Guessed by @drbunnig
It's actually kinda funny going back through my previous lists and seeing just how many games used to be in front of Ocarina of Time and have since fallen behind it, some off the list entirely. For as much as I liked to call this game dated, these lists are the irrefutable proof that it has stood the test of time. Tell that to my 19-year-old self.
Seriously though, watching a first-time playthrough of it made me remember all just how much of a masterpiece it is. Well, that is, after they got through the opening third of the game, which was still as dull as I always found it to be. Especially Jabu-Jabu's Belly, it still boggles my mind that they thought that dungeon was okay. But for real, everything after that, it blows me away. I liked to think that its beginning made it lesser than other Zelda games, because only two thirds of it are as "serious" as other Zelda games, but now I've realized - when Ocarina of Time gets real, it really gets real. Like, way more than nearly any other game in this franchise ever did. The feeling of dread when you come back from the Temple of Time and see the town market, from that point on you know this game isn't fucking around anymore. It isn't just about a fun little kid's adventure, it's gonna have shocking moments, scary moments even, and if anything, it is only empowered by its slow-paced opening, because it is way more impactful to see the world you're in recontextualized, than it is to only see the aftermath of it. The truth is, Ocarina of Time is an absolute epic, and it will continue to blow people away decades from now regardless of how dated it is.
Last edited by mZuzek - on 06 December 2022
