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Legend of Zelda NES Nintendo Entertainment - 1987 Ah, the first great game of many other great games to come. This was really a new kind of game, if not a new kind of plot. But it was an interesting spin. Hyrule, land of harmony and prosperity, is suddenly attacked by the armies of the Prince of Darkness, Gannon. His goal is to steal the Triforces, great glowing triangles of power. The Princess, Zelda, is kidnapped by Gannon, and the Triforce of Power stolen. Luckily Zelda hid the Triforce of Wisdom, and sent her nursemaid Impa to go and find some warrior to save everyone. She finds Link some 14 year old guy fighting the Prince of Darkness? Not my #1 pick, but thats all Hyrule has. Link sets out with his willpower and... wood sword... to save Zelda and Hyrule. He'll kill countless demons who drop little rupees, and along his journey buy and find new items of power. Fight, blow shit up, and gamble his way to the top. After you gather the shards of the Triforce, it's off to smite Gannon. A big fugly bull monster. Not my ideal Dark Lord, but that's all we get. The game is pretty hard, unless you've beaten it countless times and have memorized every location of every item, secret house-under-a-bush, and cave or island containing Heart Containers. Though after you win, there's a harder version of the same quest, with almost every secret location and dungeon moved somewhere else. I might play that for some challenging fun. Don't forget to visit caves and the people inside castles. They'll give you useful tips on bosses and finding items. Subnote: Every human you meet in the castle you can attack. But don't think you can damage him, he's a Demi-God sent to help you. If you try and hurt him, he will barrage you with fireballs. Try as you might, he won't even blink. Stab him, smack him, blow him up, shoot him full of arrows, burn him, he'll just throw fireballs at you. Its funny to try but eventually you really want him dead. Just wanted to review the items you get, as they are pretty cool and lots of fun. Amongst your arsenal of weapons are sword, bow and arrow, boomerang, Candle (sort of like a medieval flamethrower), BOMB, and magic wand (that later spews fire upon spell contact). You also get rings which change your outfit and half damage. You'll also get a power wrist to toss aside heavy bolders, a magic key to unlock any door, rafts and latters to cross rivers and oceans (to special islands), and some steak to toss at your enemies. That's right, monsters will come to suck on your meat wad. Sorry, I couldn't resist. What liked: Mostly everything. Bombs, magic, shooting swords of power (see System of a Down's Legend of Zelda song found online, doubtfully on any CD). What disliked: Those old men and gremlin dudes who rob you of money or steal shit from you. What to expect: An innovative adventure game with great depth. What not to expect: Uh, Mario I guess? What's so different from this and other games of its genre: This was the first really of its genre, traverse the world and save the princess from a demon... so the plot is as old as your grandpa, but it was the first game with such depth. Ratings on: Control: 8 - 2 buttons, not all that complicated. A few of the items (i.e. Boomerang) are sort of hard to control. Graphics: Well, you know the time period. I'd give it a 7, pretty good, and fairly detailed, but really not the top of the line graphics. Sound: 9 - Really catchy tunes, I think every gamer recognizes the overworld theme within 5 notes. You know the one. Most FX are pretty corny, but not so bad. A harsh HHCHH sound for fire (HHCHH as in the first sound in CHAnnukah, but longer), metallic clinks when arrows, spears, or other misc. things crash into armor or your shield. Style: 9 - The only reason why I took off a point from 10 is because the "Save the princess from the bad guy" theme is much much much older than any videogame. LoZ does it in a great way though, lots of interesting monsters with odd weaknesses, lots and lots of secrets, lots of fun. There's over 6 ways to smite your enemies, what more can you ask? 1st hour: I get a wooden stick to fight through legions of demon creatures? What the fuck? 3rd hour: Sweet! Bombs! I can blow holes in shit! 5th hour: Ooh, Triforce pretty. 1st week: There's lots of stuff hard to find... 1st Month: Got a lot of the Triforce, now I'm moving around at my own pace. 2nd Month: I beat it! Fwaha, burn in Hell Gannon! Wtf... he took her again?! #1 reason why I hate this game: Look, a hidden house under a bush! *Marches in* d00d: Hey asshole, you just burnt down my front door! *He steals lots of rupees from you, the dick* |
