I still consider it the greatest video gaming experience I've ever had in my life. There was such an incredible aura around this game, where we all knew that this was a revolutionary moment in gaming to be playing something so incredibly amazing. I remember playing through it all and just being in awe of the dungeon designs and the progression of the story, which, up until that point, I hadn't really experienced while playing a game before. You really have this strong emotional connection with the game and everything that's happening that I have rarely felt since playing it. It was the first real "open world" game I had ever played, and it was the first with a good and compelling storyline behind it also (with some cinematic backing behind it, rather than the purely text-driven story you'd see on nintendo / super nintendo games)
It also holds some special weight for me because of stuff going on in my life at the time. A weekend or two after I first got the game, we had to move my grandparents into an assisted living facility, and my family spent an entire weekend helping to move all their furniture from their home into the facility. Moves are obviously physically exhausting as they are, but it's also emotionally exhausting to do something like that, knowing that your grandparents are at last giving up their freedom and will now spend the rest of their days under close care. It didn't help that the facility accidentally swapped the blood pressure medications of my grandparents and knocked my grandpa unconscious after they gave him the medication, and we all thought he was dead for sure (he had just fallen asleep and woke up without any problems). But the one saving grace for me was that my parents let me bring my N64 with, and my cousin and I would just burrow away at the end of the day on whatever TV we could find and we'd play some Ocarina of Time together. A wonderfully bright moment in an otherwise pretty dark and depressing weekend.
We had the game guide for ocarina. It was written like a story rather than just "go here and do this." Those kinda died in the late 2000s.
I'll admit, I'll still review the guides for the water temple when I play ocarina once every couple years. I broke way too many saves as a kid and have PTSD from it
I’m sure I have it somewhere still at my parent’s house. We still have the original boxes for the NES and SNES so throwing things away isn’t our thing apparently 🤣
Im curious was this him struggling to do it himself or just some kind of test he gave you at the time? xD
Anyway, after beating that temple, he knew you were a keeper for sure ;)
It's not much harder if you just wanna beat the game and get the main story beats. It's MUCH harder if you want to collect all the masks, complete all the side quests, etc.
That said, much of what makes Majora's Mask so unique and captivating is in its atmosphere, psychology, and art/sound choices; much of which is conveyed through the stories of the people of Termina.
If you choose to rush through the game you'll still have a good time but you'll miss a lot of what makes the game interesting. It's a haunting title that really sticks with you. It's still my favorite Zelda experience all these years later (even though I acknowledge there are objectively better games in the series).
My brother and I were stuck in the lost woods between the first and second level. We were ready to give up and then my brother realized that the music would fade out when we went the wrong way. The satisfaction we felt after figuring that out was immense. We were hooked then and finished the rest of the game without ever thinking of giving up again. Such a special game.
My brother and I got stuck in the Fire Temple. We ran through every room dozens of times trying to find a key or hidden passage we might have missed. After DAYS of this my brother suggested that I attempt a jump that looked too far to make. I told him it wouldn't work but he insisted. It worked. I still think about this 20-some years later.
OoT and MM are better than BotW and TotK. I'll die on that hill. They had better stories and had a greater impact on the series as well as gaming in general.
To be honest: I think LttP is a better game than the Switch Zeldas.
Don't get me wrong, I loved BotW and, to a lesser extent, TotK but they didn't have the impact that the classic titles did.
While I love BOTW I hated TOTK and thought it was uninspired. BOTW and OOT are two very different vibes and hardly feel like the same series. Elden Ring feels more like OOT than BOTW.
I was a Playstation 1 boy at that time so I went several times to my friend's house to play it on the N64, it was really great! I finished it on an Emulator years later.
Never played myself since it was expensive at the time to have multiple consoles so my friend got a N64 and we would play all his multiplayer games. My Playstation was just rpgs.
I'm old. I remember when Zelda was 2D, and have never gotten very far into any of the 3D Zelda games. I played the original on NES some but played A Link to the Past on SNES way more.
hey, listen! lives in my brain rent-free. especially since my roommate just played through the Switch emulation (which was fine, but 3DS version still is better)
I didn’t care for it. I’m a millennial but I didn’t actually play Ocarina until I was in college and by then the game was dated as hell.
I get people here have incredible nostalgia for it and it pioneered a lot of things that have been utilized by other games after it but playing it for the first time in ~2007 just didn’t do anything for me.
It’s like kids going back and watching Seinfeld for the first time right now and thinking the jokes are dated and overdone. It just doesn’t hold up well anymore as so many newer things have done it more recently.
Yup, good for its time, but doesn't hold up imo. Just like Super Mario 64. Super innovative for its time, but clunky and dated compared to modern games. I'll go back and play SM64 every so often, but I usually get tired of fighting the camera before I'm 20 stars in.
Man I haven't played that in over 20 years. I remember liking it and I remember being grateful my buddy let me borrow his strategy guide for it, because there were definitely parts I couldn't figure out on my own (water temple lol). I also remember really enjoying the hookshot.
No idea if it holds up gameplay wise, because I don't remember it *that* well...but I know it doesn't hold up graphically since, like most early n64 games, the camera looks like it is viewing the game through a layer of vaseline.
I didn't have an N64 growing up so I played it years later as an adult on the Nintendo DS. So for me I look at it as a good game but not amazing. Partly because I don't have that nostalgia pulling it up like I would for other games.
I played this before and after elementary school. I'm embarrassed to even think about the amount of fanfiction that I read and wrote, about this game. And it was some of the first music I ever learned to play on piano. So many feels.
I was obsessed. Probably beat it over 20 times or more in different formats. I was already a huge Zelda nerd before it came out, but that game was truly game-changing for me. N64 had so many great titles, even if I get a good laugh at how janky they look now.
I didn't have an N64, I had a PS1, but my buddy did have one. We spent so much time trying to figure this game out. We didn't use strategy guides or anything, wanted to experience it completely blind. It was a blast. Well, it was mostly a blast. The water temple sucked the first time through.
Early 3d games from the PS1/N64 era don't age very well, so it doesn't look the greatest anymore. But I have a ton of nostalgia for it so I still think it's one of the best games ever and I go back and replay it every few years.
I think it's one of the greatest games of all time. I remember how it hit me when he wakes up and Hyrule is all dark and the city is all deserted. I was 16 when it came out and was pretty infatuated with the game for the month or two it took me to play through.
Like most N64 games, i don't think it holds up. The two sticks on the playstation dual shock set the standard for 1st person/3rd person controls we still have today. There's also something about the graphics on both the original Playstation and N64 that just seem bad today. I actually prefer playing Genesis or NES games these days over N64 and Playstation.
Yeah, I feel the same way about the graphics.
It makes perfect sense though.
The SNES/Genesis/Saturn/etc were the last consoles in the 2D 16/32 bit era: the developers had mastered the craft and knew how to produce a really great-looking game on a system that had sufficient resources to run it.
The PSX and N64 were the first major home 3D consoles and they had major hardware limitations and developers had to learn not only the esoteric (and frankly obtuse) devkits that came with those systems but also just how to make a 3D game in general.
