Zelda II - Why all the hate?

[TonyTheTiger]

But... I beat the game for the first time just a few months ago, and I did so over a few days of casual playing. o_O It's not remotely a long game. Frankly, I didn't encounter any of the problems you're stating here. Not all of the enemies drain EXP and those that do aren't a big problem (and anyone complaining about anything to do with the level up system needs to man up because it was actually changed to be made easier than the Japanese original). I don't even know what you mean about "ambushes" (unless you're just complaining about battles on the world map, which are usually easy to avoid). The distance to travel on the world map is miniscule. It's set up in such a way that you're always acquiring new items that let you skip past what you did before. It probably doesn't take more than a minute to walk from Zelda to the final segment of the game once you have the items to do so. In fact, I'd say the game is very streamlined, the opposite of bogged down and tedious. It's structured in such a way that you're always moving forward at a good clip.

Just because the EXP drain isn't incredibly devastating doesn't mean it isn't annoying. Just because the level system is easier than the Japanese version can just as easily mean the Japanese version was worse as it could mean the American version is "wussified." Just because battles are easy to avoid doesn't mean it isn't stupid design.

All of that isn't especially relevant to what makes the game good. At best it just proves the game isn't so bad.

See, that's what I've been saying. If I bring up a game that has an actual flaw (let's imagine a glitch that can corrupt your save file) the mere fact that said issue is "easy to avoid" or "only happens once or twice" or "is easily corrected with X, Y, Z" does not absolve it of being a flaw.

It's kind of like if I order a burger and it comes to me with a little bit of mold on the bun. And then if I bring it up I'm told, "At least it wasn't a big cockroach." I never understood the style of defending a game by pointing out how "not bad" the flaws are as a way of justifying their presence. If you're going to justify their presence then tell me why it's good that it's structured like that, not tell me "it could be worse."

Why is it good that some enemies drain experience? Why is it good that loading a save puts you in a completely different place from where you saved (attributable to Zelda in general)? Why is it good that enemies simply pop up on the map and charge at you?