The Legend of Zelda for the NES.

[TheRetroVideoGameAddict]

I've recently beaten The Legend of Zelda on the NES, my first time doing so since around 2005 and my 4th or 5th time completing the game since I was a kid. It's funny, this game still gets me every time I sit down and play it, it's as if I'm going in with child like emotions when I play this title and it's truly a game that has stood the test of time, to me it's a hands down all-time great. Anyone here play this game lately? If so, what were your experiences with the game as an adult versus your experiences with it as a child?

I do admit, I had to go check a few strategy guides online later on in the game, maybe at the old age of 32 my mind is slipping or something because I couldn't remember how to finish the 7th dungeon and I totally forgot where some of the heart containers were. Oh well, I'll remember (hopefully) for next time. I recently wrote a blog review of the game located at http://theretrovideogameaddict.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-retro-video-game-addict-reviews.html and tell me what you think!

Well, let's get some Zelda discussion going, I know many of you here must have something to say about this classic cart and I'm anxious to read it!

[wiggyx]

I probably play through it about twice a month. Doing so is almost all muscle memory at this point. Love this game. Always have, always will.

[Polygon]

I love that game. Sadly, I've never played all the way through it.

[bigbacon]

All the top down zelda games are great. Once they went 3d, they all suck. (IMO)

and who can forget the old Zelda commercials?

[A.C. Sativa]

All the top down zelda games are great. Once they went 3d, they all suck. (IMO)

and who can forget the old Zelda commercials?

Agreed. As for the original, I play it a few times a year. What blows my mind is how much easier it is for me now. Which is weird, with a lot of older games I'm thinking "How the hell did I play this as a kid".

[bigbacon]

Agreed. As fpr the original, I play it a few times a year. What blows my mind is how much easier it is for me now. Which is weird, with a lot of older games I'm thinking "How the hell did I play this as a kid".

my problem isn't that, is more now that the older games, which were so easy as a kid and just hard as all hell to me today.

[kainemaxwell]

I should do that again too. Used to rig myself and get the white sword before starting the dungeons by getting bombs and grabbing 2 ore heart containers and make my way to where it was early, carefully of course.

and this speaking of commercials:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-qBkWerZDg

[lkermel]

Waooo, I haven't played the first Zelda in a long while. However, I often revisit A Link to the Past - although I love every single Zelda games, LTTP is still my Favorite :)

[A.C. Sativa]

my problem isn't that, is more now that the older games, which were so easy as a kid and just hard as all hell to me today.

That's what I was getting at, but for some reason this game (the key to the left of the "x" isn't working on my keyboard) is the exception.

[Tron 2.0]

Every few months or so i play the legend of zelda.Far back i as remember it was the first action rpg that i ever played.Sure the later ones in the series are superior to it,but i have no problem going back it for a quick play.

[CastlevaniaDude]

with a lot of older games I'm thinking "How the hell did I play this as a kid".

Nailed it.

This triggered some mega nostalgia within me.

I recently decided to play through all the Zelda games, in order.

Beat Zelda 1, beat Zelda 2, as well as ALTTP and subsequent GB stuff.

Got to Ocarina of Time, which I'd never played.... While it's considered maybe the greatest Zelda title of all time, I just don't get it.

It's clunky, it looks like shit to me, I can't master the controls, the puzzles are more tedious than they're worth. I just gave up.

Hand OOT to a 12 year old today, and they will probably breeze through it. I just can't, even as an adult and even with walkthroughs and video help. I just get bored. It feels more like work than playing a game. I don't get what's fun about it.

When I was maybe 10, though, I got through Legend of Zelda with almost no problem. In an era before the internet, knowledge of games like this was almost memetic. Nobody ever told me where to go or what to look for, I just sort of knew. Everyone knew. Just like when one kid discovered a new code or password, even if I never saw the Nintendo Power (or other source) that it came from, it was just like, kind of there, in the hivemind, the "cloud" before there was a cloud as it were.

