The Legend of Zelda: A Retrospective

By Andy

So, 2011 is actually the 25^th anniversary of the release of the original Legend of Zelda for the Famicom Disk System in Japan, a game that started a revolution in the adventure genre, mixing complex puzzle play with exciting action and travel. Obviously, the franchise still continues to be successful today, with Nintendo continually producing fantastic (and sometimes questionable) new Zelda titles in the series. At least one Legend of Zelda game has appeared on every single Nintendo console, each adding new twists and innovations above the last. As this is a retrospective, why not start at the beginning.

The Legend of Zelda (NES/FDS, 1986):

The original Zelda title was released in 1986 in Japan as one of the most open ended and challenging games for the system, let alone games in general at the time. A young boy (the player/Link) wakes up in a mysterious forest, and hears an old man basically tell him that he is the chosen hero of time, destined to rid the evil of the world. Walking forward as the man entices will allow the player to pick up a sword. The game introduced the dungeon system, where the player travels around the overworld to find dungeons, each with its own unique layout, puzzles, enemies, and boss in a 2d environment. Using new weapons, including a bow, boomerang, and even a magic recorder that are found in the overworld, caves, and the dungeons themselves conquers each dungeon.  After finishing the first 8, a ninth is unlocked with the completion of the legendary Triforce, and the Princess Zelda can be rescued. The game introduced a new level of difficulty, as it gave no clues as to the location of the dungeons, weapons, or passageways, having the player figure everything out on his or her own. This plot and gameplay system continues to be a mainstay in almost every Zelda title, culminating with the defeat of the evil lord Ganon.

 

(A map of the vast overworld)

The Legend of Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link (NES/FDS, 1987):

The Adventure of Link was the second Zelda title released for the NES, and became very controversial for its fundamental gameplay changes with respect to its predecessor. This game introduced a side scrolling system for dungeons and towns, with a slow moving overworld, similar to an early RPG. It also focused far less on puzzle solving than precise battling, also including a higher focus on magic. Its RPG element also extended to a system of experience points, boosting the players magic and power ability as the game progressed. While this game did introduce a more coherent and obvious plot than its prequel, it was plagued by now famous absurd English dialogue spoken by the townspeople. The game was still innovative both in its faster action sword and shield battle system and use of dungeons to progress the story, all ending in a player-favorite final boss, Shadow Link. Despite its seemingly inaccessible qualities to modern gamers, Zelda 2 was still a game ahead of its time, but its tradition would not be followed by future titles in the series.

 

(Link walking past an enchanted Zelda)

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES, 1991):

As the first Zelda title on the Super Nintendo, A Link to the Past boasted improved graphics and scenery, as well as some new weapons, including the now-beloved puzzle-solving staple, the hookshot. It also included other improvements, such as the sideways sword swings and newfound speed when using the Pegasus boots. My personal favorite now item introduced in this game however is the cane of somaria, which simply creates blocks to solve puzzles (some call it useless, I call it secondary defense). What stands out mainly about this title however is its use of two parallel worlds, the Dark World and the Light World, each traveled through by Link, and each having their own unique dungeons. This game is generally praised as the best 2D Zelda title, and sometimes even the best overall game in the series. This praise could be attributed to the fantastic adventure and puzzle element of the game combined with a moving soundtrack and quality graphics for the time. A Link to the Past was truly a game ahead of its time, and still holds up today as such with the creation of a few well-deserved ports onto other Nintendo consoles. This game also should be credited with popularizing the master sword, now an item included in almost every single Zelda game afterwards.

Note: The Game boy advance port of A Link to the Past was released in 2002, also including 4 swords, which will be expanded upon in the title’s GameCube installment. 4 swords is a multiplayer Zelda adventure which takes advantage of team based attacks.

 

(Link fighting Ganon in the Dark World)

The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (GB/GBC, 1993):

The first portable title gives the player a new world to travel through, called Kohonlit Island, also making the game the first to be set out of the fictional land of Hyrule. The plot quickly becomes much more absurd than that of the previous titles, as an owl immediately tells the player that he must wake the Wind Fish (then dormant inside of an egg) by collecting instruments hidden in dungeons around the island in order to return home. The absurdity only continues with cameos by other popular Nintendo characters such as Kirby and the Chain Chomp. And, by the end of the game, the Wind Fish, who for some reason can talk after Link vanquishes the final boss (a morphing shadow), tells the player that the entire game was Link’s dream. While the game, other than its portability, did not make any huge improvements over the previous title, it is still one of the most exciting adventures in the series, with great dungeon design and a complex overworld filled with interconnecting passages. Link’s Awakening is my personal favorite title in the series, and its uniqueness can be best described by this screenshot of the Wind Fish, a sort of dream deity:

Note: The color (DX) version of Link’s awakening was also released in 1998.