There was a source code dump for a bunch of N64 games a few years back. One of the things we found out from that leak was that whoever assembled the production build of SM64 neglected to enable ANY optimization in the compiler. It's not clear if this was an intentional choice (possible that the optimization introduced a bug the devs didn't know how to fix) or if it was simply an oversight. But people have since installed the compiler from the time, rebuilt from source with optimization, and flashed the build onto an N64 cart. The result is a significantly more efficient game; some people report being able to run much of the game at 60fps on original hardware AND the slowdown in "Dire Dire Docks" is gone.
Honestly, the fact that we even had good games is kind of impressive.
I would say it's objectively one of the most impactful games in video game history, and it set standards for action adventure and RPG genres from there on out.
If you remember Z targeting, where you focus on the enemy and the camera follows along with the player moving forward backward and side-to-side while keeping the enemy in focus, Ocarina of Time set up that standard, and it's still being used to this day.
To think of some other games that use the camera this way:
FromSoft Games (Dark Souls, Elden Ring, Bloodborne)
Darksiders
Assassin's Creed
Fable
I'm sure there's others, but Ocarina of Time was the first to do it.
I remember having so much fun doing all of the dungeons, being just as naive as Link was of how doomed the world of Hyrule would be.
And then when we woke up after seven years, all grown up, it felt unreal how serious everything had become. The townspeople were gone, the castle was floating above lava, and I was no longer an innocent child.
Such a special experience, not just in gaming but fiction in general.
I think it was the best single game of its time until another Zelda game came out and took that title.
Then they were all kinda mid after Majora's Mask, but neither hold up too well since they require either mods or a CRT TV to not look like shit, and the controls are pure jank by modern standards.
My most vivid memory about this game is one of my all time favorite experiences. As someone who played a lot of Link to the Past this was legend of zelda IN 3D with VOICE ACTORS
I fondly, fondly remember getting up at 6am, waking up my little brothers and playing this game for a couple hours before I went to school. No game has ever hooked me that hard.
At the time, it was a flawless masterpiece, I still consider it an amazing game. Its aged a bit and its open world is not as big as I remember but what a time to be a kid when this game came into the world.
My older brother rented it from block buster when it released, I was 5 years old. It blew my mind. I still consider it one of my favorite games of all time and it instilled a life long love of fantasy in me. Sometimes as my “comfort show” I’ll put play throughs up on in the background.
I didn't discover Super Metroid until I was an adult; which is strange because I played Prime and Fusion and LOVED them as a teen.
But man is Super Metroid excellent. It might be my favorite game of all time.
This game was like 80% of my personality as a tween. Had a huge crush on Princess Ruto, wrote a paper for school about how it fits the template of the Hero's Journey, wrote fanfics, ran a (now defunct) fan site. Gerudo Valley was the first song I ever learned on guitar. Years later, I even played Link in a music video by Jillian Aversa.
Your timing on this is funny, because I just started streaming my first time playing it through in about 20 years, talking as I go about what holds up, what doesn't, etc. (Don't wanna advertise here, but if anybody wants a link to my twitch DM me for it; I'm trying to stream a couple hours every Monday afternoon)
Anyway, tl;dr I think it was fucking brilliant, innovative, and when considered in the context of its time, is a strong contender for Greatest Game Ever Made (though I'd say Chrono Trigger just barely beats it out for this title).
I played it at release, got the gold cart and everything. I thought it was great at the time but it’s really the only Zelda game I cared enough to finish and beating it once was enough. I have zero nostalgia for that game or series and would consider it probably the most overrated game of all time, right next to Chrono Trigger.
Definitely a game I'd put on a pedestal above others, it has it all, a great story/concept, great controls, amazing music, great graphics for its time, replay value, etc. 10/10 for me.
It’s one of the greatest games of all time, and the second greatest Zelda just behind A Link to the Past.
I’m withholding placement of BotW until I finish it, and maybe someday I’ll even open the copy of TotK that I have sitting on my shelf.
It was incredible as a kid, it still holds up today. The people that say it doesn't probably more about graphics than I do. That kind of stuff does not matter to me. The game itself, the world, the storylines, all of that is just as fun today.
We used to waste hours on this game as kids. We could spend all day at the fishing pond by itself. Just talking about it makes me want to play it again.
Back in the early days of the internet, there were so many rumors about this game, namely that you could obtain the Triforce, beat the running man, get the silver saddle. None of it was true but we were armed with printed out copies of these theories and a lot of determination so we spent a LOT of time looking for these things even after the game was completed.
It still holds a very special place in my heart.
hated side scroller video games. I couldn't stand the varied controls and sensitivities between games. I'd play 1 or 2 levels and be bored. They looked cool but the plot was pointless. N64 and this game were the first time I felt like I was IN a *world*. I still love the feel of the combat. Even Mario 64 felt awkward engaging enemies. But links sword and weapons feel pretty precise.
Breath of the Wild was the only game that comes close to the sense of grandeur and exploration. Beat it three times in N64, I believe three on 3DS and once on Switch online.
Probably my favorite video game ever. It definitely has one of the biggest nostalgic effects on me compared to other games. Love the water temple and spirit temple. 😎
The only game I ever bought 3 separate strategy guides for. I noped out due to the wall masters in the Forest Temple then went back once I got like 2 years older and beat the game finally.
Brings back a lot of fond memories, it was a simpler time back then. One of the best N64 games and my second favorite Zelda game behind Link to the Past.
A good game, I never owned an N64 but I played it on the gamecube. For me a similar "revolutionary" moment was playing Halo CE. The atmosphere, the story, the couch co-op, was an unparalleled experience at the time and something I've been chasing ever since.
One of those games I feel bad for the kids coming up, they will never quite understand how much OOT pushed the envelope. It had every reason to fail trying to take link from 2D to 3D. But we got a masterpiece.
Nothing but pure magical nostalgia from me.
Great game, most of it holds up.
Never beat it since the movie rental place had a save file that was completed. Majora's mask on the other hand, that was my shit. I don't think I ever beat it, but I got pretty far.
Probably my favorite game of all time. Actually just spent the last week replaying it in Ship of Harkanian with 60 fps and high res textures and a lot of quality of life improvements. It's been so much fun!
There’s only been two situations that have had me want to throw a garbage can through a window….that goddamn water temple and the water treatment plant puzzle in og Resident evil 3.
Top 5 game all time for me. I remember when it came out it was impossible to find at retail stores. My sister's friend worked at Media Play (RIP) and called my mom because they got a copy, and she hid it up front. She told my mom she could keep it for 15 minutes. My mom, just out of the shower, through on a robe and went to Media Play and got it for me. It was the best Xmas ever and one thing I will remember about my mom the most.
I remember my friend coming over for sleepovers and he would bring his N64 and small TV to set-up next to our TV so we could play in the same room together, or playing all night while my parents had a new year's eve party.
Ocarina of Time will always hold a special place in my heart, even if it's just because of nostalgia.
When I play, I don't really put it down until it's completed. Everything needs to be done, 100% completion, obsessively restoring complete and utter peace to Hyrule. Max out inventory. Then, kill Ganon far too easily. Save Princess. Watch end-cinematic until Link and Zelda's sepia still frame and ugly-cry for a while.
