Why is Ocarina of Time so great?

Ok, here is my problem. I'm currently writing some kind of retro review of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and a couple of hours (at most) into the game I'm kind of running back and forth just liking it a bit. Not loving it. It feels like I'm walking around waiting for the game's true greatness to reveal itself.

So what's the problem you ask? Reviews is supposed to be personal reflections on a game. True, but I also think it would be stupid to write a review that's just narrowed down to my small frame of mind. I want to be as objective as I can in this rather subjective profession. That's why I'm now turning to you and ask why you think OoT is so great? Please enlighten me!

Part of it is that the first hour or three of OoT is more about familiarising the player with the gameworld and play mechanics. Not a great deal happens, and if you're an experienced gamer its just a bit of a grind.
Once the game really starts to get underway and the gameworld opens up to you and you start to discover some of its hidden depths, its appeal quickly becomes apparent.
Its also worth noting though that Zelda was a game of its time and had a far greater impact when it was released as nothing had superceded it then. Someone going back to it would be able to remember a lot of that sense of fondness and discovery and apply it to their opinion, however visiting the game for the first time nowadays, bearing in mind the massive innovations that have come since its release (some of which can actually trace their roots back to OoT BTW), its perfectly natural that with no point of reference in context, that a gamer today will find the game far less impressive.

Probably.

Well, I have a lot of experience in this area and I can take into account that the game is ten years old and what has happened on the market since. So I have no problem looking at it from a 1998 point of view.

When you say that the gameworld opens up, do you mean when i finally leave the forest or do I get to an even bigger playfield after running the praire between the castle and whatnot?

Btw, I did play the game back in 1998 so I have a lot of memories of how it was percieved back then. Thing is, I didn't find it so special back then either... :msn_tongu

Personally I don't think it really picks up until you get Epona (the horse) running everywhere is a PITA. once you start getting into the dungeons, mountains, forests, caverns and other locations though and finding different things to do, upgrading your weapons, learning new songs for the Ocarina etc it has a sweet charm and a definite hook that makes you want to see whats next.

Its not everyone's cup of tea though. It has the sickly sweet undertones that infect all Miyamoto's games, and the storyline and dialogue is squarely aimed at the younger end of the market. The games main focus is on discovery and story progression and if that's not your thing where RPG's are concerned you'll struggle to feel the love for it.

Plus after playing Morrowind most other and older RPG's will leave you feeling a bit hard done by.

I never really got all the way through Ocarina but I came darn close. The reason why I never beat it though is because I saw someone else do it first and that will often ruin the game for me.

The positives I would have to say about the game is that it was one of the earlier games to use a cinematic approach to it's story telling. Also because 3D games were still pretty new, there was a lot of ground to be laid out.

As far as I know, OOT was one of the earliest games to implement a lock-on target. Also the game set the tone for how controlling mechanics should work for action-adventure games.

Now as far as gameplay comes, I think what really set it out was the open-ended gameplay. There wasn't a strict order in which a level had to be completed. Although this had been seen in games before, the idea was amplified by having wide open fields. Also the implement of night and day was pretty progressive.

Now I talked about cinematic earlier, and I wanted to add that the music itself was cinematic and atmospheric as well. From the soft melody of Zelda to the march-like rhythm of Ganondorf, from the energetic song of Saria to the dark gloomy drone of the Well.

Finally the story. Although still geared towards a younger audience, there were themes that older audiences could appreciate. The story isn't quite as complex as others, but captivating nonetheless. OOT has a very mythological way of story-telling, and is a true parable of Good vs. Evil that everyone can understand.

These are just some of the good things I can say about Ocarina of time. Although it may seem like I'm biased, OOT isn't actually my favorite Zelda game. I can still see how it appeals to others though.