 

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64, 1998):

Ahhh, Ocarina of Time. This is the Legend of Zelda’s first foray into the third dimension as well as the first Zelda title available for the Nintendo 64. This game is often hailed as the best Zelda title and sometimes even the best game ever created. This praise can be attributed to its beautiful graphics for its era in its lush landscapes and seamlessly connected world. Not only that, but Ocarina boasted a lengthy adventure with incredible dungeon design that, for the first time, could incorporate depth and height as integral parts of rooms and puzzles. Ocarina also has my personal favorite Zelda soundtrack, containing musical masterpieces ranging from the epic Gerudo Valley Theme to the ever popular and mysterious Song of Storms. While the third dimension did not truly add a great deal of true content to the series, it did make the game extremely accessible and enjoyable from start to finish, with the small roadblock of the forever confusing water temple. And while the game did not add any really new elements to the core Zelda gameplay, it did introduce true time travel to the series, where the player would traverse different versions of Hyrule as either young or adult Link, able to use different weapons and abilities in his different forms. This game’s popularity is obvious when looking at its numerous remakes, appearing in Master Quest and the Collector’s edition for GameCube and its newly visualized port to 3DS, let alone its appearance in the Wii’s virtual console.

 

(Link meeting his adversary Ganondorf… in 3D)

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (2000, N64):

Link’s second adventure on the Nintendo 64 is both one of the most unique installments in the series and a major fan favorite, although not extremely popular otherwise. It also features its own unique land, a town called Termina as well as its surrounding domains and dungeons. The story is also unique, having link’s new quest be to stop the moon from crashing into the town (and destroying the world) within 3 days by collecting masks and conquering 4 dungeons to do so. By defeating the bosses, giants are activated to hold back the moon and protect the town. Do not be alarmed at the apparent lack of dungeons; Majora’s Mask is a game focused on side quests, putting emphasis on interacting with the townspeople to earn masks, each with its own unique power. These masks’ effects range from character transformation (such as becoming a zora and goron) to mask-based tools (like the automatic bomb mask). The quirky plot and characters add a great deal of charm to this adventure, and the action when both fighting bosses and chasing people for information is, for the most part, very exciting. This game does however have one of the most challenging and bothersome starts, but completing it reveals a wonderful experience that should be enjoyed on the original system, the Wii virtual console or the collector’s edition on GameCube.

 
(Link in fierce deity mode, a prize for collecting every mask)

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons/Ages (GBC, 2001):

These entries into the series were the first and only paired set. Similar to the Pokémon Series, Seasons and Ages contained minor differences, such as travel through time in Ages being replaced by travel through seasonal periods in Seasons. The order of dungeons was also changed, as well as the weapons that the player was able to upgrade. Each game built on the gameplay of the last Game boy installment, Link’s Awakening, featuring basically the same weapons, controls, and mechanics. Despite their general lack of originality, Seasons and Ages are still exceptional games, shown both by the rave reviews and stellar sales. And despite their seemingly minor differences, each game is still definitely worth a play through, and offers one of the most refined 2d Zelda experiences to this date.

  

The Legend of Zelda: The Windwaker (GC, 2002):

The Windwaker featured a new cell shaded and more cartoonish art style, with an appearance highly changed when compared to the previous 3D Zelda installments. The overworld of Windwaker also brought a new mechanic into play: sailing across the open sea, leading to a great deal of exploration on islands both large and small. Link wields a conductor’s baton as his new instrument, using its magic to control the wind. He uses this ability to his advantage to more easily cross the often unforgiving ocean. Featuring only four dungeons, the first GameCube Zelda title shifted focus again onto its vast array of side-quests. However, these were often not as rewarding as those in Majora’s Mask, usually leading to a useless treasure or just another piece of heart. This installment is also one of the easiest Zelda game to date, with many fans complaining about its “kiddie” appeal concerning its art style and difficulty. However, Windwaker was truly another fantastic adventure, and although it was on the short side, it offered a new level of accessibility to the series, in stark contrast to the often unforgiving early titles. This title also boasts a fantastic soundtrack; while it does not rival Ocarina’s musical mastery it does supplement The Windwaker’s whimsy and sense of freedom, best implemented with pan flute leads while sailing on the massive waters.

