I can finally beat those Major Test of Strength shrines.

This is a very pleasant game to just get lost in. I've spent a week's worth of play time crossing the map on foot to free the 2nd divine beast, but I keep dying a lot getting distracted by cool stuff to do.

Noob question: what do the numbers on the weapons and shields mean? Like it'll say 25-20.

The level I think. Can't remember.

Attack level.

All of the Zeldas (minus cdi and 4 swords) challenge #1: The Legend of Zelda (NES)

Like most people of my generation (I'm 41), I have only fond memories of this game and, until this past week, I would have included it among my favorite games of all time. It was unlike anything I'd ever played before - there was an open world, a plethora (what's a plethora, Jefe?)of weapons and tools, a variety of unique enemies, action, and puzzle solving. What more could anyone ask for? Well, how about a good game?

This is not a good game. If you know where everything is, I'm sure it can be an enjoyable nostalgic run through, but if it's your maiden voyage, you won't get far on your own. Looking back, I had a friend who'd already beaten it when I started. He knew an older kid who'd done it before he began. Somewhere, someone called that 900 number or had a Nintendo Power with the answers because this game gives you no direction after level 2 (mapped in the instruction booklet) and no helpful clues. There are a few cryptic clues here and there, but they're as clear as Nostradamus' quatrains.

How would anyone know to burn the 6th or 7th bush from the right by the water on that one screen to reveal a secret passage? Where's level 8? Random bush that needs to be burned. Level 9? Random rock that needs to be bombed. What do you do if you meet a monster that says grumble, grumble, grumble? Obviously, he wants the meat from that one shop somewhere in the overworld. As I went through it this time, I found Ganon before I found the silver arrows. I knew I needed them because I remembered that from 30 years ago, but I would have otherwise had no idea what I was doing wrong.

There's a pretty good game here, but because it does nothing to subtly guide you in any direction, it's too poorly constructed to really be enjoyable. I was excited to play this game again, but it turned out to feel more like a chore. I think the best that could be said for this game is that it led to A Link to the Past, which I remember as perfect. I sure hope I have that one right when the time comes.

Some random notes:
I never found the bracelet. Its location is not in my memory. I'm sure it's in some random bush, rock, or behind a stone soldier, but as it isn't needed to beat the game, who cares?
I've never done the 2nd quest. I doubt I ever will.
Love that the boomerang can be thrown in 8 directions. It took Castlevania 4 games to figure that mechanic out.
Only got 19 hearts. I wish future games stuck to full pieces. Man, the first time they divided them into quarters, I felt like crying.
I'm not sure if it's awesome or not that enemies in dungeons don't respawn. When you need to farm bombs in level 9, it's a bummer to have no enemies to kill.
Thanks to memory, I found level 9 before level 3. That shouldn't happen. Had they just set it up so you needed a tool in one dungeon to get to the next (like they did with the raft), it'd be a much better game.
Started this on New Year's Eve. Finished on January 6th.

Next up: Adventure of Link. I have no memory of this game except enjoying the down thrust attack.

As someone who didn't play Zelda until Ocarina, I stand by this take. I've tried to play this a few times since the Wii's Virtual Console and I just can't get into it. Way too tedious and random. Obviously, a hugely influential game however.

Twat, that’s a thoughtful write up and everything but you guys are both banned.

Yeah, no need to bother with the second quest unless you're a masochist. I've done it once and have no desire to ever do it again.

Adventure of Link is the one console game I've never really played.

Bammer, don't let nostalgia blind you.

Second Quest was (is) awesome. I’ll fight you.

bracelet is behind one of the brown statue guys that comes alive when you touch them a few screens east of the graveyard

All of the Zeldas (minus cdi and 4 swords) challenge #2: Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link

I was late to owning a Nintendo. My parents were never going to buy me one, and my $5/week allowance wasn’t getting me there quickly, so it would come down to saving as much as I could and then asking for money on my birthday. I bought a Nintendo and Super Mario Bros. 2 on the same day, and since I’d already played the original SMB at a friend’s house, Mario 2 was all I had. I suppose that’s why it’s still my favorite Mario game ever.
It’s probably also why I didn’t have a negative reaction to Zelda 2 being so different. I wasn’t aware that sequels were supposed to be formulaic.

Zelda 2 was ultimately a failed experiment. It abandoned the overhead view, incorporated experience points, and only brought Ganon (laughing like Bald Bull) back if you died . The biggest misstep, in my opinion, is that the items all have only one limited overworld use. The hammer breaks rocks in paths, the raft is used one time to cross water, the boots are used for the same reason, and the flute gets you past a spider. Even the candle just means caves will automatically be brightened; you can’t select it and set shit on fire. There is no boomerang or wand or even better sword. Yes, your attack gets better, but it’s not as satisfying. And it’s not as fun.

The much criticized side view wouldn’t have been so bad if Link was given a sword of decent length or if hit recognition was a little more consistent. The upthrust and downthrust, though, are brilliant, and if this game came before Ducktales (I didn’t research), then the legacy of the downthrust is it spawned a top 20 NES game. Just ask Bada.

The creators did a better job this time around of funneling you to where to go next thanks to how the items conveniently made the next areas accessible, but the random bullshit once you get there is still a problem. There aren’t worthwhile clues, and you would just never know without outside help.

The most glaring issue is the game is too hard. Enemies are bastards, your lone weapon is lame, and when you get hit, you slide backwards way too far, causing innumerable lava and open pit deaths. You die a lot, often unfairly, and the worst part is that when you do, you go back to the beginning of the game, even if you’re in a palace. The only time that changes is in the final palace. I mean, what the fuck?

One massive Zelda hallmark that began in this game is the inclusion of towns and townspeople. They’re a great respite and make Hyrule seem worth saving. Another positive is bosses require strategy rather than just attrition to defeat.

If you stripped the Zelda titles from these first two games and looked at them objectively, the first had the better mechanics, but this is the better game.

I called in sick on Thursday the 10th and played through 2/3 of the game. Today we had a snow day, so I went back to it and finished. I told a friend and he commented, “It’s great that you spent your snow day today the exact same way you would have in 5th grade.”

A Link to the Past is next, and holy shit am I ever excited!

Thinking of starting BotW over from the beginning but I'm hesitant to overwrite my save file with a fresh start.

Edit: Created another user account on my Switch instead.

Can't you have multiple save files?

When I hit new game it asked me if I wanted to overwrite my save file and I was like fuck no.

I bought a 3DS recently - the Hyrule Shield version. A Link Between Worlds was better than I expected. Great main quest. Nice sized world. The best mobile Zelda imo. I just wish there were more side quests. I did 100% of everything.

I played this 2 or 3 years ago and really enjoyed it. I’m currently playing A Link to the Past for the first time in 25 years, and I was shocked to realize it’s the same map.

Doing the 2nd quest now.. finding a lot of stuff surprisingly quick.. altho a few things are driving me nuts

This is the only Zelda console game I’ve never beaten. In fact I don’t think I bothered to get more than 20% of it completed, if even that.

(I have not played BotW yet)

Weird that you can’t save multiple games.