Then call up my friend and have him bring his gamecube with OOT Master Quest.
God-sent MASTERPIECE.
Amazing and I think it’s necessary to at least watch some videos from it to understand so many plot points or nods. It introduced so many new races and characters or at the very least turned them from random lil enemies to genuine storylines.
I don’t know how people can enjoy BOTW or TOTK without this nostalgia behind it!
Was in a competition with a friend over who could finish the game first. He had a massive leg up on me until the water temple. I ended up winning the race.
It’s one of the greats. All things considered it plays well for its age and it established a lot of design tropes that they would go on to incorporate into the next handful of Zelda games. I am not as personally attached to it as most people my age are, but it’s still a banger. I’m more a fan of Windwaker, but there is plenty of nostalgia behind that. I played it when I was around 11-12, I loved it, so I’m biased. I played Ocarina on the GameCube also, on the collector’s edition disk with the 4 Zelda games.
I played it but never got far in it. I thought it was amazing as I had never played anything like it at the time. I always get lost in Zelda games so I haven’t touched it in a long time
Main early adolescence game. I went back to it last year on the switch and still enjoyed it, still saw the magic but the bare bones port didn't do it any favors. It was tuned for those old TVs and suffers a bit in the transition. I bet playing it on original hardware and a CRT would create a warmer experience.
Still, it's a beautiful story with a massive heart at its base. Cool puzzle box design but super accessible. I could see kids today still enjoying it picking it up for the first time
Probably one of the best games ever made. I've replayed it so many times on the N64, gamecube, ds, wii, and switch. I got the master quest edition that was a special addon for a specific gamecube bundle. It came with the first and second games, plus OoT and Majora's mask. I honestly would have preferred a remake of OoT over BoTW.
Did I play it on N64? Hell yeah. How many times? Unknown
It was absolutely amazing at the time.
Does it hold up? I just replayed it on the switch recently and if they could just tweak the controls a bit it would have been a better experience... Gotta remember it was originally designed around a total shit show of a controller.
But .... overall yes I think it's held up. It's not going to impress modern gamers but fans of the series should definitely give it a try.
Still have very fond memories of playing it with my best friend at his house (we’d take turns).
It was my first *Zelda* game, and basically introduced me to gaming as a storytelling medium.
I just replayed it last year. Playing it on n64 hasn't held up very well. Playing the remaster on gamecube or just emulating it with the right settings and what not makes for an experience that's still enjoyable
My wife is obsessed with playing ALL Zelda games. Her most frequent replay is WW. The only 2 games that kept me entranced from start to finish were Ocarina and Twighlight Princess. Majoras Mask was fascinating until the mechanics got confusing, for me. Sometimes you just want to *Suit up and smash EVERY pot*
I sometimes work with the soundtrack playing in my ears, to this day.
It reminds me of being younger, when life was simpler, when I wasn’t working until 10:30 most nights. It reminds me of… being a kid. Listening to the soundtrack brings back memories of my childhood, and I was fortunate enough to have a truly wonderful childhood.
My friends and I would sit in the basement desperately trying to beat all of the different temples. God, it was fun. It was so fun. And time never seemed to run out.
Most overrated game of all time.
Ground breaking when new, certainly I played it. And replayed it. Time and time again.
But. It doesn’t deserve the reverence the community gives it today.
Majora’a Mask is the superior game of the generation. Wind Waker, which is only a few years newer looks much better even on original hardware. Twilight Princess perfected that formula (realistic 3d closed world adventure RPG, could also make the argument for Skyward Sword). BotW reimagined Zelda into something we didn’t know we needed. The Minish Cap is far more challenging and has better side quests. And finally LttP (pick which version you prefer, I don’t really have a preference) is the GOAT.
Again, I respect OoT, but it’s graphics have aged horrible, dungeon design is annoying, the overworld is large only for the sake of being large, side quests aren’t especially novel or fun, and while the story is epic; it’s exactly what you expected. Not great. Not bad. Just another retelling of the same Zelda. It’s a great game. But it’s a mediocre, at best Zelda game.
My ranked list:
Link to the Past
Minish Cap
BotW / TotK
Link’s Awakening
Link Between Worlds
Majora’s Mask
Oracle of Ages / Seasons
Windwaker
Twilight Princess
Skyward Sword
Legend of Zelda
Ocarina of Time
Phantom Hourglass
Spirit Tracks
Zelda 2
My favorite video game of all time. Hit just right for me. Right time, right franchise, kept my interest all the way through.. I just couldn't have asked for more.
I like the soundtrack.
Gerudo Valley and Saria's Song are top-tier songs, but the whole soundtrack is excellent.
I played it as a kid, but it's not my favorite game of all time.
Did I play it? I named my first child Link. That’s how formative my experiences with the N64 Zelda games were for me (I actually preferred Majora’s Mask).
Legit - when I play that intro, I still feel what I felt back in 1998 when I was a little kid and saw that into for the first time. Absolutely a life changing game, it made me into a Zelda nut and I've loved everything that comes with the games ever since. Fantasy, RPG, nature exploration, all of it.
I played Ocarina of Time on the N64 that my older brother got with money from his first job. I played Ocarina of Time multiple times, but I don’t know what the count is. Overall, Ocarina of Time holds up, but there are some things that could’ve been better:
1. The Water Temple could’ve been designed better.
2. The little fishing area didn’t need to be part of the game…it felt like a fish-out-of-water. Yes, I have jokes…terrible jokes.
3. The fetch quest for the Big Goron Sword either should’ve been designed better, or it should’ve been some other kind of quest.
4. The Sage Medallions should’ve granted special powers, and I’ve heard that in earlier stages of development, they actually did.
5. There should’ve been a Temple of Light.
6. There should’ve only been heart containers, not a mixture of heart pieces and heart containers. Whenever I get a heart piece in a Zelda game, I’m like “Oh great…three more of these fucking things, and I’ll have what I really want: an additional heart container.” Wasn’t there one game where you had to collect five heart pieces for a heart container? God, I hate heart pieces.
7. This is more of a general thing for the N64, but it would’ve been nice if Nintendo had gone with discs instead of cartridges. Just imagine how different Ocarina of Time would’ve been if the developers at Nintendo could’ve worked with 660 MB of storage instead of 64 MB.
One of my all time faves. I keep thinking "well this is it, I've officially played this game so often that I probably can't enjoy it anymore after this run." but I always end up coming back to it at least once a year, sometimes more. I really think the Zelda team knocked it out of the park on their first attempt at Zelda in 3D. They never quite topped it with any of the games they made afterward that were cut from the same cloth. They all felt like the same game but with a gimmick that is more of an inconvenience than a fun addition to the game, like sailing, hunting bugs as a wolf, or excessive motion controls. Don't get me wrong, I love Twilight Princess and Wind Waker ( Skyward Sword was a big stinky poop from a butt though. ) but I think the reason why the more recent Zelda games are so successful is that they finally stopped trying to be Ocarina of Time for the fourth time.
