Zelda 1: 15 Hours 35 minutes

So, I have been playing the first Zelda now over the weekend, and I must say that I am duly impressed. What a great game to have withstood the test of time and still be a decent challenge now more than ever.

When I played Legend of Zelda for the first time, it was in 1987 and it was when my good friend Cory Cooper owned it. He let me play whenever I was over and, if I got stuck, he gave me the option of getting 'three wishes' where he would help me out. I never finished it.

Later, I was jaded about early NES games and the secrets to winning them. In Castlevania, to get to an area you need to throw holy water at a staircase. Why in the wold would you throw holy water at a staircase? (Cue Angry Video Game Nerd Rant). Zelda, I was convinced correctly, had the same hidden things. So, I never played it. So this week, with the introduction of my playing every Zelda game I can, I was surprised to find that the game gave you clues! But I'm getting ahead of myself.

I started on Friday by popping the game into my NES and picking up my old controller. Ah. I miss the feeling of this hard plastic rectangle and the pain it causes my hand. Retro. On comes the familiar tune and I begin my quest. About a half-hour into game-play I realize that I am lost. So, I pull out a piece of paper and start logging a kind of make-shift map. Then, when I find my way back to the start, I get out my pens... a nice sheet of paper, a ruler, and I start making a pretty groovy map. I also start writing down information that I find in the game. Remember that I said that they gave me clues? I ended Friday night's play by finishing the third level and going to bed proud of myself. I had just beaten my previous Zelda gaming progress of when I was 16!

The next day I spend with Jennifer and am able to log in a few hours more. Levels four and five don't stand a chance... but level six becomes a chore and I am stuck in a rut for two hours on one damn level... and I still can't beat it.

So I think back to Cory's offer of three wishes, and I remember a TV show in Japan called GameCenter CX (see my Wikipedia post). If I'm going to play all the Zelda games in a short amount of time... I don't see any harm in asking for a 'wish'.

: "How do I beat the Wizards in level 6"?

: "You fight them. Dummy. Wish granted."

: "Wait! Wait! You didn't give me any help!"

: "I told you what you wanted to know. There's nothing special for you to know. You fight them. Wish Granted!"

:Damn.

So I started looking in the over-world for items to help me along the way. I started prodding, pulling, touching stone soldiers and getting my butt handed to me... and then I found a secret area that sold me a ring that halved the damage I would take.

Level 6 defeated... and all because I looked around.

One more wish later...
: How do I get the 3rd sword?
: Get 12 heart containers. Wish Granted.
... and I am finishing up the very difficult level 9. I should be done with this game soon... but I must admit that I will be sad to see it end. I have grown so fond of this game that it really has many of the PS2 and Wii games beaten for a place in my favorites category. And so I think that, for me, my favorite console will always be the NES because it had great games that are still great so many years later.

ZELDA FUN
* Zelda Cupcakes
* Actor Robin Williams named his daughter Zelda Ray after the game, which is a favorite of his sons.
* Zelda 2 released this week in 1987