animations (animations which I'm of a mixed opinion on, since some of them seem worse to me), the graphics are barely touched. This is hardly a massive overhaul, and FAR shy of what the 3DS is capable of as games like Mario Land 3D, Super Street Fighter 4, and the upcoming Luigi's Mansion demonstrate. They did add Master Quest, with the small change of also mirroring the world in that mode now and doubling enemy damage. There's also a boss marathon mode, which could be a bit of a challenge. All in all, they haven't added much of anything, certainly no bonus dungeons or quest lines as in the LTTP release on GBA or the LA release on GBC.
One addition is the Sheikaih Stones. These are huge versions of the stones of truth hidden in the original version (those are still in the game of course). They have gaping mouths you can crawl into to get what amounts to walkthrough videos of parts of the game you are at. I tested this with a throwaway save file. All in all they can be safely ignored if you want the original challenge. Their presence does seem unnecessary to me, but they are there for people struggling with a puzzle I suppose so I guess it's not a problem either. What I hope this means is they have no excuse to dumb down any of the puzzles, but I can say for sure once I reach the Water Temple.
One thing I've noticed is the addition of these pictures and charts all over the place in the game now. They appear to be giving hints and explanations of all sorts of future puzzles. I find that to be an annoying trend, and considering the walkthrough videos, wholly superfluous.
All in all, it's Ocarina of Time plus the Master Quest. It's a classic, slightly enhanced, but it certainly could have been far more improved than this. If you've got the bonus disk for the Gamecube, you can safely skip this. Otherwise, get it for Master Quest. If you've never played Ocarina of Time (who do I think I'm addressing here?), certainly get it. Well, I've heard that among newer gamers this hasn't aged as well. They're comparing it to later Zelda games most likely, which all evolved on this one.
I intend on playing this one through and then finally jumping into Skyward Sword.
My first impressions? Well, the system is a bit hefty, and the positioning of the left stick and d-pad strain my wrist a bit. The 3D slider is simply an amazing addition, considering the limitations of the current 3D screen. That is, the 3D screen really does require a VERY specific angle to be visible at all in 3D mode. Considering how much they are pushing the motion sensing, this really is a problem. The good news is they took a page from Apple and really streamlined the interface. I can zoom out the icons into huge pages of applications. The store is far more usable too. All in all, the software side is much better done, though there is still room for growth. So far, there is one Super Gameboy game on the store, Donkey Kong. Considering that was the flag ship Super Gameboy compatible game, it's very disappointing that the game (from the previews in the store) only plays in black and white mode.
Ocarina of Time 3D is Ocarina of Time. The textures are all much sharper, and some ( but not all) of the character models have been updated. The sound is exactly the same. The gameplay is also identical, right down to little glitches like back flipping onto the Dodongo cavern as a kid to get that piece of heart early. The graphical additions are minor. Aside from a few updated models, better textures, and a few new model animations (animations which I'm of a mixed opinion on, since some of them seem worse to me), the graphics are barely touched. This is hardly a massive overhaul, and FAR shy of what the 3DS is capable of as games like Mario Land 3D, Super Street Fighter 4, and the upcoming Luigi's Mansion demonstrate. They did add Master Quest, with the small change of also mirroring the world in that mode now and doubling enemy damage. There's also a boss marathon mode, which could be a bit of a challenge. All in all, they haven't added much of anything, certainly no bonus dungeons or quest lines as in the LTTP release on GBA or the LA release on GBC.
One addition is the Sheikaih Stones. These are huge versions of the stones of truth hidden in the original version (those are still in the game of course). They have gaping mouths you can crawl into to get what amounts to walkthrough videos of parts of the game you are at. I tested this with a throwaway save file. All in all they can be safely ignored if you want the original challenge. Their presence does seem unnecessary to me, but they are there for people struggling with a puzzle I suppose so I guess it's not a problem either. What I hope this means is they have no excuse to dumb down any of the puzzles, but I can say for sure once I reach the Water Temple.
One thing I've noticed is the addition of these pictures and charts all over the place in the game now. They appear to be giving hints and explanations of all sorts of future puzzles. I find that to be an annoying trend, and considering the walkthrough videos, wholly superfluous.
All in all, it's Ocarina of Time plus the Master Quest. It's a classic, slightly enhanced, but it certainly could have been far more improved than this. If you've got the bonus disk for the Gamecube, you can safely skip this. Otherwise, get it for Master Quest. If you've never played Ocarina of Time (who do I think I'm addressing here?), certainly get it. Well, I've heard that among newer gamers this hasn't aged as well. They're comparing it to later Zelda games most likely, which all evolved on this one.
I intend on playing this one through and then finally jumping into Skyward Sword.
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)