The Debate: Why Was Zelda a Legacy?

When I first started playing the game, The Adventure of Link, I was merely thinking of it as another game to throw my boredom into; however, with the improvements of graphics and storylines, the game became more meaningful to players areound the globe. In 2005, I was given The Legend of Zelda:Ocarina of Time, as a birthday present from my mom, and I've played the game enthusiastically ever since. Some people have said that the game filled up certain sorrows in their life, let me just say this from experience, that is not a very healthy way of solving family issues. I did the same thing thats why I point my opinion out. Now at age 18, I've become more knowledgeable of the goal of Zelda's beginning, and prepare to make games similar to this fabulous one. Regardless of the many splendors of this game, I do tend to have some faults with games of Zelda, which brings me to starting the very serious debate: Why is the Zelda games a legacy? I ask, you decide.

As for the poll, on a Zelda forum, no one is gonna vote "no"

Zelda is a legacy because even after all these years, it's as much a success as it was when the first game was released, and Nintendo, as well as many fans worldwide expect it to remain that successful for a very long time.

I think that's pretty much all there is to it. Not much of a serious debate, now is it?

(I have to admit, this is one of the better threads i've seen in this section... no more "what's your favorite?" )

Originally Posted by SixaxiS

As for the poll, on a Zelda forum, no one is gonna vote "no"

Zelda is a legacy because even after all these years, it's as much a success as it was when the first game was released, and Nintendo, as well as many fans worldwide expect it to remain that successful for a very long time.

I think that's pretty much all there is to it. Not much of a serious debate, now is it?

(I have to admit, this is one of the better threads i've seen in this section... no more "what's your favorite?" )

There has to be something more to the game, then just lasting for years; What I'm getting at is what drove people to love this game so much, that its been so successful.

Its always a pleasure hearing your comments Sixaxis

All i'm saying is, when a new game is made, it stays on for maybe one or two sequels, then it becomes unpopular and they stop making it. Legend of Zelda is one of the very few games that lasted this long and stayed new and refreshing.

The only other i can think of now is Final Fantasy. And even that game series is starting to lose it. (FF12 sucked... )

Legend of Zelda kept coming, not with direct sequels but games that took place in different times. Now 20 years later, more games are being made to fit in between the other games that were made before. I call this the Star Wars syndrome, people bought it because they knew how it ended, and they were dying to find out how it started. Every current Zelda fan follows theories, or makes theories of their own. Zelda is popular because even now, mystery still surrounds every game, and people won't rest until they figure it all out.

Originally Posted by SixaxiS

All i'm saying is, when a new game is made, it stays on for maybe one or two sequels, then it becomes unpopular and they stop making it. Legend of Zelda is one of the very few games that lasted this long and stayed new and refreshing.

The only other i can think of now is Final Fantasy. And even that game series is starting to lose it. (FF12 sucked... )

Legend of Zelda kept coming, not with direct sequels but games that took place in different times. Now 20 years later, more games are being made to fit in between the other games that were made before. I call this the Star Wars syndrome, people bought it because they knew how it ended, and they were dying to find out how it started. Every current Zelda fan follows theories, or makes theories of their own. Zelda is popular because even now, mystery still surrounds every game, and people won't rest until they figure it all out.

Now this is an excellent comment Sixaxis (and I agree of FF 12), when game designers take the same game and adapt it with more intricate designs and puzzles, the gamers become more engrossed in the phenomina, and that my friends, is what makes a game so great

Originally Posted by SixaxiS

All i'm saying is, when a new game is made, it stays on for maybe one or two sequels, then it becomes unpopular and they stop making it. Legend of Zelda is one of the very few games that lasted this long and stayed new and refreshing.

The only other i can think of now is Final Fantasy. And even that game series is starting to lose it. (FF12 sucked... )

Legend of Zelda kept coming, not with direct sequels but games that took place in different times. Now 20 years later, more games are being made to fit in between the other games that were made before. I call this the Star Wars syndrome, people bought it because they knew how it ended, and they were dying to find out how it started. Every current Zelda fan follows theories, or makes theories of their own. Zelda is popular because even now, mystery still surrounds every game, and people won't rest until they figure it all out.

