Will there ever be a Zelda game better than Ocarina of Time?

[chinangel]

Twilight Princess.

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

I always thought The Adventure OF Link was the best Zelda game <.<

Had the most engrossing plot. I mean Ganon is dead, princess bewitched into a coma by evil wizard seeking the triforce, Link has to brave possible death (and the subsequent ressurrection of Ganon from his broken body) just to save her.

So it flips the whole 'hero' thing on it's head ... it's no longer just about one man saving the many ... it's about one man willing to imperil what remains of Hyrule all to do some greater good.

Link almost takes on an anti-hero quality that his wish to wake the sleeping Zelda is worth the lives of those survivors in Hyrule. The story itself represents a truly glorious 'grey moral perspective' ... whereby all notions of good are thrown out of the window leaving only personal conviction and bravery as a means to judge character.

'Twas a good plot.

 

[Manji187]

If Nintendo will make me chief of the development team there will be.

 

[Mr. Socky]

Twilight Princess is already better, IMO.

 

[gamefreakbsp]

I love OoT far too much to let any Zelda game have a shot at toppling it.

 

[hurfdurp]

Yep, it's called 'A Link to the Past'.

 

[RandV80]

I don't think the issue of Zelda is solely due to nostalgia. People who have memories of pre-WW Zelda games fell in love with the franchise when it was quite different to what Zelda is today. The games didn't used to be so afraid of the player getting stuck - the camera direction and level design of the newer ones makes sure that players don't spend half an hours wandering around because they're not sure what they can do next. You could easily argue that to be evidence of superior game design, but that philosophy is clearly evident in the boss battles, as well; I've been playing Majora's Mask again, recently, and despite knowing exactly what to do, I still found the Ikana Castle boss to be a bit of a handful. Compare with the bosses in Twilight Princess, which aren't so much fought as they are solved, as you use your latest tool in clearly telegraphed ways to stab their weak spot, then repeat the process two or three more times.

We'll never see another Water Temple because of this, and for people who liked the old games, those kind of moments were part of the charm. There's a lot that the new games do that's far and away superior to what people think of as the classics of the series, and there's a lot that people forget about the classics that's been improved upon by newer titles. Personally, I think that OoT, while it's influence and significance to the industry cannot be understated, has been somewhat superceded by games like WW or TP, in the same way that you don't need to play Red or Blue if you've already played through Diamond or Pearl. It no longer has the same impact as it did, because it served a very special purpose in the history of videogames.

I agree completely, I don't think this can be stated enough. In my opinion Twilight Princess was an amazing game and easily top of the class up to the Master Sword, after which it dropped to merely being good because the whole thing felt completely neutered with modern hand-holding game design.

In past Zelda games like A Link to the Past and Occarina of Time the difficulty ramped up as you proceeded through the game, the dungeons got bigger & badder and the puzzles increasingly difficult. In Twilight Princess however dungeon difficulty and size went static, no real change past the first 3, and infact became easier because Link became bigger and badder as you found more upgrades & hearts. The way to go next was always telegraphed and obvious, and ppart from the ice castle which didn't have hearts in pots I don't think I ever dropped below 3 hearts in any of the dungeons. You see any past dungeon games, hearts, magic and rupies only respawn from broken pots if you leave the dungeon, making them a limited in quantity. In Twilight Princess, to respawn them you only had to leave the room. Bosses too were pretty easy, for example while it was cool in concept I beat the dragon in the sky temple without getting hit once.

And I'm not saying this all as a huge OoT fan, my nostalgia remains with A Link to the Past... though it kind of took a hit when I replayed it last year on the virtual console. While still challenging in places I guess I've gotten a lot better in the past 15 years since I played it because I really steamrolled it, despite completely forgetting half the game finding 100% items without even trying.

But back on topic, I do have hope for Skyward Sword in the form of that crazy little patent Nintendo got where the game plays itself for you when it gets too hard. At first glance it sounds like a horrible idea, but when applied correctly it can actually turn out quite well, as seen in 2D Super Mario Bros Wii. Unlike the DS Super Mario Bros it was actually hard again, like the Mario games of old all us long time gamers remember, while at the same time providing an optional gimme past the difficult spots for newer gamers so they don't get frustrated and quit.

