The Zelda series is synonymous with any gamer worth their salt, lets be honest. I challenge anyone to admit there is not one Zelda title past or present they have played and not enjoyed. I will admit this, i have yet to play the newest instalment of the series, manly due to the fact i do not yet own a Switch, which is a travesty as i am all about Mario and Mario Kart so i think that is something i must rectify in the near future.
I have owned multiple Nintendo 64 consoles throughout my years since its release, along the way they were sold to make way for other life priorities, college, uni and the copious alcohol that went along with said college and uni, but time and time again Mario, Link and the gang would find their way back into my life. Proud enough to admit i bought my first Nintendo 64 and also a copy of Mario Kart 64 upon the UK release via funds through jobs such as gardening and car washing (good old days indeed) eventually i bought myself a copy of Zelda ' ocarina of time' and got down to the serious business of navigating Hyrule and the likes.
As a 16 year old back in 1998 this game just seemed so ground breaking, from minute you catch a glimpse of link riding that horse over the fields or Hyrule and the music hits its goosebump level stuff.
Looking at The Legend of Zelda, the ocarina of time and has it stood the test of time or has it aged well is a question that has layers to the answer. How many times have we reminisced about a title from our past or childhood with great delight, to one day put that cartridge in and have a go to be left deflated, the game wasn't how you remembered it, some games are indeed best left where they were in a certain part of life but some on the other hand are there with you time and time again through other life milestones.
At the time of Zelda we had the first taste of our console wars Nintendo versus Sony, Nintendo had pulled the plug on a potential partnership/collaboration with Sony (I do wonder in an alternate timeline if this had worked how the gaming industry would have unfolded. I actually have my thoughts on that and may put together a blog on how it could have looked) Both companies went out and released consoles and we have what we have in present day.
Graphics
When comparing any past title or tech to current, lets be honest never holds up, the gaming industry have evolved to something miles from the days of Nintendo 64 and PS1 so asking if Zelda holds up in the current day graphically its a dead cert no, it certainly was a massive step up to what we were used to in 1998 but not in 2018 (20 years, a lot changes in that time) If I happen to be gaming in 20 years from now I could easily write a piece in this exact same format comparing GTA V to whatever GTA exists at that time and GTA V for all its graphical splendour will still come up short. So graphically its outdated BUT I will say one thing its hasn't aged terribly
Game Play and Story Telling
One element of Nintendo 64 titles like Zelda and Mario 64 were the god damn camera angles, probably one of the only frustrating issues I would say we had back then, those issues don't exists in current gen games to my knowledge so again that is one thing that doesn't hold up in todays gaming.
Game controls, life management, inventory and storage all hold up with current gen games for me, very easy to use, navigate and understand so definitely one thing that has no concerns from this gamer. Zelda as we know is a game of not only combat but puzzle and mystery, and again this is something I don't think has changed a great deal with similar games in current time, each boss has a weakness, exploit said weakness and win the day....simple.
Depth
I can still remember my first play through of the game and I distinctly remember that it felt like the game went on forever, I had many titles I was switching between at the time (Mario 64, Goldeneye, Wave Race, Mario Kart) as well as Zelda, so possibly due to the fact I spread my time over multiple titles meant it took longer to get to that final battle with Gannon. I like nothing more when a title comes out that I love to play it to death, but there is always that tinge of sadness when its completed knowing that it will be some way off until the next instalment, playing multiple titles definitely draws a game out, still I played other games that there just is not any depth to the main story, Zelda does not have this issue.
In summary its literally impossible to fully answer a question about old gen games standing up to current ones, some dynamics change (graphics) some don't (story telling, depth) all I know is that The Legend of Zelda the ocarina of time is one solid title that brought me a ton of happiness and still does when I dust it off every 4 or 5 years.
The Modern Corner
With the up and coming release of Rockstar's latest offering Read Dead Redemption 2 (which I am pumped for #rockstarfanboy) I wanted to give my thoughts on the game, well part of the game and let you know how I think it will work or not work for that matter.
For anyone who played through the first Red Dead Redemption, you understand that story mode wise you are in for a treat, its one thing that Rockstar do best in their main titles such as Red Dead and Gta, the story is always on point, the character development is great and you are always left wanting that extra mission after playing through the main story, or that extra cut scene, so we do not need to look over this element today.
I do however want to gauge opinion on the online part of the game (from what I have read we should be getting this. Developers are under pressure to cater to both markets in gaming now, single player content and online gaming/co-op mode and the likes.
My immediate opinion on any potential Read Dead Redemption 2 online interactive world is that it just wont work...and ill tell you why...GTA V online. Don't get me wrong I think a wild west themed game is great, the game will be awesome but we have been somewhat spoiled with Gta V online in the sense that its modern day, high tech dlc themed stuff/guns/vehicles all realistic enough in the games setting of modern day Los Santos, some how I don't think we are going to have a Los Santos customs or Bennys to trick out your horse or win enough Horse races to unlock that chrome theme for your cart any time soon, I mean it may work if you could have Red Dead 2 after hours dlc where by gay Tony jumps in his Deluxo and comes to town and helps to set up a fine saloon with the best fire water and brothel. Lets just say I am yet to be convinced it would work but always happy to be proven wrong or surprised.
What I do believe will work on the other hand is a good solid co-op mode. I was and still am a massive fan of Pay Day 2 (Cant wait until Payday 3) and Dying Light and understand that if you get it right a co-op mode is almost like a 2 for 1 deal with a game. Being able to throw together a crew of your friends and hold the world to rights in Red Dead 2 is something that could be equally as strong as the main story.
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