Zelda Topic

[Soniman]

Either way, I'm still hyped for this countdown.

[Kuzu]

And now my friend has said he doesn't know if its a game either....so I'll be right back after I castrate his corpse.

 

 

But hey, countdown's pretty cool

[krazystitch]

Like I said, the Facebook page and the fact that, right next to the Facebook link, there's one that directs you to Theophany's bandcamp page and that the name of the album (Time's End) is written at the bottom of the page makes it pretty clear this is about a fan made album of remixed Majora's Mask music or something.

[Sean]

My first thought was that this had to do with that Ben Drowned ARG.

[Chaos Warp]

http://theophany-rmx.bandcamp.com/album/times-end-majoras-mask-remixed

 

With the rapture missing us and everything, Disk 1 of the remix album came out, and I have to say I liked what I heard.  Some of these tracks are really goddamn scary.

Edited December 21, 2012 by Chaos Wrapping Paper

[Solkia]

I was loving Minish Cap until I got to the 3 Darknuts at the end.

 

Any tips on these bastards?

[Komodin]

I was loving Minish Cap until I got to the 3 Darknuts at the end.

Any tips on these bastards?

Lure one of them away from the others and attack their backs, preferably by using bombs. If you run out of them, wait until they do that lunge attack, then wail at them with your sword. You have about 4-5 minutes to beat them before Zelda gives up the ghost, so do it as quickly as possible.

Edited December 21, 2012 by Komodin

[Solkia]

Lure one of them away from the others and attack their backs, preferably by using bombs. If you run out of them, wait until they do that lunge attack, then wail at them with your sword. You have about 4-5 minutes to beat them before Zelda gives up the ghost, so do it as quickly as possible.

 

That's what's been screwing me over. Bombs don't even help that much.

[Komodin]

That's what's been screwing me over. Bombs don't even help that much.

 

Well, mon, you just gotta keep attacking them with everything you got. Maybe you'll get lucky and manage to kill them before Zelda gets de-Hyliaficated.

 

It still puzzles me how they made Darknuts so damn hard to beat in this game...

[Kuzu]

I swear to god Skyward Sword takes the longest time to start up; two hours and I still didn't make it to the first dungeon. For comparison's sake, it takes 10 minutes for Ocarina of Time's first dungeon.

[Wraith]

To give Skyward Sword credit, it's not like you don't get to do any fighting or puzzle solving before you get to the first dungeon like in the other Zeldas.

[Kuzu]

But that's mostly tutorial shit, not general dungeon hopping.

[Wraith]

As soon as you dive down the tutorial shit's mostly done. It's not as bad as some people say it is.

[Solid SOAP]

So I just started playing Link's Awakening for the first time ever and I'm absolutely loving it. Mind, I've owned it for a number of years on GBC but I never managed to get to the first dungeon. I just got the 3rd instrument and I can honestly say it might be one of, if not my favorite 2D Zelda game thus far. The dungeons are fun, the game's pacing is perfect, the element of discovery is extremely rewarding and overall it's just a really fun game to play with a lot of charm to it. The world of Koholint Island is interesting and cool, I like the characters and creatures you meet, it's just a really well designed game. Plus, for a GBC game it seems like it has a decent length too, with 8 dungeons, mini-dungeons, and side-quests prevalent throughout. I'm a little upset that I spoiled the ending before I beat it,because that would have actually been a nice surprise, but I won't spoil it for anyone.

[speedfreak]

Wait untill you get to Eagle Tower. Great dungeon!

[Old dead account]

Eagle Tower is amazing. Turtle Rock is disappointing by comparison and not nearly as good as ALttP TR. It's weird I personally get an urge to quit once I reach the 4th dungeon in LA, it's not that I don't ike it, it's just... I don't know. Don't forget about the graveyard side dungeon, very useful powerups there.

[Nepenthe]

I finally powered through Twilight Princess's final act at three in the morning and am compelled to give a comparison. In the end, it's still inferior to Skyward Sword, but it's hardly a bad game by any means. Rather, I blatantly saw instances of design where I could understand why one would be compelled to denote it the better game of the two. 

 

The second round of dungeon designs surpassed nearly all the stuff from SS sans Lanayru Desert, especially the Temple of Time, Snowpeak Ruins, and City in the Sky which housed some really clever layouts and puzzles without facilitating frustrating backtracking or ridiculous left-field answers to the puzzles, although the latter briefly reared its head again with Hyrule Castle's paintings. Certain late game additions- like the ability to call Epona from nearly anywhere and wolf/human transformation at any time- speeds up the pace and, in the latter's case, adds an appreciated element of strategy to dungeons and boss fights. It also doesn't feel as fetch quest-y as SS did inasmuch as I felt that the mandatory quests were reasonable in relation to the narrative. Unnecessary "prove yourself even though you've already proven you're the chosen one" nonsense like Faron's tadtone quest was absent, so TP feels more streamlined when it really gets going.

 

However, where I think it falls short of SS lies in five areas: Movement, combat, bosses, narrative, and aesthetics.

