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A Link Between Worlds: First Impressions

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ElectroYoshi
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A Link Between Worlds: First Impressions

Post by ElectroYoshi »

CAUTION: MAJOR SPOILERS! If you do not want the game spoiled for you, do not read any further. If you do read further, don't blame me when you spoil a rather large portion of the game spoiled for you.

Earlier tonight I picked up the latest installment in The Legend of Zelda series, A Link Between Worlds for the 3DS. I've already logged something like 3 and a half hours playing it, and I thought I'd come here and give my thoughts on what I've played so far.

So here goes:

As most of you probably know by now, the game is set in the same Hyrule that was featured in A Link to the Past. Two of the three dungeons I've played through so far are brand new versions of dungeons from A Link to the Past (specifically the Tower of Hera and Eastern Palace), and Nintendo handled these very well. They capture similar feels to the original versions featured in ALttP, but they still feel very new (due in no small part to Link's new ability to merge with the walls). The Tower of Hera (which is by far my favorite dungeon in ALttP), got a really epic makeover, and the Eastern Palace has a lot more depth to it.

As for my opinion on the main antagonist, Yuga... He's a very interesting character from what I've seen of him so far. He's basically a deranged artist who turns people into paintings. You'd think he'd be more menacing, but he's actually very flamboyant, like Ghirahim in Skyward Sword. Kind of an odd blend, I think, but like I said, I'm not very far in the game yet, so it may make more sense as time moves on.

All in all, it's a great entry in the franchsie, and one that I would definitely recommend to any of its fans, especially the ones who haven't played A Link to the Past.

I will post more thoughts on the game in this thread as I get further along, but for now, I'm gonna go play it some more. Cheers!
I need a shot again, that sweet adrenaline.
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Phantomboy
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Post by Phantomboy »

I haven't actually played a Zelda game before - so I am unsure if I should go and play it from the beginning or if any time is just as good to jump in :) Which might you suggest to a first time player?

From what I've seen of this game, it looks quite good and the artistic aesthetic compliments the graphical capabilities of the machine. Of course I've not played it so I cannot speak for how it feels but from the trailer it looks quite puzzle oriented which I am always a fan of :)
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Post by SirWrek »

ElectroYoshi wrote:CAUTION: MAJOR SPOILERS! If you do not want the game spoiled for you, do not read any further. If you do read further, don't blame me when you spoil a rather large portion of the game spoiled for you.

Earlier tonight I picked up the latest installment in The Legend of Zelda series, A Link Between Worlds for the 3DS. I've already logged something like 3 and a half hours playing it, and I thought I'd come here and give my thoughts on what I've played so far.

So here goes:

As most of you probably know by now, the game is set in the same Hyrule that was featured in A Link to the Past. Two of the three dungeons I've played through so far are brand new versions of dungeons from A Link to the Past (specifically the Tower of Hera and Eastern Palace), and Nintendo handled these very well. They capture similar feels to the original versions featured in ALttP, but they still feel very new (due in no small part to Link's new ability to merge with the walls). The Tower of Hera (which is by far my favorite dungeon in ALttP), got a really epic makeover, and the Eastern Palace has a lot more depth to it.

As for my opinion on the main antagonist, Yuga... He's a very interesting character from what I've seen of him so far. He's basically a deranged artist who turns people into paintings. You'd think he'd be more menacing, but he's actually very flamboyant, like Ghirahim in Skyward Sword. Kind of an odd blend, I think, but like I said, I'm not very far in the game yet, so it may make more sense as time moves on.

All in all, it's a great entry in the franchsie, and one that I would definitely recommend to any of its fans, especially the ones who haven't played A Link to the Past.

I will post more thoughts on the game in this thread as I get further along, but for now, I'm gonna go play it some more. Cheers!
Glad you're enjoying yourself. Trust me- it just gets better from there on. I played a special copy for review, and it was...whew...it was pretty good.
Phantomboy wrote:I haven't actually played a Zelda game before - so I am unsure if I should go and play it from the beginning or if any time is just as good to jump in :) Which might you suggest to a first time player?

From what I've seen of this game, it looks quite good and the artistic aesthetic compliments the graphical capabilities of the machine. Of course I've not played it so I cannot speak for how it feels but from the trailer it looks quite puzzle oriented which I am always a fan of :)
Well honestly, you can jump in just about any of them without having to know much about the story, however, there are some points that are considered to be better "hopping on" points than others.

For example- if you enjoy playing on the Wii, I would totally recommend Twilight Princess to you first. For DS or 3DS players, or any Game Boy for that matter (that can play old or new games) I would recommend A Link to the Past or (now) A Link Between Worlds, or even Phantom Hourglass. For Game Cube (or consoles that can play it and N64 remakes) I would totally recommend Wind Waker and Ocarina of Time as jumping on spots. The other games are all considered to be in the same "category" as these mentioned here, such as Majora's Mask being recognized as generally coming after OoT, and Oracle of Seasons/Ages after ALttP, and Spirit Tracks after PH. Just examples.

