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Death Dealer said:
Isn't it pathetic to hear adults complain about the difficulty of The Legend of Zelda, when so many of us beat the game while in grade school ? Even back then, the game didn't have a reputation for being "hard". After reading so many statements about Zelda of all games being 'impossible' or that it is 'broken' without a strategy guide, it's no wonder to me that they don't make AAA turn based RPGs anymore. Those games required more mental effort than the majority of gamers want to exert today.
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That's what kills me. You would think they are talking about Kid Icarus when it comes to difficulty and Deadly Towers when it comes to just being dropped into a game without a clue what to do.
 
KevinCow said:
Zelda isn't hard, just really tedious.

It isn't difficult to bomb every wall, burn every bush, and draw your own map. It just isn't fun.
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Moreover, while it was feasible to sit with grid paper in front of your TV 25 years ago, it's not feasible to do so on-the-go. Someone playing Zelda on 3DS for the first time and trying to use the "note" function is going to be so utterly screwed.
 
Stumpokapow said:
Moreover, while it was feasible to sit with grid paper in front of your TV 25 years ago, it's not feasible to do so on-the-go. Someone playing Zelda on 3DS for the first time and trying to use the "note" function is going to be so utterly screwed.
Click to expand...
You don't need grid paper, why are people saying you do? Dungeons do have automapping, as well as full maps you get find to compare against the automap. And as a kid I never found a need to create my own maps of the overworld, it's not a labyrinth and they gave it a nice series of landmarks and graphical differences for different parts of the world (for example, there's a desert area, the coastline with the sound of waves, rocky areas, the mountains with lots of climbs and falling rocks, areas made of bushes, the two big lakes...)

It might take a bit of time to get your bearing in the world, especially at the beginning when trying to remember where the Level 2 dungeon is if you lose it (like I did - found it, died, wandered half the world to find it again but found lots of cool stuff), but once you do, you can find your way around and explore without a map.
 
Stumpokapow said:
Moreover, while it was feasible to sit with grid paper in front of your TV 25 years ago, it's not feasible to do so on-the-go. Someone playing Zelda on 3DS for the first time and trying to use the "note" function is going to be so utterly screwed.
Click to expand...
Did you seriously need to sit down and draw maps for Zelda though? I was nine when I first played it and that thought never once entered my mind.
 
KevinCow said:
Zelda isn't hard, just really tedious.

It isn't difficult to bomb every wall, burn every bush, and draw your own map. It just isn't fun.
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This is more or less how I feel about it. Someone earlier said it's a 1-2 hour game if you know what you're doing, and up to 50 hours if you don't. If it makes me some sort of idiot or "kid" to not want to spend tens of hours of extra time on a game just looking for where to go next, then so be it.

I plan on giving Zelda another try sometime, but when I get stuck and can't figure out where I'm supposed to go next, I think I can set my pride aside long enough to check an FAQ or map rather than spending hours bombing/burning every tile of the game world just to earn some sort of imaginary "gamer cred."
 
DaBargainHunta said:
Did you seriously need to sit down and draw maps for Zelda though? I was nine when I first played it and that thought never once entered my mind.
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I was drawing maps for Bard's Tale, Questron and Legacy of the Ancients on my C64 when I was 10 - And those games made Zelda look like Highlights for Kids in terms of RPG's.

I had asked my parents for reams of graph paper. The tactic came in handy later for Metroid, but I never did it for Zelda and had it finished within a week thanks to swapping tactics with friends at school, Nintendo Fun Club newsletter and the included map.
 
I beat the original Zelda when I was a kid (my crowning moment was beating the final dungeon without usage of potions) but I still think it's extremely tedious these days. Zelda 2 holds up significantly better.

As far as Kid Icarus, the game seems pretty damn easy if you've played a decent amount of hell difficulty platformers (Super Meat Boy, Jumper, IWTBG, etc.) lately.
 
BooJoh said:
This is more or less how I feel about it. Someone earlier said it's a 1-2 hour game if you know what you're doing, and up to 50 hours if you don't. If it makes me some sort of idiot or "kid" to not want to spend tens of hours of extra time on a game just looking for where to go next, then so be it.
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I think that's the main thing. I'm not 6 anymore. I don't have the attention span or the TIME for video games I once had, and after maybe 20 minutes of aimlessly wandering, I'm going to get fed up and look for where to go next with a walkthrough.