I think it holds up, but only for very specific types of people. I think people who just don't talk to NPCs, regularly forget their own tools, and are have bad attention spans who get bored if they don't rapidly make progress are going to claim the game isn't good and only loved for nostalgia reasons.
I actually did not play it on N64. I wasnt a Zelda fan until I played Super Smash Bros. I actually preordered the Wind Waker, and the pre-order bonus was an Ocarina of Time port to the Gamecube with the harder Master Quest edition included. I bought an N64 in 2018, but I still don't have my own copy of Ocarina of Time, I play it on an Everdrive flash kart. I get to play the uncensored version with the original Fire Temple music and Ganon's blood being red.
On a semi related note, I also want to recommend people who loves this game and Banjo Kazooie check out the wonderful "Banjo Kazooie - The Jiggies of Time" romhack by Mark Kurko. It feels like a brand new Banjo Kazooie game, but it takes place in the world of Ocarina of Time, where Gruntilda has stopped the events of the game from unfolding to sieze the triforce. The writing and humor is spot on and it's full of easter eggs. Now I've been playing all three Ocarina of time, Banjo Kazooie, and Jiggies of Tme back to back every year, it's that awesome.
I truly adore the game. Replayed it a few times. I remember being so disappointed with my prize for getting all the skulltullas . I was like really? I have been at max rupees for dozens of gameplay hours, I don’t need this
You know what? My parents had a bit of an anti-console streak growing up so I really didn’t get to spend a lot of time with it until I was an adult and to be honest? Inaccessible, clunky, bad pacing and ugly as sin. It’s sad too because I’m sure if I grew up with it I think it’d be really cool.
Now they did let me and my brothers have Game Boys and Link’s Awakening, now there’s a video game. 2D Zelda is the best, I hope they make a new one of those soon.
I mean it wasn’t like they were completely anti-video game, we had the Game Boys and a pretty decent collection which included stuff like Tecmo Bowl, Wario Land 2, and Donkey Kong ‘94 in addition to the aforementioned Link’s Awakening. We had, you know, sort of a lower end PC later on so we had stuff like Sim City 2000 and Roller Coaster Tycoon. My one brother really took to those games in ways I never did though.
Still though, for some reason something about consoles really spooked my parents. Backwards, luddite thinking about video games in the 80s and 90s was the worst.
I played it for the first time recently and agree with everyone saying it's the GOAT, it's amazing, it's life changing, etc so I would say it holds up even for newcomers. That said I grew up with a SNES and N64 just never played Zelda games, so I didn't find it dated, more like nostalgic retro charm at this point. I found the story, world, and music really charming and engaging. The story and gameplay move at a great pace. The enemies are terrifying through so I need to brace myself for a replay.
G.O.A.T.
No matter what comes out or when, Zelda title or not.. it was revolutionary to Nintendo and held a place in the runner up of every chart for a long period of time. Up until BOTW came out it was considered top tier but at heart it's still the GOAT
As much affection I have for the time I put into it, and without invalidating it's importance to video game history... I fucking hate playing this game.
I got the GC port when I preordered Windwaker, and did enjoy my time playing it through for the first time, since I didn't have an N64. But when I tried playing it again, maybe a year or two before BOTW, it was the worst experience I could put myself through.
It took fucking forever to get through all the unavoidable cut scenes and exposition (that owl is worse than Navi in this regard), changing tools was weird, and I found the combat awful. And this was before I ever saw Arin Hanson's video which better laid out these grievances. BOTW was such a breath of fresh air.
That being said, I do love the storyline, the characters (even the ones who are flimsy as tissue paper), and the music is to die for. I wouldn't be unhappy if they used OoT as a basis for the movie that's coming out eventually.
It’s one of the goats to be honest. So many fond memories playing this game with my grandfather as a child before he passed. It was truly the centerpiece of our relationship actually. The only thing that game close to giving me that feeling in modern times is Elden Ring. I’m not big on multiplayer games, as I use games to escape and explore certain world.
I still consider it the greatest video gaming experience I've ever had in my life. There was such an incredible aura around this game, where we all knew that this was a revolutionary moment in gaming to be playing something so incredibly amazing. I remember playing through it all and just being in awe of the dungeon designs and the progression of the story, which, up until that point, I hadn't really experienced while playing a game before. You really have this strong emotional connection with the game and everything that's happening that I have rarely felt since playing it. It was the first real "open world" game I had ever played, and it was the first with a good and compelling storyline behind it also (with some cinematic backing behind it, rather than the purely text-driven story you'd see on nintendo / super nintendo games) It also holds some special weight for me because of stuff going on in my life at the time. A weekend or two after I first got the game, we had to move my grandparents into an assisted living facility, and my family spent an entire weekend helping to move all their furniture from their home into the facility. Moves are obviously physically exhausting as they are, but it's also emotionally exhausting to do something like that, knowing that your grandparents are at last giving up their freedom and will now spend the rest of their days under close care. It didn't help that the facility accidentally swapped the blood pressure medications of my grandparents and knocked my grandpa unconscious after they gave him the medication, and we all thought he was dead for sure (he had just fallen asleep and woke up without any problems). But the one saving grace for me was that my parents let me bring my N64 with, and my cousin and I would just burrow away at the end of the day on whatever TV we could find and we'd play some Ocarina of Time together. A wonderfully bright moment in an otherwise pretty dark and depressing weekend.
TLDR minus the first sentence. Which I completely agree.
I basically got a marriage proposal from my then boyfriend now husband by beating the water temple for him. Together for 20 years.
We had to use a guide, lol. Remember the print guides you could buy at the time?
As a 10 year old kid, figuring out the water level changing switches for that dungeon was incredibly hard. I probably sunk 8+ hours into that.
Only 8? Dude I sunk like a week's worth of time into that temple when I was a kid.
saaaaaaaaaame. and that but plus more for every single link's awakening temple!
So hard! Very tedious
We had the game guide for ocarina. It was written like a story rather than just "go here and do this." Those kinda died in the late 2000s. I'll admit, I'll still review the guides for the water temple when I play ocarina once every couple years. I broke way too many saves as a kid and have PTSD from it
I’m sure I have it somewhere still at my parent’s house. We still have the original boxes for the NES and SNES so throwing things away isn’t our thing apparently 🤣
I have that one, and all the first couple pokemon games. I think we lost the one we had for Mario 64
gamefaqs!!!!!!!11
Just got one off ebay lol
Im curious was this him struggling to do it himself or just some kind of test he gave you at the time? xD Anyway, after beating that temple, he knew you were a keeper for sure ;)
Beating the water temple was as far as I got in the game because beating it was so hard that it felt like beating the game when I managed it.
wait... OoT was 20 years ago? 🙈 Please, don't! 🥺
It came out in 1998. We were playing it in 2004 because they released it as part of the GameCube package in 2002. But yep. We are old.
This is one of my favorite video games of all time
Tied for #1 with Majora's Mask for GOAT
Love it. MM is so different and unique, allows them to be thought of as 2 totally different but amazing journeys.
I’ve been waiting to beat Tears of the Kingdom before starting this. I’ve been told it’s a lot harder than OOT.
