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I don't like Zelda

G-Fex

Member
This makes me a bad person and/or gamer according to other threads. Of all the major franchises in gaming, it is the one I least understand the popularity of. Before you say, "have you played them", I have. I've played 1, 2, ALTTP, OoT, and Twilight Princess. I've tried to like the series. But every time I play, I'm so bored. Running around poking grass, jars, and chickens with my sword isn't fun. Never ending dungeons that look the same aren't fun. The generic story isn't fun. I just...don't get it. I've tried, more than I have for probably any series I'm not interested in or don't like. Elves and high fantasy stuff aren't cool. Definitely not fun in game form. Someone please explain to me what I'm missing. Or why you also don't like the series.

It's cool. I don't like wrestling.

So we've got different opinions, wacky huh?

I still love you Stroburger
 
You don't actually have to like anything.

It doesn't matter what people think of your opinions, it in no way obligates you to change your mind.

It seems more like you wanted to rant about not getting it than anything else. Which, uh, great? I also do not like several things.
 

Mazzo

Member
For me Zelda is all about the joy of exploration. I love dungeon crawling, so the older Zeldas are like crack to me xD

I can understand the apathy towards the more recent (hand holding, tutorial filled, easier) Zelda games, but if you played some of the classics and they did nothing for you, it's probably just not your kind of game.

I'm curious, how do you feel about games like Binding of Isaac, Dark Souls and Legend of Grimrock? Because to me they embody some of the elements that make the better Zelda games. (freely exploring awesome places, finding cool treasure, solving clever puzzles)
 

Griss

Member
Running around poking grass, jars, and chickens with my sword isn't fun.

It's fun to me.

Never ending dungeons that look the same aren't fun.

The dungeons never look the same. Come on now. And usually they take less than an hour. But the dungeons are less fun that running around poking grass, jars and chickens with a sword, I'll give you that.

The generic story isn't fun.

The story isn't the focus of Zelda. It could certainly be better, but it's not terrible. It doesn't drive the action as much as other narrative games. The promise of more dungeons, new locations to explore and more items drives the action as much as anything.

Elves and high fantasy stuff aren't cool. Definitely not fun in game form.

Sure they are.

Someone please explain to me what I'm missing.

You aren't missing anything. As the quotes above show, you just don't like the things I like. It's that simple. and that's fine. See the first post. It's perfectly okay. And you know what? You should give up trying, because you'll just frustrate yourself.
 

strobogo

Banned
You don't actually have to like anything.

It doesn't matter what people think of your opinions, it in no way obligates you to change your mind.

It seems more like you wanted to rant about not getting it than anything else. Which, uh, great? I also do not like several things.

It's not ranting. There is nothing rant-like about it. What the thread was asking for is for people to tell me why they do or don't like the series, because I don't get it.
 

Freshmaker

I am Korean.
This makes me a bad person and/or gamer according to other threads. Of all the major franchises in gaming, it is the one I least understand the popularity of. Before you say, "have you played them", I have. I've played 1, 2, ALTTP, OoT, and Twilight Princess. I've tried to like the series. But every time I play, I'm so bored. Running around poking grass, jars, and chickens with my sword isn't fun. Never ending dungeons that look the same aren't fun. The generic story isn't fun. I just...don't get it. I've tried, more than I have for probably any series I'm not interested in or don't like. Elves and high fantasy stuff aren't cool. Definitely not fun in game form. Someone please explain to me what I'm missing. Or why you also don't like the series.

Mainly I just like the exploration and the puzzle solving in the dungeons.
 
The extreme reverence for the series is a little irksome at times but i still enjoy most zelda games. I don't think there's been an interesting one in a decade though.
 
It's not ranting. There is nothing rant-like about it. What the thread was asking for is for people to tell me why they do or don't like the series, because I don't get it.

Elves and high fantasy stuff aren't cool. Definitely not fun in game form. Someone please explain to me what I'm missing. Or why you also don't like the series.

