The year is whatever year it was when I was in fourth grade. I'm standing in line at the door waiting to go home with my fellow classmates, and the nerd of nerds, Dylan Winston, can't stop talking about how bad he wants to go home so he can beat Ganondorf. I'm confused. Is he mad at his interestingly named dog? Is Ganondorf a new Pokemon game? I inquire further. It turns out Ganondorf is the horrendously evil and powerful antagonist of Links' newest 64 bit adventure, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. I'm intrigued. Luckily, the Winstons just moved next door and I didn't even need to beg my mom for a ride when that afternoon I went over and sat enthralled as Dylan battled Ganondorf in a furious battle of light arrows and Master Sword hacks. At this time I had no way to relate to Link or to understand his plight, but I knew one thing, I wanted into this world. I also knew another thing, whatever time my mom saved not having to drive me to Dylans she was going to lose driving me to the mall to buy this game. So after a few weeks of begging, screaming, whining, and fantasizing about the game, I finally had it and my own odyssey was set to begin.
Back in the present, and I am able to look back at that game with a perspective that I did not have at the time. Back then, the game was entertainment, a fun way to spend the afternoon after school, a world I could get lost in. However, now I am able to see that the game was really one of the defining moments of my childhood. All of the interests that were piqued in me at that time by the game are the same ones that I am pursuing now in my real life. From the game itself, to the sense of adventure and exotic locales visited on the journey, the game really spoke to me. Personal biases aside however, the game really was a great game for a number of reasons. The first of these was the ability of the player to relate to Link. Playing him as a "child" and then later in the game as an "adult" really made you feel like you were Link, that he wasn't just a vehicle by which you could move through the game. I had an emotional investment in him and his success on his journey. The depth and scope of the game really made it feel like a real world, where you could ride across the plains on your trusty steed and be in another town by sunset. The odd and quircky characters were always interesting and gave Hyrule a unique personality. The bad guys were always worthy foes, especially the bosses who usually had special ways they needed to be killed, which had to be figured out on the fly. The puzzles throughout the game made you actually have to think while remaining fun and playable, without long extended periods of not being able to figure them out. The actual gameplay and mechanics of the game were also superb, with the z-target ability making combat and peaceful interactions equally smooth. The storytelling was largely what made the game so compelling, however and there were true moments of gallantry, sadness, heroics, celebration, and death, all of which tugged at the emotions of the invested gamer. I have played many, many great (and not so great) video games in the years since I first popped the Zelda cartridge into my N64, but I am still convinced that it isn't just my sentiment talking when I say that this was one of the best video game experiences of my life.
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