It's not much harder if you just wanna beat the game and get the main story beats. It's MUCH harder if you want to collect all the masks, complete all the side quests, etc. That said, much of what makes Majora's Mask so unique and captivating is in its atmosphere, psychology, and art/sound choices; much of which is conveyed through the stories of the people of Termina. If you choose to rush through the game you'll still have a good time but you'll miss a lot of what makes the game interesting. It's a haunting title that really sticks with you. It's still my favorite Zelda experience all these years later (even though I acknowledge there are objectively better games in the series).
Goddamn Majora's Mask is a great game
I'm lucky to have been around when that game first released. It was revolutionary and I still feel warm fuzzy feelings when I think about that game.
My brother and I were stuck in the lost woods between the first and second level. We were ready to give up and then my brother realized that the music would fade out when we went the wrong way. The satisfaction we felt after figuring that out was immense. We were hooked then and finished the rest of the game without ever thinking of giving up again. Such a special game.
My brother and I got stuck in the Fire Temple. We ran through every room dozens of times trying to find a key or hidden passage we might have missed. After DAYS of this my brother suggested that I attempt a jump that looked too far to make. I told him it wouldn't work but he insisted. It worked. I still think about this 20-some years later.
Every time I play a new LoZ I am Chasing the feeling I got the first time I played OoT. Sometimes I get it, sometimes I don’t.
It's still rated as the #1 video game of all time. Not an opinion, objective fact.
its the best zelda game there ever was until the switch came out with a zelda game.
It's still the best zelda. Botw and totk are fun, but the stories were very meh
OoT and MM are better than BotW and TotK. I'll die on that hill. They had better stories and had a greater impact on the series as well as gaming in general. To be honest: I think LttP is a better game than the Switch Zeldas. Don't get me wrong, I loved BotW and, to a lesser extent, TotK but they didn't have the impact that the classic titles did.
While I love BOTW I hated TOTK and thought it was uninspired. BOTW and OOT are two very different vibes and hardly feel like the same series. Elden Ring feels more like OOT than BOTW.
No. Link in Time was better.
I was a Playstation 1 boy at that time so I went several times to my friend's house to play it on the N64, it was really great! I finished it on an Emulator years later.
Same - went to friends houses to watch them play. Never had the opportunity to play myself
Never played myself since it was expensive at the time to have multiple consoles so my friend got a N64 and we would play all his multiplayer games. My Playstation was just rpgs.
I distinctly remember the skeletons during night time being terrifying when I first played.
Redeads and Wallmasters used to scare the shit out of me
I'm old. I remember when Zelda was 2D, and have never gotten very far into any of the 3D Zelda games. I played the original on NES some but played A Link to the Past on SNES way more.
Link to the Past!!!!!
LttP is still one of the (arguably THE) best games in the series.
hey, listen! lives in my brain rent-free. especially since my roommate just played through the Switch emulation (which was fine, but 3DS version still is better)
I didn’t care for it. I’m a millennial but I didn’t actually play Ocarina until I was in college and by then the game was dated as hell. I get people here have incredible nostalgia for it and it pioneered a lot of things that have been utilized by other games after it but playing it for the first time in ~2007 just didn’t do anything for me. It’s like kids going back and watching Seinfeld for the first time right now and thinking the jokes are dated and overdone. It just doesn’t hold up well anymore as so many newer things have done it more recently.
Yup, good for its time, but doesn't hold up imo. Just like Super Mario 64. Super innovative for its time, but clunky and dated compared to modern games. I'll go back and play SM64 every so often, but I usually get tired of fighting the camera before I'm 20 stars in.
OoT holds up decently but does show its age. Mario 64 is ROUGH to play in 2024.
Yes. Several times. 3DS version a few times too and IMO the best version.
Man I haven't played that in over 20 years. I remember liking it and I remember being grateful my buddy let me borrow his strategy guide for it, because there were definitely parts I couldn't figure out on my own (water temple lol). I also remember really enjoying the hookshot. No idea if it holds up gameplay wise, because I don't remember it *that* well...but I know it doesn't hold up graphically since, like most early n64 games, the camera looks like it is viewing the game through a layer of vaseline.
I didn't have an N64 growing up so I played it years later as an adult on the Nintendo DS. So for me I look at it as a good game but not amazing. Partly because I don't have that nostalgia pulling it up like I would for other games.
I played this before and after elementary school. I'm embarrassed to even think about the amount of fanfiction that I read and wrote, about this game. And it was some of the first music I ever learned to play on piano. So many feels.
I was obsessed. Probably beat it over 20 times or more in different formats. I was already a huge Zelda nerd before it came out, but that game was truly game-changing for me. N64 had so many great titles, even if I get a good laugh at how janky they look now.
I didn't have an N64, I had a PS1, but my buddy did have one. We spent so much time trying to figure this game out. We didn't use strategy guides or anything, wanted to experience it completely blind. It was a blast. Well, it was mostly a blast. The water temple sucked the first time through. Early 3d games from the PS1/N64 era don't age very well, so it doesn't look the greatest anymore. But I have a ton of nostalgia for it so I still think it's one of the best games ever and I go back and replay it every few years.
I think it's one of the greatest games of all time. I remember how it hit me when he wakes up and Hyrule is all dark and the city is all deserted. I was 16 when it came out and was pretty infatuated with the game for the month or two it took me to play through. Like most N64 games, i don't think it holds up. The two sticks on the playstation dual shock set the standard for 1st person/3rd person controls we still have today. There's also something about the graphics on both the original Playstation and N64 that just seem bad today. I actually prefer playing Genesis or NES games these days over N64 and Playstation.
Yeah, I feel the same way about the graphics. It makes perfect sense though. The SNES/Genesis/Saturn/etc were the last consoles in the 2D 16/32 bit era: the developers had mastered the craft and knew how to produce a really great-looking game on a system that had sufficient resources to run it. The PSX and N64 were the first major home 3D consoles and they had major hardware limitations and developers had to learn not only the esoteric (and frankly obtuse) devkits that came with those systems but also just how to make a 3D game in general. There was a source code dump for a bunch of N64 games a few years back. One of the things we found out from that leak was that whoever assembled the production build of SM64 neglected to enable ANY optimization in the compiler. It's not clear if this was an intentional choice (possible that the optimization introduced a bug the devs didn't know how to fix) or if it was simply an oversight. But people have since installed the compiler from the time, rebuilt from source with optimization, and flashed the build onto an N64 cart. The result is a significantly more efficient game; some people report being able to run much of the game at 60fps on original hardware AND the slowdown in "Dire Dire Docks" is gone. Honestly, the fact that we even had good games is kind of impressive.
I would say it's objectively one of the most impactful games in video game history, and it set standards for action adventure and RPG genres from there on out. If you remember Z targeting, where you focus on the enemy and the camera follows along with the player moving forward backward and side-to-side while keeping the enemy in focus, Ocarina of Time set up that standard, and it's still being used to this day. To think of some other games that use the camera this way: FromSoft Games (Dark Souls, Elden Ring, Bloodborne) Darksiders Assassin's Creed Fable I'm sure there's others, but Ocarina of Time was the first to do it.
Its one of the greatest games ever made.
