General Classic Poll: Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask?

[A Link In Time]

I prefer Ocarina of Time over Majora's Mask. It's difficult to compare these games because although they utilize nearly the same engine, the two focus on differing ends of the Action-Adventure genre. OoT emphasizes progression through dungeons and while sidequests are more numerous than those of its predecessors they are not present in abundance. MM, on the other hand, shines new light on these secondary objectives. The people you help will repay the kindness as Termina nears its end.

Another factor I have to take into account in judging these games, however, is that I played OoT first and that said game released before MM. If history had unfolded the other way around, OoT would have been seen as a regression of the series. As it is, the game revolutionized analog control over sprawling worlds, further enhanced by lock-on and great transportation systems including Epona and ocarina warp songs. MM isn't the objectively worse game, it's merely different and in my case that deviation is not something I embrace.

 

[bunny]

Honestly, I prefer Majora's Mask. I'm not saying I don't enjoy Ocarina of Time, I just can't help but love how unique Majora's Mask stands out compared to the rest of the Zelda series. It's the only Zelda game where you actually get to experience being other species from the series. And I know a lot of people don't like that you're "timed" but for me, it just makes me get more involved with the game. You're literally saving Clock Town from being destroyed and preventing the deaths of everyone in it.

 

[LinkontheRink]

OoT is just about perfect for me and the only thing missing is once you beat the game, there isn't much to go back in do. No small quests or re-battling bosses other than Ganondorf. This is something that Majora's has, plenty of exploring and going back to do things.

Majora's is an interesting animal. When I think about it, I'm reminded of the frustration I had playing the game. Finding fairies in the temples just killed me. The Snowhead temple was excruciating. Overall it just wasn't an easy game, but I likely got more frustrated than I should have.

That frustration takes away from how good the game actually really is. I like the exploration and re-battling as I mentioned before. But I like the South, North, West, East theme and how each direction is a different an unique landscape. I like the elements from OoT in the game. I like that we see a new boss. Some more new items would have been nice.

Overall it is the little frustrating things which take Majora's a huge chunk down in the rankings, and I'll always like OoT better, but I think I underrate MM sometimes.

 

[Mudora]

I liked them both, but my favorite out of the two would be Ocarina of Time. :fairy:

 

[SpiritGerudo]

Realistically, Majoras Mask destroys Ocarina of Time in graphics, story, sidequests, character developement and character interaction.

Well yeah. I love Ocarina of Time and all, I don't dislike it, but I think Majora's Mask took everything it did well, added to it, made it even better, and changed everything that was just standard and made it more dynamic, changed it into something that was neither standard nor cliche, but much more complicated, much more in depth, and much more unique. Fighting evil is easy. Its simple. But fighting a child-like entity with no end goal and a lot of power, while making people happy, doing it for them, is much harder, and that's why I love the game. Mostly for the literature aspects of it, but what I just said barely scratches the surface.

Aside from that, as Twili123Prince very truthfully states, Majora's Mask destroys Ocarina of Time in graphics, story, sidequests, character development, an character interaction. I'm going to add out-of-dungeon quests here too. There was so little to do in between the dungeons in OoT, especially as adult Link. The dungeons really kept you busy with the main quest and most of the side quests I did after I beat the game. But only having 4 (amazing) dungeons really opens up possibilities of stuff to do in between the dungeons, which I think was done perfectly. There's a lot to do in between them that was required, it was part of the main quest, and it led you to all of these other side quests. I feel like, in Ocarina of Time, there was all of the dungeons, and then there was everything else, all of the sidequests. Majora's Mask was just such a whole game. Getting the masks never felt like something to do when you're bored and don't feel like doing a dungeon, like I thought the Big Poe sidequests was, or something to do once you've beaten Ganon. It was as much a part of the main quest to me as the dungeons were, and I loved that. I just think that Majora's Mask had the best balance between sidequests, dungeons, main quest, and world development, whereas Ocarina of Time focused too much on it's dungeons (which I should note that of all of the dungeons of both games, I thought Stone Tower was the best, the Spirit, then Snowhead, the Great Bay and you can see where this is going . . . ).

Then there are the smaller (smaller, not small in any definition of the word) things that make Majora's Mask unique: it's transformation masks, and the time cycle; these things are I think what really made the game for me in terms of gameplay.