 

(Link sailing the sea on his boat, King of Red Lions)

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures (GC, 2004):

Four Swords is probably the most unique installment in the series, providing players with a multiplayer-focused adventure while retaining the core 2D Zelda game mechanics. The game can be played with from 1 to 4 players, however multiplayer is only enabled by plugging GBA’s into the GameCube, Nintendo’s approach to market the Game Boy player attachment to the system. While the handheld version of the game offered randomly generated levels (similar to a rouge like), the GameCube rendition offers eight self-contained and standard dungeons, offering 3 levels and a boss each. This game also implements special multiplayer abilities and attacks, having players put their individual link sprites into certain positions in order to execute special attacks. The only real complaint I personally have about this game is that it offers no overworld to explore and the fact that it is really a big-screen version of the original Four Swords, which offers similar gameplay and can be covered by the aforementioned explanation.

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(The diamond formation)

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (GBA, 2004):

The Minish Cap was the first standard and new Zelda game to be released for the Game Boy Advance. Instead of switching between two almost completely separate worlds like in most other Zelda’s, the Minish Cap allows the player to explore the single world at both standard and reduced size. The advantage of becoming smaller presents itself in the necessity to explore miniscule crevices of the world to search for both crucial items and treasure around the land. The plot of the game is an extension of the Four Swords story with the addition of Link’s new pal, a magical shrinking cap called Ezlo, whose dialogue is far more enjoyable than most of Link’s sidekicks and far less annoying (I’m looking at you, Navi). This game received overwhelmingly positive reviews, and deservedly so for an adventure that is extremely accessible yet still appealing to the hardcore crowd. The Minish Cap also offers side quest content similar to that of the Windwaker, having the player collect figurines and other items to access additional content. The game also offered the best 2D handheld Zelda graphics at that point in time, and still stands as one of Links finest portable adventures.

(Original artwork featuring Link and his new hat)

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (2006, GC/Wii):

Released as both a Wii launch title and as one of the final first party GameCube releases, Twilight Princess essentially follows the same formula of the first 3D console Zelda title, Ocarina of Time. It features 9 dungeons and Hyrule Field as its overworld once again, but adds a few new twists to improve gameplay. First, the player has the ability to turn into a wolf, having a new moveset and able to track others by smell. The game also adds new weapons such as a ball and chain for increased power and a spinning top that Link can ride on to solve platforming puzzles. Twilight Princess is also the finest Zelda title graphically, showing off beautiful environments and characters alike throughout the vast land of Hyrule. The art style of the game is also more western and mature than its cell-shaded console predecessor, and stands as one of the more visually striking entries in the franchise. Another obvious improvement is the addition of a new helper character named Midna, who actually has an interesting story and adds to the plot of the game, unlike a certain bothersome fairy. It is also the longest Zelda title, with enough story and side content to give the player over 25 hours of gameplay. Because of all of these new features, Twilight Princess is objectively the best Zelda title to date, offering the most diverse features and being the most technologically advanced game in the series.

 

(Midna and Wolf Link fighting a shadow creature)

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS, 2007):

The first DS Zelda follows the story, art style, and mechanics of the Windwaker, offering the same character design and sea overworld. It does however employ an updated control scheme that utilizes the DS’s touch capability, having the player touch the screen to both move Link and guide the boat to different locations. The player also uses the touch screen to guide phantom statues on land, a unique puzzle and battle element that adds a lot of variety to the game. The upper screen is often employed as a map view, making a visual of the player’s location more easily accessible. Boss battles however employ both screens, with big baddies showing off their grand scale by towering over the player (who is still solely on the bottom screen) by taking up the entire viewable area. Also present is a small multiplayer segment over wi-fi, where one player controls Link battling the other who controls the phantom statues. Phantom Hourglass was both a sales success and a critical darling, selling over 4 million copies and achieving a metacritic aggregate score of 90.

 

(Link battling moblins in a dungeon)

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (DS, 2009):

Spirit Tracks as a whole did not add a great deal of innovation to the series, employing most of the same mechanics as its predecessor. While Spirit Tracks takes place 100 years after Phantom Hourglass plot wise, it does not feel like the features are improved at all. The main difference is the use of a train to travel through the overworld, which results in an extremely confining experience. The player really has no way to explore the vast land of Hyrule, only able to stay on the tracks and ride from town to town with a few train-based minigames thrown in. It also continues the phantom statue mechanic, however limiting the player to controlling one other statue inhabited by the spirit of Zelda. This is certainly not to say that the game is not enjoyable, but the lack of exploration seems like a step backwards for the franchise as a whole. Otherwise, the continued DS Zelda mechanics still offer an exciting adventure featuring excellent dungeon and character design, still in a beautiful cell-shaded art style. While the game received positive reviews, it was a sales dud in Japan and ended up selling only a little over half of the numbers of its predecessor.