I don't think the dungeons were that bad, to be honest. Hard? Damn right. But I was never really lost. The overworld was a worse offender. What's worse, I played the it on the Zelda collectors disc, so no map included in the box =(
 
Anth0ny said:
I think that's the main thing. I'm not 6 anymore. I don't have the attention span or the TIME for video games I once had, and after maybe 20 minutes of aimlessly wandering, I'm going to get fed up and look for where to go next with a walkthrough.

I don't think the dungeons were that bad, to be honest. Hard? Damn right. But I was never really lost. The overworld was a worse offender. What's worse, I played the it on the Zelda collectors disc, so no map included in the box =(
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I completely agree. I used to love JRPGs when I was younger since it ate so much time and lasted so long. As an adult, I don't have that time any more.
 
Anth0ny said:
I think that's the main thing. I'm not 6 anymore. I don't have the attention span or the TIME for video games I once had, and after maybe 20 minutes of aimlessly wandering, I'm going to get fed up and look for where to go next with a walkthrough.

I don't think the dungeons were that bad, to be honest. Hard? Damn right. But I was never really lost. The overworld was a worse offender. What's worse, I played the it on the Zelda collectors disc, so no map included in the box =(
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Very true. I didn't care about wandering around aimlessly as a kid, because I was exploring a vast unknown world. Now, I just want to progress and pacing of a game is so so important.
 
EvilMario said:
Very true. I didn't care about wandering around aimlessly as a kid, because I was exploring a vast unknown world. Now, I just want to progress and pacing of a game is so so important.
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Yep. You have limited time, so if you don't feel like you accomplished anything in that limited time frame, it makes it all the more frustrating.
 
Dunno why you guys think Zelda I is so hard, or you need a map or something. I'm three hours into my first playthrough and I have three pieces of Triforce and have found two more dungeons, all without a map. Now if only I could not suck so much at the combat.
 
PKrockin said:
Dunno why you guys think Zelda I is so hard, or you need a map or something. I'm three hours into my first playthrough and I have three pieces of Triforce and have found two more dungeons, all without a map. Now if only I could not suck so much at the combat.
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Well done, especially if the dungeons you found were not the first three.
That being said, the difficulty ramps up in the later dungeons.

And just for fun, start a game in the second save slot and name your character ZELDA. This is the master quest, and see how long it will take you to delete the character again and pretend there is no such thing as a master quest.
You can also unlock the master quest by
finishing the games once.
 
Don't tease them, Masters Quest is actually legitimately hard. This thread might melt down if more were playing that version.

It must have taken me a month to figure out about the
hidden wall
in that dungeon that looked like A I think it was. I knew where the room was, but it broke all Zelda rules up until that point unless you consider the
hidden wall at the top of the map that worked differently
 
interesting to come in here and read about some of the Zelda complaining. I will always revere it as one of the games that truly defined my childhood, and I remember how and why it was so exhilarating (compared to anything else I had ever played before). But I can understand how those just picking it up now can probably not get quite as "sucked in" as easily as kids dd those many years ago.

I am probably echoing what many others have said in this thread, but if you play through enough of the early part of the game, the rhythm will catch right up with you sooner or later (provided you can suspend your attention span from too many other games, long enough to let it!) and then you will very likely find what's so enjoyable about a game like this. It may be old and primitive, but a lot of the design and pacing still holds up very marvelously. Even as a kid, I remember just when the game started to get a little tedious, you'd suddenly start getting all the really cool items in your inventory and the design of the game really began to open up to support that. Because they never went overboard.. you always had "just enough that you needed" - the game never got too easy, it almost kept a step ahead of you, but the feeling of empowerment was very unique, and no other game truly matched it quite in that way (especially considering it's simplicity)

For those who actually can achieve their way to the 2n quest, you'll understand why it really felt like "2 games in one" and how that, on top of everything else, just made it all that much better.

and damn it, this reminds me that I really need to give Golden Axe Warrior a spin one of these days!
 
DJ_Tet said:
Don't tease them, Masters Quest is actually legitimately hard. This thread might melt down if more were playing that version.

It must have taken me a month to figure out about the
hidden wall
in that dungeon that looked like A I think it was. I knew where the room was, but it broke all Zelda rules up until that point unless you consider the
hidden wall at the top of the map that worked differently
Click to expand...