*raises eyebrow*

It's too late at night for me to really care about this but I feel like this is fairly transparent.
 
I like none of the 3D games, save for Majora's Mask, but I adore a Link's Awakening and, to a lesser degree, A Link To The Past, both of which have a special place in my heart. OoT bored me to tears and the overabundance of brown, mixed with the empty, lifeless world, plus the excessively easy puzzles made me question the sanity of fans and reviewers alike...
 

jimi_dini

Member
Running around poking grass, jars, and chickens with my sword isn't fun.

Do not poke cucco with sword.

RtvCu39l.jpg


Never ending dungeons that look the same aren't fun.

Wat?
There are no "never ending dungeons" in Legend of Zelda games and they also don't "look the same".

It's quite strange that you say something like that, especially when you tried both NES Zeldas, ALTTP, OoT and TP.

Maybe you just don't like exploring and figuring stuff out for yourself. And no HUD telling you that a "hidden tomb" is nearby. For me that's exciting. For you I guess it's boring because you get lost or get stuck somewhere and you don't know where to continue.

The generic story isn't fun. I just...don't get it.

Maybe the child in yourself has died at some point.
 

Menome

Member
I really like some Legend of Zelda games, but have no love for Ocarina of Time. Doesn't mean I'm wrong or that it's wrong for other people to regard it highly.

Well, it is wrong if they hold it up higher than Majora's Mask.
 

G-Fex

Member
It's not ranting. There is nothing rant-like about it. What the thread was asking for is for people to tell me why they do or don't like the series, because I don't get it.

They think it's a pretty fun adventure title me thinks.

seeing people play through the gameboy zeldas look neat.

I'd do the same if I wasn't terrible at them.
 
To be honest, i always really love it when a new Zelda comes out. Then when i play it, i notice that some parts are just waaaaaaaay too tedious/ waaaaaay too much of a chore.
 

chaosblade

Unconfirmed Member
Zelda is one of the few major Nintendo IPs I just can't seem to get into. Others being Kirby and Pokemon. I find those two too easy to enjoy, but I'm not sure what it is about Zelda. I just find the games boring for some reason.

Despite that I still plan to give the series yet another try with the Wii U game...
 

Raab

Neo Member
I love Zelda. Get every one on the Nintendo home console. Just waiting for the Wii U version...
 

strobogo

Banned
I enjoy: The Mario series, Super Metroid, GTA series, AKI wrestling games, Arkham series, general SNES/Genesis beat em ups, Sonic 3 + Knuckles, Metal Gear Solid series. Probably other stuff. I've enjoyed a good number of super hero games in the last gen (Just about all of the Spiderman games, Wolverine).
 
No. I don't like sci-fi settings in general, I also don't play shooters but understand why people would enjoy those. I just don't get what is fun about the Zelda games. My brain doesn't comprehend why they would be fun to other people.

In the good ones, for me?

Working out the solutions to puzzles. Felt most in alttp, links awakening & albw. If you didn't like alttp, then I guess the aspect of why I enjoy them doesn't click for you.

There's other stuff like getting new items and thinking back to past unsolvable puzzles and whether your new item would help, but that's the core of it for me.
 
What the thread was asking for is for people to tell me why they do or don't like the series, because I don't get it.

Okay, so then:
I like the item progression (get new items to do new stuff and to get to new areas). I like the dungeons (puzzles!). I like the art design, music and sound, which result in a special atmopshere. I usually like the combat and bosses too (it's sad that the3D Zeldas are not challenging anymore though). There's barely anything in them I don't like to some degree,
 

Converse

Banned
This makes me a bad person and/or gamer according to other threads. Of all the major franchises in gaming, it is the one I least understand the popularity of. Before you say, "have you played them", I have. I've played 1, 2, ALTTP, OoT, and Twilight Princess. I've tried to like the series. But every time I play, I'm so bored. Running around poking grass, jars, and chickens with my sword isn't fun. Never ending dungeons that look the same aren't fun. The generic story isn't fun. I just...don't get it. I've tried, more than I have for probably any series I'm not interested in or don't like.