 

(Left, the train overworld and right, a dungeon)

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii, 2011):

This title was announced at E3 2010, and is supposed to come out in the near future. It was shown to have 1 to 1 swordplay mechanics using the WiiMotionPlus and offer a less dark art style than the last console installment, Twilight Princess. I am highly anticipating this game, and we should all hope for a release soon. If you learned anything from reading this, it should be evident that a new, innovative Zelda title will not disappoint. Released so far is gameplay flying on a bird using motion controls and a classic dungeon crawl, even with a boss. This gameplay was released this past E3.

Total War Retrospective

Total War begins with the release of the original Shogun Total War in June 2000 This Total War had the players fighting to dominate feudal Japan and become the Shogun of the islands. It was well received critically, with a score of 84 on metacritic.. At the time Shogun Total War was one of the Creative Assembly’s first large scale projects. Most of Total War’s aspects were included from the start including the campaign/battle setup, with the campaign being a turn based strategy, and the battles being in real time. This first installment also featured the agents that would be in every future total war game.

Battles in Shogun Total War

Shogun was not a large commercial success, but did earn a loyal fan base. The next release Medieval Total War took the Total War series to a different locale, now Western Europe during its medieval era. The player fought now to expand his kingdom to be the dominant force in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. This was also the first game in the series to allow the player to siege enemy settlements. Religion was far more important in this game than in Shogun, with the world being split between Muslim, Catholic, and Orthodox factions. The game was a critical, and commercial success, with a score of 88 on metacritic, and the game topping the sales charts in Britain.

Various forces vie for control of Europe in the campaign mode of Medieval Total War

The next entry in the series, Rome Total War, was hailed as one of the greatest RTS games ever made. For the first time in the series the player was allowed to move around the map freely, and the scale and graphics of the battles were greatly enhanced. This entry brought players back to the Roman Republic, and had them expand throughout Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East as one of the three playable Roman “family” factions, or instead conquer the world with a “Barbarian” faction. This game has probably eaten more hours of my life than sleeping has.

Roman Legions face off against the Barbarian horde in Rome Total War

The next game was Medieval Total War 2, which took the series forward by vastly improving the battle experience with individual soldiers now looking different to one another, and the battles now containing thousands of units. This was notably the first installment in the series in which the Americas are included, with the player being able to colonize the new world towards the end of the game.

The natives will not give up their land easily in Medieval Total War II

The latest game in the Total War series was Empire, which kept the old turn based strategy campaign, and real time battles, but included several new features. These included the technology advancement tree, the ability to build trade fleets, buildings outside the main settlement, and a world map. This total war was also the first game in the series to have a structured story-mode, concentrating on the American colonization and revolution. This was also the first Total War game where players could engage in naval battles similar with the player directly controlling the fleet. The buildings outside the major settlements were a major leap forward for the series, as previously all activity on the campaign map was concentrated into a few large cities or castles, whereas now it was profitable for an enemy to raid throughout the countryside of a rival faction.

Take to the seas in Empire Total War

The Total War series has risen from obscurity in 2000 to become an industry giant, and to say that I’m slightly excited for the release of Shogun Total War on March 15 would be quite the understatement as I probably will not sleep, eat, interact with other humans, or even leave my chair for about three weeks.

'arry

Harry is British. There's no actual H pronounced in his name. He only eats tea and crumpets. 

Ever wonder where your video games come from?

Advertising agencies and website nonsense has led you to believe that machine will copy game after game to give to the world. A naive concept.

Secretly, video games are recreated in underground shelters, similar to old mine shafts, where the queen game lies, similar to that of a queen bee. Games however, are much like their players, asexual, so the queen does not need a mate in order to produce thousands of games. All of these games are forced to live together for years, forced to cannibalize and inbreed (which has resulted in various glitches or the occasional malfunctioning disk in some generations), until only the strong disks are left. The survivors. These games manage to claw their ways through the earth until they are located by game-miners, conveniently disguised as those guys who "copy" video games for a living. 

They are then packaged and furnished to be sold to gamers like you.

These cruel "video game copier men" take all of the credit for the hard working master games in the world, similar to blonde white women take credit for their Asian children. ("No sweetie, you're not adopted! You just got all of our recessive genes!"). Please, raise awareness.