Sort of like with the Mortal Kombat codes, even to go a little bit farther on in history. I don't remember EVER seeing a source before I had the blood code and debug mode code memorized. Finally, one of my friends showed up with a little card he'd received from Midway outlining all the codes and finishing moves. It blew my freaking mind. Granted, I didn't really read gaming mags or anything back then, so I probably missed out on a ton of sources of these things, but among my friends, things just kind of were organic knowledge.

That's what made the original Zelda so memorable. You just kinda knew where everything was. It was just a part of being a kid then. I didn't get that same kind of satisfying feeling from OOT, nor do I from a lot of new games.

[bigbacon]

^--

dont feel bad, OOT is WAY over rated. That game alone killed the Zelda franchise for me. Was such a horrible chore of a game and boring to boot. There is just something fun about the top down games and the not knowing so much of what to do and where to burn/bomb/whatever. Who didn't just go around and burn every tree imaginable.

[wiggyx]

I really like OoT, but it can be a tad tedious. Too much walking around and BS side quests (which have become more and more prevalent with each new Zelda title. Ick). I do think the controls are among the best when compared to other 3D action/Adventure titles. Z-targeting is a pretty ingenious idea and it made battling in 3D so much more forgiving while not feeling like a "cheat".

(Hope I didn't derail the thread...)

[kainemaxwell]

Started playing Zelda again on jnes, thanks a lot guys. XD

Haven't finished LttP in a long time either, Link's Awakening was one the first emulated games I finished when I got all that setup on my DC. I should play the other GB titles and give the GBA ones a whirl sometime. Never finished Zelda 2. :(

[Black_Tiger]

The original Legend of Zelda is the only one that ages gracefully for my tastes and is far and away my favorite. It's a solid idea/design/gameplay first and foremost. Later entries seemed more concerned with gimmicks and themes.

[BlastProcessing402]

Zelda 1 will always be my favorite, just based on how it doesn't hold your hand, make you do things in a specific order, have an annoying exposition/helper character etc.

[SpaceHarrier]

Legend of Zelda was the second video game I ever got as a kid, but ironically, I only recently beat it for the first time. I was surprised how addictive it could still be, as I tend to have no attention span any more. I still need to play through the second quest though. I found the first run through to be pretty easy, much easier than when I was a kid (since I obviously never beat it then). I think the reason I loved sandbox games like GTA III so much is that they remind me of Legend of Zelda, and how much fun I had as a child just randomly walking around the overworld fighting enemies.

I've seen a lot of people say aLttP is easy, but I find that one quite hard to navigate through, despite it being my favorite in the series.

[frogofdeath]

Zelda 1 will always be my favorite, just based on how it doesn't hold your hand, make you do things in a specific order, have an annoying exposition/helper character etc.
I love the first Zelda, but we must be playing a different game. The original is what set the stage for all those things you mentioned you disliked. In fact the only ones that don't follow the tried and true Zelda format may be Adventure's of Link and Majora'a Mask.

Also, I can't believe the dislike for Ocarina of Time. Great story, fantastic dungeons, and, tight controls. Graphically it may not have aged well, but not many games from that era have.

[kainemaxwell]

Zelda 1 will always be my favorite, just based on how it doesn't hold your hand, make you do things in a specific order, have an annoying exposition/helper character etc.

Exactly. Once you know what you're doing, armed with maps you can jump around fighting some the early dungeons, get items if you survive, however you want.

[TheRetroVideoGameAddict]

I'm glad everyone here has such fond memories of The Legend of Zelda for the NES. Playing the game again prompted me to sit down and write that review and I've really missed playing the game since I've been away from it as long as I have, it's really quite a joyful experience and something that the kids of today should really sit down and try. Zelda is a true NES and video gaming masterpiece and will always live on among us retro gaming fans as one of the best games ever created, long live that little gold cart!