Okay, so I'm reading and I'm following. Guy doesn't like the thing, that's fine. I don't like Call of Duty, even though lots of people do and I've tried a few of the games. So, boats are floated, strokes differ. Wouldn't say the dungeons "look the same," but sure, you could levy some of these criticisms. And then...

strobogo said:
Elves and high fantasy stuff aren't cool. Definitely not fun in game form.

GP3gG.gif


I mean, I'm into all sorts of shit, so I'm not saying that elves and high fantasy are just automatically great, but...what? I don't understand how you reached this conclusion. How did you get from the "point A" of elves to the "point B" of not fun in games?
 

amnesiac

Member
Eh, you can't really "learn" to like the Zelda games. You've played ALTTP and OOT and those are the best ones. You don't like Zelda, no problem.

I only really like the Zelda games from Majora's Mask and before. Music and atmosphere big reasons for my appreciation of the series. Nostalgia is probably a huge factor too.
 

strobogo

Banned
Okay, so I'm reading and I'm following. Guy doesn't like the thing, that's fine. I don't like Call of Duty, even though lots of people do and I've tried a few of the games. So, boats are floated, strokes differ. Wouldn't say the dungeons "look the same," but sure, you could levy some of these criticisms. And then...



GP3gG.gif


I mean, I'm into all sorts of shit, so I'm not saying that elves and high fantasy are just automatically great, but...what? I don't understand how you reached this conclusion. How did you get from the "point A" of elves to the "point B" of not fun in games?

I reached that conclusion because they aren't cool to me. And as a result, they aren't fun in game form, either.
 

Sirim

Member
If you actually wanted a discussion, you should've given more insight into your specific problems with the franchise in the OP (edit: and expand on them). "Elves aren't cool" isn't a discussable topic, unless the rebuttal you want to hear is "No, elves are cool". And describing something as generic without pointing to why it's generic doesn't amount to anything.

Did you make this thread just to get something off your chest or what? Cause this seems nothing more than someone just making a thread labeled "I don't like this game", then saying "Discuss."

Also, elves are cool.
 

Mephala

Member
This makes me a bad person and/or gamer according to other threads. Of all the major franchises in gaming, it is the one I least understand the popularity of. Before you say, "have you played them", I have. I've played 1, 2, ALTTP, OoT, and Twilight Princess. I've tried to like the series. But every time I play, I'm so bored. Running around poking grass, jars, and chickens with my sword isn't fun. Never ending dungeons that look the same aren't fun. The generic story isn't fun. I just...don't get it. I've tried, more than I have for probably any series I'm not interested in or don't like. Elves and high fantasy stuff aren't cool. Definitely not fun in game form. Someone please explain to me what I'm missing. Or why you also don't like the series.

You are not a bad person/gamer. The games are not for everyone and no one should feel like they must like something. There are a huge variety of games, play something you like, try things that interest you. Just because others like it, doesn't mean it is something you will enjoy.

Here are some things I like about it.
- Puzzles - Some are clever, some are not. The more of them I play the faster I am at clearing dungeons because you eventually find patterns, knacks and just get to know what to look for. When this happens, finding a little clever puzzle that gets you stuck for a bit is actually quite nice and gives a rewarding feeling when you complete it.
- Not too difficult - It is relaxing and pleasant to play. I enjoy this at times though I understand that some seek more exciting gameplay, particularly in combat which is only a portion of the Zelda formula.
- Charming - A lot of odd little things that I find charming. Kid with constant snot problems. The hand coming out of the potty asking for paper. They are small, trivial and often insignificant but to me they are charming and somewhat interesting in their unique ways.
- Little differences - Most games have a little something to add to the series which others do not. A lot of people shrug it off calling it a gimmick. Whatever you call it, I quite like that the series does this. For example: OoT has the ability to shift between Kid/Adult and what you did as a kid will at times help you as an adult. Majora has masks. Twilight has the wolf form. ALBW has the 2D Wall thingy. Wind Waker has sailing. Oracle of Seasons changes the seasons.

