AngryLittleAlchemist said:
Shiken said:
Ok for the sake of argument, I am voting based on traditional Zelda games. BotW is a game I absolutely love, one of my favorite games of all time. However I don't feel right putting it up against the others being so different (despite being inspired by Zelda 1).
So with that, A Link to the Past is the pinnacle of the traditional formula. It set the ground work for the traditional formula far more than Ocarina ever did, and is densely packed with content. My favorite 3D Zeldas from the traditional formula would have to be Twilight Princess or Majora's Mask. Right behind them is Skyward Sword (so yes I am excited to play that again on Switch).
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While I have definitely seen some people say that Ocarina of Time "set the groundwork for future Zeldas", I think this is usually in relation to the 3D games in the series and 3D gaming as a whole. Ocarina of Time's biggest innovation after all was how eloquently it transitioned Zelda into 3D gaming, and the nuances and complexities of that were carried forward in every big 3D Zelda game after. So I think it's a little weird to gatekeep Ocarina of Time based on how much it did for Zelda when the point is moreso how it basically innovated an entire dimension of games (something I don't think anyone really claims ALTTP did) and arguably perfected the formula. Ocarina of Time even made the series a lot more puzzle focused, I mean really the puzzles in A Link to the Past are super basic, and that's like an entire third of what Zelda is known for nowadays (though honestly, looking back on it, you could kind of see Link's Awakening as the title which made the "traditional" formula more puzzle oriented?).
Not saying I disagree that A Link to the Past is better, and you do also mention that it's the pinnacle of the traditional formula which is a statement about quality. But I find some of the implications of which game does more to establish Zelda a little awkward, partially given just how much new OoT did for the industry, but also because in a series of so many good games I don't think that particularly matters. Just my opinion though, I can see how if you were there at the time it would settle things a little bit more in your mind.
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As far as 3D Zeldas go, yes Ocarina did set the bar with how they operate. I was more referring to the overall plot and dungeon progression, along with the puzzles. If we are talking strictly 3D Zelda, then I agree Ocarina laid the groundwork entirely in that regard. Even BotW's combat is built off of what OoT started.
I just like to take jabs at OoT from time to time simply because compared to the rest of the series, I do not consider it "god tier" as a game like so many people do. To me, it is more of a "mid tier" Zelda game. I still really like it a lot as it is a very good game, and it holds a ton of nostalgia for me. I just don't think it stacks up to later Zelda games as well as some would like to believe once that nostalgia is removed however (which should be expected, as future games simply fine tuned and improved what OoT started).
Last edited by Shiken - on 01 June 2021