[Parodius Duh!]

Beat the prototype FDS version the other day. Quite a lot of interesting differences and make for a new experience.

[BlastProcessing402]

I love the first Zelda, but we must be playing a different game. The original is what set the stage for all those things you mentioned you disliked. In fact the only ones that don't follow the tried and true Zelda format may be Adventure's of Link and Majora'a Mask.

I dunno what you're playing then, because none of that stuff I mentioned was in the original game.

[TheRetroVideoGameAddict]

Its funny now much larger the over world map seemed when I was younger, while replaying it recently I noticed I was whipping from one section of the map to the other in mere minutes while back in the day it took forever. I think a big part of it was that I was killing every enemy along the way when I was a kid, so yeah......

[SuperSonic]

I really like OoT, but it can be a tad tedious. Too much walking around and BS side quests (which have become more and more prevalent with each new Zelda title. Ick). I do think the controls are among the best when compared to other 3D action/Adventure titles. Z-targeting is a pretty ingenious idea and it made battling in 3D so much more forgiving while not feeling like a "cheat".

(Hope I didn't derail the thread...)

If the game doesn't have like retarded amount of hours of game play people get pissed of. Also, its much harder to make a big 3d world than a 2d one so they have to put in a ton of quests that use the same space.

[bigbacon]

Beat the prototype FDS version the other day. Quite a lot of interesting differences and make for a new experience.

made me look into this and overall it doesn't seem all the different.

[Eternal Champion]

I just recently found a 20" Toshiba CRT so I hooked up my classic 3 systems, and started with Zelda with my daughter. After she went to bed I blew threw Levels 1-4. Just now beat 5.
I haven't played through this game since...must be 1995 or so at the very latest, but I think I started into it again about 11 years ago. It's amazing what I remember, though I think I'm confusing some secret bushes with the Second Quest. The things my brain chooses to retain...

Anyway, what gets me, after playing the later games, is how few clues we get! So far, OK, "walk into the waterfall" then I get another clue. But what now? (I really, really want to avoid any off-game hints) I believe all clues HAVE to be there, in the game. I remember a message to "see the old man in the graveyard", so that must be next.

I have always fondly remembered the lack of hand-holding of the NES adventure games, but man I'm not used to it anymore. It's probably because I don't have the time to wander around and explore.

On the one hand, it feels "small" compared to Zelda II and Link to the Past, but on the other hand, at this point in my life, it's more manageable.

[granz]

I liked Zelda II better than the first game. I'm sure I'm in the minority here. I guess I just have a preference for platforming elements in action-adventure games, as they tend to put more focus on combat. In Zelda II, for instance, enemies could maneuver in more complex ways thanks to the difference in perspective. It was much more difficult to target their vulnerable points and evade their attacks. On top of that, you had to pay more attention to obstacles in your environment, because enemies could knock you into pitfalls or pools of lava.

[thegamezmaster]

Love that game! Still have it CIB from when it first came out. Love the whole series. Great memories. Just recently found my old Nintendo Fun Club issue with The Legend Of Zelda on the cover. Was lucky enough to get to play it at the Summer CES right before it was released. Was taught by Howard Phillips on the game play. Great memories!

[Eternal Champion]

I liked Zelda II better than the first game. I'm sure I'm in the minority here. I guess I just have a preference for platforming elements in action-adventure games, as they tend to put more focus on combat. In Zelda II, for instance, enemies could maneuver in more complex ways thanks to the difference in perspective. It was much more difficult to target their vulnerable points and evade their attacks. On top of that, you had to pay more attention to obstacles in your environment, because enemies could knock you into pitfalls or pools of lava.I agree with you - I wouldn't say I liked II more, but the combat really was groundbreaking for the time, and I reckon even for most games of the 16-bit era, too.

[whiteyfats]

Classic is a word thrown around too much, but this game is one of the true classics of video games.