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The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time REALLY the best game of all time
- Thread starter Jindrax
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Link defeating Ganon would smell like delicious bacon frying.
DeviousAngel
Member
Not my number one but surely in my top 7. Majora is my number 1.
OoT is definitely one of those games that must be analyzed retrospectively. It still amazes me how well it holds up to this day, mechanics-wise.
OoT is definitely one of those games that must be analyzed retrospectively. It still amazes me how well it holds up to this day, mechanics-wise.
You're touching on something I've thought a lot about - the nature of "best/greatest x (of all time)" lists/choices and how those rankings are made. There's a tension between general quality, historical importance, and personal opinion that goes into every selection. Do you go with the game that created the trend but has a few rough edges, like Super Mario Bros, or the shining beacon of design you can still go back to today and largely enjoy like Mario 3 or World? What if you're the outlier who totally loves Mario Sunshine? It's a hard question, and everyone's going to have a different take on it.
I think I've decided there's probably a few dozen games you could reasonably argue as the best/greatest game of all time, meaning that their general design quality and historical importance are both evident. Ocarina is one of them, as is Super Metroid. I personally have a hard time imagining a passioned defense for anything before Mario 1 (unless you expand outside of video games) and more recent than ~5 years ago, where Minecraft and Dark Souls have reasonable arguments. Somebody will probably disagree with me, and that's totally cool.
I think I've decided there's probably a few dozen games you could reasonably argue as the best/greatest game of all time, meaning that their general design quality and historical importance are both evident. Ocarina is one of them, as is Super Metroid. I personally have a hard time imagining a passioned defense for anything before Mario 1 (unless you expand outside of video games) and more recent than ~5 years ago, where Minecraft and Dark Souls have reasonable arguments. Somebody will probably disagree with me, and that's totally cool.
Stormhammer
Member
how can a game that runs at like 20fps be the greatest of all time?
i'm not a huge fan of the souls series, but i'd accept dark souls as an alternative
i'm not a huge fan of the souls series, but i'd accept dark souls as an alternative
yep, definitely the best pure 2D Zelda game. much better than that overrated trash that is ALttP.
Count of Monte Sawed-Off
un33dab@dpu$$y
It was good, but I don't think it was even the best game that came out that year.
JustSomeone
Member
It's not even the best zelda game
My least favourite 3D Zelda and I was 13 in 1996, getting Ocarina on launch and pretending to be sick to get to sink hours into it.
It has a really terrible overworld which is seldom mentioned. Twilight Princess may be 'big and empty', but it's more than a hub world that Ocarina's circle is. Dungeons range from good to bad, as they took their first stab at the design in 3D. This isn't even looking at the technical limitations of the time, the camera, the framerate, what they could do with crafting the environment.
It did lay down a good base to build from though. At the time, it was an amazing accomplishment, but in the same way Super Mario Bros & Super Mario 64 did, it doesn't mean it's 'the best' game for doing so.
It has a really terrible overworld which is seldom mentioned. Twilight Princess may be 'big and empty', but it's more than a hub world that Ocarina's circle is. Dungeons range from good to bad, as they took their first stab at the design in 3D. This isn't even looking at the technical limitations of the time, the camera, the framerate, what they could do with crafting the environment.
It did lay down a good base to build from though. At the time, it was an amazing accomplishment, but in the same way Super Mario Bros & Super Mario 64 did, it doesn't mean it's 'the best' game for doing so.
NathanDiego
Member
It isn't even the best Zelda,the best is A link to the Past.
And that 99 metascore only 22 reviews ¬¬,still impressive,but for me is more impressive games like Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 (97) with more than 80 reviews,GTA IV and GTA V (97~98) even Uncharted 2 (96) with more than 100 reviews.Gameranking OoT has 28 reviews and already has droped to 97.
And that 99 metascore only 22 reviews ¬¬,still impressive,but for me is more impressive games like Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 (97) with more than 80 reviews,GTA IV and GTA V (97~98) even Uncharted 2 (96) with more than 100 reviews.Gameranking OoT has 28 reviews and already has droped to 97.
DiipuSurotu
Banned
Barry Burton
Member
It absolutely is. No game since has been leaps and bounds better than everything else on the market in the same way that OoT was, and only very few games that came before it could say that.
It's definitely a game that has aged poorly with regards to controls and camera. On the plus side I think the dungeon design and feel of the overworld hold up remarkably well (as a kid it seemed like this massive area, and even now it feels larger than it had any right to be.)
That said, I shall and always will be a proponent of 2D Zelda. Link's Awakening, Oracle of Ages/Seasons, and ALTTP are what I'd probably prefer to play in a pinch.