And P.S.: while Majora's Mask is my favorite game, and I think it's the best game in the series, I don't support Operation Moonfall.

 

[r2d93]

I never thought i'd say it... but it might be Majora's Mask. Even though i just voted for Ocarina lol

I usually just say OoT without a second thought, and i usually think of MM very negatively. But comparing when I play the two games, OoT just isn't as fun. I know what i'm going to do next because you always have to advance in the story, theres not much else you can do. When I played MM, i would always be upset when i stopped playing and i'd look forward to when I played it next because I could do just so much while playing. MM

 

[HyruleHistory10]

I love both games almost equally, but Ocarina of Time just seems more complete to me. Majora's Mask tries to compensate its lack of dungeons with more side quests, but I would have really liked to see more dungeons and bosses. Ocarina of Time has a perfect length and feels more complete. Also, Majora's Mask copied and pasted a lot of elements from Ocarina of Time.

i agree with you on this. you stole the words out of my mouth lol

 

[zellinkda]

I don't know how many times I have professed my love for Majora's Mask. Don't get me wrong, I love Ocarina of Time, however I feel that Majora's Mask had this amazing, raw feeling that Ocarina of Time had less of. The four giants nearly made me cry. So much feeling has been put into this game in just one year to make the game. Ocarina of Time was really good, but it was a straight shot after you became an adult. you knew exactly what the plan was, and you knew pretty much exactly how it was going to turn out. Majora's Mask was a game where you had pretty much no clue where you were headed and what was around the corner. That rule applied especially to the Stone tower Temple; when you were going upside down and right side up, you could never tell which way was right. this added to the pure mystery of Majora's Mask.

Adding back to the part of where I was about to cry. anyone remember when you find all four giants?

Tatl will translate: "Call... Us... that's what they're saying."
"are they... crying?"

"forgive... your.....friend. Forgive our friend?" Honestly, that touched my heart. also this song contained such beauty:
The Legend Of Zelda MM Oath To Order - YouTube

 

[Skywaker]

Honestly, I loved OoT, but my vote ultimately goes to MM. I felt that they put in more emotion (I'm not saying that OoT doesn't have emotion at all, I'm saying that MM imo had a little more) like what zellinkda said above. The atmosphere was pretty cool and was interesting to explore a world opposite of Hyrule.

 

[Gannon]

There wouldn't be a Majora's Mask without Ocarina of Time. Gaming was revolutionized because of Ocarina of Time, so I have to pick that one.

 

[PhantomTriforce]

Ocarina of Time, by far. Ocarina of Time had more of what I would like to see in a Zelda game than Majora's Mask. I usually like a nice and lengthy main quest with several dungeons and less to do in the overworld. Majora's Mask, however, had more to do in the overworld and had less dungeons, which I don't prefer as much.

 

[GandalfDaGreat]

Though Ocarina of Time is an epic game, I am more attracted to the deeply personal story in Majora's Mask. Also the extra RAM gives the game a bit more life with more animations and better draw distance.

 

[Krazy4Krash]

If I was asked a while ago, I would have been unable to decided between the two. I have since realised that I prefer Ocarina of Time over Majora's Mask. The margin is still quite small, though. I find OoT easier to return to, playthrough after playthrough.

 

[EeveeChan]

Majora's Mask! Ocarina of Time was great & all, but everyone actually had a name in MM, everyone mattered & everything you did effected Termina. To me, it was a much more interesting story than Oot.

 

[Hero of Time]

Ocarina of Time is the game of games, to put it frankly. Few games can compare to it. It revolutionized gaming, implementing the gameplay that has lived on and progressed to this day. It's nothing short of a masterpiece, albeit with minimal flaws, including lack of character involvement and a rather dull plot.

Majora's Mask took what OoT did wrong (and I use "wrong" loosely, because it's more like what OoT didn't get 100% right) and fixed it. Instead of giving us a sprawling adventure comparable to OoT, Nintendo gave us a grand, articulate, cinematic adventure. I feel I may be a bit harsh on MM sometimes, because in terms of what it was aiming for, it is a masterpiece in its own right. It expanded on the plot and characters and gave the player an unprecedented involvement in the game. MM's not my cup of tea, but it has to be respected for what it is: the best artistic and interactive approach on the Zelda formula to date.

My vote will always go to OoT in this battle, but MM is a great successor to it.