I almost shat myself at that point. Having been stuck there for so long, and this being the solution, was horrible. Especially because it was so hard to find because
you had to really push through, you couldn't walk through the invisible hole
 
We had the same experience. I tried to get into that room for nearly a month before just kind of stumbling upon it one day in frustration.
 
Beat Zelda 1 last night!

I need some Zelda II tips as it sounds like it's a nightmare if you don't level up at certain times and whatnot.

Any help?
 
Futureman said:
Beat Zelda 1 last night!

I need some Zelda II tips as it sounds like it's a nightmare if you don't level up at certain times and whatnot.

Any help?
Click to expand...
Don't be afraid to grind in Zelda 2. The game gets difficult rather quickly so it's best to take your time to Level Up before tackling the dungeons. Makes the mid-game not nearly as frustrating, although endgame is hard even with all levels capped (and nearly crazy hard as shit anywhere below that).

Also, make sure you dominate the technique of jumping and slashing enemies as you are coming down from the jump. It's going to make your life a lot easier, not to mention it's nearly essential for a lot of enemies (read: Ironknuckles).
 
Times like these are when I wonder how I did something as a kid... I decided to start playing Metroid and I'm quickly being reminded that the game is fucking hard! I don't know how many times I've died in the same room(s) before finally working through them, and then I realize that I have essentially no clue where to go or where anything is.
 
Javier said:
Also, make sure you dominate the technique of jumping and slashing enemies as you are coming down from the jump. It's going to make your life a lot easier, not to mention it's nearly essential for a lot of enemies (read: Ironknuckles).
Click to expand...

so just jump and press down+sword?
 
I didn't know that the jump slash was a guaranteed hit on iron knuckle, that's a good tip but I was never great at timing the jump slash without getting hit.

I played iron knuckles straight up. You gotta train your brain to know that when they attack it is essential to block. That has to be your first instinct.

Once you're blocking all their hits by watching the sword it becomes easier to bounce up and down to him them behind their shield. Basically I stand in front of IK and go up and down pounding my sword with three hits up top, two below, one up, three below etc stopping as soon as I see IK's sword coming out behind him to block.

Sometimes it takes awhile but they are no problem to me. I have a much harder time with the axe-throwing werewolves and the armored floating eyes. By the time I get to Death Mountain even the blue sword-throwing IKs are a relief compared to most of what I run into.
 
Remember where you find 1up dolls. Don't collect them until you are going to trek to the final dungeon. Meanwhile don't be afraid to get a game over, since you can continue.
 
DJ_Tet said:
Don't tease them, Masters Quest is actually legitimately hard. This thread might melt down if more were playing that version.

It must have taken me a month to figure out about the
hidden wall
in that dungeon that looked like A I think it was. I knew where the room was, but it broke all Zelda rules up until that point unless you consider the
hidden wall at the top of the map that worked differently
Click to expand...

This is more or less what I was thinking while reading all this bitching about Zelda 1. It took me FOREVER to figure the crap out in ZELDA/Master Quest mode simply because so much shit gets thrown out the door.
At the very least using the whistle to open a dungeon was already used (and purely by accident, I might add), but pushing into a wall to walk through it was complete crap at the time!
 
Diffense said:
Wow, the 3DS d-pad is unusable for these games.
Click to expand...
How so? Have you played it?

I've seen the Famitsu video of people playing using the standard control model. Doesn't seem to be problematic, especially with touch screen pad and added monster camera recentering.
 
I've finished Zelda II again, last time I did that was when the game was still new. I just loved how I could still remember the path through the final palace without taking a single false turn.

Funny to see how short the game really is, took me less then 7 hours and had 10 on the save+death count. I think little over half that is deaths.

I've no real interest in any other of the nes games. I don't think the d-pad works all that well, and have played it with the slidepad. I think it's funny they implemented a switch to the second controller to be able to save in the Zelda games. I don't think there are situations where I'll use 2 player mode on nes games.

Next up: Dragon Quest Monster Joker 2
 
What's weird is that I have no problem using the Circle Pad for DK GB, but on the NES games it feels like it pushes in the wrong direction sometimes, or the emulator doesn't pick up on direction changes fast enough. It's subtle, but annoying enough in games like Zelda.
 
