NBrid

That's right! If you act now and pre-order Zelda: The Wind Waker (GC), you get for absolutely FREE the N64 classic, Zelda: Ocarina of Time. But that's not all! They'll even throw in the Master Quest for no additional cost! Oh yeah, they play great!

And in case you haven't caught on, this version of Ocarina of Time is for your GameCube.

It comes in the same case as all GC games, and even comes with a manual! They didn't skimp on anything. Well, it's not in full color (oddly, it's just orange and black). Along side the original Ocarina and the "new" Master Quest are a few movies of current and upcoming GC games. Including of course Zelda: Wind Waker, F-Zero, Wario World, 1080 Avalanche, Metroid Prime, Zelda: A Link to the Past (GBA), and one showing off a bunch of short game clips. The last extra included is a small, full-color booklet about the upcoming Zelda: Wind Waker. I've been told it does contain a few spoilers, so I suggest you put it aside for now. You're better off watching the included movie or going to your local retailer and trying the kiosk demo.

I'm sure your next question is, "What is this 'Master Quest' you speak of?" Remember how in the original Legend of Zelda (NES) there were two quests? Well the Master Quest is basically the second quest of Ocarina of Time. For the most part the game is the same. Don't expect anything new to be added. However, enter one of the many dungeons and just like in the second quest of the original Zelda, they have been completely 'remixed'. The maps haven't changed, but how you go through them sure has. Items will be found in new places. More and different enemies will wonder about. Puzzles are redesigned and many new ones added. In short, they are a very different experience from the original. They are also tougher. I'd stop short of saying they make this a hard game, but I'd play the original quest first if you haven't before. Then again, even if you already have beaten Ocarina, the Master Quest will live up to its name.

However, I don't think the Master Quest dungeons are designed quite as well as the original version's, they arnt't as "elegant". Sometimes the design is best described as 'odd', or even 'hacks'. A good portion of some dungeons is just for finding skulltulas now. Plus while overall harder, some areas are easier. Think 'outside the box' and not 'how did I beat this last time'. In the end though, it's amazing what they were able to do to create this new challenge. Like all good Zelda's, the dungeons are still the heart and soul of the game.

As a side note, this Master Quest was originally released in Japan as "Ura Zelda". It was part of the illfated 64DD (basically a disc drive for the N64) that never made it over here to the States (thank goodness).

(Also note this is version 1.1 of Ocarina. There are a few minor changes from the original gold cart version including: Ganondorf coughing green 'blood' instead of red, chanting in the Fire Temple was removed, and the 'star and moon' symbol on the mirror shield and granite blocks was changed.)

All that's left to ask is, "How does it play on GC?" Let me first say this is just a port. It is NOT a remake (ala Resident Evil). All they are basically doing is emulating Ocarina on GC. It does play at a higher resolution that gives the graphics a much 'crisper' look, and the framerates have been improved, but that's about all. Heck, even the 'improved' framerates are far from perfect.

The control scheme had to be adapted for the GC controller. The c-buttons of N64 have been mapped onto the c-stick of GC for using items. It can be awkward this way, but you can also use X and Y in place of c-right and c-left so it's not a big deal. The bigger issue is getting used to the analog L trigger to target in place of the digital Z since sometimes it feels 'off'. But don't worry too much, the innovator of 'z-targeting' still plays great. You will be reminded of the good old days of the 'no load time' carts though. That said the only load time is right at start. Otherwise you will just be reminded that saving to battery was also a lot faster then saving to a memory card.

For a full review of OOT, check out GMX's review of the N64 version.

Zelda: Ocarina of Time from the Nintendo 64 has been faithfully reproduced for GameCube, and best of all, at no cost to us! If you have never played one of the greatest adventure games ever, now is your chance. And if you already have, you can play the more challenging Master Quest and enjoy the world of Hyrule all over again. Ocarina is one of only 4 games all-time that the popular Japanese magazine Famitsu has given a 40 out of 40. One of the other three don't forget is the upcoming Zelda: The Wind Waker. So at the very least, get this to pre-order Wind Waker. Look past the amazingly animated cel-shaded graphics, and Wind Waker might be even better then Link to the Past and Ocarina (the best two Zeldas so far)!

If Nintendo was selling Ocarina: Master Quest for more then say 15 bucks, I'd hesitate to recommend this to anyone but the biggest Zelda fans. You probably have played most of this game already. But for those who haven't and especially for free? This is one sweet deal. Most stores do have this offer so shop around. Depending on where you go, some stores only require $15 down now (and you pay the difference when you pick up Wind Waker), others require the entire $50 upfront.

This is a limited time offer. Zelda: The Wind Waker is set for release around March 24, 2003 (US), so you must act now! Otherwise you might end up paying $70 for Ocarina (GC) on eBay...