The Zelda Project: Prologue

So, Legend of Zelda. It's, like, a pretty good game. It is exactly what the name states: a legend. One of the most iconic series in video game history! Aaaaaaaaaaaaand, up until I was in college i had never played one.

I'll let that sink in for everyone. We good? Okay, cool.

So, how does someone who loves video games SO much miss out on such an iconic franchise? I don't know, I guess i was just too busy playing Mega Man X and Super Metroid. Fantasy games never really intrigued me, and Zelda fell into that category for me. In fact, when I first got Super Smash Bros. for my N64, I didn't even know what game Link was from. The fact that he ended up being my main character, even above mah gurl Samus Aran, is sort of ironic in that regard. I didn't know what Ocarina of Time was, I had no idea why he was so prominent among characters that I KNEW like Mario and Donkey Kong. Hell, looking at the roster of the original game, it's between Link and Star Fox of who I cared about less, which to any other Nintendo fan would probably some sort of blasphemy.

Also this kid, whoever he is. Ninten or whatever? Who cares...

And, suddenly, in college, I was called out. Playing as Link in Super Smash Bros with my newly made friends, I was questioned for my opinion on the "best Zelda game". The faces of the people around when I said I had never played one made it seem like I made a Jesus joke in the middle of Jerusalem. And then I was told about how amazing these games were and that I needed to play Ocarina of Time to "earn" my right to play as Link. And sure, I had seen Ocarina on every "Top 100 Games Ever" list, but even as a man who loves his lists, I still take those things with a grain of salt. Hell, Undertale won a "Best Games Ever" list a couple months after it came out. Like, how do you judge something that soon? It's not like Star Wars was considered a classic the second it came out. It's only in hindsight that something is considered a masterpiece.

And, enough time has passed. and pretty much every Legend of Zelda game is considered a "Masterpiece" by a gamers. So I played Ocarina of Time. Aaaaaaaaaand, I hated it. I thought it was too wordy, too slow, ugly, clunky, and straight up boring. And the moment I THOUGHT it was about to become amazing, when I thought it was going to go through a drastic tonal shift, it just...doesn't. It's a bait and switch, but one that I'll get into when I play it again.

So, yeah, I was pretty disheartened with the whole thing. I was disappointed and even felt guilty that I used Link after having this revelation. So I thought "Man, there has to be SOME Zelda game I like"

So I played the first one. And I liked it. And then my old roommate, Jeff, made me play Zelda 2 with him. And I liked that one too. And then, when I got a Wii U, they gave me Wind Waker HD. And I LOVED it! And I bought a Link to The Past and played that. And it was...fine, I guess.

The problem with all of this is...I only finished one of them. Zelda 2 ended up being a lost cause, Link to The Past just didn't grasp me when I had Super Metroid and Marsbound or whatever that Lucas game is on the same system. And I got stuck in Wind Waker. So the only one I ever beat was the original.

But I loved a lot of things from the games I never finished. I liked the open oceans of Wind Waker. I loved the presentation of Link to the Past. I uh...played Zelda 2. 

Dick sword

Anyway, I liked them enough to get me to start collecting some of the Zelda games. Enough to get me to buy A Link Between Worlds and beat it and think it was absolutely amazing. And enough to get me hype for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild, an upcoming game that will be the first Zelda game I buy at launch. This brings me to the main point of all of this. This leads to what this is all about. 

The Zelda Project as I'm calling it is me playing and beating several Legend of Zelda games leading up to playing Breath of The Wild. The catch is, in addition to playing and beating the games, I'm going to review them. A couple of these will be first time plays for me, so they will be honest first impression takes. Others will be just finishing a game I'd never made it though.

This project will include the following games: The Legend of Zelda, A Link To The Past, Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and Wind Waker. I may or may not be reviewing Breath of The Wild as well, and might do a write up on A Link Between Worlds, but it's up in the air right now. It's a project that I want to do to understand the hype behind these games; an outsiders perspective on what is so mesmerizing about a kid in a green tunic rescuing a princess. I want to feel what so many other people feel about these games. I want to understand what I missed out on as a kid and find out if that magic is still there for an adult to enjoy their first time. No nostalgia, just pure first (or, in some cases, second) impressions. But, i'm getting ahead of myself. As for now, I urge you to stay tuned. The first review will be coming this coming Thursday (February 23rd)! And I'm really excited about it.