That said, I shall and always will be a proponent of 2D Zelda. Link's Awakening, Oracle of Ages/Seasons, and ALTTP are what I'd probably prefer to play in a pinch.
belteshazzar
Member
Nough' said. I've always thought Majora's Mask is the superior one, and of one my GOATs.
jabberwocker
Banned
Definitely stretched what that expectation for 3-D gaming could be. It's still a great game but as you even mentioned, the mechanics of the game have shown its age and obviously the visuals/ sound don't hold up like they used to.
Can anyone really say there's a greatest game of all time? Some people probably never liked the game nor like it now, which could be said for any game. Even though the Ocarina of time is probably one of my favorites, nostalgia plays a large part for me and probably a lot of us. I could say it however, is one of the most influential games for its time.
Can anyone really say there's a greatest game of all time? Some people probably never liked the game nor like it now, which could be said for any game. Even though the Ocarina of time is probably one of my favorites, nostalgia plays a large part for me and probably a lot of us. I could say it however, is one of the most influential games for its time.
Weltall Zero
Member
See, this is where personal tastes and quality assessments get tangled up and make it possible for the latter to be utterly wrong. You can say you like hundreds of games above OoT, and I personally probably wouln't place it among my top ten (or even consider it the best Zelda); but asserting there are hundreds of games that are objectively better than OoT is, simply put, as wrong as saying the same thing of Citizen Kane or the Godfather. At some point you step way beyond the fuzzily defined limits between opinion and reality, and simply display an astounding lack of taste and appreciation, not of what appeals to you, but of what is actually masterfully crafted.
jabberwocker
Banned
I think the problem that we see nowadays is that the gaming industry itself puts way too much influence into the best game ever type situations or rating. Almost daily you see a new top whatever list for certain games. Or someone is complaining because some game got a score, but the end of the day really who gives a damn. I think it would be best if the industry kind of moved past this type of standard that was developed by Nintendo power. He game industry has changed a lot in the past 30 years but in someway the review systems and tiering games is somewhat archaic. Doesn't help move forward. As all game reviews and top game list are opinions.
Not reading OPs is pretty uncool, lol. I guess even after 7 posts in the thread some people will never even know why the OP is as passionate as he is.
The game still holds up, its clearly a Masterpiece and will always be a solid candidate to Best Game of All Time.
Of course its all up to personal preference and also taking the context of the time it was played when it comes to opinions, but its really hard to find people who genuinely hate the game or find it unplayable or not worthy of praise.
Of course its all up to personal preference and also taking the context of the time it was played when it comes to opinions, but its really hard to find people who genuinely hate the game or find it unplayable or not worthy of praise.
flintstryker
Banned
I was older than 7 when this game out and to this day I still say it's the best gaming experience I have had
Transistor
Banned
I love OOT, but I don't think I can consider it the best of all time. I'd actually put LttP and LA above it.
Greatest Ever
Member
Super Metroid, Symphony of the Night, Doom, Chrono Trigger, Link to the Past, etc. None were competition?
lol
BennyBlanco
aka IMurRIVAL69
Nintendo laid the ground work for all 3d combat in videogames with Z targeting. It's a milestone game whether you think it's the best ever or not.
Sir_Crocodile
Member
maybe if the only games you'd ever played were OOT and MGS. Otherwise no.
SoundPulse
Banned
Not even as good as Link's Awakening.
Stormhammer
Member
20fps is never appropriate throughout the majority of the experience. i don't recall dark souls being 20fps for the whole game. i did play it on pc though so maybe the console version is always 20fps in which i will accept Wrath of the Lich King as the best game
jabberwocker
Banned
18 year old game when 3D game into was just starting. 20fps was fine at the time.
ffejeromdiks
Banned
Definitely not, and this is coming from someone who used to say that exact thing for at least a decade.
it was the greatest game of my childhood, that's unquestionable, but it's far from being the best game ever made.
it was the greatest game of my childhood, that's unquestionable, but it's far from being the best game ever made.
Lightning Lord
Banned
This x7. For example, I'm not terribly keen on Super Mario 64, for reasons I won't go into detail here. That isn't to say that I HATE the game; I just prefer so many other Mario titles. That said, I can still look at the game and can appreciate what it did and how it impacted the industry. The same can be applied to Ocarina of Time. It was a technical marvel that people thought couldn't be done on that type of hardware at the time. Plus it helps that it still holds up and received an excellent 3DS version.
Greatest Ever
Member
Who?
Stormhammer
Member
mario 64 wasn't 20fps. also, "being fine at the time" doesn't make it fine now. if it doesn't hold up, how can it stay the goat
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