A Testament to the History of Great Games

Upon its release back in August of 1987, the Legend of Zelda was intuitive, innovative and ahead of its time. As the first Legend in a now longstanding series of great games, it established the reputation of the Legend of Zelda as a challenging and entertaining series.

The story itself is an example of romanticism in its purest form. A young lad, commonly known to gamers as Link, hears of how the Princess Zelda has been captured by Ganon, an evil Prince of Darkness and thusly sets out to save the Princess and the Kingdom of Hyrule. Now Ganon is a very worthy opponent because he has possession of a mystical triangle known as the Triforce of Power. Therefore, the player will need to collect the eight pieces of the Triforce of Wisdom, which the Princess Zelda has hidden in eight dungeons, each riddled with bestiary and its own dungeon boss. Only after conquering the various dungeons scattered throughout Hyrule may the player enter Ganon’s Lair and stand a chance of ending Ganon’s dark reign.

As a milestone in video gaming history, the Legend of Zelda game gives the player a great amount of freedom: the freedom to navigate the land of Hyrule at any pace and in no particular order from an overhead perspective. This freedom helped to create a special link between the player holding the controller and the main protagonist in the story. As a player advanced through the game they could acquire over a dozen different items found throughout the map and in dungeons. They could then use these items throughout their quest. Items like a raft and stepladder allowed the player to reach parts of the map they may not have explored prior while others made the player a more formidable adventurer (i.e. discovering new swords made enemies easier to defeat). All this helped to fill the player with a great sense of accomplishment.

The Legend of Zelda was also the first game to allow a player to save their progress (games until then used a password system to allow a player to start from certain checkpoints). Up to three independent games could be saved on a single cartridge. As players would collect said items and expand their life-bar by collecting heart containers they would see their character grow into a respectable hero. This save feature assured that even though the system would be turned off, the hero would not be lost or forgotten, but be waiting for the player to return and continue their adventures.

After its release, the Legend of Zelda’s story and overall innovation assured its foothold in gaming history not as a footnote, but as a landmark. Still today it is accredited with widely influencing both audience and industry in its time. The game itself has been re-released onto both the GC, as part of a Collector's Edition, and GBA platforms while the tried and true “Zelda formula” has now grown to number more than a dozen installments in the series.

Whether for nostalgia purposes or to see the common ground this game shares with its successors (i.e. a dungeon inside a large tree, a dungeon at the bottom of a lake, the ability to make your tunic blue and red, etc.), this game can be adored by fans of the series and those interested in the history of console gaming.

5/5

Solid Gold

The year was 1987, I was eight years old and hadn't really paid much attention to video games before, the day I played the Legend of Zelda that all changed. The magicical gold cartridge was placed into my cousins Nintedo, and I was immidiatley transported to another world. The name of that world was Hyrule, a seeminly endless land that was a beautiful as it was treacherous. With a battle around every turn and a beautiful princess, (Zelda) waiting to be saved from the prince of darkness himself (Ganon). Before being captured, Zelda broke the triforce into eight seperate pieces to prevent the evil Ganon from assuming total contol of the land. You are the hero, (Link) and the only one who can find the eight pieces of the shattered triforce, defeat Ganon, rescue the princess and restore peace to the great land of Hyrule. Eighteen years later I still love to return to Hyrule, and have never quite found a game that can quite compare. Everyone that I have shared this great game with has also found a special place in there hearts for it. The Legend of Zelda is truly endless adventure.

Several classic games all in one place, a must-have for fans and collectors

This bundles is fantastic. It not only has emulated versions of the original Legend of Zelda game, as well as its sequel, but also includes arguably one of the greatest games ever created, if not the greatest. It also has the followup to that much acclaimed masterpiece Ocarina of Time: Majora's Mask, which is in its own right an amazing game, overshadowed and undervalued due to the overwhelming success of the predecessor.

