I Didn't Care for Majora's Mask When I First Played It...

But after I played through it again on Virtual Console, I've realized how brilliant it is. It's much more mature than the other games, and the dungeons are much, much more difficult than Ocarina of Time's. I think that a certain perspective is required to truly appreciate this game.

And after playing this game and Twilight Princess back-to-back, Twilight Princess's story is an absolute joke. Compared to this finely crafted masterpiece, Twilight Princess feels like a bunch of beautiful pieces to what could have been a spectacular image, but some of the pieces are missing, and the ones that are there don't go together.

Anyone else feel the same way about Majora's Mask initially, and then rediscover it? Or any Zelda game for that matter?

Yeah, it almost seems like they knew we would go back to it in a few years and realize how amazing it really was. I had that same experience. I think it helps that a lot of the games hidden ideas and secrets are VERY hidden, like not ever announced, so you have to have some cognitive input to figure it all out.

As for TP i always thought that game was made to satisfy people who wanted a "true?" zelda game that played like OoT. I like it but i totally see what you mean about missing pieces.

I'm in agreeance with the missing pieces. Twilight Princess certainly missed quite a lot out, namely mini-games and the soul put into making an awesome game that have been present in both N64 incarnations of Zelda.

Majoras Mask however has to be one of the finest Zelda games ever made. I can't find any faults with this title, it took everything Ocarina had and added to it to make it better.

I think that's the main "problem" as such with Majora's Mask - it received low (well, by Zelda standards) reviews simply because it's a much more subtle experience. OoT and TP especially are in your face, brash, epic titles, but Majora's Mask is much deeper, and if you take the time, and look through it carefully, you'll find it's easily better than any other title the series has to offer, and I think if all the Zelda titles were to be given unbiased reviews now, having had time for them to sink in, Majora's Mask would be praised the most highly.

Originally Posted by Crab Helmet

I think that's the main "problem" as such with Majora's Mask - it received low (well, by Zelda standards) reviews simply because it's a much more subtle experience. OoT and TP especially are in your face, brash, epic titles, but Majora's Mask is much deeper, and if you take the time, and look through it carefully, you'll find it's easily better than any other title the series has to offer, and I think if all the Zelda titles were to be given unbiased reviews now, having had time for them to sink in, Majora's Mask would be praised the most highly.

Too true, Majoras Mask was one of them Zelda games that presented itself as something "different" than previous titles. You had to near enough dig the story out yourself through the various quests (thanks mainly to the Bomber's Notebook) and pick up items along the way that some of these quests provided as aid.

Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess near enough told you which way to go, where to go and all that.

I do like Majoras Mask and i have play it a bit (up to the 2nd dungeon). But I have a question, Is Zelda in it?

Originally Posted by 88claytions

I do like Majoras Mask and i have play it a bit (up to the 2nd dungeon). But I have a question, Is Zelda in it?

Only in a cutscene, nothing more.

No, she's not. All the best Zelda games don't have Zelda in them.

Originally Posted by Crab Helmet

No, she's not. All the best Zelda games don't have Zelda in them.

There's not many that don't have Zelda in, i think i can recall Majoras Mask, both Oracle games and Links Awakening not having Zelda in. There could be more, but i'm not counting them Zelda titles that shan't be named

LA, MM don't feature her except in cutscenes, and OoS, OoA, and PH barely feature her at all. Link's Awakening is arguably the best handheld Zelda title, and Majora's Mask is the best console title.

MM is the greatest Zelda game ever created, and arguably the greatest game period.

MM is everything that a Zelda game should be. Innovative, a dark, engrossing storyline that makes you care for the world you are saving, tons of sidequests, a fantastic musical score, and most importantly, it's fun.

All the other Zelda games can eat their heart out.

It took playing it over again (not on VC, but on the CE years ago) for me to conclude that it was my vote for least favorite 3D Zelda; It's innovations to the series and depth to the story and characters are commendable, but it doesn't excuse its many technical shortcomings in comparison to the others. I'd rather have a quality experience with a familiar pacing before an innovative one that underutilizes its potential.

I have a better explanation of this elsewhere...

EDIT...Basically, innovation is an overrated aspect to have very high standards for, because LoZ's many "innovations" to their specific game are usually among the most tedious aspects of the experience. MM does have the most innovations to its gameplay out of most of the series, but that left alot of the rest of the formula in the dust. That's both good and bad in my honest opinion, thought it's only ever a good thing when speaking in half truths: One can say that it stands out, but in a good way? No. To me, it stands out as the lowest point in Zelda of its time since AoL. It's why I hold ALTTP and TP in particular regard (though I've mentioned before that I have no particular favorite in the series) : while they weren't at all innovative to the series formulawise, they still took their respective formulas and refined the basic level of it to the highest possible execution for what they had. In that sense, doing better than what the others did in those aspects, and those aspects count for most important aspects of the series quality.

