How Many Hearts?

[February Eve]

How many heart containers (meaning both boss containers and the container you get when you have collected enough pieces of heart) do you usually have at the end of the game (any game)?

I was very paranoid (with good reason, I was very bad *g*) in my first few games and methodically collected them all because I was convinced I would die at the end of the game without them. That being said, I am so bad at archery in OoT that I always have 19.75 at the end of it (the last unclaimed piece being from the archery on horseback game. Yes, that's right, I can't even get 1000 points.)

Majora's Mask was even worse thanks to all those mini-games I am terrible at, but I was less paranoid about those. I still collected about 18.

I have finally realized I don't need that many, but I'm not sure what my minimum would be. You?

ETA: If a game has optional heart containers instead of heart pieces, mentally substitute that in the poll instead.

 

[Zeruda]

I never fight the last battle until I've obtained all the hearts. It's like this weird thing I can't seem to control. Kind of like how I have to pick up EVERY RUPEE. I don't bother so much with getting everything else... I finish other quests after I've won the game, but with hearts, I dunno, I have to get them all. It's a habit that started when I first picked up Zelda. My dad would say, "You need all the hearts or you'll die!" when I was little, so now it's something that just sticks with me. I know now that I don't need them all, but I guess being convinced that I did when I was younger just formed a habit.

 

[Din Akera]

In my first run through of a game that is new to me. I will seek them out to some extent. If i can see it, I will do EVERYTHING I can to get to it, or if I'm sure that a mini-game will result in a heart piece, then I will work at it until I get it. But I don't find them all. THis usually sets me up with enough to complete the game.

The next couple time through though I will look harder and try to find as many as I can. Then after that I will usually have a need to complete the game 100%, so I will come online here and find out where the ones are that I have missed...

 

[Austin]

I always set out with the intent to collect a lot of heart pieces but I simply don't have the disicpline to stick with it. Most of the time I don't need any other hearts besides the ones you get from boss battles, so it's never been to much of an issue.

 

[athenian200]

I usually make sure to get at least 15-17, assuming the cap is 20. I don't necessarily insist on having all of the Heart Pieces, but I do make an effort to get as many as I can without going too far out of my way.

 

[PureLocke]

I get 100% most times otherwise it levels out at about 85% or so unless I do a three heart run.

 

[Jmonkey71]

I try to find them when I can, but sometimes I'm just too lazy to get them. I usually see one, but I don't have the stuff I need to get it, and when I get the stuff, I've already forgotten about it.

 

[Seamus]

I get all of the boss containers. I collect the other pieces around in the game, but never go out of my to get all of them.

 

[Dark Princess]

While I'm going through a dungeon or a field, and if I know that there is a heart piece around me, I'll do whatever I can to get it. I tend to get most of them but I can never get all of them... ^ ^;

 

[octorok74]

I collect all boss containers, plus I look for other heart pieces. The only problem is that some of them I just don't care about. I collect enough heart pieces/containers to keep me alive during the final boss fight.

 

[Sparky]

I swear i've posted in a thread like this already.....

On topic, I always go for all Heart Containers and Pieces on my first playthrough, usually before the final boss, with the exception of any archery related heart pieces you can't use the Wiimote on.

Most subsequent playthroughs after that are either 3 heart challenges or "As much heart containers you have if you pick up one after every boss" playthroughs.

 

[February Eve]

I swear i've posted in a thread like this already.....

I did a search beforehand for both "polls" and "hearts", but I may have missed an old topic.

I find it interesting that no one yet has said they don't look for them, though it's probably because it does depend on the game. I need all the hearts I can get in AlttP (as much as for the overworld as for the dungeon bosses!) but could probably survive with just the boss containers in TP (I'd be using my fairies in the final battle, though.) I think I'd be okay with less in Ocarina of time, though I can't say for sure as those bosses really gave me trouble the first time and I haven't replayed it enough times to say with confidence that I've learned them well.

 

[Jedizora]

i try to find them all but there is always one i can not get.

 

[Pocket Asian]

I normally have a rough estimate of 13-17 hearts by the time I get to the end of the game. I normally try to find the ones I'm missing after the final boss. The only games where I actually got all Heart Containers before the final boss was the Legend of Zelda, Adventure of Link, and Majora's Mask.

 

[@lex MM]

I don't care a lot about heart pieces because I use cheats like"Infinite hearts" or"Max heart pieces"<3