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Majora's Mask Why Isn't This Game More Popular?

DarkestLink

Darkest of all Dark Links
Joined
Oct 28, 2012
How ever some of your opinions in your first post were sated as fact and can be argued. This thread is not about why it did not sell but its about why is is it unpopular. The title is "Why Isn't This Game More Popular?"

Im not debating the points that are facts.

These...aren't even my opinions on Majora's Mask. (Well most aren't). They're just reasons the game is unpopular.
 

Unlucky Monkey

The Great King of Apes
Joined
May 17, 2011
Location
NRW, Germany
Majoras Mask wasn't unpopular in the past, and nowadays, it became popular than it ever was (thanks to the Internet). The development of Majoras Mask was not an easy one. It started as an expansion pack for Ocarina of Time under the name Zelda Gaiden. So, it was never planned to be released as a Stand Alone Retail Title. After the commercial nightmare of the 64DD, Ura Zelda was canceled and Zelda Gaiden was remade to the Majoras Mask we know. The development was rushed, indeed. Aonuma challenged his team to make a new Zelda game in a specific period of time. But they managed it to create an unique Zelda experience.

At the time after it's release I saw many commercials of the game in German Television. Like that one here:

[video=youtube;H5VZ7LnxlTA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5VZ7LnxlTA[/video]

So it wasn't the lack of marketing the game received. Like me, and this goes for many other people, I simply wasn't interested by the concept. I was still flashed by Ocarina of Time. The impact of the game was so strong. But still, sales of Majoras Mask were solid. It sold over 3 million copies. Remember it was a low budget project, started as an expansion for Ocarina of Time.

Nintendo hasn't abandoned Majoras Mask. It was released 2009 for the Wii Virtual Console. And I think, a Remake is still possible.
I think, when I have to choose a few things, making this game not so successful like Ocarina of Time, it would be the high difficulty and the time limit. But you see, 10 years later, a simmilar game, Pandoras Tower, was released and did a great job, despite a time limit in the dungeons.
A new generation of gamer may see Majoras Mask now as one of the most unique and challenging Zelda Games ever made.

Majoras Mask shares the same fate as many movies now considered as cult classics. Not a big success at the Box Office, but after the release for Home Cinema, they still became popular. Like Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within or Donnie Darko. End of the story ;)
 
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Vanessa28

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I've made my own rule for this Thread. Not starting a debate with DarkestLink or commenting any of his posts.
Back to Topic.
If you have a problem with a user then don't mention it in a thread. Every topic should follow the main rules and it is NOT allowed to rule someone out of a debat/discussion only because you have argues with him/her. There is absolutely no need to do this. Thanks.
 
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Unlucky Monkey

The Great King of Apes
Joined
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Location
NRW, Germany
If you have a problem with a user then don't mention it in a thread.

My words are not against Darkest Link in general, but for this thread. It goes more and more Offtopic if you start a debate with him. I think, you exaggerating here a little. Is exaggerating the right word? I had to translate the word übertreiben, and Google Translator told me it is exaggerating.

Instead of posting this in the Thread, going even further Offtopic, you could just have send me a message. But, yeah, I will delete this part for whatever reason.
 

Ventus

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So it wasn't the lack of marketing the game received. Like me, and this goes for many other people, I simply wasn't interested by the concept. I was still flashed by Ocarina of Time. The impact of the game was so strong. But still, sales of Majoras Mask were solid. It sold over 3 million copies. Remember it was a low budget project, started as an expansion for Ocarina of Time.

I definitely forgot about Ocarina of Time's effect on people back then. What a mystical game it was. Anywho, you're also right in that regard: people, being mystified by OoT, simply did not care for MM at the time. What few people WERE interested in it did not like it all too much simply because it was different. The release on Collector's Edition was buggy and people disliked the "random freezing" (honestly don't know what ppl are talking about with the freezing as I personally have never encountered such freezing). The Virtual Console release? I don't hear much talk about that one either.
 

Musicfan

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My words are not against Darkest Link in general, but for this thread. It goes more and more Offtopic if you start a debate with him. I think, you exaggerating here a little. Is exaggerating the right word? I had to translate the word übertreiben, and Google Translator told me it is exaggerating.

Instead of posting this in the Thread, going even further Offtopic, you could just have send me a message. But, yeah, I will delete this part for whatever reason.

I do not see how I was off topic I was debateing the side that it is not as unpopular.
 

Unlucky Monkey

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@musicfan

My post was not against you. It was a bit against myself. Starting a debate with DarkestLink, I know myself, would turn out into a Horror of quoting. It was just a notification for myself, to avoid this. I deleted this part, it was unnecessary and everything is totally Ok now ;)

I definitely forgot about Ocarina of Time's effect on people back then. What a mystical game it was. Anywho, you're also right in that regard: people, being mystified by OoT, simply did not care for MM at the time.

I regret this now. Back in 1998, my father and I bought Ocarina of Time together. I was just 12 years old, and for me, this was a very great moment. I finally held the game in my hands. The whole family was fascinated by Ocarina of Time. But after the release of Majoras Mask, no one cared about it. Many fans judged by the impact of Ocarina of Time. Now, Majoras Mask can stand of it's own feet. But back then, I never considered it to buy Majoras Mask.

Well, I downloaded the version for the Virtual Console. I think this version is still pretty popular for those, who missed the game back then. Of course, a Remake would be more appreciate.
 