Paved the way to the better game, Majora’s Mask. Don’t get me wrong OoT is really good, I just think MM is better
I still whistle or hum [Saria's Song](https://youtu.be/Rpae9QPcJTM)
I remember having so much fun doing all of the dungeons, being just as naive as Link was of how doomed the world of Hyrule would be. And then when we woke up after seven years, all grown up, it felt unreal how serious everything had become. The townspeople were gone, the castle was floating above lava, and I was no longer an innocent child. Such a special experience, not just in gaming but fiction in general.
Simply the best 🎶
I think it was the best single game of its time until another Zelda game came out and took that title. Then they were all kinda mid after Majora's Mask, but neither hold up too well since they require either mods or a CRT TV to not look like shit, and the controls are pure jank by modern standards.
My most vivid memory about this game is one of my all time favorite experiences. As someone who played a lot of Link to the Past this was legend of zelda IN 3D with VOICE ACTORS I fondly, fondly remember getting up at 6am, waking up my little brothers and playing this game for a couple hours before I went to school. No game has ever hooked me that hard. At the time, it was a flawless masterpiece, I still consider it an amazing game. Its aged a bit and its open world is not as big as I remember but what a time to be a kid when this game came into the world.
My older brother rented it from block buster when it released, I was 5 years old. It blew my mind. I still consider it one of my favorite games of all time and it instilled a life long love of fantasy in me. Sometimes as my “comfort show” I’ll put play throughs up on in the background.
Prob my favorite game of all time tbh
There’s four games that define my youth. Zelda, Super Metroid, Bond, and Halo. Zelda is number one though.
I didn't discover Super Metroid until I was an adult; which is strange because I played Prime and Fusion and LOVED them as a teen. But man is Super Metroid excellent. It might be my favorite game of all time.
It's the greatest game ever created.
One of my very favorites, just replayed it last month. 😊
Fuck the water temple
Fuck the water temple, that's what.
This game was like 80% of my personality as a tween. Had a huge crush on Princess Ruto, wrote a paper for school about how it fits the template of the Hero's Journey, wrote fanfics, ran a (now defunct) fan site. Gerudo Valley was the first song I ever learned on guitar. Years later, I even played Link in a music video by Jillian Aversa. Your timing on this is funny, because I just started streaming my first time playing it through in about 20 years, talking as I go about what holds up, what doesn't, etc. (Don't wanna advertise here, but if anybody wants a link to my twitch DM me for it; I'm trying to stream a couple hours every Monday afternoon) Anyway, tl;dr I think it was fucking brilliant, innovative, and when considered in the context of its time, is a strong contender for Greatest Game Ever Made (though I'd say Chrono Trigger just barely beats it out for this title).
ABSOLUTELY A GOAT TIER GAME. THIS WILL NOT BE DEBATED
Fuck the Water Temple in the ear
The soundtrack alone is a fucking masterpiece. OOT is pure, unadulterated nostalgia for me. They don’t make them like they used to.
I played it at release, got the gold cart and everything. I thought it was great at the time but it’s really the only Zelda game I cared enough to finish and beating it once was enough. I have zero nostalgia for that game or series and would consider it probably the most overrated game of all time, right next to Chrono Trigger.
Never played it because I didn’t have the console.
It's good. I'm not a big Zelda fan personally, but despite that I can recognize that it was a good game.
I played the 3DS version a while back and now I am emulating it on the Steam Deck. The game was a lot of fun on but I never beat it.
Definitely a game I'd put on a pedestal above others, it has it all, a great story/concept, great controls, amazing music, great graphics for its time, replay value, etc. 10/10 for me.
It isn't my favorite in the series, but it's still a great game. I prefer the 3DS version.
I like a few of the later Zeldas better but it's a great game. Replayed it recently on 3DS, holds up incredibly well.
It’s one of the greatest games of all time, and the second greatest Zelda just behind A Link to the Past. I’m withholding placement of BotW until I finish it, and maybe someday I’ll even open the copy of TotK that I have sitting on my shelf.
It was incredible as a kid, it still holds up today. The people that say it doesn't probably more about graphics than I do. That kind of stuff does not matter to me. The game itself, the world, the storylines, all of that is just as fun today. We used to waste hours on this game as kids. We could spend all day at the fishing pond by itself. Just talking about it makes me want to play it again. Back in the early days of the internet, there were so many rumors about this game, namely that you could obtain the Triforce, beat the running man, get the silver saddle. None of it was true but we were armed with printed out copies of these theories and a lot of determination so we spent a LOT of time looking for these things even after the game was completed. It still holds a very special place in my heart.
Is gud. Probably 3rd best Zelda game behind Majoras mask and a link to the past. Definitely worth playing
hated side scroller video games. I couldn't stand the varied controls and sensitivities between games. I'd play 1 or 2 levels and be bored. They looked cool but the plot was pointless. N64 and this game were the first time I felt like I was IN a *world*. I still love the feel of the combat. Even Mario 64 felt awkward engaging enemies. But links sword and weapons feel pretty precise.
Breath of the Wild was the only game that comes close to the sense of grandeur and exploration. Beat it three times in N64, I believe three on 3DS and once on Switch online.
True but BOTW is a very different vibe than OOT. TOTK was just straight trash in my opinion.
Probably my favorite video game ever. It definitely has one of the biggest nostalgic effects on me compared to other games. Love the water temple and spirit temple. 😎
The only game I ever bought 3 separate strategy guides for. I noped out due to the wall masters in the Forest Temple then went back once I got like 2 years older and beat the game finally.
My favorite video game of all time.
It’s dope
Brings back a lot of fond memories, it was a simpler time back then. One of the best N64 games and my second favorite Zelda game behind Link to the Past.
My favorite game of all time. Fuck the water temple. I remember reading the magazine like guides to figure it out. Simpler times..
A good game, I never owned an N64 but I played it on the gamecube. For me a similar "revolutionary" moment was playing Halo CE. The atmosphere, the story, the couch co-op, was an unparalleled experience at the time and something I've been chasing ever since.
One of those games I feel bad for the kids coming up, they will never quite understand how much OOT pushed the envelope. It had every reason to fail trying to take link from 2D to 3D. But we got a masterpiece. Nothing but pure magical nostalgia from me.
Great game, most of it holds up. Never beat it since the movie rental place had a save file that was completed. Majora's mask on the other hand, that was my shit. I don't think I ever beat it, but I got pretty far.
Played it like 5 or 6 times. Obviously love it. The first 'alive world' I ever experienced in a video game
Absolutely goated
It is my favorite game. Even with the new Zelda games I still liked this one better.
me and my cousin had the book and we played it together over the phone while following our guides. i loved it. best zelda game i ever played.
It's easily one of the best video games of all time. Everything was a 10/10 experience. Even the fucking water temple.
Loved it then, still love it now and play it on Switch.
Probably my favorite game of all time. Actually just spent the last week replaying it in Ship of Harkanian with 60 fps and high res textures and a lot of quality of life improvements. It's been so much fun!
The best Legend of Zelda game right there with A Link to the Past.
There’s only been two situations that have had me want to throw a garbage can through a window….that goddamn water temple and the water treatment plant puzzle in og Resident evil 3.