What is so great about Ocarina of Time..? The fact that it's an epic - an original. A story about a kid without a fairy - a reject, but a part of something bigger: a royal knight to fight the face of evil. The environments are quite loose and relaxing, but not overwhelming. The goofy and likeable characters and warming graphics are friendly and attractive, while the sounds that come out of Link are amusing, such as rolling into walls or falling off edges. The game is a classic, an adventure that takes you into a world like no other, while keeps its fun and attention in game play (though sometimes wanted to "strangle" that annoying owl - hoping he would turn his neck too sharp one way and drop dead after explaining over and over because I was jamming buttons - LOL). If you didn't like it, your just not into others of its type, rather of sports, fighting, and racing. As a writer, you got to "grab" a sense of what others "see" and "feel" upon it (though I know it's hard, especially of a title you can't get into). It's a great game, no argument about it (my top number 1 favorite next to Super Metroid), but can never say it wasn't - definitely a trip in time...

good question, and i don't know either. its just a great game, however i never seem to like it. especially not when people started saying it was better then sm64

As already said, it was really great for its time. When the sun came up for the first time on Hyrule field it gave such a great feeling. Something like this was never done before. Also, the Z-targeting which is now used in most games was first introduced by this game.
One of the other great points IMHO is that it actually worked in 3D. We were in a time that more franchises were trying to make the transfer to 3D, but many failed. OOT didn't.

Ok. some quick comments here, sorry for the long post:

Hrothgar said:

The positives I would have to say about the game is that it was one of the earlier games to use a cinematic approach to it's story telling.

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Ehm, not really. I would however say that OoT does this exceptionally well, but is no way first with it. As I've read up there are some misconception about what things OoT actually was first to present to gamers.

Also because 3D games were still pretty new, there was a lot of ground to be laid out.

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Depends of course on what you mean by 'new', but I grant you that it wasn't as widespread over different genres as it is today.

As far as I know, OOT was one of the earliest games to implement a lock-on target.

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Another misconception, or should I say overexaggeration. Granted it provided more control than other games but take the first Tomb raider as an example. Pre-dating OoT's lock-on by a couple of years, although I grant that OoT's version is a bit more complex.

Also the game set the tone for how controlling mechanics should work for action-adventure games.

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That I agree with! Especially the context-sensitive buttons.

Now as far as gameplay comes, I think what really set it out was the open-ended gameplay. There wasn't a strict order in which a level had to be completed.

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Really? I find that's bending the truth a little bit. As far as I've come I've been able to travel to alot of places but the game is pretty strict in allowing me to do things. Also, it's hinting me on quite strongly. And this also isn't very new. The first Zelda was said to have this "take-it-in-any-order-you-want" but in reality you had to clear the dungeons mostly in the numbered order. This might change later in the game but there hasn't been a hint of it yet.

Now I talked about cinematic earlier, and I wanted to add that the music itself was cinematic and atmospheric as well.

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Agreed. The music was very good, very much so considered it's on the limited cartridge format.

FatTrucker said:

Its not everyone's cup of tea though. It has the sickly sweet undertones that infect all Miyamoto's games, and the storyline and dialogue is squarely aimed at the younger end of the market.

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This is my main issue with almost any game coming from Japan. This childish thing is part of their culture but it's also what stops me from getting on this Manga/Animé-craze. However, I like many japanese RPG's and I love Miyamoto's games for other reasons so more often than not I'm able too look beyond this "theme".

Plus after playing Morrowind most other and older RPG's will leave you feeling a bit hard done by.

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Agreed!

Desert Drifter said:

The goofy and likeable characters and warming graphics are friendly and attractive, while the sounds that come out of Link are amusing, such as rolling into walls or falling off edges.

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That are things I don't really like and examples of what i said above.

though sometimes wanted to "strangle" that annoying owl - hoping he would turn his neck too sharp one way and drop dead after explaining over and over because I was jamming buttons - LOL).

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Been there, felt the same!

If you didn't like it, your just not into others of its type, rather of sports, fighting, and racing. As a writer, you got to "grab" a sense of what others "see" and "feel" upon it (though I know it's hard, especially of a title you can't get into).

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Oh, but if you read my previous posts you see that i have no problem with that. And that's basically what this thread is for! And I like almost every genre of games so that's not it.

alcoatjez said:

When the sun came up for the first time on Hyrule field it gave such a great feeling.

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Yeah, that was nice!

[/QUOTE]One of the other great points IMHO is that it actually worked in 3D. We were in a time that more franchises were trying to make the transfer to 3D, but many failed. OOT didn't.[/QUOTE]

But on the other hand, Super Mario 64 already proved that it could work!

So all in all I'm leaning towards calling it not inventive in all the little things but a succes in being able to combine all these elements and thus setting some kind of standard for action games. I'll write my review tomorrow, but I have begun to see the light so I think the review will be positive and fair!

