Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Legend of Zelda Review

I realized that I didn't review this game after I beat it last week... so here you go.

I really enjoyed this NES classic game. It really has earned my respect in that not only has it withstood the test of time, but is an 8-bit title that I would more than be willing to re-play again.

The strategy involved is just enough to make a novice and children think and to make seasoned gamers smirk in it's subtle complexity. It is neither tough nor easy. It is not condescending nor overpowering. It's just right.

Almost all of the hidden parts of the game are hinted at somewhere either in the game manual or in the game its self. Each dungeon has at least one old man who gives good advice and tips on either how to proceed or how to approach an upcoming battle.

The graphics did slow down occasionally on my Nintendo Entertainment System, but simply because it was pushing the limits of the NES processor. It didn't affect game play in a bad way for too long and even gave me time to pause to take a breather and think about the situation.

Thinking. That's this game's strong point. It really paved the way for future story-telling adventure games in that thinking about maps, situations, and enemies was always going on. At no time did I feel like I could coast through a dungeon without having a plan of attack.

Where the game became a bit frustrating was when some dungeons were hidden without having definitive clues on how to reach them. The instruction manual suggests some tactics to searching for these things, but having to tear up area after area just to find a door is a bit time consuming... and I can see where a child may become bored quickly. Also, there was no (that I could find) trick to fighting Ganon. No area in the game (that I could find) spoke of it. Later on while perusing FAQs I found that no area spoke of the kind-of randomness needed to defeating this last boss. This is upsetting as the game gave so many wonderful clues, but forgot this one.

For a wonderful game that I will not soon forget, I give the Legend of Zelda four Strong Warios.

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