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The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time review: You’re too young to understand

This review is for the GameCube port of the game included in The Legend of Zelda: Collector’s Edition.

Following The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword with Ocarina of Time—or more precisely, continuing Ocarina of Time after my Skyward Sword fever wore off—guarantees an expert eye at detecting similarities and differences between the two games. Although I had never played Ocarina of Time in the past (the real past), it was because I was engaged in Skyward Sword that I knew how to maximize Link’s abilities in OoT. Rolling into trees to shake out items is just one of the many tricks that apparently translate from Zelda to Zelda.

I couldn’t help but compare Ocarina of Time to Skyward Sword, and not always in a flattering way. I wanted to keep the foolproof aiming, the orchestral score, and the convenient checkpoints from the newer title. It wasn’t my intention to play favorites. I wanted to enjoy the 3D Zelda that everyone had raved about for over a decade, and in some ways I did, but mostly I longed to return skyward.

After bringing peace to Skyloft, I could focus more clearly on Ocarina of Time. I can understand why the game, which gives you all the time in the world, is succeeded by a title (Majora’s Mask) that gives you no time at all. Zelda isn’t afraid to experiment with time (Oracle of Ages), alternate realities (A Link to the Past), and even size (The Minish Cap), so it makes sense that Nintendo would flip the switch in the other direction. Ocarina of Time handles the seven-year divide of child to adult Link well, even for a game that’s host to some of the biggest spoilers in video game history.

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Tags: Collector's Edition, GameCube, N64, Nintendo, Ocarina of Time, Skyward Sword, The Legend of Zelda
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GameCube Review: Resident Evil

The first generation of Resident Evil helped pave the survival horror road, a genre dripping with dismembered limbs, peeling wallpaper, blood-ruined luxury carpets, and heaps of empty shotgun shells. As members of Raccoon City’s homegrown Special Tactics and Rescue Service (S.T.A.R.S.), Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, and their surviving teammates escape the slobbering jaws of zombie dogs roaming the Arklay Mountains only to enter a reclusive mansion full of locked doors, instant death traps, and unsightly horrors. The original spawned numerous sequels and spin-offs, both successful and embarrassing, but the GameCube remake of the classic gem stands as one of gaming’s most well-aged, graphically gorgeous wonders. Zombies have never looked so good.

Directing their painstaking attention to finer details, the developers transform the cobwebbed nooks and crannies of the mansion/ultra super secret Umbrella lab into a decor more haunting and clever than before. The spooky atmosphere permeates throughout the mansion interior and the surrounding grounds as new puzzles replace weary ones, and undiscovered locations open their poorly oiled gates. The menus taking a hint from the later REs, maps color “unexplored” rooms, those that still harbor items or herbs, for determined perfectionists and confused stragglers alike. For unknown reasons, though, gamers are still forced to rely on their scrambled memories when determining which key goes to which random red door on their multi-story mansion map.

While the beret-wearing Jill and the slightly less muscular Chris sport a few new moves, including a 180-degree quick turn and fancy stairs running, like in the original, they approach movable objects with an overly sensitive grace. The steep difficulty curve between the initial two modes can intimidate first-timers, as well.

On the other hand, new defensive items make countering unwelcome ambushes a cinch, especially in tight hallways with lots of easily shattered windows. Even the undead receive a complimentary face-lift, bumping up the difficulty a notch or two. Various unlockables, such as costumes and different endings, boost the replay value, and savvy gamers will note the enhanced music and sound.

Although the altered puzzles and extra scares fit neatly into the original’s code of fear, most fall flat in comparison with parts left untouched. The game’s plot, for instance, has been reworked and expanded, and some of long-time fans’ favorite cheesy lines have been removed or somehow made sillier (in a bad way).

Better controls and breathtaking visuals certainly polish the original Resident Evil‘s sparkle, but the storyline, devoid of the humorous and garish flair that made the game endearing in the first place, is guaranteed to bore both veteran S.T.A.R.S. affiliates and newcomers. 9/10

Tags: Capcom, GameCube, Nintendo, Resident Evil
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