Don't forget Mario games. He is the father of all Nintendo games and his legacy is still going very strong.

I agree with Zelda games not losing their fans. But when Wind Waker came out, I knew that a lot of people were unhappy with the cell shaded graphics. They were like "This is a new gen! (The Nintendo Gamecube). Why not make a realistic Zelda game? Instead you make this crap!? Blah blah blah..."

I remember that very well, but now there are those that are complaining about TP. Something to do that it was too much like OoT.

So, you will find fans that are happy and unhappy with a game here and there.

But excuse me if half of my post was about something completely different to the post.

Originally Posted by Eternal Legend

Don't forget Mario games. He is the father of all Nintendo games and his legacy is still going very strong.

I agree with Zelda games not losing their fans. But when Wind Waker came out, I knew that a lot of people were unhappy with the cell shaded graphics. They were like "This is a new gen! (The Nintendo Gamecube). Why not make a realistic Zelda game? Instead you make this crap!? Blah blah blah..."

I remember that very well, but now there are those that are complaining about TP. Something to do that it was too much like OoT.

So, you will find fans that are happy and unhappy with a game here and there.

But excuse me if half of my post was about something completely different to the post.

Some people didn't like WW for the way it looked, that's true. But those people eventually liked it for what was beyond the graphic style. Unfortunatly, it was the exact opposite for TP. Most people liked it for the way it looked, but not for anything else, until of course the story grew into them. That took a long time though.

These are all excellant points

It would be something that was there from the very beginning, something that the first Zelda had that had, not one, not a hundred, but thousands of fans from around the world (at least Japan and in the English-speaking world) who rose up and said, "This game totally pwns, Nintendo! Give us more!" I've never played Zelda I (wish I could), so I don't know what it was/is. But maybe thinking back to Z1 if you've played it?

Well, it was a huge world that you could explore by your own desires. Just that was enough to sell hundreds of thousands of people. Add to that the challenging yet enthralling action, engaging music and great level designs, and you've got yourself a multi-million selling game.

Originally Posted by Sithis

As for the poll, on a Zelda forum, no one is gonna vote "no"

6 people voted no so far. But thanks for playing!

I'm only missing the oracle games and I want at least Seasons. I'm not that keen on Ages so I can live without it. But I love how I have Link's Awakening DX in Japanese. Friend brought it from Jaan because there was no way to get it from Finland so have the Japanese version now. And two weeks after I got it our local gameshop got a used version of the original one in. Sucks but I didn't get that one from the shop and now I regret it.

Don't count FS to be real Zelda-games so not interested in them.

Originally Posted by Guilthas

I'm only missing the oracle games and I want at least Seasons. I'm not that keen on Ages so I can live without it. But I love how I have Link's Awakening DX in Japanese. Friend brought it from Jaan because there was no way to get it from Finland so have the Japanese version now. And two weeks after I got it our local gameshop got a used version of the original one in. Sucks but I didn't get that one from the shop and now I regret it.

Don't count FS to be real Zelda-games so not interested in them.

Thats cool, but stick to the topic or else more people will follow your example, and then a moderator will come along and lock this topic.

I believe one of the reasons is that it had the typical "Hero saves princes, Hero Kills bad guy, Hero saves land" in a medieval land. It's classic heroic tall and fighting monsters to save the land and the princess, something people have seen in books and in movies. But Zelda brought it to the video game world, and keeps expanding on it, developing it into more than a "Hero saves Princess" story.

Its true that Zelda brought the Middle Age consept out of the dark times and into a free-roaming adventure game with many puzzles and intriguing challenges, but Final Fantasy can be just as comparable to those traits. So there has to have been something more to the Zelda legacy that cuahgt people's eye; perhaps its originality