Zelda II - Why all the hate?

[eskobar]

Zelda II is one of my favorite games of the saga ....

Back in '89 many people wasn't as obssesive with a "series" of any videogame as they are now. Many good games are hated because they deviate from a certain aspect of design, gameplay or even music being different than previous releases.

I loved Zelda II from the first TV ads that aired on México from C. ITOH ... Getting the game was a bit hard but when i had the chance to open the box and touch that beautiful gold cart, I WAS AMAZED !!!!!!!.

The original Zelda was impressive and I think it was great that Nintendo focused on giving a great gameplay experience even if they did in a different way. The music is BRILLIANT, the gameplay is very tight, it works the way it was designed ...

... the first thing that I noticed was that the game required real skill to be played, unlike the original, that had no real challenge to your fingers, hehehehe. And loved the LEVEL UP system because it had a freedom not present in the original ... The towns were a great addition that ... same for the hidden ones, jejejeje. I spent some time traveling on woods to find hidden spots and loved the caves and its rewards.

The enemies were very well designed, all of them had a weakspot to be avoided or to kill them. The battles with the KNIGHTS were EPIC, I had PERFECT timing in my jumps and the possition of my shield .... it was beautiful to see a well fought battle.

It was a bit difficult, but not a insane or cheap difficult; you had a great control and even the super jump if you need extra help .... loved the way brigdes destroyed after you stepped on them.

Had a great time with the game, it was an action driven quest but it didn't feel dumb, it had the intelligence of the original Zelda. It was a pleasure to play such gem.

[j_factor]

I don't like Zelda II but it has nothing to do with it being "different", as I didn't like the first one that much either. The random battles are weird and jarring. I think it would've been a lot better if they'd ditched the overworld entirely, along with the random battles. That's what Ys III did, and I consider that a much better example of a side-scrolling action-RPG.

I don't like how the game saves your level, but not the amount of experience you had. I don't like the heart containers and magic containers -- it's like the game can't decide whether it wants to be experience-based or not. I don't like how you have to "learn" things like the downward stab. It's not like it's a spell or anything; what exactly is Link learning? I also don't like the method for learning spells, and I find the fetch quests boring.

[bangtango]

I don't like how you have to "learn" things like the downward stab. It's not like it's a spell or anything; what exactly is Link learning? I also don't like the method for learning spells.

Can I assume you also were less than pleased with NES Double Dragon in which Billy Lee had to "learn" how to do an uppercut, an elbow and a sitdown punch?

[spongerob]

How is it illogical to buy a $200 game when you have a 360 w emulation capabilities?

Dunno dude, dunno

[Icarus Moonsight]

Can I assume you also were less than pleased with NES Double Dragon in which Billy Lee had to "learn" how to do an uppercut, an elbow and a sitdown punch?

Master System version, yet again. NES should have been called Single Dragon.

Solo play the NES becomes more varied and interesting, though it takes a bit of time to get there.
2P co-op is a no brainer for SMS and the NES 2P was horrid.

[bangtango]

Master System version, yet again. NES should have been called Single Dragon.

Solo play the NES becomes more varied and interesting, though it takes a bit of time to get there.
2P co-op is a no brainer for SMS and the NES 2P was horrid.

Actually, those moves in NES Double Dragon that you had to earn were among the original video game "unlockables" before they became known as "unlockables." That game was a true trendsetter and it didn't even know it.

Getting back to Zelda II, one notable feature that nobody mentioned so far is that fact that some of the magic containers and heart containers are damn near impossible to find without either some help (via tips) or good old fashioned dumb luck (you just happen to walk over the right piece of land).

[chrisballer]

I don't hate Zelda II, but I am not a big fan. When the first Zelda game came out it was such a new and for me an awesome experience that I think anything that would of followed it up next would have been criticized.

[old man]

I actually think it gets more love because it's a Zelda title. If it were some random NES Adventure RPG like Faxanadu, Hydlide, or whatever I doubt it would have nearly as many fans. It being a Zelda game is what drives a lot of people to actually stick it out and put up with the BS.