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Joined
Mar 15, 2013
No one has mentioned that Majora's mask is a lot harder than Ocarina of time. The reason I love Ocarina so much is because of the nostalgia associated with it. Majora's mask was very cryptic about what you were supposed to do, so how was little 6 year old me supposed to enjoy it? I didn't beat MM until I was in high school because I lost interest when i was a kid and never really cared to revisit it until when i was bored a few summers ago. Now I know that Majora's mask is a great game(except it freezes way to much), but it will never be better than Oot for the reasons I just stated
 

Beauts

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Majora's Mask is one of my favourite Zelda games, so I don't really get why it isn't more popular. There are some quite sucky Zelda games, e.g. Phantom Hourglass, that get more attention than MM, for reasons I fail to understand. That aside, I think it's mainly due to the practicality issues- the N64 was on it's way out, it required the expansion pak, it was less kid-friendly in some ways being kind of psychedelic and whatnot, and people who don't know how to use the ample help that the game gives them (ahem ahem Killjoy) properly can't stand the challenge of the time system. I really intensely dislike the save system, but not the three day limit. A new difficulty was quite refreshing in my opinion, even though I wouldn't suggest they bring back anything like that in future games. I don't know whether they really need to remake it though, not just because of the whole 'new games/remakes' debate but because it stands fine on it's own. But this is just my opinion, everyone has their own preferences.
 

Random Person

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The question asks "Why isn't Majora's Mask more popular?" I've found that within the Zelda series, MM tends to be one of the most loved, if not THE most loved, of the Zelda games. This wasn't always true, but at the moment it's popularity seems to be very high. Now the reason it's not put on the status of "legendary" like LoZ, ALttP or OoT is because while it was an excellent game, it didn't do anything that redefined the series. MM may technically be a better game than OoT, but when you throw in the "for it's time factor" OoT wins by miles because MM was an enhancement of what OoT had to offer while OoT was completely original (or according to some fans, original except for its story). Sure both games have their perks and flaws, but the reason one stands out among the other is that it was more revolutionary for its time.

And to add, I've never seen the joy people get from screaming "we need a remake of this game!" A rerelease on current consoles? Sure, that's fine. Same game with HD graphics? Yeah, makes sense. But why does a game need a remake involving graphics, gameplay and story simply because it was good? Imagine if companies remade all games that were good. So much time and money spent on making games we've already played. I understand the remake of LEGENDS as that has appeal to it. Remaking ALttP or OoT makes sense. I'm one of the anti-supporters of Operation Moonfall because I simply think we don't need it. Sure I had fun playing MM, but if I want to play it again, I'll whip out my 64 and play it again, not wait for someone to make another version of it.

To sum up, MM is pretty popular inside the Zelda fanbase, but it isn't legendary and rightly so. While it might technically be better than the legendary OoT in some or all ways, it doesn't do much in a redefining state, especially when put next to a game that invented the standard for action-adventure games. MM is just a really rupee game to play and doesn't really need more hype to prove that.
 

DarkestLink

Darkest of all Dark Links
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Oct 28, 2012
Wait we're talking about the fanbase? I thought this was for the gaming community in general.
 

Mellow Ezlo

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Wait we're talking about the fanbase? I thought this was for the gaming community in general.

Somehow, it turned into an argument about the fanbase. I have no idea how, but... oh well.
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Why isn't Majora's Mask so popular? Because it is the predecessor of a legendary game. It may be my second favourite Zelda game (behind Skyward Sword), but I think most people feel like it fell short of their expectations, due to the fact that OOT was so highly praised. Also, the fact that it was going to be timed may have drawn some people away from it. That's the reason I hated the game when I first got it. Needless to say, I grew up to really enjoy the time system, but not everybody did. Also, the game is short. I will not deny it, the game is quite short. Well, the main quest is. But, that encourages people to actually try to do sidequests. If you do not try to collect Pieces of Heart, then you're going to go to the final battle with only seven hearts. That's another thing I love about MM is that it forces you to go in a different direction than the game tells you. The only Piece of Heart I hate is the one in the Clock Town Shooting Gallery... I'm sure you can all feel my pain!
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In all honesty, I don't think this game is unpopular at all. I was merely answering the question the thread was asking :)
 

DarkestLink

Darkest of all Dark Links
Joined
Oct 28, 2012
I never found the time thing a big deal unless you get impatient during sidequests and hate waiting for the right time...but I'm also the type to rush through the main quests and sidequests without a backwards glance. Others really like to explore their world, examine it, sit back and enjoy the secenery...basically time wasting stuff. And for many of those people, Majora's Mask is one giant Temple of the Ocean King.
 
Joined
Feb 23, 2011
I completed Majora's Mask prior to playing Ocarina of Time, and I still find the latter to be "the better game." Well, I guess "better" isn't the right word for it, as I consider them equal, but I am having a hard time finding a better way to describe it. To be honest, however, I think the Internet and a series of other popular opinion-based factors play into fans' opinion of MM (and the Zelda series as a whole).

This line denotes tl;dr: ↓


After having completed OoT, I hadn't really formed an opinion as to whether it was better than MM. In my eyes, both of the games were just... equal. Although, I had taken note that MM boasted a lot of improvements over OoT such as acrobatic jumping, a more original story, the ability to actually utilize time in the manner in which the titular item's name suggests, and lastly... the ability to transform, which essentially felt as if I was assuming the role of multiple characters. With all of that in mind, I still hadn't formed any major opinions, complaints, or anything about either game, much less their popularity...

It wasn't until I got into the realm of the Internet that I really considered any of the things discussed on this forum. Reading others' opinions seems to have [subconciously?] influenced my opinion as to which game is my favorite, among other things. My somewhat negative opinion of Twilight Princess might attest to this fact, as my Internet [forum] activity was at its peak around the time of its release.

In summary, I believe that MM's status in the series has a lot to do with popular opinion and its influence on the minds of fans like myself. Tie in the fact that MM broke an assortment of pre-established conventions, and my point is further highlighted. For this very reason, I think that the series has garnered a niche following and has become a cult hit. That's a really good thing, despite its ambiguously negative connotations. A remake would ruin this...
 

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