Hope that helps, but mind you- it's pretty much based on opinion, so everything is up to you in the long run! If possible, I would totally recommend playing the following three before any others, because they are all excellent (which in a series that is overall amazing, is saying something):

The Wind Waker (Maybe get the HD version?)
Ocarina of Time (I'd recommend the GC update packed with Master Quest)
Twilight Princess

Cheers! :D
I've been around since 2008. And I'm old. Yay. Pretty sure I notched a fair amount of LOTD/XPs but somehow always like my underrated levels more. Go figure. My best design days are behind me, but I'll try to not be too shabby.
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Post by ElectroYoshi »

Phantomboy wrote:I haven't actually played a Zelda game before(1) - so I am unsure if I should go and play it from the beginning or if any time is just as good to jump in :) Which might you suggest to a first time player?(2)

1) You are really missing out, y'know that?

2) Well, the best places to start would probably be the original Zelda (for obvious reasons) and A Link to the Past (since it largely shaped the Zelda formula as it's known today). My personal favorites are Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, and Wind Waker. All 5 of those are fantastic games that I greatly enjoy, so I'd suggest you start with one of them. But really, they're all (mostly) great games.
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Phantomboy
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Post by Phantomboy »

Glad to hear! If I do happen to pick up a version on a device I can record, IE; Wii/GameCube and NES/SNES through more extraneous means.. I might consider doing a Let's Play of it so that you guys could join my ventures :)
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ElectroYoshi
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Post by ElectroYoshi »

Phantomboy wrote:Glad to hear! If I do happen to pick up a version on a device I can record, IE; Wii/GameCube and NES/SNES through more extraneous means.. I might consider doing a Let's Play of it so that you guys could join my ventures :)

Hey, sounds good! :3
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Post by SirWrek »

Phantomboy wrote:Glad to hear! If I do happen to pick up a version on a device I can record, IE; Wii/GameCube and NES/SNES through more extraneous means.. I might consider doing a Let's Play of it so that you guys could join my ventures :)
:3

Well... now that you mention it...

I'm partial to a little bit of Wind Waker me'self... ;-)
I've been around since 2008. And I'm old. Yay. Pretty sure I notched a fair amount of LOTD/XPs but somehow always like my underrated levels more. Go figure. My best design days are behind me, but I'll try to not be too shabby.
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Post by ThatOneFox »

See unfortunately, I never grew up with The Legend of Zelda. I had other classics such as Crash Bandicoot and Spyro. In fact, my first introduction to TLoZ was Twilight Princess, which I didn't really enjoy all that much. Anyway, I'm glad you all enjoy the series. I'll just be sat here in my own misfortune.
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Post by Miniike »

Majora's Mask is my favorite by far because of it's dark, hopeless atmosphere tied in with the three day cycle and great side quests (ESPECIALLY the Anju and Kafei quest, one of the best side quests in any video game ever.). My only real problems with it are the Gyorg boss and the fact it only has four dungeons.

I also think Link's Awakening is really underrated, and I loved Twilight Princess. The only ones I didn't really love were Oracle of Ages and Skyward Sword.
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ElectroYoshi
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Post by ElectroYoshi »

My top 5 go as follows:
1. Twilight Princess
2. Skyward Sword
3. Wind Waker
4. The Minish Cap
5. Phantom Hourglass

Now for some new thoughts on A Link Between Worlds:

It's story is not really doing much for me. It lags a lot, and the characters aren't really growing like they generally do. I dunno, I guess after the awesome story Skyward Sword had, I'm a bit underwhelmed in comparison.

Also, Ravio is starting to really get on my nerves. He allows you to rent/buy the items you need to progress through the game, right? You rent the items for 50 rupees, and if you die, he takes the items back, and you have to pay the 50 rupees all over again, which is annoying. BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!!! You can buy the items and keep them for good, for the oh so reasonable price of 800 rupees! Rupees aren't used as a currency here in America, but if they were, I'm pretty sure a freakin' hammer wouldn't be worth 800 of 'em. The point is, RAVIO IS A RIP-OFF ARTIST.

But all in all, the game is great fun.

(Can the whole "renting items" thing at least be optional next time though?)
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Post by SirWrek »

Ahem. If you are curious about the game (folks) and haven't played it yet...

Allow me to direct your attention to a-here...
I've been around since 2008. And I'm old. Yay. Pretty sure I notched a fair amount of LOTD/XPs but somehow always like my underrated levels more. Go figure. My best design days are behind me, but I'll try to not be too shabby.
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