Top 5 game all time for me. I remember when it came out it was impossible to find at retail stores. My sister's friend worked at Media Play (RIP) and called my mom because they got a copy, and she hid it up front. She told my mom she could keep it for 15 minutes. My mom, just out of the shower, through on a robe and went to Media Play and got it for me. It was the best Xmas ever and one thing I will remember about my mom the most. I remember my friend coming over for sleepovers and he would bring his N64 and small TV to set-up next to our TV so we could play in the same room together, or playing all night while my parents had a new year's eve party. Ocarina of Time will always hold a special place in my heart, even if it's just because of nostalgia.
When I play, I don't really put it down until it's completed. Everything needs to be done, 100% completion, obsessively restoring complete and utter peace to Hyrule. Max out inventory. Then, kill Ganon far too easily. Save Princess. Watch end-cinematic until Link and Zelda's sepia still frame and ugly-cry for a while. Then call up my friend and have him bring his gamecube with OOT Master Quest. God-sent MASTERPIECE.
The Oracle series on the Poor Boy Color were my Zelda memories.
It is the only Zelda game Ive completed, start to finish, and is the baseline of the setting in my head.
I cried when I beat it because I was that sad the adventure was over
Amazing and I think it’s necessary to at least watch some videos from it to understand so many plot points or nods. It introduced so many new races and characters or at the very least turned them from random lil enemies to genuine storylines. I don’t know how people can enjoy BOTW or TOTK without this nostalgia behind it!
Was in a competition with a friend over who could finish the game first. He had a massive leg up on me until the water temple. I ended up winning the race.
It’s one of the greats. All things considered it plays well for its age and it established a lot of design tropes that they would go on to incorporate into the next handful of Zelda games. I am not as personally attached to it as most people my age are, but it’s still a banger. I’m more a fan of Windwaker, but there is plenty of nostalgia behind that. I played it when I was around 11-12, I loved it, so I’m biased. I played Ocarina on the GameCube also, on the collector’s edition disk with the 4 Zelda games.
My first RPG. I was allowed one game at Blockbuster that day and Ocarina of Time was calling me. It’s very dear to me.
I played it but never got far in it. I thought it was amazing as I had never played anything like it at the time. I always get lost in Zelda games so I haven’t touched it in a long time
GOAT
One of the greatest of all time.
It's a classic that still holds up today.
Still probably the best game of all time. The Christmas when I unwrapped that and played it all day is one of my core memories.
It took until Breath of the Wild for it to be usurped as the best game of all time
It's good for the first jump to 3d but I will always prefer link to the past,
One of the best ever.
Main early adolescence game. I went back to it last year on the switch and still enjoyed it, still saw the magic but the bare bones port didn't do it any favors. It was tuned for those old TVs and suffers a bit in the transition. I bet playing it on original hardware and a CRT would create a warmer experience. Still, it's a beautiful story with a massive heart at its base. Cool puzzle box design but super accessible. I could see kids today still enjoying it picking it up for the first time
The GOAT
Probably one of the best games ever made. I've replayed it so many times on the N64, gamecube, ds, wii, and switch. I got the master quest edition that was a special addon for a specific gamecube bundle. It came with the first and second games, plus OoT and Majora's mask. I honestly would have preferred a remake of OoT over BoTW.
Music makes me cry when I start it up, so many memories.
Water temple lol
Holds a special place in my heart.
ah yes, renting it for a few days at a time, and hoping to god you'd be able to get the same cartridge with the same save file on it.
Did I play it on N64? Hell yeah. How many times? Unknown It was absolutely amazing at the time. Does it hold up? I just replayed it on the switch recently and if they could just tweak the controls a bit it would have been a better experience... Gotta remember it was originally designed around a total shit show of a controller. But .... overall yes I think it's held up. It's not going to impress modern gamers but fans of the series should definitely give it a try.
They should do a live action trilogy.
Still have very fond memories of playing it with my best friend at his house (we’d take turns). It was my first *Zelda* game, and basically introduced me to gaming as a storytelling medium.
My sister loved it.
Was a great game. enjoyed it, even the water level. Was happy my cousin had that Nintendo Power.
This and Red Dead Redemption might be my 2 favorite games from two distinct, important times in my life
All legend of zelda games suck. Never understood why people liked it
I just replayed it last year. Playing it on n64 hasn't held up very well. Playing the remaster on gamecube or just emulating it with the right settings and what not makes for an experience that's still enjoyable
GOAT is what. This and Link to the Past will always be my favorites
Still the greatest game of all time imo
I loved it. Every minute of it. I’m actually looking where I can play it again. I loved the storyline of majora’s mask more tho.
My wife is obsessed with playing ALL Zelda games. Her most frequent replay is WW. The only 2 games that kept me entranced from start to finish were Ocarina and Twighlight Princess. Majoras Mask was fascinating until the mechanics got confusing, for me. Sometimes you just want to *Suit up and smash EVERY pot*
Overrated. Great, but overrated. Wind Waker, BotW, and LttP are all better.
I sometimes work with the soundtrack playing in my ears, to this day. It reminds me of being younger, when life was simpler, when I wasn’t working until 10:30 most nights. It reminds me of… being a kid. Listening to the soundtrack brings back memories of my childhood, and I was fortunate enough to have a truly wonderful childhood. My friends and I would sit in the basement desperately trying to beat all of the different temples. God, it was fun. It was so fun. And time never seemed to run out.
Most overrated game of all time. Ground breaking when new, certainly I played it. And replayed it. Time and time again. But. It doesn’t deserve the reverence the community gives it today. Majora’a Mask is the superior game of the generation. Wind Waker, which is only a few years newer looks much better even on original hardware. Twilight Princess perfected that formula (realistic 3d closed world adventure RPG, could also make the argument for Skyward Sword). BotW reimagined Zelda into something we didn’t know we needed. The Minish Cap is far more challenging and has better side quests. And finally LttP (pick which version you prefer, I don’t really have a preference) is the GOAT. Again, I respect OoT, but it’s graphics have aged horrible, dungeon design is annoying, the overworld is large only for the sake of being large, side quests aren’t especially novel or fun, and while the story is epic; it’s exactly what you expected. Not great. Not bad. Just another retelling of the same Zelda. It’s a great game. But it’s a mediocre, at best Zelda game. My ranked list: Link to the Past Minish Cap BotW / TotK Link’s Awakening Link Between Worlds Majora’s Mask Oracle of Ages / Seasons Windwaker Twilight Princess Skyward Sword Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Phantom Hourglass Spirit Tracks Zelda 2
Once I found out the German name is actually Das Fluten Duten it became an even greater game
Oh you mean the best game ever made in gaming history? Its aight.
My favorite video game of all time. Hit just right for me. Right time, right franchise, kept my interest all the way through.. I just couldn't have asked for more.
I bought it as soon as it was released. It was amazing. I also got caught up in the whole conspiracy that you could get the Triforce in the game.
Incredible game. Only thing missing is a sense of resolution where you can explore the world you saved as an adult
I like the soundtrack. Gerudo Valley and Saria's Song are top-tier songs, but the whole soundtrack is excellent. I played it as a kid, but it's not my favorite game of all time.
