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What is It About Zelda? Something Strange Has Happened to Me.

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Ice9ine

Guest
Hello.

I am a gamer. I play games. I play lots of games. I mean games since the Atari console, vector graphics and Commodore Vic 20.

I am forty one years young too. No, I am not a nerd. Do nerds have a wife, child and a professional career?...I dunno anyway, I want to explain my recent revelation to you which is this game known as ......Zelda.

I have had all the consoles over the years, even an N64 with OoT but never really gave it the time of day, even though I remember drooling over the state of the art visuals all those years ago.

I've got a 360,PS3 and high end PC too which plays all the tasty titles (here's looking at you BF3 and Skyrim...4 days and counting). I love serious warefare games...I love uncharted...I love The witcher....God I was even on WOW for years then EVE....maybe I am a nerd?

I suppose in terms of gaming, I have been around the block a few times since my early days playing bat tennis on my Pong machine and putting 20 cents up on the space invaders arcade at the pinnie parlour bagging the next game.

However, whilst fossicking aimlessly through youtube at gaming footage a few nights ago, I stumbled across some N64 footage of Mario 64. It was late, I was delerious and my mind was shot, but I was almost instantly transported back with incredible memories of my N64 days and the incredible fun I had with friends in that era.

This lead to me wanting to relive those days. I knew I would be let down if I somehow tracked down a N64 console and Mario as nothing is as good as we remember it to be..right? Wrong.

My desire to get back to the Nintendo era was almost getting manic. I even went to the local market looking for a console. I went to Ebay and tagged a few sales, watching eagerly as the clock ticked down. I finally stumbled across an emulator (can I talk about those in here?).

Anywayyyyyyyy, Idownloaded all my favourites of the day Turok, goldeneye, Mariokart, you know the drill and of course I got Zelda ocarina of time. I got this thing working quite easily and loaded up OOT. Quite seriously, I was absolutely captivated by the thing. Yes, I had some flashbacks and could almost smell the chips, beer and feel the excitment amongst my group of mates sitting half pissed in front of the CRT with bloodshot eyes but after the walk down memory lane, I genuinely began being engulfed in the gameplay, the story, the characters, the world. The dated graphics didn't scare me, in fact they somehow added to the immersion. The lack of voicing was a pleasant change and I found myself amused and connected with the childish and simple dialogue. The OOT in 2011 with arguably the biggest RPG in history on a technical level graphical and otherwise just around the corner (skyrim) has completely posessed me. Yes, a game that is what, 14 years old has my undivided attention and now I am counting down the days to SS.

My question is why?

What is it about Zelda games. I mean damn, I am now going to buy a wii and my most anticipated GOTY (no pun inteneded) is Skyward Sword. This obsesion has come out of NOWWHERE! There is something completely unique about the Zelda world that is completely captivating. But I am a grown man!!...I should be playing CIV 5 and managing economies...shouldn't I??

Maybe Zelda captures our childhood...memories, fun? The light hearted, colourful graphics are soothing and comforting. I don't know what it is but I know i am obsessed with the Zelda gameplay and universe.

I will end my rant here. I do not mean to say Zelda is a kids game, it is not. I am however finding that the chemisty of stylized graphics, rich colour palette, fascinating gameplay and enchanting quests is feeding my desire for a game that truly, genuinely transports me into a virtual fantasy world that very few games have ever done

Remember when gaming was fun?...really fun?...I do now. Thanks for reading and bring on SS!!

Cheers,

Ice9ine.
 
Joined
Aug 7, 2008
It's all good. Zelda is definitely not just for kids. I am celebrating my 25th birthday today (not 41, but adult I think), and my birthday present from my wonderful wife is a pre-order of the Skyward Sword Bundle. Unlike you, I've been playing Zelda since the NES, so it's not a new phenomenon to me. For the record 2 of my other favorite series are Mario and Metroid, so I'm obviously not worried about Nintendo's reputation as a kiddie game company. After all, I'm also playing Fallout 3, can't wait for Mass Effect 3, (and I would argue that civ 4 was better than civ 5), but Zelda is still by far my favorite series.

I forgot to mention, the best thing to do about your new obsession is play more Zelda. Since you are getting a wii, you can download all classic console titles on Virtual console and you can play Windwaker and Four Sword Adventures since the Wii is backward compatible with gamecube games.
 

Ronin

There you are! You monsters!
Forum Volunteer
Joined
Feb 8, 2011
Location
Alrest
Well, you could just download Mario 64 and a lot of other great game on N64 from the Wii Shop. But because this "revelation" has come upon you suddenly, I suppose you'd rather play them as they were. Your story is intriguing, by the way. A lot of points were made which I agree with. Games nowadays don't seem near as..."fun" as they were ten years back. Loads of experimentation with modern technology seems to drive the recreational qualities from newer titles. I think, and hope, Nintendo's bringing that back partially with Skyward Sword, though.
 
Joined
Sep 25, 2011
YES you are a nerd! and yes nerds can have a wife and family! lol I've been playing Zelda since I was a kid and it's always captivated me. It's because it is the epitome of the perfect combination of fantasy and gameplay without a story that gets so complicated that, if you weren't literally writing everything down and making connections that'll eventually look like a spiderweb, you'd get lost. It's simple, it's fun, and yet there is some complexity given the timelines and such. You are a nerd, and Zelda is a, if not THE, game that revolutionized gaming as we know it. Many games that we play in today's age are full of gimmicks, like the 3D fad in movies. Zelda is a good old classic, free of gimmicks, that jogs the imagination of us all and takes us back to a time filled with magic and adventure.
 

Adam

Undefeated
Joined
Oct 10, 2011
i'm just going to say AGREE and that this thread was an pleasantry to read. Im a young 19 but zelda has been there for me every step of the way. my girlfriend (fiance soon!!) clearly understands where i stand on gaming and she is nowhere near gamer status (but i get her to play mario party and awesome wiiware games) and i would not have this quality time with her without Nintendo's mission and vision for gameplay over graphics. where's the quality time when the only new game coming out is an upgrade with a few new guns and maps?? (FPS is my worst and only bad genre) the entrancing story and side stories (im staring right at MM and LA for that one) is what makes Nintendo stand out above the rest, and yes other developers understand this but not a mainstream publisher such as Nintendo. Let this thread continue in the glory of Zelda :)

i also own every console ever (except PS3), i love retro gaming and just knowing that im a well rounded gamer :) :)
 
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