 

Me and my friend would tease SS Link for how quickly his Power Meter could deplete, but we were wrong. SS Link is a beast compared to TP Link. The ability to run for an extended period and speed up clunky actions like climbing was missed, and its absence soured my impression of the early game, especially Lakebed Temple and its requiring of long stretches of jogging and climbing; Wolf Link's one-button dash doesn't compare either. Wall-running was another thing I clamored for. Innumerable times did I encounter a wall that was high but would've been nothing for SS Link to just do a little upwards dash against in order to grab the ledge.

 

Mapped combat is another thing I can't go back to. The Dark Nuts made fighting more involved, but they hearken to SS's more personal dueling style anyway, overall being the most challenging things in the game to fight. Regardless, I longed for the ability to slash counter to the way they were blocking to break their defense, and I still don't like the fixed hack-n-slash'y style of swordplay because there's just not enough skill involved. You swing your sword and everything in your range dies. The enemies are pushovers.

 

As are the bosses too. Towering Leviathans are let down with simple attack patterns and low thresholds for defeat. Touching some of these bosses doesn't even result in taking damage! Granted, Stallord surprised me with his second stage, elevating an otherwise mediocre experience to something fun, but pretty much all of the bosses pale in comparison to SS's who put in a more perceivable effort to kick your ass.

 

The narratives are a little more difficult to rank because these games' stories have ultimately different goals. SS is the origin story which necessitates developing Link and Zelda, while TP is thoroughly about Midna's fight which just so happens to have your usual Zelda trappings as a backdrop. For the most part, both work as intended and I felt invested in the story points that mattered most to each game. Midna eventually grew from the bitch that keeps riding my ass to a more admirable character and partner, impressing me continuously until the resolution where I nearly choked up at her big reveal. She's miles better than Fi despite my attachment to her. 

 

But the flaw with Midna is that she's not the player character (and Fi's hints are somehow more useful). I missed the charming, emotional, and animated Link from SS, as well as SS's ability to just create a great cast of characters overall. Towering Dark Lord Zant in particular just devolved into an awful cackling little child. Ganon and Zelda were also afterthoughts, and I'm still trying to figure out how she even came back in the first place. Also, while I complain about SS's stupid quests, the game gave more meaning to the fulfillment of my destiny. I don't feel like I did anything to earn the Master Sword this time, and the final boss didn't escalate in as theatrical a manner as SS's.

 

Finally, the aesthetics. I don't think anything much is wrong with TP's more earthy and rustic art style; In fact, I enjoyed some of the more twisted stuff they wrung from its more refined and realistic palletes. But fuck, those NPC designs. The mailman, Renado, the Ooccoo, the Resistance, even the kids; the kids for Christ's sakes. Everyone in this world is ugly. Also, this series needs to avoid a digital soundtrack as much as possible. Excellent compositions and melodies sucker punched with god awful synth-y strings that sound like they came from a cheap keyboard. Moldarach/Koloktos' theme pretty much destroys everything in TP due to its orchestration alone.

 

Despite all of this, I don't begrudge TP. I feel like everything is more just a result of last-generation standards and not necessarily universal flaws. Had I played it first or at the time of release, it would probably stand on a more even keel with SS because its highs are too great to ignore. So while I prefer SS and hope they continue with its direction, TP is a great game in its own right. It's not destroyed my newfound love for the series; In fact, I now feel compelled to finally hook my Wii up to the Internet to download the rest of the available games. So what should I do next? Majora's Mask?

[Sami]

Twilight Princess was definitely a great game, but I honestly thought it was pretty weak for a Zelda title. Definitely my least favorite of the 3D ones.

 

My biggest issue with it is just how long it draaaaaaaags. It felt like a I had to complete a series of chores just to get to a new dungeon.

 

ALSO YES FINALLY I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS. INFECTED HAHAHAHAHA. Wait no. The game's over. I'm out of the loop. :C

I hereby revoke my bite. 

Edited January 19, 2013 by Discoid

[Doctor MK]

Hyrule Historia desktop wallpapers! Get yer Hyrule Historia desktop wallpapers here!

 

So so so hyped for that book to be released. Looks amazing.

[pppp]

I finally powered through Twilight Princess's final act at three in the morning and am compelled to give a comparison. In the end, it's still inferior to Skyward Sword, but it's hardly a bad game by any means. Rather, I blatantly saw instances of design where I could understand why one would be compelled to denote it the better game of the two. 

 

The second round of dungeon designs surpassed nearly all the stuff from SS sans Lanayru Desert, especially the Temple of Time, Snowpeak Ruins, and City in the Sky which housed some really clever layouts and puzzles without facilitating frustrating backtracking or ridiculous left-field answers to the puzzles, although the latter briefly reared its head again with Hyrule Castle's paintings. Certain late game additions- like the ability to call Epona from nearly anywhere and wolf/human transformation at any time- speeds up the pace and, in the latter's case, adds an appreciated element of strategy to dungeons and boss fights. It also doesn't feel as fetch quest-y as SS did inasmuch as I felt that the mandatory quests were reasonable in relation to the narrative. Unnecessary "prove yourself even though you've already proven you're the chosen one" nonsense like Faron's tadtone quest was absent, so TP feels more streamlined when it really gets going.