Ehm, not really. I would however say that OoT does this exceptionally well, but is no way first with it. As I've read up there are some misconception about what things OoT actually was first to present to gamers.

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I didn't say first but early. I know it wasn't the first. That is why I am specific in my wording.

Another misconception, or should I say overexaggeration. Granted it provided more control than other games but take the first Tomb raider as an example. Pre-dating OoT's lock-on by a couple of years, although I grant that OoT's version is a bit more complex.

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Once gain, I said early, not first.

Really? I find that's bending the truth a little bit. As far as I've come I've been able to travel to alot of places but the game is pretty strict in allowing me to do things. Also, it's hinting me on quite strongly. And this also isn't very new. The first Zelda was said to have this "take-it-in-any-order-you-want" but in reality you had to clear the dungeons mostly in the numbered order. This might change later in the game but there hasn't been a hint of it yet.

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It is still fairly open ended. It does change a bit with the later 8 dungeons. It's no GTA, but it still allows you breathing room. I just wanted to note that the original Zelda was very open ended for it's time. I've seen people who have beat the game while only completely few dungeons. I never actually got too into the original Zelda cause you need a guide for about the whole darn game.

Hrothgar said:

I didn't say first but early. I know it wasn't the first. That is why I am specific in my wording.

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I don't even think it's one of the early games that featured that quality, that's why I disagreed.

Once gain, I said early, not first.

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That's why I tended towards calling it overexaggeration
However, reading up on it many sites and magazines are siting it as *the* first. So I wanted to point this out!

It is still fairly open ended. It does change a bit with the later 8 dungeons. It's no GTA, but it still allows you breathing room. I just wanted to note that the original Zelda was very open ended for it's time. I've seen people who have beat the game while only completely few dungeons. I never actually got too into the original Zelda cause you need a guide for about the whole darn game.

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Yeah, so far it seems as open ended as the original Zelda. But a guide for the original?? The point of the whole game is going exploring. That's why the game lasted so long gameplay-wise. OoT is another matter entirely. The sheer size of it don't make for fun exploring without any clues as I did on the first Zelda, even though that's pretty big.

i don't really need to know the reason it was just a great game... lets hope nintendo also makes a port of OoT to the NDS like they did with sm64

Well, thanks for the input. I posted the review a few days ago and I think I did a fair assessment of the game and its history. It's in swedish so most of you can't read it, and I don't have the time (or the will) to do a translation, but if anyone is curious you could try to run my blog through a translator like Google's. I checked it out now and though it's not a good translation grammar-wise I think someone could understand the text as a whole.

It can be found here if you scroll down a few entries.

retroguiden said:

Oh, but if you read my previous posts you see that i have no problem with that. And that's basically what this thread is for! And I like almost every genre of games so that's not it.

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Ah, your probably just jealous then, of that stud of a Link whom all the girls want to flock that you wish you were getting a part of. A red-headed girl wants to "ruff" him up, a fish girl wants to "own" him, while a forest girl wants him to "follow" her deep into the woods - god knows what Zelda and has in mind... while your just pissed that your not getting any of the action... LOL - just kidding ya. Sounds like your probably just not into types with a lot of time running back and forth but more of ones with involvement...

retroguiden said:

Well, thanks for the input. I posted the review a few days ago and I think I did a fair assessment of the game and its history. It's in swedish so most of you can't read it, and I don't have the time (or the will) to do a translation, but if anyone is curious you could try to run my blog through a translator like Google's. I checked it out now and though it's not a good translation grammar-wise I think someone could understand the text as a whole.

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Looks like a great review, the presentation looks sharp - just wish I could read it.

OoT isn't that great.
Not even close compared to first 2 zeldas.

OOt was excellent because it was the first 3D Zelda and lots of space to roam around, which was kind of amazing at the time because of the N64s limited Cartridge space. It also had a pretty interesting story line, and well, It was just good.

It's really about personal preference.. Every "Legend of Zelda" had their moment and even uniqueness that appealed to certain audiences - although Ocarina of Time was probably more special to me (probably due to the fact the late '90s was the period I was making steady money). Besides, the N64 really was an interesting period (knowing the SNES ran the same road) that kept the adrenalin going between the flock of titles hitting the market, from the first time 3D transition of Super Mario and StarFox to GoldenEye 007. OoT just opened my wallet at full extent.. Majoras' Mask in other terms.. closed it.

It is an epic game. Amazing how big the game is.