'arry believes in this cause so much that he has made t-shirts, bumper stickers, helicopters, and has written in the sky with a jet plane. 

'Nuff said.

Andy

Originally, this article was going to argue against Andy's most recent article, but due to complications in my ability to understand his video-game speak, I have been forced to write yet another story about the life of yet another Average Player Radio Staff member.

Once upon a time there was a boy named Andy. Andy one day went to a palm reader who examined his past life. Andy had but one previous life as a toucan, flying high above the trees of a jungle in wherever-toucans-live-ville. Andy, now inspired by his previous life, decided it was time for him to move on in his life, to the rain forest, to honor his past life. Unable to afford a ticket to wherever-toucans-live-ville, Andy decided he must first learn to fly. He cleverly attached colored feathers to his arms and soared across the skies. To many people's dismay, this was successful, and Andy made it to wherever-toucans-live-ville, unharmed. Upon his arrival, toucan flocked to him, impressed by his large beak (nose). Andy rapidly became ashamed of his nose, and he flew back home to America to get surgery, in order to replace it. The doctor saw the boy and immediately called animal control, who captured Andy and returned him yet again to wherever-toucans-live-ville. Andy accepted his new life as a toucan and decided to blend in to toucan society. The toucans ladies rapidly flocked to him. Unsure of what to do, Andy fled the area. He rode a bus which led him to a train which led to a ferry and then an airplane which gradually took him home. While on the plane, Andy rediscovered his human identity and personified himself much better than he had done earlier. Today, Andy has matured enough that his "beak" blends into his personality far better than before. However, during his self conscious time with the beak, Andy developed a pompous, hipster-esque, attitude. He also plays video games sometimes, which is how he made it to this website.

Today, Andy still has the row of colored feathers in his bedroom. He uses them to revisit his toucan friends (his only friends) every now and again. Andy also occasionally lays eggs, despite his supposed testosterone, and on rare occasions, squawks.

He still thinks his nose attracts "mates", but we don't tell him he's wrong, because its funny to watch him in action. It's not like he would believe us anyways.

Andy now has a part time job working for fruit loops commercials, chances are you've seen him before under his alias "Toucan Sam"

(I'm surprised I have not yet been fired for writing such offensive articles about this staff).

Will

Will began this world cowering in fear within his mother’s womb. His mother was in labor for nearly 3 weeks because no matter how much they tried to get Will out, he would always retreat back in. When the doctors had finally trapped him outside of his mother’s womb, the mother quickly gave him up for adoption. The adoption agency had to put him on sale nearly four times until a nearby farming agency bought him for exceedingly attractive farm-boy good looks. Those looks were his only redeeming quality, even at the age of 2. Once he reached this farm he began his work as a farmer on his father’s pepper farm. His father grew peppers that were far better than any peppers anyone could ever imagine. One day Will asked, “Father, how do our peppers taste so delicious?”. His father replied “Well son, it’s because of our magic fertilizer!”. It wasn’t until he had reached the end of his second year of life, that he discovered what the magic fertilizer really was. One day, Will opened up the secret door in this house, and it led to the wonderful world of dragons. These dragons had their own farm of peppers. He watched as they flew out of the window and deposited the peppers in the wee hours of the morning when Will was usually asleep. However, one of the dragons spotted him, and they dragged him into their secret lair. Will watched them farm peppers for the next few years of his life. He watched them get really really big, and then shrink again, repeatedly. One day, the dragon lords decided that they really liked this kid. They kept him as a pet. He was able to escape being the dragons’ pet when he was rescued by the nine legged traffic cone being. Will heroically rode this being out of the lair of the dragon lords’ pepper plantation. On his way out, he dramatically shut the door behind him, only to get his shirt sleeve stuck in the hinge. One day, his father found him trapped to the door, tired and starving. Will has never been fully satisfied with a meal since. From that day on, he ate everything in sight, eventually exceeding the weight limit on every elevator in the country. He decided to work it all off. Will then joined the nearest track team, eventually reducing his body to a far healthier weight. Still he ate everything in sight, but now he controlled himself better. However, with the track team, he lost all sense of self respect in flaunting his body in short shorts and loose tank tops with vibrant neon reflective belts to match. In his daily routine, he forgot what girls were and started work on a friend’s website. Because of all of the trauma he faced as a child, he now writes about video games and unicorns. He still cowers in fear before peppers at the supermarket and “Dragon Tales” (the children’s cartoon). The End.