When I as a wee lad the greatest thin gout there was Zelda 64, Ocarina of Time. Majora's Mask was a ton of fun as well, but the epic scale of Ocarina of Time provided many memorable experiences in a fantasy/fairy-tale setting that occupied my young mind for hours on end and made me a permanent-for-life Zelda freak. When Majora's Mask came out my friend grabbed a copy a day early from a clueless Best Buy clerk and he came over and spent the night Friday through Sunday. This excitement and dedication stemmed from unconditional love for Ocarina of Time.
A month ago we (the same friend 8 years later) fired up the 64 again and played through. In 1998 his older brother got him hooked on the game. This older brother only played Goldeneye, and though mario and all that was pretty lame, but Zelda was entrancing to him and he showed us and we became addicted. My friend's older brother
never plays videogames, and as soon as he heard the opening title theme starting up this 18 year old who's getting washed up, about to go out riding with some friends and later go to a concert, drops everything he's doing, walks into my friend's room and sits on the floor, mesmerized. We even found a profile of his named "IluvKatie" or whatever, which, while an embarassing example of the stage of life this guy was in when he played this game, only further demonstrates how emotionally connected we were to this game.
Zelda64 is like Disneyland. It's innocent, colorful, beautiful, with a darker side and simple life lessons embedded into the whole experience that heped sulpt it into a legacy that has yet to be matched in general quality, and aesthetic and nostalgic value. It's like guys who grew up in the 70's and saw Star Wars. This game came during a period of development in our lives and presented a world with a rich backstory, characters you never forget and induce strong emotional reactions, and finally an epic plot which only required a few minor twists to keep things interesting it was so good and well-delivered.
It was an epic fairytale of good versus evil with stacking layers of steps of the Hero's Journey which served to lengthen and enhance the playthrough (and anysubsequent playthroughs for that matter). The characters are probably the most memorable. Forever burned into my memory are the quirks of the local townspeople and the fears, hopes, and dreams of your closest friends you make along the path of adventure. I recall vividly the carpenter boss who was a cut and dry, get-things done type of person, but also had an slow inner struggle with the relationship he has with his son. This guy has my favorite quirk, the first time you talk to him he makes this funny shrieking sound, "kaaaaaaaaa!". You can tell, even before the the dialogue text rolls across the bottom of the screen, that he's yelling in disgust at the work ethic of his carpenters who are mosying around Kakariko village complaining about how much their boss overworks them.
Excuse my rambling. If you haven't played this game, you should. Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy 6 7 8 10, Mario64, Donkey Kong 64, Castlevania Symphony of the Night/Dawn of Sorrow/IV, Golden Sun, Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, HalfLife, Halo/2, Warcraft 2/3, Guild Wars, Dungeon Siege, Beyond Good and Evil, Sid Meier's Pirates (new release, too young to have played the original), Prince of Persia The Sands of Time, Battlefield 1942, Metroid Prime, Ico, Psychonauts, Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath (sadly haven't played Abe's Oddyssey or Exodous), Eternal Darkness, and Jade Empire are also some favorites of mine.
I'm going to eat you!
