The Legend of Zelda (Nintendo, 1987)

Upon its release back in August of 1987, the Legend of Zelda was intuitive, innovative and ahead of its time. As the first Legend in a now longstanding series of great games, it established the reputation of the Legend of Zelda as a challenging and entertaining series.

The story itself is an example of romanticism in its purest form. A young lad, commonly known to gamers as Link, hears of how the Princess Zelda has been captured by Ganon, an evil Prince of Darkness and thusly sets out to save the Princess and the Kingdom of Hyrule. Now Ganon is a very worthy opponent because he has possession of a mystical triangle known as the Triforce of Power. Therefore, the player will need to collect the eight pieces of the Triforce of Wisdom, which the Princess Zelda has hidden in eight dungeons, each riddled with bestiary and its own dungeon boss. Only after conquering the various dungeons scattered throughout Hyrule may the player enter Ganon’s Lair and stand a chance of ending Ganon’s dark reign.

As a milestone in video gaming history, the Legend of Zelda game gives the player a great amount of freedom: the freedom to navigate the land of Hyrule at any pace and in no particular order from an overhead perspective. This freedom helped to create a special link between the player holding the controller and the main protagonist in the story. As a player advanced through the game they could acquire over a dozen different items found throughout the map and in dungeons. They could then use these items throughout their quest. Items like a raft and stepladder allowed the player to reach parts of the map they may not have explored prior while others made the player a more formidable adventurer (i.e. discovering new swords made enemies easier to defeat). All this helped to fill the player with a great sense of accomplishment.

The Legend of Zelda was also the first game to allow a player to save their progress (games until then used a password system to allow a player to start from certain checkpoints). Up to three independent games could be saved on a single cartridge. As players would collect said items and expand their life-bar by collecting heart containers they would see their character grow into a respectable hero. This save feature assured that even though the system would be turned off, the hero would not be lost or forgotten, but be waiting for the player to return and continue their adventures.

After its release, the Legend of Zelda’s story and overall innovation assured its foothold in gaming history not as a footnote, but as a landmark. Still today it is accredited with widely influencing both audience and industry in its time. The game itself has been re-released onto both the GC, as part of a Collector's Edition, and GBA platforms while the tried and true “Zelda formula” has now grown to number more than a dozen installments in the series.

Whether for nostalgia purposes or to see the common ground this game shares with its successors (i.e. a dungeon inside a large tree, a dungeon at the bottom of a lake, the ability to make your tunic blue and red, etc.), this game can be adored by fans of the series and those interested in the history of console gaming.

5/5

The year was 1987, I was eight years old and hadn't really paid much attention to video games before, the day I played the Legend of Zelda that all changed. The magicical gold cartridge was placed into my cousins Nintedo, and I was immidiatley transported to another world. The name of that world was Hyrule, a seeminly endless land that was a beautiful as it was treacherous. With a battle around every turn and a beautiful princess, (Zelda) waiting to be saved from the prince of darkness himself (Ganon). Before being captured, Zelda broke the triforce into eight seperate pieces to prevent the evil Ganon from assuming total contol of the land. You are the hero, (Link) and the only one who can find the eight pieces of the shattered triforce, defeat Ganon, rescue the princess and restore peace to the great land of Hyrule. Eighteen years later I still love to return to Hyrule, and have never quite found a game that can quite compare. Everyone that I have shared this great game with has also found a special place in there hearts for it. The Legend of Zelda is truly endless adventure.

The game rules. It offered days of fun fun fun for my roommates and I. I bought the NewPhone 74205 three weeks ago and was immediately impressed with the number of features available on this inexpensive phone. It has a 1M-pixel camera, video camera, and speakerphone. The NewPhone's size is perfect for carrying in a pocket and the battery has a pretty good lifespan of roughly 4 hours. My only complaint is that the menu system on the phone makes you click four times before you can find someone in the address book, set an alarm, or perform a additional functions. Other phones I've owned have simpler menus and get you to important features easily. Overall, I'd recommend the phone if you're on a budget.

The Legend of Zelda is a Fantasy/Adventure game where you play the role of Link as you travel through a fictional land called Hyrule on a quest to save Princess Zelda from the clutches of the evil Ganon. It is famed for being the first game to feature a battery backup save feature. Also, it is the first game to feature a relatively non-linear game play, with the ability to take different paths in order to complete the game.

In this game, you must journey through the land of Hyrule in order to find 9 dungeons. In each dungeon, you are required to solve puzzles and defeat enemies to progress through the dungeon and defeat the dungeon boss. You start out the game with nothing but a wooden sword, and by the end of the game, you will be strong with many possessions. Overall this is by far the best game on the NES and arguably the best game for any system. I would recommend it to any gamer who can appreciate a truly phenominal game.

The Legend Of Zelda is a game that represents the very definition of the word "classic". Even to this day it is a very entertaining to play even if the graphics are dated by today's standards. That's a shame, really, because some people would pass it by assuming that it's a simplistic old kid's game. Sure, it was released on Nintendo (As well as the Famicom Disk System before that) but it had a strange depth to it that might have (and has) really appealed to older audiences. It was an adventure game with twists and turns that might have lead to treasure or...well...a dead end. The controls are so easy and fluid that you begin to feel like a pro even after only ten minutes or so of gameplay. That's not to say that the game's a breeze. The game is loaded with hidden passages, hidden power ups, weapon upgrades, special treasures, big bosses, winding labyrinths and all around satisfying action. Personally, I think this is one of those games that everyone with a Nintendo should have in their collection. If nothing else, just to brag about beating it...and you will be bragging when you do. I've played this game as a kid and it was somehow lost to the sands of time. So, I purchased another copy here on Ebay and I know I made a good decision. So, if you're wondering what Twilight Princess' grandfather was like, give this game a try. You might be surprised at how well it holds up today over 25 years later.


...And yes, you get to bomb some Dodongos.