PixlBit

The PixlBit staff sounds off on Aonuma's comment in a recent interview.

Revogamers.net recently had the opportunity to talk Zelda with Eiji Aonuma, the man currently at the helm of the Zelda series. In the interview, Aonuma had the following to say about Ocarina of Time (translation courtesy of Nintendo World Report):

"If you play Ocarina of Time now, you realize that the game is not very good. There are moments in which it doesn't move as fast as it should, the graphics are not as good as they should have been, there are confusing parts... Now any Zelda game is technically superior. Everything goes much faster, much better."

Each member of the staff is thoroughly familiar with both the franchise and the title, and as such has decided to sound off with their feelings on the matter.

Nick's Thoughts

For quite a while, I've been saying this exactly. There is no question in my mind that Ocarina of Time provided one of the best and most memorable gaming experiences of my life. At the time of its release, there was nothing like it. It excelled in nearly every way possible, and most importantly, it transitioned the Zelda franchise flawlessly into the third dimension.

Since its release, Nintendo has built on the core concepts introduced by Ocarina of Time and built, in my opinion, better games. Of course, Wind Waker was a bit rushed, thus providing an experience that felt somewhat lacking. However, Twilight Princess is basically Ocarina of Time 2.0. For all intents and purposes, it's everything Ocarina of Time aspired to be during its creation over a decade ago.

Now I won't go as far as saying that Ocarina of Time is not very good if you play it today, as Aonuma put it. But it certainly does not hold up as well as I remember it. Having played it just a few months ago, I can promise you that Twilight Princess stands far above Ocarina of Time in every respect. The game's pacing is much better, there are many more tasks to accomplish, and Hyrule has never felt grander.

Regardless of the nostalgia attached to the title, you really have to step back and look at it from an unbiased perspective. While I undoubtedly had a bigger love affair with Ocarina of Time, and for a much longer time, at the end of the day, I'd much rather play through Twilight Princess than Ocarina of Time. The experience is just more enjoyable thanks to all of the tweaks made to the formula after a few iterations.

Chessa's Thoughts

Ocarina of Time was my first real introduction to the series. For some reason that baffles me still to this day, I snubbed the original on the NES. My first play through of Ocarina of Time is indescribable; never before had I experienced a game of such depth and magnificence. I spent hours meticulously collecting every heart piece, gold skulltula, and weapon expansion. I scoured every corner of Hyrule searching for side quests and poured hours into the game simply wandering around the world not wanting the experience to be over.

No matter which new Zelda title I acquired, none of them could take the place of Ocarina of Time, even Twilight Princess whose gameplay and presentation was a dream come true for someone like me who had been waiting for a darker version of the Zelda story.

However, a few months back when Nick and I hosted a Zelda marathon, a bit of harsh reality hit me as I realized just how much nostalgia had been cluttering my vision of Ocarina of Time. It didn't control as well as I remembered, the dungeon design was convoluted and at times sloppy, and certain minute details didn't stick out the way they did years ago.

If I had read Aonuma's recent comment without having played Ocarina of Time just a few months back, I would have rolled my eyes and sighed, thinking him crazy for even having the audacity to insult my beloved game. However, having revisited the title, I do see his point, albeit his is a bit over-exaggerated.

I believe that Ocarina of Time is a title that wowed and touched so many gamers when it came out, that many still feel a desperate need to defend its honor when those come to challenge it. Some will always see it as the defining moment of the Zelda series, but nostalgia shouldn't blind them to the advancements that have been implemented into more recent additions to the series.

Lukasz's Thoughts

Ocarina of Time will always have a special place in my heart, since it was one of my favorite games while growing up. Wind Waker and Twilight Princess have obviously improved on the mechanics, controls, graphics and so forth, but Ocarina of Time has set the basic framework that defines all 3D Zelda games as well as countless other adventure games.

While I do agree that Ocarina of Time has obviously aged, I think the design and implementation is timeless. With that in mind, I disagree with Aonuma. When he says the game is not very good, he is obviously comparing sequels to Ocarina of Time, which have various refinements in place. In general, I think that comparisons such as those are terrible since sequels typically improve on the design set by its predecessors.

Nintendo managed to nail the design on their very first try (with the release of OoT) and just refined that experience with every sequel. That's very impressive since you rarely saw that during the N64, PS1, and Saturn era. Heck, you barely see that these days.