I'm 36 and I played it -I think- in '99, but frankly that was not my feeling. I loved its 3d world over the claustrophobic sets of FFVII, and I had great fun playing it as it was my first Zelda game.

But I've been through my share of revolutionary games before as a computer gamer and this felt extremely good but hardly earthbreaking (Lords of Midnight, Elite, Populous, Dungeon Master, Daggerfall... ). 3D action-adventuring with lock-on combat was nice and smooth, but Tomb Rider before it had already shown how it could work. The Hyrule field reveal seemed to open to a huge world, but it was actually quite cramped when compared to things I had experienced in PC RPGs. The magical songs were nice, but nothing that I had not seen before -and brought to deeper, more complex consequences- in Loom.

That said, I couldn't but love the level design, puzzles, ingenious bosses battles and sidequests, and the package as a whole was maybe the most polished game I'd played.

PS: I actually think that 30+ limit had a sense. There's a great difference in perspective between playing such an important game at 20+ and playing it at 12-14.

I'm 26 and I remember every moment in that game. I got a lot of emotional responses to the game's moments in the story. that feeling of adventure, of being a hero, has not been reproduced in any other game I have played.

Even today I still get the feeling on my skin on the game's key moments

I'm only 21 and I got that game within a month of release. It was my first Zelda, and I honestly thought "Wtf? Zelda? Is this a game about a girl? Blah." when it was given to me, but I promptly opened it and started playing. I didn't stop for a week. It was amazing.

Felt that same magic playing Mario 64, Star Fox 64, and Zelda OOT, man that N64 was amazing!!! I can't remember how many hours of fun I first had playing Mario 64 just running around exploring outside the castle!! With Star Fox, both the voice work and the rumble pack really made that game great!! And finally solving all of those Zelda puzzles in 3D was a hell of an experience!!

I didn't have the pleasure of playing OOT when it came out, but I have had experience with "ground breaking" games. First of all, KOTOR--I felt like I was in Disney World for this entire game. Second, Okami--no other game is more beautiful.

I am 25, but pla. Syed it on release. I remember liking it until the end when the final battle with ganondorf was way to easy. For some reason it soured the experience for me. Always preffered Legend of Zelda: A link to the past. Still it was preaty danm good.

I'm 23 and I clearly remember the NES version of Zelda... when I was really young.... Sure I didn't get it when it was first released but I definatly wasn't older than 4 or 5.

Actually, I felt that way abou A Link to the Past. I mean the starting sequence was just breathtaking at the time.

you really should have said 20+ gamers :p

anyways, yes great times (I prefer the 2D ones though).
What I loved the most though is how it is one of the only 3D games I have never had a problem with the camera... I guess the reason this marked me more is because the whole zelda experience was not new (only the 3D).

Yeah, seriously.  That game had a way better intro than Ocarina.  After A Link to the Past and Link's Awakening's truly epic intros, Ocarina's whole starting section seemed like a huge step backwards.  Now I'm a kid in a small elf forest village?  PSfhtsss, let me start directly in a rescue mission or in a shipwreck.