While many of the younger players will not appreciate the first two games, Legend of Zelda and The Adventure of Link, because of the far below modern standards graphics, the crucial gameplay elements that have made the Legend of Zelda an enduring and much beloved series are all there. Puzzles, enemies, and items abound. However, if buying this for a younger kid, they will likely focus more on the latter two games: Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, as these are more comparable to today's standards for graphics.

That means that this disc is really more for the hardcore Zelda fan and the collector crowd, because both Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask are available on the Wii virtual console, and it would cost a lot less to buy them through there. Also, Ocarina of time has been re-released on the Nintendo 3DS, with upgraded graphics and resolution (not to mention the 3D), making this disc more of a relic. In fact, with the upcoming release of the newest Nintendo console Wii U later this year, this disc is unusable. While the current Wii is backwards-compatible with GameCube games, the new console will not be, meaning one would have to hang on to the old Wii just for this and other Gamecube games, or end up buying them through the virtual console anyways.

However, despite its now technologically antique status, it still is an amazing collection of games, and those games are what are most important play-wise. However, considering how much it costs to buy this now rare disc, it is highly advisable to get the games elsewhere, especially for kids who won't be interested in the first two and who will want the trendier versions of the second two.

TRIFORCE-WHA??!!!

The game rules. It offered days of fun fun fun for my roommates and I. I bought the NewPhone 74205 three weeks ago and was immediately impressed with the number of features available on this inexpensive phone. It has a 1M-pixel camera, video camera, and speakerphone. The NewPhone's size is perfect for carrying in a pocket and the battery has a pretty good lifespan of roughly 4 hours. My only complaint is that the menu system on the phone makes you click four times before you can find someone in the address book, set an alarm, or perform a additional functions. Other phones I've owned have simpler menus and get you to important features easily. Overall, I'd recommend the phone if you're on a budget.

Best Zelda Collection Ever!

This game is by far the best collection of Zelda games you can get, with popular titles like: The Legend of Zelda, Legend of Zelda 2: The Adventures of Link, Ocarina of Time, and Majora's Mask.

The Legend of Zelda
-The first game of the Zelda series. This old school classic brings us back to the graphics of the NES and the famous screen scrolling adventure that started it all. This game is packed with secret areas and loads of items to buy, classic dungeons and bosses that challenge your skills and mind.

Zelda 2: The Adventures of Link
-The second game in the Zelda series, it is known as the least popular Zelda game of all time. Many Zelda fans did not like this game because it was the first and only zelda game to be a side scrolling RPG, meaning that you needed to kill monsters to get exp. points and level up your health, magic and sword. It was also the only game that you could collect magic containers as well as heart containers. I have watched a walkthrough of this game and I believe that all though it may be different it does look like a good game and I like it, it has alot of good features and is harder than most zelda games, it is a compelling game that I feel deserves at least a good try.

Ocarina of Time
-By far the most popular title of the Zelda series as well as the first Zelda title to come out on the N64. This game is the action packed adventure through time that delivers numerous hours of game play with secrets, side quests, and mini games loaded on top of that. You can spend days of game play getting upgrades, new items, gold skull coins, and pieces of heart that will keep you satisfied till the very end. The story line is intense and will keep you hooked from the very beginning, and of course the dungeons are more awsome than ever before. Including one of the hardest temples of all time the Water Temple. A must have for Zelda fans

Majora's Mask
-Last but definitely not least. My personal favorite of the Zelda series. This game takes place basically right after the Ocarina of Time. I find that the storyline is really well done, it may not be nearly as long as the Ocarina of Time but it still contains several hours of game play as well as all the secret goodies and items. This time around you are trying to stop a skull kid possessed by an evil mask who is trying to crash the moon into the Earth, and you only have 72 hours to stop him. Once again you will find yourself flying back and forth through time, going through numerous dungeons and even a new feature, the masks. There are several masks to collect and each one does something different, or just looks cool, and now with the power of the masks you can turn into your favorite Zelda characters such as a Deku, Zora and Gorron. This flight of time will keep you on the edge of your seat as you battle time, a possessive mask and your mind. Another must have for the Zelda fans.