Initially I thought the same thing about the portals and the haze but getting a good look at it I realized that they had a blocky style that could only have been intentional. I’ll agree that they don’t look nice but at least that one was an actual design choice.
If you have your Wii in progressive mode the flaws really show up. It’s pretty clear the graphics were designed for a standard definition television set.
Haven’t gotten it yet, as I’m waiting for when my schedule frees up so I can tackle a game this epic. But then, by the time that happens, even more Wii games will be out that I’ll want to play… sigh
I have played 4 incarnations of Zelda and thought Majora’s Mask was THE best. The one running complaint I’ve had with the series is similar to VCO3’s complaint #3, in that there’s a odd feel to the dungeon design on the whole. First you have that whole “who on earth would set up their lair like this” feeling, where none of the dungeons feel like a person actually set this up to use and you just happen to be trespassing. Instead they feel like a dungeon specifically created for Link to come conquer. I don’t really blame the designers, its amazingly hard to design interesting puzzles and smoothly integrate them into a game.
The other, related complaint is often Zelda games get into a rut as you play through them. Go to the dungeon, get the map, get the compass, fight the mini boss to get the new toy, use the toy to navigate the rest of the dungeon, kill the main boss. But Majora’s Mask never fell into a routine like that for me. The game just felt really fluid, and I thought the time warping mechanic was very well executed. I am pretty sure I solved it w/o a guide, although it was several years ago and I am not dogmatic about that kind of thing so I may be mistaken but I don’t remember getting very frustrated by it.
If I recall correctly the part in MAJORA’S MASK that left me in the “what do I do next?” state occured after the water temple that is accessed via turtle back. I remember having to play with a band of sea creatures in a theatre setting and just couldn’t figure out who to talk to next or what action needed to be taken.
Once I had the guide to get me past this point I think the rest fell into place. The only other exception were certain sidequests that involved meeting people and performing specific actions at precise times of day. I don’t know how these could be figured out without a guide.
That’s where your journal or whatever came it. It let you know when you needed to be somewhere, so all you had to do was figure out where you needed to be.
There are 8 required and 1 optional. The calculator counts things like heart pieces and stuff, which is a lot of the game. I did the 8 required dungeons and just got the items and things I came across as I went and I was 70% complete according to the calculator.
There are clear divides in the dungeons just like there was in Ocarina (young Link and old Link). Lakebed is the last dungeon of the ‘first’ part.
Since I’m nearly finished I thought I’d resurrect this.
I definitely agree with those above that love Majora’s Mask. I’d actually say it’s the best game in the series and call Link to the Past the best Zelda game in the series. It’s a fine distinction but there is one for me. Here was a game where rather then all the characters only reacting to you they had their own lives which they lived no matter what you did. While you’re hunting for skulltulas the inn was being opened for the day. That was awesome. WW sorta had it but not as good and in this game it’s gone. I really wish they did more with the rebel group, let you really interact with them.
MM had my favorite boss battle ever, the one where you’re a Goran and have to roll to get that bull. That was awesome. No bosses in this game blew me away although Argorok was the best.
MM had several wow moments. Seeing those giants step over the landscapes blew me away. That ominous moon in the sky. There were no real wow moments for me in this game. Well the early scene when the kids got kidnapped was pretty cool but I never really felt involved. I think some voice dialog would have helped this. I feel like it’s 1935 and everyone’s selling talkies but Nintendo’s still pushing silent movies.
MM let you transform into a Deku scrub, Goran or a Zora. Here you can go into a wolf. And briefly a chicken. Racing as a Goran was a blast, it felt fast. The snow boarding game wasn’t much fun.
On the plus side I do love the double hookshot. I liked bug hunting and ghost hunting. There was nothing wrong with the few mini games. For the first time my wallet wasn’t constantly full. I did like that things were bigger and the dungeons weren’t so cramped and I actually had to do some exploring to find everything. The plot was fairly interesting. The Wolf senses were a blast. I thought the game looked alright.
All in all I thought it was a middling Zelda game. Majora’s Mask tops. Next Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time close behind. Wind Waker somewhat behind them, I also liked the cel shading. The first Legend of Zelda (I didn’t play it till 2002), Link’s Awakening, Oracle of Ages, Oracle of Seasons and the Minish Cap are average. And The Adventures of Link absolutely sucks. I’d blame the Phillips games awfulness on this game. Looking that the professional reviews they all seem to absolutely love it.
Here’s something fun. You know the cats in the forgotten town? If you pick them up and put them by the chicken they will attack it. Cracked me up. I had to put the cats back there in order to figure out which cat I missed in that one minigame.