Best Zelda game IMO

The only problem is that there aren't enough dungeons, but with all the sidequests and things you can do in between them, you don't really notice.

The final verdict: It smashes Ocarina through the ground, and it kicks TP in the nuts and laughs.

Originally Posted by wheels77

Best Zelda game IMO

The only problem is that there aren't enough dungeons, but with all the sidequests and things you can do in between them, you don't really notice.

The final verdict: It smashes Ocarina through the ground, and it kicks TP in the nuts and laughs.

I'm not sure if I'd necessarily say it smashes Ocarina of Time. TP maybe.

But the way I feel about MM compared to OoT is that in order to appreciate MM, you must first play OoT. You must first experience that epic, huge, quest and story, before you can appreciate (and be disturbed) by the subtlety of MM.

I don't know which game I'd say is better, per se, but rather, they are both so incredibly different that they complement each other.

My experience was similar. The games darker feel scared me off at first, but then I realized just how genius the game really was.
Don't sell Twilight Princess' story short, though- in Majora's Mask, all characters were averagely more developed, but Twilight Princess has one or two characters that are more developed than any Majora's Mask character. Which is better solely depends on taste.

I really think it has to do with age. I first play MM when I was 11, I felt kinda meh about it. I've probably played it about 5 times since then and with each playthrough, even though I'm doing the exact same things over again I begin to like and respect it more and more.

It seems that this is the case with others as well. So I really think it has to do with maturity.

Now MM isn't my favorite Zelda game, but is easily tied for second.

When MM first came out I was 12 or 13 and I hated it for stylistic choices, lack of musical variety (same boring and ugly song in the four major areas), bastardized overworld theme (which I now realize was intentional as Termina is a bastardized Hyrule), and lack of dungeons.
I played it again more recently and now I love it. I still resent the use of the same boring "troubled" music for the four major areas and lack of dungeons, but the art has grown on me and I really payed attention to the characters for the first time.

Majora's Mask is my favorite of the 3D games. Which is to say, Link's Awakening is the best one of all.

Originally Posted by Jet23

But after I played through it again on Virtual Console, I've realized how brilliant it is. It's much more mature than the other games, and the dungeons are much, much more difficult than Ocarina of Time's. I think that a certain perspective is required to truly appreciate this game.

And after playing this game and Twilight Princess back-to-back, Twilight Princess's story is an absolute joke. Compared to this finely crafted masterpiece, Twilight Princess feels like a bunch of beautiful pieces to what could have been a spectacular image, but some of the pieces are missing, and the ones that are there don't go together.

Anyone else feel the same way about Majora's Mask initially, and then rediscover it? Or any Zelda game for that matter?

I agree with this post in its entirety. Normally I would go into detail about my feelings and opinions on such a subject, but there is no need, for this is precisely the way I feel as well. Glad to see someone else come off the TP bandwagon, and realize MM for the beautiful game that it is.

Not saying it's a bad game but i just didn't care for it! And since this always seems to happen maybe there's hope for TP after all.

Originally Posted by Jimes

I'm in agreeance with the missing pieces. Twilight Princess certainly missed quite a lot out, namely mini-games and the soul put into making an awesome game that have been present in both N64 incarnations of Zelda.

Majoras Mask however has to be one of the finest Zelda games ever made. I can't find any faults with this title, it took everything Ocarina had and added to it to make it better.

TP also lacked the awesome character side-quests MM had (which sort of made MM so great in the first place).

TP felt like it had missing pieces because it emphasised on Midna/Zant's story, but this particular story was unfitting of the world of Hyrule. It did not go well with the Zelda/Link/Ganondorf thing and did not seem right at all. Take this how you like, but this is what I feel disappoints me most about TP. Also the pacing of the story was terrible. And initially in the game it makes you feel like you'll be going to these awesome places. But Castle Town is awful... there is nothing even in it that is interesting and is inferior even to MM's Clock Town, except in graphics. MM would still win for art style... the Clock Tower... beautiful. Added to this is the fact that Death Mountain is an absolute joke. The game has "sentences" early before you climb Death Mountain that there is a connection between the people of Kakariko village and Goron Village. But all we get is a couple of elders that become mascots for Malo Mart and a few Gorons that lift you into the air so you can go to some pointless hot springs. TP had so much potential... so much, yet fails. Also, where were Deku Scrubs? If this game was supposed to be so much like OoT, then where the hell are Deku Scrubs. Unfitting to the "realistic" new game? I don't think so.