 

However, where I think it falls short of SS lies in five areas: Movement, combat, bosses, narrative, and aesthetics.

 

Me and my friend would tease SS Link for how quickly his Power Meter could deplete, but we were wrong. SS Link is a beast compared to TP Link. The ability to run for an extended period and speed up clunky actions like climbing was missed, and its absence soured my impression of the early game, especially Lakebed Temple and its requiring of long stretches of jogging and climbing; Wolf Link's one-button dash doesn't compare either. Wall-running was another thing I clamored for. Innumerable times did I encounter a wall that was high but would've been nothing for SS Link to just do a little upwards dash against in order to grab the ledge.

 

Mapped combat is another thing I can't go back to. The Dark Nuts made fighting more involved, but they hearken to SS's more personal dueling style anyway, overall being the most challenging things in the game to fight. Regardless, I longed for the ability to slash counter to the way they were blocking to break their defense, and I still don't like the fixed hack-n-slash'y style of swordplay because there's just not enough skill involved. You swing your sword and everything in your range dies. The enemies are pushovers.

 

As are the bosses too. Towering Leviathans are let down with simple attack patterns and low thresholds for defeat. Touching some of these bosses doesn't even result in taking damage! Granted, Stallord surprised me with his second stage, elevating an otherwise mediocre experience to something fun, but pretty much all of the bosses pale in comparison to SS's who put in a more perceivable effort to kick your ass.

 

The narratives are a little more difficult to rank because these games' stories have ultimately different goals. SS is the origin story which necessitates developing Link and Zelda, while TP is thoroughly about Midna's fight which just so happens to have your usual Zelda trappings as a backdrop. For the most part, both work as intended and I felt invested in the story points that mattered most to each game. Midna eventually grew from the bitch that keeps riding my ass to a more admirable character and partner, impressing me continuously until the resolution where I nearly choked up at her big reveal. She's miles better than Fi despite my attachment to her. 

 

But the flaw with Midna is that she's not the player character (and Fi's hints are somehow more useful). I missed the charming, emotional, and animated Link from SS, as well as SS's ability to just create a great cast of characters overall. Towering Dark Lord Zant in particular just devolved into an awful cackling little child. Ganon and Zelda were also afterthoughts, and I'm still trying to figure out how she even came back in the first place. Also, while I complain about SS's stupid quests, the game gave more meaning to the fulfillment of my destiny. I don't feel like I did anything to earn the Master Sword this time, and the final boss didn't escalate in as theatrical a manner as SS's.

 

Finally, the aesthetics. I don't think anything much is wrong with TP's more earthy and rustic art style; In fact, I enjoyed some of the more twisted stuff they wrung from its more refined and realistic palletes. But fuck, those NPC designs. The mailman, Renado, the Ooccoo, the Resistance, even the kids; the kids for Christ's sakes. Everyone in this world is ugly. Also, this series needs to avoid a digital soundtrack as much as possible. Excellent compositions and melodies sucker punched with god awful synth-y strings that sound like they came from a cheap keyboard. Moldarach/Koloktos' theme pretty much destroys everything in TP due to its orchestration alone.

 

Despite all of this, I don't begrudge TP. I feel like everything is more just a result of last-generation standards and not necessarily universal flaws. Had I played it first or at the time of release, it would probably stand on a more even keel with SS because its highs are too great to ignore. So while I prefer SS and hope they continue with its direction, TP is a great game in its own right. It's not destroyed my newfound love for the series; In fact, I now feel compelled to finally hook my Wii up to the Internet to download the rest of the available games. So what should I do next? Majora's Mask?

 

Nepenthe go ahead and get Majora's Mask, that game is amazing.

[SIXTH-RATE SOMA]

Now, you ladies and gentlemen will have to help me, because for the life of me I don't understand this part. Why is it that SS Link is often upheld as the most emotive Link in the series, when replaying WW has shown me entirely different. Is it the artstyle? 

[Nepenthe]

I've only got two Zelda games under my belt so I can't really compare too many incarnations, although granted I didn't really call him the most emotive of all anyway. xP

 

But if TP Link is any sort of benchmark, then he's pretty bland. His ability to emote in the face is heavily denounced, and his gestures, movements, and reactions to events were way too stoic. Midna's being threatened, and he may gently frown a little bit more at the offender in question, or Ilia's memory finally comes back, and he kind of smiles a bit. In SS, Zelda's telling him why she has to go to sleep, and he proceeds to start beating on the chamber with a desperate expression befitting his protest. SS Link was also more vocal as well; it's the usual Japanese-style grunts, gasps, and laughs, but at least there's an actual vocal performance there. The two are such galaxies apart in terms of acting that it doesn't surprise me at all that SS Link apparently holds the title of most emotive.

[Wraith]

Alright, I suggest tackling Wind Waker next. It seems like it would appeal to you more than TP. 

[Soniman]

Well, most emotive right under Wind Waker Link, who is easily the most expressive of all the Link incarnations.

[Wraith]

While I personally didn't enjoy WW, WW Link is probably my favorite just because of how likable he is as a character.

 

Plus, he manages to be the most adorable Link while simultaneously being the biggest badass of all time.