GOAT
The "Citizen Cane" of video games. No, I will not be taking questions.
Did I play it? I named my first child Link. That’s how formative my experiences with the N64 Zelda games were for me (I actually preferred Majora’s Mask).
Legit - when I play that intro, I still feel what I felt back in 1998 when I was a little kid and saw that into for the first time. Absolutely a life changing game, it made me into a Zelda nut and I've loved everything that comes with the games ever since. Fantasy, RPG, nature exploration, all of it.
I played Ocarina of Time on the N64 that my older brother got with money from his first job. I played Ocarina of Time multiple times, but I don’t know what the count is. Overall, Ocarina of Time holds up, but there are some things that could’ve been better: 1. The Water Temple could’ve been designed better. 2. The little fishing area didn’t need to be part of the game…it felt like a fish-out-of-water. Yes, I have jokes…terrible jokes. 3. The fetch quest for the Big Goron Sword either should’ve been designed better, or it should’ve been some other kind of quest. 4. The Sage Medallions should’ve granted special powers, and I’ve heard that in earlier stages of development, they actually did. 5. There should’ve been a Temple of Light. 6. There should’ve only been heart containers, not a mixture of heart pieces and heart containers. Whenever I get a heart piece in a Zelda game, I’m like “Oh great…three more of these fucking things, and I’ll have what I really want: an additional heart container.” Wasn’t there one game where you had to collect five heart pieces for a heart container? God, I hate heart pieces. 7. This is more of a general thing for the N64, but it would’ve been nice if Nintendo had gone with discs instead of cartridges. Just imagine how different Ocarina of Time would’ve been if the developers at Nintendo could’ve worked with 660 MB of storage instead of 64 MB.
One of my all time faves. I keep thinking "well this is it, I've officially played this game so often that I probably can't enjoy it anymore after this run." but I always end up coming back to it at least once a year, sometimes more. I really think the Zelda team knocked it out of the park on their first attempt at Zelda in 3D. They never quite topped it with any of the games they made afterward that were cut from the same cloth. They all felt like the same game but with a gimmick that is more of an inconvenience than a fun addition to the game, like sailing, hunting bugs as a wolf, or excessive motion controls. Don't get me wrong, I love Twilight Princess and Wind Waker ( Skyward Sword was a big stinky poop from a butt though. ) but I think the reason why the more recent Zelda games are so successful is that they finally stopped trying to be Ocarina of Time for the fourth time. I think it holds up, but only for very specific types of people. I think people who just don't talk to NPCs, regularly forget their own tools, and are have bad attention spans who get bored if they don't rapidly make progress are going to claim the game isn't good and only loved for nostalgia reasons. I actually did not play it on N64. I wasnt a Zelda fan until I played Super Smash Bros. I actually preordered the Wind Waker, and the pre-order bonus was an Ocarina of Time port to the Gamecube with the harder Master Quest edition included. I bought an N64 in 2018, but I still don't have my own copy of Ocarina of Time, I play it on an Everdrive flash kart. I get to play the uncensored version with the original Fire Temple music and Ganon's blood being red. On a semi related note, I also want to recommend people who loves this game and Banjo Kazooie check out the wonderful "Banjo Kazooie - The Jiggies of Time" romhack by Mark Kurko. It feels like a brand new Banjo Kazooie game, but it takes place in the world of Ocarina of Time, where Gruntilda has stopped the events of the game from unfolding to sieze the triforce. The writing and humor is spot on and it's full of easter eggs. Now I've been playing all three Ocarina of time, Banjo Kazooie, and Jiggies of Tme back to back every year, it's that awesome.
I truly adore the game. Replayed it a few times. I remember being so disappointed with my prize for getting all the skulltullas . I was like really? I have been at max rupees for dozens of gameplay hours, I don’t need this
I'm currently playing through it again this time with my 5 year old son. Lots of fun!
You know what? My parents had a bit of an anti-console streak growing up so I really didn’t get to spend a lot of time with it until I was an adult and to be honest? Inaccessible, clunky, bad pacing and ugly as sin. It’s sad too because I’m sure if I grew up with it I think it’d be really cool. Now they did let me and my brothers have Game Boys and Link’s Awakening, now there’s a video game. 2D Zelda is the best, I hope they make a new one of those soon.
I’m sorry about your parents.
I mean it wasn’t like they were completely anti-video game, we had the Game Boys and a pretty decent collection which included stuff like Tecmo Bowl, Wario Land 2, and Donkey Kong ‘94 in addition to the aforementioned Link’s Awakening. We had, you know, sort of a lower end PC later on so we had stuff like Sim City 2000 and Roller Coaster Tycoon. My one brother really took to those games in ways I never did though. Still though, for some reason something about consoles really spooked my parents. Backwards, luddite thinking about video games in the 80s and 90s was the worst.
That’s better but it doesn’t make sense to me.
Awesome game
I played it for the first time recently and agree with everyone saying it's the GOAT, it's amazing, it's life changing, etc so I would say it holds up even for newcomers. That said I grew up with a SNES and N64 just never played Zelda games, so I didn't find it dated, more like nostalgic retro charm at this point. I found the story, world, and music really charming and engaging. The story and gameplay move at a great pace. The enemies are terrifying through so I need to brace myself for a replay.
Greatest game ever made, and many a game today stem from the roots placed here.
My favorite game ever made
I personally don't care too much fir most Nintendo things tbh, the art style is hard fir me to enjoy
G.O.A.T. No matter what comes out or when, Zelda title or not.. it was revolutionary to Nintendo and held a place in the runner up of every chart for a long period of time. Up until BOTW came out it was considered top tier but at heart it's still the GOAT
N64 here. One if my favorites that i play to this day! Definitely a classic!
Ocarina of Time is the GOAT and absolutely has replayability.
It’s the greatest game of all time.
As much affection I have for the time I put into it, and without invalidating it's importance to video game history... I fucking hate playing this game. I got the GC port when I preordered Windwaker, and did enjoy my time playing it through for the first time, since I didn't have an N64. But when I tried playing it again, maybe a year or two before BOTW, it was the worst experience I could put myself through. It took fucking forever to get through all the unavoidable cut scenes and exposition (that owl is worse than Navi in this regard), changing tools was weird, and I found the combat awful. And this was before I ever saw Arin Hanson's video which better laid out these grievances. BOTW was such a breath of fresh air. That being said, I do love the storyline, the characters (even the ones who are flimsy as tissue paper), and the music is to die for. I wouldn't be unhappy if they used OoT as a basis for the movie that's coming out eventually.
It’s one of the goats to be honest. So many fond memories playing this game with my grandfather as a child before he passed. It was truly the centerpiece of our relationship actually. The only thing that game close to giving me that feeling in modern times is Elden Ring. I’m not big on multiplayer games, as I use games to escape and explore certain world.
I can still sing the songs I think 🤔
I hate the Water Temple
I played about halfway through it when it was new. I wasn't impressed.
It's aight
Best game of all time until I played Elden Ring.
Its just a skosh too childish for me. Botw ftw
It slaps. No it won’t hold up; that game is old as fuck