Hands-On Impressions: The Legend of Zelda ... - Bits 'n' Bytes Gaming

Hands-On Impressions: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time?3DS

Posted by Martin Watts on May 20, 2011 ? 1 Comment?

The Legend Returns

It?s the game that never seems to die, and in just under a month?s time gamers will finally be able to get their hands on Nintendo?s remastered classic, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3DS.? The original Nintendo 64 title is a game that stands firmly in the memories of many gamers and, therefore, a remake is something that many players feel should be handled with the utmost care.? It would be disappointing to make drastic changes and spoil what made the original such a pleasure to play.

Thankfully, Bits ?n? Bytes Gaming was invited along to a special preview evening of the game held by Nintendo UK in London.? The venue was packed with tons of Zelda paraphernalia, a rather large tree as a centrepiece (the branches of which weren?t so pleasant to the taller guests such as myself) and, of course, plenty of 3DS consoles on hand to play the game.? Interestingly, Nintendo also had a few Nintendo 64 consoles set up so that you could gauge the difference between next month?s release and it?s 13-year old brother.? I managed to get a lot of playtime under my belt, and it was great to finally see the difference between old and new.

A Thing That Does Not Change With Time Is A Memory of Younger Days?

The biggest and most noticeable change is found in the graphics.? If you?ve been scanning over screenshots in the past few weeks and wondering if it will live up to your expectations, then do not panic, as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time quite simply looks stunning.? Compared to its blocky, blurry, and sluggish older brother, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time?features crisp, smooth visuals.? In particular, the character models are significantly improved, containing greater detail and much more defined features such as fingers and thumbs.? There are still some limitations, however.? For example, characters? mouths do not move when they speak (I am well aware that there is no voice acting in the game, but the visual overhaul makes this aspect seem more obvious) and some of the character models are a little lacking (Darunia looks virtually identical to his Nintendo 64 counterpart).

The 3D effect certainly suits the game, although Zelda?has never been a series where depth perception was much of an issue.? In combat, you can better distinguish where your enemies are placed, and although I didn?t get to try it myself, I imagine the ?tennis? fight with Phantom Ganon/Ganondorf?will be a lot easier as a result.? In areas such as Castle Town Market, where the camera is set in a fixed location, the 3D was superb, as it made the NPCs stand out more clearly, whereas the pre-rendered backgrounds in the original had a tendency to blur objects or people in the distance.

Speaking of pre-rendered backgrounds, these have now all been replaced with reconstructed, fully 3D environments and they look very nice.? Buildings such as the Temple of Time really look the part, and the experience is all the more immersive for it.? Textures are clear and detailed for the most part, while remaining true to the original.? It?s The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time as you remember it, just a lot prettier.

Take Control Of Your Destiny

The other key changes are found in the control system and menu navigation.? Using the circle pad to control Link feels as natural as it did on the Nintendo 64, and veteran players should feel right at home.? When in first-person view, you can now take advantage of the 3DS? gyroscope feature, moving the 3DS?console itself in order to look around or aim your bow and arrow.? While this was a pretty cool feature, many of the guests?did have difficulty maintaining the 3DS? sweetspot while moving it around.? Thankfully, you can still use the circle pad instead, so you can sit on the bus or train and play, without fear of knocking out a fellow passenger.

Navigating menus is now a lot less bothersome, as everything is controlled via the bottom screen.? Need to switch to the red tunic or to the iron boots?? Not a problem, just touch the icon for them on the screen.? It?s not as seamless as it sounds though ? the game still pauses when you go to change your gear, and having the ability to just switch on-the-fly would have been more preferable, but it?s still a massive improvement over the original.? A map is also present on the bottom screen, although the overworld map doesn?t really offer a lot more than the original did, and given that I hardly ever used it before, I feel the space could have been put to better use.

Vision stones are now present throughout the land of Hyrule, and entering one of these allows you to see a small movie clip of the future.? Essentially, it?s gives you a hint (in some cases, very obviously) of what you need to do in order to progress.? It?s not going to be much use to those that have played the game before, but it will no doubt help today?s younger or more casual gamers, who are used to a bit more spoon-feeding from their games.

The only other thing I noticed, and knew was coming before I even played it, was that the audio is exactly the same.? While I do love the original score, having some updated, orchestrated tracks would have made this title even easier to get excited about.

I?ve been waiting for you, Hero of Time

Unfortunately, I wasn?t able to test out the Master Quest or Boss Challenge modes, so there?s still a few things we?re going to have to wait for.? Nevertheless, you should all know what you?re getting here.? It?s Ocarina of Time in 3D, with some improvements.? The experience isn?t drastically different, and if you?ve played the original a lot over the past decade or so, then you may find it a bit underwhelming.

However, my good hour and a half or so with the game did assure me of one thing: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is still as playable today as it was back in 1998, and I think that goes to show why it really has stood the test of time.? Keep your eyes peeled for our review next month, when we?ll be able to tell you if this remake is definitely worth your money or not.

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Share your thoughts: Excited for Ocarina of Time 3DS?? What?s the most important change for you? Moreover, will you be picking it up at launch?

Source: http://bnbgaming.com/2011/05/20/hands-on-impressions-the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time-3ds/

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