*cough*battleofolympus*cough*

I liked zelda II, but I hated the leveling up with experience points. I would have much rather it had a been more like metroid in that sense. Where you gain abilities and strength through finding power ups. The dungeons were awesome though. I think they're the best side scrolling mazes ever devised. I would love to see a new side scrolling zelda, but only if the developers were capable of making side scrolling dungeons as good or better than zelda II's.

[skaar]

Honestly, I never really thought of it as a Zelda game when I was a kid. It was an adventure game. Faxanadu didn't have nearly as smooth controls, but I played through that one too. Battle of Olympus I shall need to check out.

[kupomogli]

You see the same people who dislike Zelda 2 praise Battle of Olympus yet Battle of Olympus sucks balls compared to Zelda 2. With Zelda 2, it's pretty obvious where you need to go. Battle of Olympus requires an immense amount of backtracking through the few areas in the game because you happen to get a certain item but you have no idea where it works until you happen to run across that location. Time to go back to every area you couldn't progress through until you find the correct location to use the item.

Then people want to complain about grinding for hearts on Castlevania 2? Wait until you have to grind for the currency on Battle of Olympus.

[Aussie2B]

If you pay attention to the clues in Battle of Olympus, you should know exactly where to go and what to do. Unlike NPCs in other NES games, they're actually pretty useful and coherent. I wrote down the clues as I played the game and marked them off as I completed what they referred to, so I didn't need any outside help nor did I have to wander in order to stumble across an objective.

Zelda II, Battle of Olympus, and Faxanadu are all good games. I'm sure it is true that Zelda II gets extra attention for being a Zelda game, but I'd say that they all deserve attention.

[PresidentLeever]

Pretty sure I've ragged on Zelda 2 here before. It was good for its time, sure, but it has not aged well. Lucky for me it's not the only game of its kind (I love sidescrolling action adventure), and several games have improved upon the formula to the point where I don't feel like ever going back to play Zelda 2 again.

[peeingas]

The only problem I have with the game is when people call it "The Adventures of Link"

[dap9984]

Honestly, I never really thought of it as a Zelda game when I was a kid. It was an adventure game. Faxanadu didn't have nearly as smooth controls, but I played through that one too. Battle of Olympus I shall need to check out.

I always thought Faxanadu was a really good game. I never finished it but from what I did play, I really enjoyed it. For some reason, I never thought about it being like Zelda II but I definitely see it now. lol I'll have to check out Battle of Olympus. Any other games out there like these on the NES? I love this style which is probably why I loved Zelda II.....after I got the hammer :P

[Blitzwing256]

3 pages of zelda 2 talk and not a single mention of rambo for the nes? really?

i'm disapointed.

[dap9984]

So I just watched an entire walkthrough of Battle of Olympus on Youtube and all I can say is WOW. First off, the person playing is a master of the game, and second, I was completely mind boggled at how confusing it could be. It was a complete maze. Especially since there was so much back-tracking. Looks like a ton of fun though. Incredibly similar to Zelda II.

[Aussie2B]

Heh, I assume you're mostly referring to the areas with the looping hallways and doors that pop you out who knows where? Yeah, it's a nutty game to map out, but if you take the time to do so, it gets manageable.

[Bloodreign]

3 pages of zelda 2 talk and not a single mention of rambo for the nes? really?

i'm disapointed.

Some of us would like to forget that atrocity.

[Blitzwing256]

Some of us would like to forget that atrocity.

really?
rambo was an amazing game once you actualy got past the first 20 seconds of the game (you know the part that people coudln't figure out?)

very simmilar to zelda 2 in design, long and difficult game but pretty amazing for its time.

[kupomogli]

Rambo was a decent game. It was just finding where to go was the problem. There were too many pathways that lead into a dead end or taking others would just lead you back to an old location. Sometimes when taking one pathway it would disappear so you wouldn't be able to take that pathway back, meaning you had no choice but to go back through several screens you've probably traversed a few times through already.

The only other problem was it had the same music over and over and over. I mean the main theme isn't too bad, honestly, but when you hear it 99% of the game, then it does start to get a little annoying.