I also enjoy the fantasy theme. Music is often pretty good too.
 

Laughing Banana

Weeping Pickle
people who post this image should be straight up banned. it adds fucking nothing to the discussion

OT: only zelda i liked was ocarina of time

But what needs to be discussed? The OP clearly stated he doesn't like Zelda... so, "Ok...?" is a suitable response to it IMO.

And besides, those who call other that dislike A or B a "bad gamer" are just children, so paying heed to them is just a waste of time.
 
Some people like exploring and puzzle-solving and fantasy elements. Is that really so hard to understand?

The critique you're offering is pretty weak.

And the image in the first reply is justified when the OP isn't saying anything more substantive than "I don't like this thing."
 

Jagsrock

Banned
Not sure why you can't understand why others like it.
Zelda games have memorable characters, great music,puzzles,exploration/collecting,cool weapons,good combat,big boss fights and the story can in fact be interesting and often has some very heartfelt moments.Beyond the main story there are also many little side stories going on with paticular characters that although may not be fully fleshed out add to the lore and give the world its charm. Also the games in my opinion do a good job at setting up a grand sense of adventure, especially oot and ww. Lastly its all in the details,zelda games are packed with little subtitles that in my opinion put it above your typical fantasy game.Clearly there is alot to like but It's cool if you don't like or get these things though.
 
I wouldn't go as far as to say "I don't understand why others like it," but my experience with the series has been pretty much the same as yours, OP.

Except I would say I do kinda enjoy the dungeons. But everything else in between feels like excess fat and is so boring. If I'm not solving puzzles in this series, I'm not having fun.
 

Occam

Member
The thing I don't like about Zelda (though contrary to the thread starter I still enjoy the games) is that it's the same old (and very limited/cliche) characters again and again, for nearly 30 years. There is no more sense of wonder and discovery. This is more of a general complaint about Nintendo: In the 1980s they created all those amazing and varied characters. By the mid-1990s they were largely done creating new ones and instead started using the same ones over and over again. Imagine Disney had stopped creating new characters in 1940 and would be using Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck in each and every new movie...
 
The thing I don't like about Zelda (though contrary to the thread starter I still enjoy the games) is that it's the same old characters again and again, for nearly 30 years. There is no more sense of wonder and discovery. This is more of a general complaint about Nintendo: In the 1980s they created all those amazing and varied characters. By the mid-1990s they were largely done creating new ones and instead started using the same ones over and over again. Imagine Disney had stopped creating new characters in 1940 and would be using Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck in each and every new movie...

if you dont know what you're talking about why post
 

soy.

Banned
This makes me a bad person and/or gamer according to other threads. Of all the major franchises in gaming, it is the one I least understand the popularity of. Before you say, "have you played them", I have. I've played 1, 2, ALTTP, OoT, and Twilight Princess. I've tried to like the series. But every time I play, I'm so bored. Running around poking grass, jars, and chickens with my sword isn't fun. Never ending dungeons that look the same aren't fun. The generic story isn't fun. I just...don't get it. I've tried, more than I have for probably any series I'm not interested in or don't like. Elves and high fantasy stuff aren't cool. Definitely not fun in game form. Someone please explain to me what I'm missing. Or why you also don't like the series.

but then... what do you like exactly??

oh nevermind, don't answer that question. it's blatantly obvious, silly me even asking...
 
I used to dislike Zelda too. WW and OoT never sat well with me.

Then I tried Zelda: ALBW. That is probably one of my 10 favourites ever. Maybe you'll like that better? It's a lot faster than other Zelda games, and much smoother.
 
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