Wow im so pissed. Just finally got to the last dungeon in Zelda 1 (where Ganon is). I turn my 3ds on to play it and beat it, but when I load up the game, it send me back to when I was first starting in the second dungeon. wtf
 
Proud to say that I just beat Zelda II.

Ashamed to say that I used the corner glitch to beat Dark Link.

Now let us never speak of this awesome, cursed bitch of a game ever again.
 
I'm nearing the end of Zelda II. Man, it is HARD. I started a new playthrough at the fourth dungeon or something, mainly because I felt like it, and because my levels weren't high enough. I never had the need to grind (I do kill the bubbles, though) - it's all about timing the beating of a dungeon. Get high attack early. Time a dungeon so that you kill the boss and you're asked if you want to level life, then say no and go complete the dungeon. That way you can easily get whatever you need to get to that insanely pricey level +1 in attack.
 
My 3ds arrives from amazon today; it's a warehouse deal so it's been used and booted up. Anyone know if I can clear the 3ds memory and still retain the ambassador status? Is it tied to the club Nintendo account, or the serial number? Anyone have experience with getting a second hand 3ds and retaining the games? TIA.
 
HoTHiTTeR said:
My 3ds arrives from amazon today; it's a warehouse deal so it's been used and booted up. Anyone know if I can clear the 3ds memory and still retain the ambassador status? Is it tied to the club Nintendo account, or the serial number? Anyone have experience with getting a second hand 3ds and retaining the games? TIA.
Click to expand...
Used and booted up does not an ambassador make. You have to have connected to the Eshop before the deadline.
 
olimpia84 said:
Out of all these free NES games my most played so far is....Yoshi.
Click to expand...

Don't be ashamed. I had the Gameboy version of it growing up and played tons of it myself.

Also, been playing through the second quest in Zelda and OH MY GOD. Just absolutely brutal, and I can't believe the old man in the fourth dungeon stole a heart container from me. In the fifth dungeon now and it's just relentless. You just don't stand a chance in rooms with Wizrobes and those red/blue orbs that disable and re-enable Link's sword.
 
Septimius said:
I'm nearing the end of Zelda II. Man, it is HARD. I started a new playthrough at the fourth dungeon or something, mainly because I felt like it, and because my levels weren't high enough. I never had the need to grind (I do kill the bubbles, though) - it's all about timing the beating of a dungeon. Get high attack early. Time a dungeon so that you kill the boss and you're asked if you want to level life, then say no and go complete the dungeon. That way you can easily get whatever you need to get to that insanely pricey level +1 in attack.
Click to expand...

I find that if you play normally, you can finish the game of course, but you'll won't up with level 888, not even if you time your dungeons.
Saying no to a level-up can work out, but is risky, especially in this game because it can be merciless.

I think without grinding the best way to do level-ups is to not finish the dungeons, that way you will not waste free level-ups on lower levels. When you've completed the hidden dungeon, you can put the jewel in that, and then go back from the first one and enter all the jewels.

Or you could just enjoy the difficulty and play it the way it was meant.
 
So I finished my hi-score run on SMB...

Zv77d.png


9,999,950 points.
 
Diffense said:
Wow, the 3DS d-pad is unusable for these games.
Click to expand...
I adjusted already thanks to SSF4, DOA, LADX and DK94. Zelda 1-2, SMB1, Metroid and Balloon Trip have been no problem.

Better D-pad placement will hopefully be a priority in any 3DS revision.
 
Playing Zelda II right now. I have 3 dungeons beat and I'm at 6 Attack, 7 Magic, and 7 Life. Guess I'm on the right track? There are 5 dungeons, and then the final one, right? So even if I don't grind anymore, I should be at 7/8/7 at least going into the final area?

Grinding isn't too bad though as there are some "random battle" screens that have VERY easy enemies, and you can rack up ~100 EXP in about 30 seconds.
 
lunchwithyuzo said:
I adjusted already thanks to SSF4, DOA, LADX and DK94. Zelda 1-2, SMB1, Metroid and Balloon Trip have been no problem.

Better D-pad placement will hopefully be a priority in any 3DS revision.
Click to expand...

Okay, I really don't understand why people are expecting "better d-pad placement." It's going to stay in the same place in every revision. There is literally nowhere else to put it.
 
Unless they switch it with the circle pad and have shitty circle pad placement instead.

Not that I have any problem with the d-pad, being the super genius that I apparently am.
 
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