I really, really hope they apply the same concept to Skyward Sword to put the bite back into Zelda and make it hard again, like it should be.

 

[FruitFusion]

Having played all console zeldas when they came out ide say OoT.
The atmosphere, game mechanics and story is the best in OoT.
But this is just useless opinion.

The actual reason OoT is the best Zelda is because its the only zelda
that was revolutionary. OoT was the most perfect trancendance from 2D to 3D
in any game series and it created the standard for 3D action-rpgs.
Non of the other Zeldas can hold this claim (even the first 2D zelda)

 

[MasterV]

There have been several OP. Remove your nostalgia glasses and you'll see them. Except a few recent ones. Those were crap.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

A Link to the Past was already better than OOT.

I concur.

ALTTP is to this day my favorite Zelda and probably always will be.

 

[Hman121]

The top three list is OoT, Twilight Princess, and Majora's Mask. Enough said.

 

[Amerikhan]

Not likely. Twilight Princess could have been [horse-back sword fighting :!!] but they majorly dropped the ball on it. Wind Waker, also, was pretty awesome and had the OoT feel to it, but they had to make it cartoony because they have no sense for whatever reason.

 

[Dumori]

The only flaw of Majora's mask is that once you have the necessary items ect the game is built to be beaten in just over 144 min the longest you can make the three days last. This leats you wrap up every plot point and all the dungeons ect. I personlay love MM over all the Zelda games. Though I have to say it's a close competition and every game has it best at "blah" part. Wind waker is the most fun to explore. OOT has some of the best plot/dungeons. MM has the best core mechanic and a real compelling story in my eyes. I haven't played any from TP onwards so I can't coment much there. The GB and other 2d games are also good though I did find the orical games a bit repetitive though I was paying both at the same time.

 

[Folio]

There are fans who stick with A Link to the Past rather than OoT. I think it's safe to say those are the best two (so pick out which one you like best)

Yet those new release titles: Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. It feels like a trick to bring back the feel of the old Zelda games.

I can't say they need to stop putting Ganondorf in them, it began with him, it wil end with him. (or in certain timelines it already did)

I like the ones in between: Majora's Mask, Phantom Hourglass, Minish Cap, Spirit Tracks, heck, Four Swords Adventures. But they are short and not memorable.

I don't think the new Zelda will be better. I just don't like the mish-mash of styles.
OoT will come out on the 3DS though.

 

[DonPandon]

OoT was great, but obviously it wasn't some kind of so-perfect-straight-from-heaven game that there is no possibility of a better game being made. [...]

Heck Yeah! Link in OoT show's the true meaning of beeing a hero

 

[Z(ombie)fan]

There already is.

It's called Majora's Mask.

Agreed.

good, old fashioned, five stars, nightmare fuel, right there. *rocks back and forth in chair*

 

[HT_Black]

I dunno, I never played much of OoT...but I heard Majora's Mask was pretty sweet, and that seems right on the money judging from the parts that I could stomach.

 

[Cowabungaa]

There already is.

It's called Majora's Mask.

Worrrrrd.

Twilight Princess took everything that was good about OoT and improved on it, the city of Hyrule was amazing to walk around in. I have yet to finish it though.

Hell I think I even liked Wind Waker more, at least as much as OoT.

 

[Azure Sky]

Am I one of the only people that loathes Majora's Mask?
A game based around the happy mask sub-plot using the same engine and recycled character models was disappointing... =(

OT: Not sure about the other Zelda games.
Better and more developed? Maybe.
More groundbreaking and industry-setting? Unlikely.

 

[Outright Villainy]

There already is.

It's called Majora's Mask.

[HEADING=1]BAM![/HEADING]
That was the colossal sound of the nail hitting the head with the force of a giant hammer... thing...

Uh, what he said!